Editing Joe Satriani (section)

===1980s–2000===
Satriani started playing in a San Francisco-based band called Squares, which he formed with his brother-in-law Neil Sheehan in the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Satriani Revisits His Band Squares, Shares Unhinged 'I Love How You Love Me' Cover: Premiere |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8498853/joe-satriani-squares-interview |website=billboard.com |date=February 19, 2019 |access-date=May 8, 2021}}</ref> He was later invited to join [[the Greg Kihn Band]], who were on the downside of their career, but whose generosity helped Satriani pay off the overwhelming credit card debt from recording his first album, ''[[Not of This Earth (Joe Satriani album)|Not of This Earth]]'', released in 1986.<ref name="vault">{{cite web|last=Blackburn|first=Mike|title=Interview with Joe Satriani|publisher=BWBK|url=http://www.satriani.com/vault/1998-iview-blackburn.shtml|date=March 25, 1998|access-date=August 10, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717185746/http://www.satriani.com/vault/1998-iview-blackburn.shtml|archive-date = July 17, 2011}}</ref> The same year, he also sang backing vocals on the self-titled [[Crowded House (album)|Crowded House]] album.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neil Finn: A Quick Fire Interview |url=https://www.davidcleland.com/a-quick-fire-interview-with-neil-finn/ |website=davidcleland.com |date=December 23, 2024 |access-date=May 4, 2025}}</ref>

In 1987, Satriani's second album, ''[[Surfing with the Alien]]'', produced radio hits and was the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. The track "Crushing Day" was featured on the soundtrack of a low-budget film titled ''[[It Takes Two (1988 film)|It Takes Two]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095384/|publisher=IMDb.com|title=It Takes Two (1988)|date=July 13, 1988|access-date=November 4, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211090917/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095384/|archive-date=December 11, 2015}}</ref> In 1988, Satriani helped produce the EP ''[[The Eyes of Horror]]'' for the [[death metal]] band [[Possessed (band)|Possessed]]. That same year, he also released an EP titled ''Dreaming #11'', which featured the song "The Crush of Love". In 1989, Satriani released the album ''[[Flying in a Blue Dream]]''. It was said to be inspired by the death of his father, who died in 1989 during the recording of the album. "One Big Rush" featured on the soundtrack to the [[Cameron Crowe]] movie ''[[Say Anything...]]''. "The Forgotten Part II" was featured on a [[Molson Brewery|Molson Dry]] commercial in Canada in 1993. "Can't Slow Down" featured in a car chase sequence in the [[Don Johnson]]-starring show ''[[Nash Bridges]]''. 

In 1992, Satriani released ''[[The Extremist]]'', his most commercially successful album to date. The album was certified Gold in the United States and peaked at number 22 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-extremist-mw0000084603/awards|title=The Extremist - Joe Satriani - Awards|website=[[AllMusic]]|publisher=[[All Media Network]]|access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref> Radio stations across the US picked up "Summer Song", which got a major boost when [[Sony]] used it in a major commercial campaign for their [[Discman]] portable CD players.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_rWVPRP0nQ|title=Sony CD Commercial Satriani Summer Song|date=August 17, 2007 |via=YouTube|access-date=August 2, 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729202430/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_rWVPRP0nQ|archive-date=July 29, 2013}}</ref> "Cryin'", "[[Friends (Joe Satriani song)|Friends]]", and the title track were regional hits on radio. In late 1993, Satriani joined [[Deep Purple]] as a temporary replacement for departed guitarist [[Ritchie Blackmore]] during the band's Japanese tour. The concerts were a success, and Satriani was asked to join the band permanently, but he declined, having just signed a multi-album solo deal with Sony, and [[Steve Morse]] took the guitarist slot in Deep Purple.<ref name="Purple">{{cite web |url=http://www.deep-purple.net/tree/mk6.htm |title=Deep Purple Mark 6 History |publisher=Deep-purple.net |access-date=April 23, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419214848/http://www.deep-purple.net/tree/mk6.htm |archive-date=April 19, 2014 }}</ref>

In 1996, Satriani founded [[G3 (tour)|G3]], a concert tour intended to include a rotating trio of guitarists. The original lineup featured Satriani, Steve Vai, and [[Eric Johnson (guitarist, born 1954)|Eric Johnson]]. The G3 tour has continued periodically since its inaugural version, with Satriani the only permanent member. Other guitarists who have performed in G3 include [[Yngwie Malmsteen]], [[John Petrucci]], [[Kenny Wayne Shepherd]], [[Robert Fripp]], [[Andy Timmons]], [[Ulrich Roth|Uli Jon Roth]], [[Michael Schenker]], [[Adrian Legg]], [[Paul Gilbert]], [[Steve Morse]], and [[Steve Lukather]]. In 1998, Satriani recorded and released ''[[Crystal Planet]]'', followed by ''[[Engines of Creation (album)|Engines of Creation]]'', one of his more experimental works featuring the [[electronica]] genre. Two shows at the [[Fillmore West]] in San Francisco were recorded in December 2000 and released as ''[[Live in San Francisco (Joe Satriani album)|Live in San Francisco]]'', a two-disc live album and DVD.