Get Out of My Yard

Get Out of My Yard is Paul Gilbert’s first full-fledged all-instrumental work for him, placing no singing at all and making the guitar completely the lead. Fast dashing phrases and complex, high-level technique are richly scattered, yet the songs, always proceeding around character-rich riffs, undulating groove and clear melody, by no means fall into a merely boring set of exercises. A record where his skill as a composer shines. From the powerful drive of the speeding opening title track “Get Out of My Yard” and the drama of “The Curse of Castle Dragon” to the momentum of “Hurry Up,” the songs make you feel a vivid story and scenery each, even without words, while cuts like “Radiator” and “Straight Through the Telephone Pole” convey the work’s fullness. Rock-and-roll lightness, blues tenacity and metal sharpness move freely, and the pure fun of playing comes through directly. A record strongly showing a sure appeal as a guitarist, uniting outstanding transcendent technique and rich playfulness extremely naturally. Precisely because there is no singing, you can carefully savor the rich expression of Gilbert’s guitar tone itself. A powerful, fun masterpiece showing one ideal form of the instrumental-guitar work — an essential record for guitar fans.