๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ - ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ
On December 15, 1995, Savatage released the live album Ghost in the Ruins โ A Tribute to Criss Oliva via Nuclear Blast America.
Savatage - Gutter Ballet era
The album was recorded between 1987 and 1990. Many of the tracks on this album have since been added to the re-releases of other albums in the Savatage discography by the German label SPV in 2002. The Japanese version of the album, titled Final Bell โ Tribute to Christopher Michael Oliva released by Zero Corporation in 1997, shows the track Criss Intro as Criss Oliva Guitar Solo on the track listing.
Overview:
The first song I ever heard from Savatage was Sirens. It was some time in 1985 after the album (Sirens) was re-issued via Combat Records. I was an instant fan of the band from that moment on. The band gradually shifted from a straightforward Heavy Metal band into a progressive powerhouse.
Jon & Criss Oliva, circa 1986
From the Heavy symphonic influences on Hall of the Mountain King, to the Rock Opera infused Streets, the level of maturity the band developed in such a short timeframe was astounding. But, what caught my attention most was how Criss Oliva could go from heavy hitting (and catchy) riffs (Sirens, Hounds, 24 Hours Ago) to classical pieces like Temptation Revelation, or acoustic pieces like Silk and Steel, all while maintaining a signature sound. No matter what Criss played, it all still sounded like... Criss.
Jon & Criss Oliva, circa 1986
Whether he was playing a standard pentatonic blues scale or a ripping legato lick with whammy bar dive-bombs, he managed to put his signature all over everything he played. I tried to go see Savatage twice while Criss was still with us, and on both attempts I failed miserably. I never got the chance to see him in concert, so when this album was released, I ran out immediately and purchased it. For all of you who never had the opportunity to see Criss live, this is the perfect release to a get a feel for just how great of a live musician he was. R.I.P. Criss Oliva โ E.N. Wells
Criss Oliva - Hall of the Mountain King Tour
Peer Commentary:
โCriss had a feel that was staggering and a sound that was unbelievable. I simply had never heard a better guitar playerโ. โ Paul O'Neill
Criss Oliva, circa 1987
โSavatage was one of the original pillars of the Tampa music community, and Crissโ unique and passionate style was a huge contributing factor,โ says David Vincent, former vocalist and bassist of Morbid Angel.
โAlthough Savatage were stylistically different from much of the other 'Morrisound family,' they were family nonetheless, and were always right there with us carrying the torch.โ โ David Vincent, former vocalist and bassist of Morbid Angel.
Savatage - Streets era
โIโd always liked Criss' sound and thought he was a very good fit for the band,โ Alex Skolnick said, โbut when I heard him live a number of years later, heโd developed so much that at first, I wasnโt sure he was the same guy whoโd done the recordings. I think most guitarists take a few albums to really develop and find their voices - yours truly included - and Criss had really found a path of serious development beyond how heโd sounded on the early albums.โ
โOne of the things I appreciated was that Criss didn't just play fast runs all over the place - he was very good at slow, singing bends and long notes, yet able to fill the space in between with enough flash to keep it interesting and exciting, but not at the expense of the song or musicality.โ โ Alex Skolnick
Criss Oliva, circa 1987
Former Megadeth bassist (and one-time Savatage tour mate) David Ellefson is among the many who feel that TSO helps to keep Criss' spirit alive. โEvery time I see TSO,โ he told Guitar World, โI always think of Criss, because Crissโs dynamic guitar-playing abilities with Savatage were really the foundation and launch pad of everything that followed with TSO.โ
Savatage - Gutter Ballet era
EarMusic 2011 Reissue:
Jon Oliva wrote an introduction for the 2011 EarMusic reissue of the album. Below is the introduction.
Ghost in the Ruins by Jon Oliva, November 2011:
โGhost in the Ruins is a fitting tribute to Criss, his playing on this album is unreal. For the people who were lucky enough to see Criss play live, you know what I am talking about. For those who never had the chance, this album is a fitting tribute to his talents. Criss was very spontaneous in his playing, but live he took things to a whole new level. On stage, he hated repeating himself, so our live shows were his chance to really cut loose. From the guitar intro of City Beneath the Surface forward you can see what I mean. He would keep the signature parts to his solos but thatโs about it. He would ad-lib the rest. Many times on stage he would do something that would just completely amaze me. Such was his talent.
Poster for Dio, Megadeth and Savatage, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, January 12, 1988
This album was recorded at several locations in the United States. One of the best was LโAmour in New York, it was one of our favorite venues. It was the place to play in New York in the 80โs. They had a built-in crowd of Metal fans that packed the venue every weekend, 2,800 people strong! We did a lot of shows there and recorded a few of them. Some of those tracks appear here. Some of the other tracks were recorded on the Dio tour we did with Megadeth at Nassau Coliseum, the Spectrum in Philly and a few other venues.
Savatage, backstage at the Spectrum, 1988
Ghost in the Ruins is a strong selection of songs ranging from Sirens up to Gutter Ballet. 24 Hours Ago was always a fan favorite and also by far the hardest song for me to do live. Legions was a fun one to do, but we only did it on a few tours, so the live recording of it is somewhat rare. Strange Wings was one of my personal favorite Sava tunes, it was a mainstay in our shows for a long time, and one I still do a lot when I play live. The versions of Gutter Ballet and When the Crowds Are Gone, which I consider our first real experimental songs, are from the first tour that we played them on. There is a freshness about them that I like a lot. Of Rage And War was a fun song to do on stage, and Criss used to improvise a lot on this song.
Mountain King All Access Pass
Sirens and Dungeons Are Calling were our first two big Metal songs. They were crowd favorites from early in our career and our two signature songs until Mountain King and Gutter Ballet came along. I donโt think we did one show without playing them. Hounds, to me, is Criss Oliva at his best. To this day I do Hounds at every show I play and dedicate it to Criss. It shows off his talent like no other song, in my opinion. This recording was picked out of several, by Paul (OโNeill) and I, and it was not an easy choice. Criss would do a solo every night, at some point of the show he would just start wailing on some riff and then build on it, sometimes it lasted a minute, sometimes three or more, it depended on the crowd, the louder they got, the longer he would play (Savatage - Criss Oliva Guitar Solo (Live , Detroit 1987). He was amazing at getting the crowd going. Mountain King has been our closer since it was written. It really is the perfect ending song. I remember telling the guys that it had to be the last song because I couldnโt do it anyplace else in the set thanks to the 30 something screams in the end. I was pretty much drained after that song.
World Devastation Tour '87 Pass
Sava was a four piece band for many years but once we hooked up with Paul and our writing matured it became apparent that we needed to add a rhythm guitarist. Chris Caffery came to us through Paul. Paul had worked with him when he was with the band Heaven. Chris fit right in with the band in all ways, he also made it possible for Criss Oliva to expand his live playing even more by filling the sound out live. Now we could expand our set list to do anything we wanted. It was always a nightmare coming up with set lists, but now it became a lot easier. Songs like Gutter and Crowds now had that full sound live. We never used tapes or samples, which a lot of bands were using back then, Caffery could also sing a little which was a big help on songs like Of Rage And War and Hall of the Mountain King. It did get a bit crowded when we had a small stage to deal with, but the sound was there, and thatโs what was most important to us. Anyone who plays guitar should sit back and study this album, itโs Criss at his best, and the rest of us did pretty good as well.
Gutter Ballet Tour Poster
Ghost in the Ruins is by far one of my favorite Savatage CDโs. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it!โ โ Jon Oliva
Criss Oliva, Live 1987
Track List, Date, and Venue:
City Beneath The Surface (The Ritz in New York City, April 6, 1990)
24 Hours Ago (The Spectrum, Philadelphia, January 12, 1988)
Legions (The Spectrum, Philadelphia, January 12, 1988)
Strange Wings (The Spectrum, Philadelphia, January 12, 1988)
Gutter Ballet (Hollywood Palace, June 29, 1990)
When The Crowds Are Gone (Hollywood Palace, June 29, 1990)
Of Rage And War (LโAmour, Brooklyn, September 22, 1990)
The Dungeons Are Calling (Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, March 19, 1988)
Sirens (Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, March 19, 1988)
Hounds (LโAmour, Brooklyn, September 22, 1990)
Criss Intro (Agora, Cleveland, October 15, 1987)
Hall Of The Mountain King (LโAmour, Brooklyn, September 22, 1990)
Post Script - Instrumental (Sound check, Hollywood Palace, June 29, 1990)
Bonus Tracks 2011 EarMusic CD reissue:
Devastation (Agora, Cleveland, October 15, 1987)
Stare into the Sun (Acoustic Version)
Savatage, circa 1988
Ghost in the Ruins was one of the titles the band previously considered for the album Streets.
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. โ E.N. Wells
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