5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Matt Sorum

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Name Matt Sorum

Best known for Playing rock ‘n roll drums…but just as well known for drinkin’ and scallywaggin’!!

Musical groups were Guns N’ Roses because that had an open bar tab, The Cult which fit my clothing style of all black all the time, and Velvet Revolver where Scott Weiland turned me on to a better haircut and a good neck scarf.

Now I’m with Billy F Gibbons for that cool groove that feels especially good, as I’m finally maturing. My fun, bucket-list band is Kings of Chaos, and playing with my heroes like Steven Tyler, Robin Zander and Wayne Newton (I really did play with Wayne) is kind of like a childhood dream.

Current city Palm Springs, California.

Really want to be in I love Italy: Rome, Florence and Lucca are incredible. Watch Stanley Tucci in Searching for Italy. All he does is eat and he’s still skinny.

Brazil has my heart, too. Another country that knows how to enjoy life. Fav spots in Brazil…Florianópolis, Paraty, Ilhabela, Bahia are all insane. Beaches, sun and beautiful people. I spend a lot of time there.

Excited about The release of the new Billy F Gibbons album that we recorded while holed up in the high desert near Joshua Tree, California in a place called Pioneertown. Gram Parsons had it right…the desert makes for great inspiration. I played drums, co-wrote and co-produced the record. I’m happy my book [Double Talkin’ Jive: True Rock N’ Roll Stories available Sept. 7 on Rarebird Books] is finally coming out. It was a long process reliving my life. Looking back, it was a wild ride and I’m just glad I made it this far to tell the tale.

My current music collection has a lot of I live in Palm Springs and I am Co-Founder of a vinyl club called Experience Vinyl. So obviously, in the desert, this was Rat Pack country. I’ve got all those guys, along with Bobby Darin one of the world’s greatest crooners. My vinyl collection is deep and I’ve just been listening to the remixed and remastered Abbey Road box set. Incredible outtakes that really show the depth of that great band…you know their name…the Beatles.

And a little bit of I’m into one kind of music, good music, not genre-specific, really. Every style has its place as long as it’s good.

Don’t judge me for I love ABBA and Donna Summer. It makes for a killer party soundtrack and, to be honest, I’m not embarrassed about it all. Lemmy loved ABBA and that’s good enough for me.

Preferred format I understand streaming but prefer vinyl…obviously. With vinyl, you have to be attentive and be in the moment with the record. You know, get a drink sit down and read the liner notes…look at the wonderful cover art. Streaming, I usually use while I sleep. Have you tried “Rain and Distant Thunder” with the loop option?? I sleep like a baby.

5 Albums I Can’t Live Without

1

Avalon
Roxy Music

I know it might be an odd choice, but music appears in your life when you need it. This album has a depth of emotion with Bryan Ferry’s silky smooth voice. The production is top notch, as it still sounds great today. This record always comes back to me.

2

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Genesis

This was the soundtrack of my high school years. Everyone else was into Zeppelin, but I was a prog guy.

These guys didn’t care about the radio and this was pure art at the highest level. Also, it was Peter Gabriel’s last record [with Genesis].

I still listen to Gabriel today. Check out his version of “Heroes” by David Bowie, it’s deep.

3

Burn
Deep Purple

As I was into progressive music, I still loved rock and Deep Purple because they were insane musicians. Ian Paice was my drummer. He had chops for days and just ripped on “Burn,” the lead track.

I remember waiting outside the backstage to catch a glimpse of the band as a 15-year-old kid and watched them leave in white limos. I got a wave and a smile from the Mark III bassist Glenn Hughes. Some 30 years later I met Glenn and have had multiple musical collaborations. And, yes, I got to play “Burn” with him. His voice is still one of the greatest in rock, in my opinion.

4

Paranoid
Black Sabbath

I have older brothers that turned me on to records. I was still only 10 when Paranoid came out. My brother had a guitar and I learned how to play that song. I remember this band being dangerous and scary to my mom at the time. It was the heaviest thing I’d ever heard and made me want to play in a band. Geezer’s lyrics made you envision dark castles in the English countryside. Remember, these guys weren’t on Instagram stories—you had to use your imagination.

5

Greatest Hits
Sly and the Family Stone

This record has all the hits, and when you listen down it blows your mind how great these songs were. “I Want to Take You Higher,” “Everybody Is a Star,” “Hot Fun in The Summertime,” “Stand” and “Everyday People.” Get this record it is perfect. Sly was one of the greatest songwriters and performers ever.

Matt’s memoir Double Talkin’ Jive: True Rock N’ Roll Stories is available on Sept. 7 on Rarebird Books. His new Brazilian beer line called The Drummer which will be available in USA later this summer.

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