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Baker's Dozen

A Baker's Dozen: Steve Vai's 13 Favourite Albums Revealed
Mark Eglinton , July 31st, 2012 11:23

Porridge powered super Scot Mark Eglinton talks to compositional guitar virtuoso about his favourite albums of all time

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West Side Story – Original Soundtrack Recording

I was a little boy and this was what my parents were listening to. There was so much that inspired me about it and you can still hear this if you listen to it unbiased, unprejudiced and not concerned by peer pressure. It’s a historical record. Besides the fact that it retained its number one position on the Billboard Chart longer than any other record in history. When I listened to it as a kid, I realised it had story to it; it was cool, it was tough, it had gangs and a deep love interest. It also has historical melody and unbelievable orchestration – nothing touches it in its field and that’s not just my opinion. I think that’s the consensus of public opinion when it comes to show music. That was when I really decided I wanted to be a composer…