Speaking with Classic Rock, guitar legend Joe Satriani reflects on the special records, artists and gigs that are of lasting significance to him. Following is an excerpt from the rundown.

The first music I remember hearing:

"My parents would play jazz and classical, while my elder siblings were into Chuck Berry and Elvis, but the strongest memory is sitting in our 1949 Dodge car and hearing Santo And Johnny’s 'Sleep Walk' on the radio. That always really brings me back."

The greatest album of all time:

"Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix, for the breadth of the material, for how groundbreaking it was. What a wonderful invitation from Jimi into all the different facets of his creativity. 1983… ('A Merman I Should Turn To Be')? Nobody was making those sounds!"

The worst record I made:

"My first EP, back in '84. No bass, drums, keyboards. Just guitar, wrapping the pickups in foil and tapping them with an Allen wrench to get kick drum sounds. Some of the music’s sweet, and I love that it was avantgarde, but I have no idea why I thought people would want to hear that!"

Check out the complete rundown here.

Joe Satriani's new album, Shapeshifting, is out now via Sony Music/Legacy Recordings. It was co-produced by Satriani and Jim Scott (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) with longtime associate John Cuniberti on board handling the mastering duties. Satriani enlisted a wide range of collaborators, both old and new, to help him bring the songs to life. Legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Fogerty), bassist Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) and keyboardist Eric Caudieux were the core musicians on the new album with additional contributions coming from Lisa Coleman (The Revolution) and Christopher Guest.

Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Shapeshifting"
"Big Distortion"
"All For Love"
"Ali Farka, Dick Dale, An Alien And Me"
"Teardrops"
"Perfect Dust"
"Nineteen Eighty"
"All My Friends Are Here"
"Spirits, Ghosts And Outlaws"
"Falling Stars"
"Waiting"
"Here The Blue River"
"Yesterday’s Yesterday"

"Nineteen Eighty" (Extended Version) video:

“Nineteen Eighty” video:

"Big Distortion" visualizer: