Inspirational Music For Rock & Electric Guitarists

With guitar, or any instrument, it depends where you are in the learning process, what motivates you and what inspires you. These things are important over the years as these things change. That song that inspired you to want to learn guitar may be brand new to you or very old to an experienced guitarist. what’s important is to challenge your perceptions and listen to music that gives you a potential direction and inspires your playing – or any musical ambition such as songwriting.

It is a very neglected part of the learning process, being introduced to new music – or rather things you may never have heard before. Fusions of genres, styles and expressions in music can be very individual. What floats one person’s boat may not float another.

Here’s the first in a series of articles where I focus on this aspect of guitar playing – listening. I have asked a number of people to contribute who have experience in one way or another. We start with an article from Gordon and Francesca at Action Records in Preston.

From its humble beginnings in Blackpool back in ’79, Action Records has been established in Preston since the independent music scene started. Thy have generously given Teach Guitar Preston a discount code that can be used if you so wish, so support your local shop when you can (details at the end of the article.)

As an specialist independent chain they also established their own record label releasing works from:

• The Fall
• Mark E Smith
• The Boo Radleys,
• Genocides,
• Tompaulin,
• Fi-Lo Radio,
• Dandelion Adventure,
• Big Red Bus,
• and Monkey Steals The Drum

Here are their recommendations for 5 albums that should inspire and motivate electric guitarists – including an album or two with sounds that would also sound at home on an acoustic:

Pretty Things – Parachute

• Psych rock

Pretty Things are a UK band who have been producing music since the sixties mainly in an R & B format, but they really came into the fore with S.F Sorrow in 1968.

Parachute is the follow up album released in 1970 receiving the Best Album of 1970 accolade from Rolling Stone magazine.

If you are a fan of rock music, this is an essential album. From the opening track “The Good Mr. Square” you are swept along on this psych masterpiece. Although a rock album, these tracks would transfer easily to acoustic guitar as there are many subtle phrasings. Furthermore, the album allows any learner to examine a more electric psych sound.

Jonathan Wilson – Gentle Spirit

• Rock / Indie

Jonathan Wilson came to our attention quite suddenly with the release of this first album although he had been playing for a while with no official release. His music is very evocative of that laid-back Californian style. Wilson specialises in vintage gear, and this is reflected in the production sound of this album.

Gentle Spirit is the first official studio album released late 2011 and received the number 4 place on Mojo Magazine’s 2011 Best of Albums of the Year.

This album can be very influential with its unique sound. It takes a lot of early seventies West Coast and Pink Floyd’s Meddle period and mixes them up creating a beautiful soft psych feel while remaining original and fresh.

All Them Witches – ATW

• Rock / Melodic Psych

Formed in 2012 All Them Witches are an American rock band from Nashville Tennessee. Their debut album, Our Mother Electricity, was the first release on Germany’s Elektrohasch by an American band.

This is their fifth and finest album. Although starting off with a rather shouty track the album progresses into a more blues-psych sound with some beautiful guitar. I can imagine that when played live, these tracks could be extended quite a bit.

The band have a very versatile sound which you cannot really pigeon hole, but they fill that gap between indie and hard rock making it a great album for any music fan.

Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls

• Rock / Heavy Metal

The band’s collaborative mind-set has produced one of Maiden’s most comprehensive and confident albums since “Brave New World” and in my opinion, one of their finest.

Officially released in 2015, The Book of Souls album is the sixteenth album to come from one of Britain’s greatest and timeless metal bands. It is the first and only double studio album which features the 18-minute track “Empire of The Clouds” which is the longest track that they have recorded.

Akin to Maiden’s past albums, The Book of Souls features varying and unique guitar techniques from guitarists; Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. These different elements help balance the sound of the album, stopping it from being an onslaught of metal that simply overwhelms the listener and can put them off sitting through an entire album. This album gives us a true collaboration of Maiden’s full range of sounds across the band’s history which is why I personally love the album and think it belongs on the music shelf.

Tool – Lateralus

• Prog Rock / Heavy metal

Formed in 1990 Tool are regarded as one of the most influential American group of the last decade. Their music is carefully structured and encompasses a range of complex parts which in turn shows the bands uniqueness and true individuality.

Lateralus is the third studio album released in 2001 and is their most popular. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 555,200 copies in its first week of release.

The single ‘Schism’ is probably Tool’s most melodic compositions of the whole album and is one which has become more popular among music fans. With that said, the album opens with the track ‘The Grudge’ which sets the tone of the album and draws the listener in. With the slower pace of the album it gives opportunity to listen to the underlying chords and individual components giving the listener a chance to reflect on the lyrical themes.