Born in Portland in 1960, KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer honed his craft from the age of 13, as the hallowed age of hard rock was taking hold.

"It was just the planets aligning. A lot of the all-time greatest hard rock records were coming out in the early ‘70s"

“These records were just beginning to happen about that time,” he says of his selections. “It was just all of the planets aligning. A lot of the all-time greatest hard rock records were coming out in the early ‘70s. I just loved music and the whole package of these records.”

We’d usually have 10 albums, but, of course, this being the KISS guitarist, he’s chosen a considerably more rock ’n’ roll 11. From Creedence to ‘Sabbath, with some surprises in between, browse the gallery to see the records that shaped Tommy’s tastes.

KISS are currently on tour in Europe, before heading around the world later this year, You can catch them at Download on 14 June. For all their dates head to kissonline.com.