BILLY IDOL Guitarist STEVE STEVENS Reveals Albums That Shaped Him As A Musician - "The Music Of Your Youth Stays With You Throughout Your Lifetime"

“The music of your youth stays with you throughout your lifetime,” says guitar legend Steve Stevens. “I think it’s because the music that’s important to you during your teens comes at a time when you’re experiencing so many things for the first time. You’re becoming sexually aware. You’re learning to form your own opinions and speak your mind. Music plays a key part in all of it.”

When asked to compile a list of the 10 records that had shaped him as a guitarist for Guitar Player, Stevens — who plays a Knaggs Steve Stevens Signature electric guitar — reflected on the social aspect of music during his teens.

“Anytime you got a new record, you’d get together with your friends. You turned on the stereo, opened the album gatefold sleeve and read the lyrics. Somebody would say, ‘Play that song again,’ so you’d pick the needle up and put it back down — hopefully in the right place. You’d listen to the song again and go, ‘Wow!’ It was a shared experience, and it was great. I know people today get that when they go to a concert, but I think the act of listening to music together has been lost to a certain extent.”

The 10 records that had shaped Stevens as a guitarist are presented here in no particular order. Titles by YES, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, ELP, and others are featured.