Albums that influenced and inspired you

[schenkadere]

I curious to see what made everyone tick musically.

I started playing guitar around '78-'79...can't exactly remember. There were quite a few albums that inspired me to play and to grow as a young guitarist.

Obsession-UFO: Huge influence...Schenker's work here made me pick up the instrument.

Sleepwalk-Larry Carlton: The finest example of feel, finesse and dynamics I've ever heard. Probably the biggest influence on my own style.

Yellowjackets-self titled: Robben Ford's mix of blues and jazz had a huge impact on my playing.

Earthquake-Electric Sun: Uli Jon Roth's finest moment...some of the most original and technically interesting work still to this day. Throw in some Hendrix vibe and it's just awesome...every rock guitar player should know this album. His vocals are absolutely horrendous though, so beware! Yngwie picked up some tricks here!

No Parole from Rock n Roll-Alcatrazz: Yngwie's greatest work IMO. It was jaw dropping and unheard of at that time. I never embraced the neo-classical thing in my own playing, but still made me kick up my practice a notch. Anyone who says Yngwie doesn't play with feel has never heard this album. An absolute masterpiece.

Unsung Heros-Dixie Dregs: Steve Morse had such a great mix of so many styles on this album...broadened my horizons.

Victims of the Future-Gary Moore: His playing was so powerful, yet he still bangs out my favorite rock ballad solo in Empty Rooms.

Those are definitely my early influences...ranging from '78-'84.

Some later, more recent ones would be:

Resolution-Andy Timmons: Such great feel and that tone!!!

Erotic Cakes-Guthrie Govan: Sheer brilliance!..and again, tone!!!

Never Look Back-Blues Saraceno: Some of the best heavy blues and boogie playing ever. Another tone monster!

Look forward to reading some of yours.

 

[noble savage]

Nice thread! There are a few albums that REALLY impacted me.

Dream Theater - Images and Words. My first prog album. This is the album that basically changed my life. 6 months after hearing this, I had only one friend left because I spent so much time practicing.

Planet X - Moonbabies. I bought this album about a year after it came out in 2003, and more than any other album (Or band for that matter) this has had the most impact on me. In all honesty, I can play 90% of this album in my head. I actually can't function properly without listening to this or quantum at least twice a week.

Symphony X - V. My grandma bought me this around Christmas 2003 and I was obsessed with the balance of symphonic and metal styles.

The Flower Kings - Unfold the Future. Say what you want about these guys, they released so many high quality symphonic rock albums and UTF ranks as one of the best I have ever heard. All of these years later, The Truth Will Set You Free, Silent Inferno, Grand Old World, Rollin' the Dice, Genie in a Bottle and Devil's Playground still bring goosebumps to my arm.

The later, influential albums:

Porcupine Tree - Deadwing. Dark, atmospheric, heavy and dark. I was hooked.

IQ - Dark Matter. Not only do I love this album, but after it came out it turned me onto the very hammond/mellotron influenced prog bands.

Anglagard - Hybris. The best 'prog' rock album released in my opinion. Definitely in my top 5 albums.

Opeth - Ghost Reveries. Also one of my all time favorites. I love how dark and haunting this album is. It also de-pussified me and turned me onto even heavier bands.

Most recently:

Meshuggah - I and Chaosphere. Simply amazing stuff!

Wow, this got kind of long. I even omitted some stuff!

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

Cool thread. I started playing in '98 or so.

Led Zeppelin IV: This was why I started, and pretty much my only influence for 4 - 5 years, along with II. I'm glad I started off on something with such memorable and tasteful playing.

Van Halen I: I was sure I'd never be able to play like that, EVER.

Rhapsody - Symphony of Enchanted Lands: My first melodic metal (and my first non-radio metal) album. Perfect production, great songs, opened me up to Euro-metal.

Yngwie - Trilogy: Totally floored me. Tone, vibrato, and shred!

Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory/I&W: How I got my chops together, period. This one sent me into my room to practice and I didn't come out for some time, but it was for the best. So many different musical ideas, put together so tastefully.

Symphony X - DWOT/V/Twilight: Romeo's style showed me how one goes about getting their own style. I never learned so much music by any one player (exept maybe Page). I don't think I need to go into why this stuff's so great - it combines everything I love.

Children of Bodom - Follow the Reaper: How I learned to like growled/screamed vocals. The riffs are unforgettable and the solos RIP.

Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn: Shred with variety, musicality, and originality. Jason's the best.

Kiko Loureiro - No Gravity: The only instrumental guitar album I'd put up there with Perpetual Burn. If you don't have it, BUY IT. Kiko can do anything, and his note choice is among the best. He must really be holding back in Angra.

Blind Guardian - Pretty much everything: Andre's leads reminded me to keep it all memorable (which brings me back to the top of my list).

 

[1by4by9]

Nightwish - Oceanborn --- Before I bought my first guitar I transcribed some of the songs from this album (Stargazers and Gethsemane) and after that sequenced the MIDI files. People liked them so I thought I should learn to play some instrument.

Blind Guardian - NIME --- After I bought my first guitar I learned to play these songs and transcribed every song from the album. It took some time but I'd definitely say this is the album that got me into guitar playing.

Ayreon - The Universal Migrator 2CD --- This album duo got me into more proggy music. After I heard MJR's awesome solo I felt the urge to get me some Symphony X albums.

Symphony X - V --- I can't think of any other album that I've listened so many times.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

Nightwish - Oceanborn --- Before I bought my first guitar I transcribed some of the songs from this album (Stargazers and Gethsemane) and after that sequenced the MIDI files. People liked them so I thought I should learn to play some instrument.

Blind Guardian - NIME --- After I bought my first guitar I learned to play these songs and transcribed every song from the album. It took some time but I'd definitely say this is the album that got me into guitar playing.

Ayreon - The Universal Migrator 2CD --- This album duo got me into more proggy music. After I heard MJR's awesome solo I felt the urge to get me some Symphony X albums.

Symphony X - V --- I can't think of any other album that I've listened so many times.

I can't believe I forgot Blind Guardian! Time for edits.

 

[inhe]

Cool thread!

I started playing in 2006, so i haven't had that much time to get influenced, but the list is as follows:

Sinergy - To Hell and Back (really every album by them, but mainly this one)

My whole style of riffing came from Alexi and Roope during this time.

Racer X - Street Lethal and Second heat. Again, the riffing, but mainly Paul Gilbert's soloing.

Wintersun - Wintersun. The whole epic synth thingie i love came from this album.

Symphony X - Damnation Game. There may be other songs i like more, but this is what got me into them.

Conrad Simon - The Wrath of Con. If you haven't heard this guy you'll be floored by his alternate picking, also, great songs!

 

[Kenneth R.]

Agalloch - Ashes Against The Grain, The Mantle: No comment necessary.
Third Eye Blind - Blue: One of the coolest "alternative" bands and their best album. It's a dense jungle of echo and reverb, crafty lyrics, and perfect tone. The atmosphere is just locked in.
Marillion - Seasons End, Marillion.com, This Strange Engine, Marbles, Happiness Is The Road: A different approach... and one that really stuck with me. Marillion experiments subtly with composition and sly delivery, over which Rothery's tasteful solos are the perfect blend.
Nightingale - Alive Again: Dan is a huge influence to me not just because I like this album, but because it proves to me that you can write, record, and produce an album by yourself and make it sound professional.
Anathema - A Natural Disaster: Dark, powerful, and so quietly calm.
The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities, Accelerator, Cascade, My Kingdom, Papua New Guinea: A "band" that pushes electronic music to the limit and has been doing so for the past decade. Incredibly fascinating.
Bjork - Vespertine: I think of shadows, soft light and drunken joy. The mood is perfection.
The Doors - The Doors: No comment necessary.
Dredg - Catch Without Arms: Again like Third Eye Blind, a seemingly mainstream band takes the world for a spin. And it works great.
Unicorn - Emotional Wasteland: One of my favorite melancholy albums. It has this grainy, lo fi atmosphere that really adds to the subject matter.
Yes - Union, The Ladder: Just plain awesome.
Rush - Counterparts, Moving Pictures, Vapor Trails: Just plain awesome.
Yuki Kajiura - Xenosaga II & III OST: Yes, this is not an elaborate typo. Yuki's compositional skills never cease to impress me. This isn't video game music.
Isis - Oceanic: What can you do with drums that you didn't know before?
Kaizers Orchestra - Ompa Til Du Dor: I think I hear a pot and pan and a washing machine. Funky and groovy.
Moonsorrow - Havitetty: Crushing.
Mostly Autumn - For All We Shared: The fireside tavern folk story is not dead.
New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too: Lo fi, half assed, but genius. Great lyrics, great hooks, a solid one off album with staying power.
Peter Gabriel - OVO, So, Secret World Live, Big Blue Ball: Peter Gabriel and his ethnic music interest always has me excited.
Paatos - Kallocain: No explanation necessary.
Orphaned Land - Mabool: Middle eastern... and metal. And it works. Awesome.
Riverside - Out Of Myself: The best Riverside album. The smoothness of this work makes the first track The Same River a perfect description of their tone. Softly drifting.
Savatage - The Wake Of Magellan: Classic, epic, and unrelenting.
Sigur Ros - ( ): Conceptual, and the concept strikes me as genius. If you can make a tuned xylophone out of rocks, you just plain win.
Soundtracks: The Fountain, Gladiator: I love orchestral music. Especially when it's powerful.
Stevie Wonder - Inner Visions: Vintage, funky, and he did the whole thing himself, blind. Epic props.
Sting - Brand New Day: Yeah, this isn't a typo either. This album just has such a great groove going, it just stays with me.
Zero Hour - The Towers Of Avarice, Metamorphosis: Guitar and Drums switch roles. Lyrics intrigue. One of my most played albums of all time.

Naturally I'm not saying any or all of these influenced my guitar playing directly, but they are all contributors to the way I view and write music, instrument regardless.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

I started playing in 1980. Influences then ranged from Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Angus Young, to Dave Murray/Adrian Smith. Over the years that have passed others who are influential include: Frank Zappa, Shawn Lane, Paul Gilbert, Mike Romeo, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Rory Gallagher, Older Billy Gibbons, & Mattias Eklundh (THE Guru).

 

[ABQShredHead]

I started playing guitar in '84. Prior to that, say, 1982(?), Iron Maiden brought me over to metal, and Ozzy with Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee and Saxon. Once I started guitar, it was hair metal, Yngwie, and SRV. Then the Shrapnel clan came out, and I was very heavy into MacAlpine, Howe, and Vinne Moore. By late high school, I was deep into Savatage, the "new" Suicidal Tendencies with Rocky George on the shred, Scatterbrain, Fishbone, Cacophony, and the hair metal remnants. As a sophomore, I started taking lessons from my biggest influence, John Isaminger. He opened me up to Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, funk stuff, Sco, Pass, Henderson and other jazzers and fusioners. College I was big on Gary Moore, more Yngwie, more Robben Ford (got to see him in college and that was freakin' amazing), and then heavy into the blues. Much of the local bar music was blues-infused, and that was where I started leaning toward more. Then in '93 everything changed when I heard a brand-new song on the radio that blew me away. I made my buddy keep driving around till we got to the end of the song so I could hear who this band was. It was something I'd never really heard before. "Pull Me Under". Dream Theater. I then heard they were going to be at the 19th Street Warehouse like a month later, and I immediately set my sights on that show, having heard nothing but one song on the radio, and one time at that. That show blew me away, and I stayed a bit to talk to the band. Who would'a thunk it. For Christmas that year, my favorite present was the Images & Words CD.

Now, as far as tying all that to albums... uh...

 

[razoredge]

I started playing in 1970, it was LZII and Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced that did it for me, they were what made me love the various guitar sounds. Then more LZ and Hendrix albums followed, some were catch up. Then other influences such as ZZ Tops early albums, my beloved Atomic Rooster Death Walks Behind You album and Uriah Heeps Look at Yourself and Demons and Wizards along with Sabbaths first few albums offered more ideas.... Deep Purples Machine Head. Then Alice Coopers Killer album led me toward concept and progressive/artistic ideas, as did the later LZ work and Tulls Aqualung and Thick as a Brick, Mountains Nantucket Sleighride, painting images through music, what an awesome idea. Then came Rush's Caress of Steel and Fly by Night, that was it, I was set for a progressive path. In the summer of '75 while at a 6 week program in Berkelee I was turned on to Billy Cobhams Spectrum album, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Becks Blow by Blow and Return to Forever and I turned away from heavier rock orientated stuff for awhile. It was there I also discovered Joe Pass, at the time these more jazz oriented musicians made music by my favorite rock bands seem mundane, it was culture shock. Soon I learned to appreaciate it all. Discovering bands like Crack the Sky and Kansas furthered my progressive rock appreaciation. Later going through phases of blues rock like more ZZ, SRV, Cray, pop metal and heavy metal until 92 when a band called Dream Theater released a little gem called Images and Words, finally tieing in the advanced thought of the fusion bands and the progressive rock bands with heavy metal that hit me like a freight train.

Besides very few ZZ Top, Jethro Tull, Hendrix and Mountain songs I have learned 0 music by the bands that inspired me, not even a single Zep tune in its entirety, I like it that way, I play what comes out and go with it if I like it. My music ranges from smooth jazz, to a ZZish honk, to an up beat pop metal groove to a darker pounding metal and most of it has multiple but flowing changeups with riffs in the face. I cant play a decent solo to save my ass...

 

[razoredge]

I started playing guitar in '84. Prior to that, say, 1982(?), Iron Maiden brought me over to metal, and Ozzy with Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee and Saxon. Once I started guitar, it was hair metal, Yngwie, and SRV. Then the Shrapnel clan came out, and I was very heavy into MacAlpine, Howe, and Vinne Moore. By late high school, I was deep into Savatage, the "new" Suicidal Tendencies with Rocky George on the shred, Scatterbrain, Fishbone, Cacophony, and the hair metal remnants. As a sophomore, I started taking lessons from my biggest influence, John Isaminger. He opened me up to Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, funk stuff, Sco, Pass, Henderson and other jazzers and fusioners. College I was big on Gary Moore, more Yngwie, more Robben Ford (got to see him in college and that was freakin' amazing), and then heavy into the blues. Much of the local bar music was blues-infused, and that was where I started leaning toward more. Then in '93 everything changed when I heard a brand-new song on the radio that blew me away. I made my buddy keep driving around till we got to the end of the song so I could hear who this band was. It was something I'd never really heard before. "Pull Me Under". Dream Theater. I then heard they were going to be at the 19th Street Warehouse like a month later, and I immediately set my sights on that show, having heard nothing but one song on the radio, and one time at that. That show blew me away, and I stayed a bit to talk to the band. Who would'a thunk it. For Christmas that year, my favorite present was the Images & Words CD.

Now, as far as tying all that to albums... uh...

precisely! I made a trip 30 some miles straight to the city to find the tape once I stopped my truck to write down the name of the band

 

[ABQShredHead]

Rock, man! "Pull Me Under" was amazing way back then.

 

[razoredge]

Honestly ? I still think its pretty sweet today, then the rest of the "tape" simply blew my mind, considering that typically one would expect the radio song to be the best or only killer song of its kind, turned out to be just an appetizer

 

[Marwen]

Interesting thread! Great to see everyone's influences here.

Albums that most influenced me? hmmm...

The heavy stuff:

Symphony X - V: This album just blew me away. It 'transcended' my musical taste, leading me to a knew understanding of music. It is also the one album that seriously peeked my interest in both, progressive metal and most importantly film-scoring -which was a whole new territory and a great discovery for me.
Dream Theater - Images and Words: Here is where I FIRST got proggy.
Death - Symbolic: This dates back to when I first got into metal, at around 14/15 years old. I was going through a philosophical/existential kinda struggle and this album had a strong connection to me.
Michael Romeo - The Dark Chapter: This was when I first got an electric guitar and got into metal guitar and shredding, etc. I was literally listening to it everyday. My friends and family hated it, whilst I thought it was the coolest and most innovative solo work ever, back then.
Marty Friedman - Dragon's Kiss: The same thing happened with this great album.
And most recently:
Planet X - Quantum: This album just makes me feel good regardless of my previous mood. I finally learned to fully appreciate fusion. One of my favorites.
Derek Sherinian's stuff - Awesome music made by awesome musicians. I just couldn't ask for more.

Classical music: (in chronological order)

A.Vivaldi - Four Seasons: This got me into classical music.
Yngwie Malmsteen - Concerto for Electric Guitar: It blew me away, changed the way I see and play the guitar, and got me even more interested in classical music.
N.Paganini - 24 Caprices: When I first listened to Caprice 1, I had a creepy feeling that this isn't human, and went out and got the whole 24 Caprices and the Violin Concertos.
J.S.Bach - Harpsichord Concerto N.1 in Dm: I once became obsessed with this particular work, and learned to appreciate all of Bach's works.
Wagner (his most renown works): I remember getting into Nietzsche's writings once and putting some Wagner whenever I read those books. His music lead me to further exploration of music from the romantic era.
P.Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto n.1: This blew me into tiny little pieces. One of my absolute favorites.
David Sosnowski: His 'Lucifer and Gandhi', 'Ruminations on Providence', and Piano Sonata n.7 revolutionized the way I see classical music and got me into modern and contemporary classical music.
I.Stravinsky - Rite of Spring: I thought this was pure genius.

Film Scores:

Hans Zimmer - Lion King: So it all started here, I was watching this movie as a 6 years old kid and thought "This music is AWESOME!". Of course, back then, I didn't know that 12 years later I would be ordering the same score to study it.
Howard Shore - The Lord of the Rings: When I first listened to 'The Prophecy', 'Journey into the Dark' and 'The Great River' (from 'The Fellowship of the Ring'), I thought only a GOD could make such music. I was totally blown away by the power and expressiveness of the score.
Hans Zimmer - Gladiator: Anyone who didn't notice how awesome this music was is fucking deaf.
Hans Zimmer - The Last Samurai:
Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - Batman Begins: This is one of my all time favorite music ever. Dark stuff with some beautiful themes.
Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight: The 'Why So Serious' track with the joker theme is fucking insane! Great score.
Not a movie but a game score:
Garry Schyman - Bioshock: Seriously, a true work of art. 'Cohen's Masterpiece' (as its name indicates) is just amazing. My favorite classical piano piece, and one of my favorite musical pieces ever. This is how all music should be.

That's about it I guess. Sorry about the overuse of the words 'amazing'/'awesome'/'great'/'favorite'...etc.

 

[razoredge]

I should have mentioned that I really love big band swing as well as what is called "The Standards", various music for various moods, I suppose.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Jazz standards are eternal.

 

[progmetaldan]

Metallica- S&M: Was the first 'metal' album that I heard, and saved me from nu-metal which is what I was obsessed with at the time. However at that stage I was convinced that Kirk had to be the best guitarist on the planet...

Dream Theater- Scenes From A Memory: First 'prog' metal album, and first real introduction to seriously proficient musicianship like that. Still one of my all time favourite albums.

Tony MacAlpine- Evolution: Not my first instrumental shred album, but probably the first that wasn't strictly 'neo-classical', seriously awesome album, though I prefer Chromaticity now, I still love this one.

Planet X- Moonbabies: First album heading into the realm of jazz-fusion-metal sounds

The Flower Kings- Unfold The Future: First prog-rock album which really grabbed me, still love it and most of their stuff.



Probably some others

 

[ABQShredHead]

Honestly ? I still think its pretty sweet today, then the rest of the "tape" simply blew my mind, considering that typically one would expect the radio song to be the best or only killer song of its kind, turned out to be just an appetizer

Yeah, my girlfriend at the time freaked out on me at a frat party one time because I held the room's attention for hours waxing on and on about that album. Ah, the good ol' days...

 

[razoredge]

even my metal buddies thought I was over the top with my enthousiasm, then there was also the problem with them playing some.... soft passages

Wait for Sleep may almost be my favorite but I dont really have a favorite, its a package deal for me.

 

[ABQShredHead]

Absolutely. Hands down, the most impacting album I've ever listened to. Masterful and brilliant.