My inspirations
You're probably interested in which artists and their music have influenced and inspired me. Here I'll introduce you to a few of the first albums that influenced me.
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien
Many years in the past I was given this wonderful album as a vinyl disc as a gift. Nothing has impressed me since then. Above all, the incredible difference in sound quality between the albums I had heard up to that point and this production.
Super catchy melodies with a brilliant sound. Apparently you can't beat it when it comes to simplicity. Until I picked up the guitar and tried to play Joe's songs...
Steve Vai - Passion and Warfare
This was one of the first CDs that found space on my shelf. Sonically beyond all doubt, Steve describes his very own idea of music with his music and many extraordinary sound collages. Although he says about himself that he had to work hard for every step of his abilities, I think that he creates the implementation of his sound structures with tremendous talent.
I still use his piece “Sisters” today as a reference on live or studio mixers. Crystal clear sounds, strong structures. Well, yeah.
Whitesnake - Ready an' Willing
Like many of my first records, I purchased this album as a vinyl record. Not out of passion, sondern because there were simply no CDs yet.
Mastermind Dave Coverdale captivated me from the first moment on 'Ready an' Willing'. It's no coincidence that many of the songs included have become hits, even evergreens. The emotional passion that Dave knows how to deliver like no other has had a lasting impact on me. There's definitely always a little bit of Whitesnake in all of my blues songs.
Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey
I can still remember very well when a friend visited me with this album under his arm. He presented it to me and I actually didn't like it at all. Weeks later, I heard the album's ballad - Dreaming - on a loop on my head radio. That was it for me, and Yngwie's music became an integral part of my development.
On vocals, Joe Lynn Turner, who I already know from his work with Ritchie Blackmore and 'Rainbow'riff was. Great.
Iron Maiden - Caught somewhere in Time
In the year this album was released - 1986 - it was not yet common practice in every studio to process music fully digitally (DDD). This album did, however, and it became a milestone in the new digital recording technology. There is no doubt about the compositional skills of the (then) 5 musicians from Great Britain.
In my opinion, not about the crystal clear sound of the album either. In any case, the CD played in my CD players for many weeks at a time. It's just a shame that a CD booklet is so small.
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
This was the second vinyl disc I bought in my life. The band was still largely unknown in Germany at the time, which would change enormously over the decades. With the 'Highway to Hell' I was able to enjoy stereo sound for the first time in my life, through a little tinkering with my parents' dual turntable.
'Touch too Much' was the song that blew me away at the time. On the far right and far left are Angus and Malcolm Riffs that complement each other. A revelation for me at the time!