FLEX-ABLE LEFTOVERS

The original version of this album was a limited issue 10" EP. All of the songs from that EP are on this album, plus a few more unreleased tracks from Mr. Vai's vaults. Like any album of remnants, there are some good pieces and some bad pieces. But nothing spectacular.

There are some nods to Frank Zappa. #?@! Yourself is the most obvious, and very funny. San Sebastian, and instrumental, has a very Zappa-like feel. And Bledsoe Bluvd, with Tommy Mars, is very good. Details at 10, an indictment of newscasters, with it's pseudo- reggae beat, also has some Zappa-esque qualities.

A couple of songs, So Happy and Little Pieces of Seaweed, babble on too long before Vai starts showing off his guitar imitation of spoken word, and the pieces get kind of silly, then boring. And a few poppy songs at the end fall flat.

But Vai is just too creative for these leftovers to not hold some interest. So three stars.