A Baker's Dozen: Steve Vai's 13 Favourite Albums Revealed | Page 14 of 14 | The Quietus

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

13.

Led Zeppelin – II

This was what my sister was listening to in her room and when I heard it there was a defining moment. We all have these pivotal moments where there’s a sense of clarity where we can recall what we were seeing at the time, we can remember what things smelled like and their color and I remember walking through the hallway of our house and hearing ‘Heartbreaker’ coming out of her room and the world stopped. I was stunned because it struck such a nerve and had so much energy. Then when the solo came on I discovered another dimension of music. I was probably ten or eleven. I hadn’t picked up a guitar by this point but that’s when I knew I had to play. I had seen guitars since I was in kindergarten and was obsessed by finding photos of guitars but after hearing Led Zeppelin II I crossed the line between just liking guitars and wishing I could play one, to saying, ‘Ok, I’m going to play…’

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Lord Spikeheart, Tom Ravenscroft
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