Guitar legend STEVE VAI is featured in an interview with Jeb Wright at Classic Rock Revisited. An excerpt is available below:

(Photo by Larry DiMarzio)

Jeb: You are releasing your new album on vinyl. Tell me why.

Steve: "There is something very romantic about vinyl. It is a kickback to your youth. You get the vinyl album and you get the album artwork. I used to just stare at album covers all day long. Then you would get something like LED ZEPPELIN III and I would listen to the album and play with the wheel; it was great.

Jeb: It really is sad that we have lost the art of the album cover. Jazz records would have so many liner notes that it was like reading a short book. The music would be over before you were finished!

Steve: "It was a nice experience. Now, you don’t get anything other than the download. And that’s okay, but it is a different listening experience. Years ago, I had my old turntable around, and my two boys were younger then. My one son, whose name is Fire, found the turntable and he didn’t know what it was. I told him what it was and ended up getting him a turntable. We got all of my records out and he would just listen to records all day; it was really great. I gave him all of my old Zappa records and we put one of them on and immediately there was just a different quality to it. There was such clarity and richness."

Jeb: People who collect these new vinyl releases want that great sound, but they also want a great package. The Story of Light has a gatefold jacket and an eight-page booklet.

Steve: "It is a fun process and I know what it was like. People who lived the experience of listening to music know how exciting it is when one of your favorite artists is getting ready to release a new product. I remember, as a kid, just waiting and waiting for an album to come out, and then you get the album, and you open it up, and the more there was the better. I don’t know if it is because I’m not a kid anymore, but I kind of lost that thrill. Well, if TOM WAITS releases a record then I get a little bit excited. There are CDs that I get excited about, and I buy them, or I go download them. Like I said, there is something romantic about buying vinyl."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Vai recently released Life On The Road – Behind the Steve Vai Story Of Light Tour, filmed and edited by Chris Huber: