This collection represents an eighteen year journey composing, playing and recording rock guitar instrumental music, with a vocal or two thrown in for good measure. Selecting the tracks was at first a daunting task, with over one hundred and forty songs to choose from, you can imagine the difficulty. During the selection process I started to feel that artists shouldn't be the ones to pore over their work like this. It's better to be looking forward, always searching for what lies ahead. Then I asked myself, "Is this a 'Greatest Hits' or an 'Anthology' collection?" There is a difference. However, in this case, it turns out to be both after all, a collection of songs for the hardcore fan, as well as the casual listener. I know this because we turned to the very people who know my music best to compile it, the online fans at satriani.com. With thousands of replies from our questionnaire regarding the "Anthology" collection, we compiled a master track list from which we could extract an awesome collection of songs, and exercise a little editorial control as well. In the end however, their message was loud and clear, and I thank them for ultimately defining this double CD offering. There are a thousand stories to tell about the writing, recording, mixing and releasing of each song, some of which I'd forgotten about until prodded to recall them. Reliving the memories has definitely been a cathartic experience for me. I've included some special insights for each song for you to check out and ponder. Without getting too technical, the stories expose the emotional method behind the madness, as it were. And, some humor behind all the hard work too.