The Story of Light "Real Illusions: ...of a..." is the eighth studio album by guitarist Steve Vai, released on August 14, 2012 through Favored Nations Entertainment. It is Vai's first studio album since 2005's Real Illusions: Reflections. On May 23, 2012 The Story of Light was made available for pre-order through Vai's official website with an instant download of "Gravity Storm". The track "John the Revelator" contains a sample of Blind Willie Johnson's recording of the same song. "The Moon and I" was initially released as a VaiTunes digital only single in 2010. However, due to the personal nature of the song, Vai decided to remix it and include it on the album. The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 78.
Concept The Story of Light is the second installment of the Real Illusions trilogy, a "multi-layered melange based on the amplified mental exaggerations of a truth-seeking madman who sees the world through his own distorted perceptions",CD booklet, p.1 according to the booklet introduction. In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Vai explained:
According to Vai, "Captain Drake Mason... at one point writes a book. He presents his book, which is titled Under It All, to the town. The first chapter is called "The Story of Light". On the record, the lyrics are printed in English, but I didn't want to present them that way because it is too obvious. I wanted to do them in another language to add mystique. I went through all of these languages in my head trying to find the right one. Every language has a dynamic to it. Italian sounds like music, and French is effeminate, so it sounds beautiful, in a way. German has a lot of rough edges and comes off very masculine. All of those had too much of a tilt. Russian is such a beautiful language because it has just the right amount of rough edges and just the right amount of romance. Still, there is an authority to it. That is why I decided to do it in Russian."
Track listing
Personnel Steve Vai – guitar (all tracks) and vocals (tracks 8, 11), keyboards Philip Bynoe – bass Jeremy Colson – drums Mike Mangini – drums on "The Moon And I" Deborah Henson-Conant – harp (track 7) Beverly McClellan – vocals (track 3 and 4) Aimee Mann – vocals (track 11) Bernie Grundman – mastering Dave Rosenthal – piano (track 1) Julia Rainy May Vai – Russian narration (track 1) Bob Carpenter – Hammond B3 (tracks 3, 4, 12) Mike Keneally – keyboards (track 8) Dave Weiner – rhythm guitar (track 8)CD booklet, p.10
References