Guitar legend Steve Vai has posted an overview of the Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary behind-the-scenes video clip that was released last week:

"Hey folks,

Sterling Ball is a dear friend and has been for many years. I’ve been exclusively using his excellent Ernie Ball strings for decades because for me, they work best. On virtually all my records I have used a Choral sitar on at least one song but was always in search of something with more dimension. As a gift Sterling made me this spectacular and exotic sitar that is unique, and I believe that it will appropriately be used in the future whenever I reach for that sound. Thanks to Sterling and Ernie Ball Music Man for their amazing work here. http://bit.ly/DivyaDora

And I can also be seen in the video using my old Fender Sticker Strat. Strats have a particular sound that I like to blend in recordings at times and it was wonderful to break-out my old Sticker Strat for the recording of a song that I wrote on that guitar. For the recording of Modern Primitive I used my main Ibanez Guitars Jems: EVO, Flo III and 7-string Universe Bruno on the majority of the recordings. I am the Jem. l am even shaped like a Jem! As you may have read, Modern Primitive was written and conceived between Flex-Able and Passion And Warfare— which is right around the time I designed the Jem based on specific idiosyncrasies of my playing. These guitars have been a pivotal part of my recording, writing and live performance for over 30 years. 

Lastly, you might be interested to know I employed an 8-string Ibanez on tracks like 'Mighty Messengers', 'The Lost Chord' and 'No Pockets'. I use a plethora of gear in the studio from all sorts of companies to add different colors to the music. For instance, in the video I mention that I used an Orange amp on one song. I occasionally blend various amps into one tone and it’s not uncommon for me to mix 3 or more different amplifiers (via re-amping) to get one color. But I would say that perhaps 75% or more of the audible amp sound on Modern Primitive’s recent guitar recording is my Carvin Legacy. I use the Legacy because for me, nothing sounds like the Legacy. It’s my favorite amp tone. It’s really me and I’m so grateful to have this amp. And Carvin is truly a wonderful company.

I do feel fortunate to receive many gifts of gear from various companies and sometimes that gear can be special and I will put it to the appropriate use that’s dictated soley by my creative manager that abides in the formless dimension within, because he/she/it's really the boss."

Steve Vai and Legacy Recordings are commemorating the 25th anniversary of Passion And Warfare with a special 2CD edition of the album which includes the first-ever release of Vai's Modern Primitive songs and recordings. Based on song sketches and works-in-progress penned and recorded by Vai following the release of Flex-Able, his debut album, in January 1984, the music on Modern Primitive has been completed by Vai for release as a full album disc and the 2nd CD is the bonus remastering of the Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition.

"The music on Flex-Able is so vastly different from Passion And Warfare, one could wonder if the same guy actually made both records," Steve writes in his liner notes for the collection. "Modern Primitive is the missing link between these two records. It's sort of Cro-Magnon Vai."

Newly remastered from the original analog tapes, the Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition disc includes, as bonus tracks, four previously unreleased recordings from the Passion And Warfare sessions.

The 2CD Modern Primitive / Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition is housed in a 4-panel soft-pack with a 20-page Modern Primitive booklet and a 24-panel Passion And Warfare poster fold.

In addition to the first-time release of his "lost" Modern Primitive music, composer/producer and electric guitar virtuoso Steve Vai will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his landmark album, Passion And Warfare, with a world tour starting on May 28th featuring—for the first time ever in concert—full performances of his groundbreaking instrumental rock masterpiece in its entirety.

"Performing this record from top to bottom (with some very special surprises in the works) is something I've always dreamed of doing," Vai said.  "There are songs here I've never performed before, and I'm delighted that 25 years after its release, I feel as though my guitar chops are as much up to the task as ever before."

Often cited as one of the greatest and most influential instrumental rock guitar albums ever recorded, Vai's Passion And Warfare was originally released through Relativity/Epic Records in September 1990 and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. Inspired by a series of dreams Vai had experienced as a young man, Passion And Warfare has been described by the artist as "Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a party that Ben Hur threw for Mel Blanc." Recorded at The Mothership, Vai's home studio in the Hollywood Hills, Passion And Warfare includes the classic track, "For The Love Of God," cited as one of the best solos of all time in a Guitar World magazine reader's poll.

Modern Primitive tracklisting:

“Bop!”
“Dark Matter”
“Mighty Messengers”
“The Lost Chord”
“Upanishads”
“Fast Note People”
“And We Are One”
“Never Forever”
“Lights Are On”
“No Pockets”
“Pink and Blows Over: Part 1”
“Pink and Blows Over: Part 2 (Mars Attack)”
“Pink and Blows Over: Part 3 (Jazzbo Paddle-foot)”

Passion And Warfare 25th Anniversary Edition tracklisting:

“Liberty”
“Erotic Nightmares”
“The Animal”
“Answers”
“The Riddle”
“Ballerina 12/24”
“For Love Of God”
“The Audience ls Listening”
“I Would Love To”
“Blue Powder”
“Greasy Kid's Stuff”
“Alien Water Kiss”
“Sisters”
“Love Secrets”
“Lovely Elixir” (Bonus)
“And We Are One” (Solo #2) (Bonus)
“As Above” (Bonus)
“So Below” (Bonus)

“Lovely Elixir”: