Flex-Able
| Flex-Able | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1984 | |||
| Recorded | April–November, 1983 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:18 (without the bonus tracks) 55:04 (with the bonus tracks) | |||
| Label | Urantia Records (original) Akashic Records (1988 reissue) Epic Records (1997 reissue) | |||
| Producer | Steve Vai | |||
| Steve Vai chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
1988 reissue with bonus tracks | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Classic Rock | |
Flex-Able is the debut studio album by American virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai. This was his first as a solo artist, and was created in Stucco Blue, a shed converted into a studio in Vai's old back garden. It is very different from many of his other albums, and is largely influenced by Frank Zappa; Vai was a member of his backing band from 1980 to 1983. Flex-Able does not rely as much on massive guitar arrangements and shred moments as the rest of his output from the 1990s onwards, with the exception of Leftovers which is a compilation of bonus tracks and remasters from his sessions at Stucco Blue.
The cover of the May 2009 issue of Guitar World features a photograph of Vai in a pose similar to the album's cover, including the bending guitar neck.