Vinnie Moore - Minds Eye@

Mind's Eye is the first studio album by guitarist Vinnie Moore, released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records. Recorded in eleven days when Moore was 21 years old, the album was ranked third on the all-time top ten list of shred albums in a 2009 article by Guitar World magazine.

Who's faster: Yngwie Malmsteen or Vinnie Moore? That was the question back in 1986 when this recording was released. An obvious clone of Malmsteen, Moore burst upon the scene proving that, yes, someone else could play "that fast too." The problem with Mind's Eye and the subsequent genre of shredding that followed was that it became stagnant. Malmsteen turned heads from all musical styles because of his technical proficiency back in the early '80s, but those same heads quickly turned away to find out that there was little more being offered than really fast scales. The speed alone was not enough to hold many rock or fusion fans' interests for very long, as each guitarist seemed to be playing the same ideas, just at faster speeds. Without being too hard on Moore, he is one of the more interesting of the shredders and has one of the cleaner sounds. Ironically, Tony Macalpine is the keyboardist here and would soon emerge with an identical sound to Moore's. The better moments here are on the more aggressive numbers such as "In Control" and "Saved by a Miracle," with the latter containing a decent drum solo by the underrated Tommy Aldridge and a fine acoustic introduction by Moore. Mind's Eye is a classic in the shredder community, but rates as just a display of technical ability to the casual listener.

1. "In Control"
2. "Daydream"
3. "Saved by a Miracle"
4. "Hero Without Honor"
5. "Lifeforce"
6. "N.N.Y."
7. "Mind's Eye"
8. "Shadows of Yesterday"
9. "The Journey"