Easy Listening...Not!

Rockers!

Wow, I am extra hyper! Today is my 23rd birthday! I'm gearing up for a great day.

On the musical front - People will ask the question "how do you play like that?" more than "what do you listen to?" It should be the other way around, I think. Playing is downstream of listening.

So, for some reason, I woke up thinking that I should make a list of the albums that I've found really inspirational. Perhaps you can draw from some of their magic, too.

"Blues Guitar Greats" (Various/Rounder Records) - It's what convinced me to get a guitar!

"Texas Flood" - Stevie Ray Vaughan - It's just that good.

"The Electric Joe Satriani" - Joe Satriani - My brothers got sick of hearing it!

"Passion and Warfare" - Steve Vai - Unfortunately for my brothers, I got this CD at the same time as the Satriani one. They were ready to take a hit out on Mr. Vai for the extended airplay the CD got at my house.

"Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop" - Jeff Beck - You've gotta get it.

"Live in America" - Victor Wooten - Not a guitar album, but filled with funky bass! (Plus, one of my teachers plays on it!)

"Perpetual Burn" - Jason Becker - The direct opposite of the Wooten record. Recorded when Jason was young (I want to say 17), it's mind blowing. Don't pirate it. Buy it. Jason needs the support. He's got ALS.

"Giant Steps" - John Coltrane. Absolutely no guitar. Totally groundbreaking bebop.

"Van Halen I" - Van Halen - Need I say more?

"The Best of Chuck Brown" - Chuck Brown - Funky Go Go that made me just a little less Lithuanian. Amen!

"Paint the White House Black" - Various- Old Skool Go Go passed on to me by a white attorney soccer dad. It's nifty!

"Liquid Tension Experiment" - Liquid Tension Experiment - Basically an instrumental Dream Theater with Tony Levin on the bass, it convinced me that Joe was right, and I should use a metronome.

"Diary of a Madman" - Ozzy Osbourne - It's got Randy Rhoads! It's one of my Mom's favorite CD's, too!

"Axis- Bold as Love" - Jimi Hendrix - Just ask the Axis, he knows everything!

"9th Symphony "Ode to Joy" - Ludwig Van Beethoven - I grew up on this, and it is the closest thing to genius that I've ever heard.

"Piano Man" - Billy Joel - For some reason, I really dig the tunes. Great pop sensibilities!

"The Battle of Los Angeles" - Rage Against The Machine - A call to arms, and a cure for the common, mindless, mushy love song. If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.

Check some of these out! I hope you like 'em!

I'm off to go teach...And to celebrate!

\m/