Steve Vai / discography
This discography is an overview of the musical works of the American musician Steve Vai . According to sources and record awards, he has sold more than 1.4 million records in his career, including over 750,000 in his home country alone. The most successful release from Vai is the album Passion and Warfare with over a million units sold.
Albums
Studio albums
| year | Title music label |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1984 |
Flex-Able Epic |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: January 1984
Sales: + 400,000 |
| 1990 |
Passion and Warfare Epic / Relativity |
- | - |
CH35 (3 weeks) CH |
UK8th  (10 weeks)UK |
US18th  (25 weeks)US |
First published: May 22nd, 1990
Sales: + 1,050,000 |
| 1993 |
Sex & Religion Epic / Relativity |
DE53 (9 weeks) DE |
- |
CH26 (3 weeks) CH |
UK17 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: July 27, 1993
Sales: +192,969 |
| 1996 |
Fire Garden Sony |
- | - | - |
UK41 (2 weeks) UK |
US106 (2 weeks) US |
First published: September 17, 1996
Sales: +111,832 |
| 1998 |
Flex-Able Leftovers Sony |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: November 10, 1998
Sales: +14,913 |
| 1999 |
The Ultra Zone Epic |
- | - | - | - |
US121 (1 week) US |
First published: September 7, 1999
Sales: +41,395 |
| 2005 |
Real Illusions: Reflections Epic |
- | - | - | - |
US147 (1 week) US |
First published: February 22, 2005
Sales: + 70,000 |
| 2012 |
The Story of Light Favored Nations |
DE79 (1 week) DE |
AT67 (1 week) AT |
- | - |
US78 (1 week) US |
First published: August 14, 2012
|
| 2016 | Modern Primitive Epic |
- | - |
CH77 (1 week) CH |
- | - |
First published: June 24, 2016
|
EPs
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1984 |
Flex-Able Leftovers Urantia |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: 1984
Sales: +2,000 |
| 1995 |
Alien Love Secrets Relativity |
- | - | - |
UK39 (2 weeks) UK |
US125 (2 weeks) US |
First published: March 1995
Sales: + 121,416 |
Live albums
- 2001: Alive in an Ultra World
- 2003: Live in London
- 2007: Sound Theories Vol. I & II
- 2009: Where the Wild Things Are
- 2010: Where the Other Wild Things Are
Compilation albums
- 1993: Zappa's Universe
- 1995: In from the Storm
- 1996: Songs of West Side Story
- 1997: Merry Axemas: A Guitar Christmas
- 1999: Radio Disney Kid Jams
- 2000: The 7th Song - Enchanting Guitar Melodies - Archives Vol. 1
- 2001: The Secret Jewel Box
- 2001: Frank Zappa Original Recordings; Steve Vai - Archives, Vol. 2
- 2001: Roland Guitar Masters
- 2002: The Elusive Light and Sound Vol. 1
- 2002: Guitars for Freedom
- 2003: Mystery Tracks - Archives Vol. 3
- 2003: Various Artists - Archives Vol. 4
- 2003: The Infinite Steve Vai - An Anthology
- 2004: Piano Reductions, Vol. 1: Performed by Mike Keneally
- 2005: The Sounds of Nascar
- 2008: Steve Vai Original Album Classics
- 2010: Playlist: The Very Best of Steve Vai
- 2011: The Essential Steve Vai
- 2019: Piano Reductions, Vol. 2: Performed by Miho Arai
Video albums
solo
- 1995: Alien Love Secrets (VHS, DVD)
- 2003: Live at the Astoria, London (DVD, US:
× 2Double platinum Double platinum) - 2007: Visual Sound Theories (DVD)
- 2009: Where the Wild Things Are (DVD, Blu-ray, US:gold Gold)
G3
- 1997: G3: Live in Concert (VHS, DVD)
- 2004: G3: Rockin 'in the Free World (DVD)
- 2005: G3: Live in Tokyo (DVD)
with others
- 1982: The Dub Room Special (VHS, DVD) - with Frank Zappa ("Stevie's Spanking", New York City Palladium)
- 1985: Power Live (VHS) - with Alcatrazz (concert from Shinjuku Kousei Nenkin Hall, Japan )
- 1985: David Lee Roth (VHS) - with David Lee Roth ("Yankee Rose", "Goin 'Crazy!")
- 1987: Video from Hell (VHS) - with Frank Zappa ("Stevie's Spanking" from Rome )
- 1989: The True Story of 200 Motels (VHS) - with Frank Zappa (At 41:33, interview from July 14, 1982 in Palermo)
- 1990: Metal Head Vol.2 (VHS) - BMG Video Magazine (Interview)
- 1993: Zappa's Universe: A Celebration of 25 Years of Frank Zappa's Music (VHS, DVD) - Various Artists ("Dirty Love", Sofa ")
- 1997: 7th Heaven video by Ibanez (VHS, DVD) - Ibanez Various Artists (Interview)
- 2003: Rockthology (DVD) - Various Artists ("I Would Love To" music video)
- 2003: The Satch Tapes (DVD) - Joe Satriani (Vai interview from 1992)
- 2004: Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004 - Various Artists (Get The Hell Outta Here)
as an actor
- 1986: Crossroads - Pact with the Devil (VHS, DVD) - as "Jack Butler"
- 2005: Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection (DVD) - "Score! An Interview With Guitarist Steve Vai"
- 2007: Crazy (DVD) - as "Hank Williams"
- 2008: Tattooed (DVD) - as Steve Vai himself
- 2009: Metalocalypse (TV) - Voice: Episode 39 "Renovationklok", Episode 40 "Tributeklok"
Soundtracks
| year | Soundtrack | Type | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Crossroads | Motion picture soundtrack | All pieces from The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 |
| 1987 | Dudes | Motion picture soundtrack | Amazing Grace - also on The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1 |
| 1987 | Under zero | Motion picture soundtrack | Bump 'n Grind (not on the OST) |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's crazy journey into the future | Motion picture soundtrack | The Reaper and The Reaper Rap |
| 1992 | Wayne's World | Motion picture soundtrack | together with Joe Satriani , from Feed My Frankenstein |
| Stone Age Junior | Motion picture soundtrack | Get the Hell Out of Here | |
| 1994 | PCU | Motion picture soundtrack | Steve Vai composed all of the film music |
| 1997 | Formula 1 | Video game soundtrack | |
| 2001 | Ghosts of Mars | Motion picture soundtrack | Ghosts of Mars and Ghost Poppin |
| 2004 | Halo 2 Soundtrack Volume 1 | Video game soundtrack | Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix and Never Surrender |
| 2006 | Halo 2 Soundtrack Volume 2 | Video game soundtrack | Reclaimer |
| 2008 | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock | Video game soundtrack | For the Love of God |
| 2014 | Halo 2 Anniversary Original Soundtrack | Video game soundtrack | Halo Theme Gungnir Mix and Genesong |
Awards for music sales
|
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
| Country / Region |
silver |
gold |
platinum
|
Sales | swell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
|||||
 Australia (ARIA)
|
- |
gold1
|
platinum1
|
50,000 | aria.com.au |
 France (SNEP)
|
- | - | - | 51,600 | Individual evidence |
 Canada (MC)
|
- |
2 × gold2
|
platinum1
|
65,000 | musiccanada.com |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
- |
gold1
|
- | 7,500 | Individual evidence |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
- |
2 × gold2
|
2 × platinum2
|
750,000 | riaa.com |
|
United Kingdom (BPI)
|
silver1
|
- | - | 500,000 | bpi.co.uk |
| All in all |
silver1
|
6 × gold6th
|
4 × platinum4th
|
||
swell
- ↑ a b Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
- ^ Alan Di Perna: Flex Appeal - 25th Anniversary of Flex-Able . In: Future Media With Passion (Ed.): Guitar World . May 2009, p. 57 (English).
- ↑ Sales for Passion and Warfare in the United Kingdom ( July 11, 2015 memento on the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b c d e Sludge Scan For December 1999 | Metal Sludge , accessed February 20, 2015, metalsludge.tv
- ↑ Sales figures for Sex & Religion in France ( Memento from January 10, 2020 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Sales figures for Fire Garden in France ( Memento from December 27, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Sales for Real Illusions: Reflections in the United States
- ↑ Sales figures for Alien Love Secrets in France ( Memento from December 27, 2019 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Gavin Ryan: Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010 . Moonlight Publishing, Mount Martha, Melbourne, Victoria 2011 (English).
- ^ Dean Scapolo: The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966 - 2006 . Ed .: Maurienne House. 2007, ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8 (English).