Richie Kotzen’s mind moves as fast as his fingers. It’s a bit tricky keeping up with his stream of consciousness across a crackly Transatlantic phone line, as he drifts quickly from subject to subject, album to album, artist to artist. “The thing is,” he says, “I listened to the radio a lot as a kid, so I don’t have a big picture of a bunch of albums in my head.
Solo Studio albums (1989) Richie Kotzen (1990) Fever Dream (1991) Electric Joy (1994) Mother Head's Family Reunion (1995) The Inner Galactic Fusion Experience (1996) Wave of Emotion.
I’ve always been more about songs than whole albums.” Singers, too. Here the former Shrapnel shredder, Poison/Mr Big dep, session gun and Winery Dog recalls the albums that have had a lasting effect on him, and as you might expect he won’t just lay down a conventional rundown of the usual greats. Lest we forget, he’s been a solo artist for the best part of three decades, and his choices very much reflect his own broad musical range. “I suppose all us Shrapnel guys – me, Jason Becker, Greg Howe – influenced each other, but I don’t dissect my influences, or even have to think about it.
Over the span of my career, I was focused on guitar for a very short, concentrated period of time. Then I became much more interested in singers and songwriters” Stevie Wonder – Talking Book (1972) I know it’s not rock record per se, but this was the first album that influenced me most at the youngest point in my life. My favourite track is Maybe Your Baby – the bass synth and the rhythm section really excited me. I know Jeff Beck played on the record too, there are some great guitar parts it. Stevie was also the first concert I went to, at the Valley Forge Music Fare in Pennsylvania around 1983. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – Anthology (1973) When I turned 19 I became less and less interested in guitar players and got way more interested in singers.
I moved to Los Angeles in the early 90s and I remember taking this with me. The thing is, I wouldn’t always have an artist’s album, I’d have, say, a Motown best of, a Stax best of, or an anthology like this. The Black Sabbath album I’d play on loop was their compilation album, We Sold Our Soul For Rock ‘n’ Roll, the one with a really creepy picture on the gatefold. Prince - Purple Rain (1984) This album and the movie changed a lot of musicians’ lives. Prince was probably the most inspirational character in the history of music for me.
![Richie Richie](https://crypticrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/richie_kotzen_salting_earth-slide.jpg)
He had every element – not only could he dance and perform, but he could write great, sing great, play multiple instruments, and he could produce and engineer himself. He had every single aspect of being an artist, a creative entity, covered. You should be able to go into a studio and come out with a piece of work, and so many people can’t. I listened to this one and Sign O’ The Times over and over again. David Bowie - Blackstar (2016) I loved David Bowie’s music, but I didn’t really follow him.
People like Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Police, when you’re growing up they’re just part of life, like the trees and the air. Young Americans, Changes come on the radio and they’re just part of the environment, and you almost look for other, less obviously outstanding things. But this the title song in particular was so unique and so interesting.
Right at the end of his life, it reaffirmed him as anything but a typical pop artist.