Former Cinderella frontman, Tom Keifer, tells Classic Rock the “10 records that changed [his] life.” Here is his list:
BB King – Live at the Regal (1965):
…This record is what caused me to dig back into countless blues albums and American roots, in general. It started a domino effect of everything from James Brown to Jerry Lee Lewis to Little Richard.
Muddy Waters – Hard Again (1977):
It’s that classic delta blues sound…This was a major blues record for me.
Johnny Winter – Nothin’ but the Blues (1977):
I would say this record and the song TV Mama — which uses a National Steel open tuning slide acoustic — is as badass an example of that style as you can get…This really got me into the National Steel and that style, like I did on Bad Seamstress Blues and Dead Man’s Road…
Rolling Stones – It’s Only Rock N’ Roll (1974):
For me it could be every Rolling Stones album, but I have to include The Stones here, so I just picked one…It’s just a classic record.
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti (1975):
…that record was just mind-blowing. I don’t think there’s a rock musician from my generation that wouldn’t say that Physical Graffiti wasn’t a major record for them. Very inventive record.
Rod Stewart – Foot Loose & Fancy Free (1977):
Another one from around that time – this is middle school/high school years, cutting my teeth, learning how to play…He was a huge inspiration on both my vocals and songwriting.
The Eagles – Hotel California (1977):
I loved The Eagles growing up. I remember the first time hearing Life in the Fast Lane, I was just like, “That guitar playing is just too cool!”…Victim Of Love was also a great track off of this.
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours (1977):
… I loved The Chain – the dark vocals and dark vibe of that tune. That was a major record for me. And Gold Dust Woman – a vibe-y kind of track. The ‘70s were a great time, because every band had a different style, and you listened to all of them growing up.
Aerosmith – Rocks (1976):
Now getting back to the harder stuff, and again, this is a band where all their records were really major for me, but I would have to say Rocks by Aerosmith is one of my favourites. The first time I heard Back in the Saddle was just mind-blowing. Such a cool track, with innovative parts and sounds. Just a great song. That record, top-to-bottom, is just a major record for me. Nobody’s Fault was badass.
UFO – Obsession (1978):
Michael Schenker was a really big inspiration to me on guitar. There was so many blues inflections in his playing, but he was also very technical… and was very melodic at the same time. An amazing player. And I love all the UFO stuff that he played on, but this record, I love the songs, but in particular, I love his guitar playing.
The solo on Only You Can Rock Me is one of those ones where it’s like a song within a song. It’s so melodic, but at the same time, it’s nasty – it’s not too pretty. He’s got that nasty blues thing in there, too. He really walked the line between melodic and nasty – always. So, he was a big, big influence on me. This record was one that I wore out.
Read more at Classic Rock.
In related news, Keifer will be releasing the a deluxe edition of his debut album, “The Way Life Goes on October 20th.
source: Classic Rock via teamrock.com
13 Responses
My ex, who passed, worshipped Michael Schenker, and he introduced me to UFO. He copied Obsession for me, and that album is great. Pack It Up And Go is such a great song, and still sounds like a current. It’s hard to believe it was recorded in 1978.
On the other hand, I cannot stand Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nick’s machine gun/lamb like vocals. But, to each their own.
First off…Dana, sorry for the passing of your ex. I lost my dad over the summer and i miss him dearly….
The only surprise album, to me, was UFO. Great album, but i wouldn’t have guessed that to be an influential album to Tom Keifer.
It’s always fun to know what everybody’s top 10 influential/favorite albums are…
Thank you, Rattle,
I am so sorry for your loss, my condolences. I hope with time, that your heart will heal.
D
I agree with most of Tom’s picks, especially Fleetwood Mac. Rumours is 1 of my favorite albums of all time.
Rumours is my wife’s favourite album as well. From now I’ll be referring to her as ‘Mrs. Doug R’.
LOL!!! Yo, bro, remember, you can always Go Your Own Way! 😉 Sh-t, now I’m late!
Cool to see him pick “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll.” That’s my favorite Stones album. Nice choice.
cool list for sure , but its funny how Cinderella sounded nothing like his influences , I can see some of these artists in his solo work which I like much more than anything Cinderella ever put out –
Hard to argue with many of Tom’s picks. His picks of BB King, Muddy Waters, and Johnny Winter albums really emphasize where he got a lot of his blues-based songwriting and playing. The Rod Stewart pick may be a little surprising to some if you aren’t familiar with some of Rod’s earlier work. If you want a really good Rod Stewart tune, check our “Hot Legs”. It rocks! Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” record is one that would be on my all-time favorite list, as Lindsey Buckingham is a CRIMINALLY underrated guitar player and every song on that record is a complete masterpiece! All in all, a solid list of good music.