Guitarists (and general musical conversations)!

[daRque]

Can't wait to get into this chat about guitarists, just don't have time right now, I'll be back!

 

[Prowsey]

Back in the 70s Springsteen was hailed a great guitarist. Born to Run and Darkness On the Edge of Town albums showcase it beautifully.
Many fans get carried away with the self indulgent solo and think that jamming riffs and chords in is great. Even while losing the mood & feeling of the song…especially from a lyrical sense.
Springsteen feels the song and it’s reflected in the whole tenure of it.

Anyone who was around in the insipid 70s that had ABBA, disco, James Taylor and co could not have been swept away the first time they heard that great into to Born to Run and taken on the journey of the song

Bruce Sprinsgteen was and is a great performer, incredible songwriter and an above average guitarist.

His band is sensational.

I wouldn’t put him up there with the greatest guitarists of all times.

 

[andyrabbit]

I think you mean Peter Green and yes he along with Danny Kirwan were great guitarists with Fleetwood Mac.

Yes, I do mean Peter Green. I knew there was something wrong as I was typing. I bought an early Fleetwood Mac CD years ago on special and was amazed how good it was. I grew up with the version with Stevie and Christine and loved them, but the early stuff might have been better.

John Mayall worth a mention too. I have a couple of fantastic records of his.

 

[andyrabbit]

It's interesting when you read who some great guitarists are influenced by. JJ Cale was someone I had only one album of and thought he was pretty good, but apparently his reputation among fellow guitarists went much further. Clapton was a big fan.

Cult Heroes: J.J. Cale, rock's ultimate best-kept secret

Eric Clapton considered J.J. Cale the master. Neil Young said he was as good as Hendrix. So why did Cale, featured here in one of his last interviews, never get the recognition he deserved?

www.loudersound.com

Another one is Glenn Campbell. I remember being surprised when I read that Eddie Van Halen sought him out for lessons. After a bit of digging I can see why.

Glen Campbell Really Was a Guitar God—Here's the Proof in Five Videos

Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover your favorite albums and films.

www.pastemagazine.com

 

[daRque]

Wow, where do you start?

I'd start with some of the great country guitarists like Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Roy Clark, Maybelle Carter, Glen Campbell, Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Apart from inventing multi track recording and partially inventing the solid body electric guitar Les Paul is in any conversation about best ever,
brilliant man from an electronics perspective, but could play insane guitar as well.

Being honest all the country players above could play rings around some of the so called guitar heroes of later years, and some of the most under rated guitarists could play far better
than they have been given credit for.

I'll get this out there right now, not a fan of Clapton and think he is so over rated, just gets old blues licks and repeats them, not a very creative guitarist.

So I give credit to the old country guys for raising the profile of the guitar and that contributed so much to the evolution of music.

Redd Volkaert is a contemporary player I like, does some mean pickin'.................

I liked Hendrix, I prefer players who change the course of music, which is why I love the blues and country so much.

Seeing the blues, country and bluegrass come together gave us rock n roll.

I love blues, but I can't list any single player, there are just so many.
All the standards of course like Big Bill Broonzy, John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnston etc etc etc.

Tommy Emmanuel is a freak and quite possibly the greatest acoustic player I have ever seen.

Another contemporary guy I like is Billy Strings.

Knofler is good, so is Keith, in fact Keith is very under rated, has done some great stuff.

Angus also deserves credit, has managed to find a niche and almost define what rock guitar is all about.

Just some initial thoughts, I am sure there will be more.

 

[andyrabbit]

Forgot about Billy Strings. Amazing. With Tommy

 

[Atlanta]

Going a little wider, and from 3 different genres.
Jerry Reed - Country
Bo Diddley - Blues
Deniz Tek - because I used to watch him / Radio Birdman every Friday night at the Oxford Tavern.

 

[andyrabbit]

Going a little wider, and from 3 different genres.
Jerry Reed - Country
Bo Diddley - Blues
Deniz Tek - because I used to watch him / Radio Birdman every Friday night at the Oxford Tavern.

Radio Birdman was fantastic, fave Aussie band by a long shot. Deniz Tek outstanding, also a pilot and doctor. An over achiever.

 

[andyrabbit]

Darque, I'm not much of a country music fan, although I enjoy any music played well. I too like those players who changed the course of music, or tried to innovate. To me Hendrix was the greatest of those, but also Zappa and Robert Fripp. I'm sure I'll think of others.

I also admire those that can do lots of different styles well. The best of these in contemporary music I reckon was Brian May.

 

[daRque]

Going a little wider, and from 3 different genres.
Jerry Reed - Country
Bo Diddley - Blues
Deniz Tek - because I used to watch him / Radio Birdman every Friday night at the Oxford Tavern.

I played a lot of gigs with Birdman in the 70's when that place was called the Oxford Funhouse and the bands played upstairs..

I was very young, about 15 or 16, and Rob Younger treated me like his little bro and looked after me.

Great memories.

The Grand Hotel on Broadway was also a great punk style venue.

A few good bands played there, World War IV, Blackrunner, The Leftovers, Johnny Kannis amd of course X with Ian Rilen, great band.

The guitarist from Blackrunner went on to join The Cruel Sea under the name Danny Rumour.

 

[andyrabbit]

I played a lot of gigs with Birdman in the 70's when that place was called the Oxford Funhouse.

I was very young, about 15 or 16, and Rob Younger treated me like his little bro and looked after me.

Great memories.

I was about 14 when Radios Appear came out. I bought the album based on a review I read in Ram magazine (anyone remember that?). To this day I still play that album. I missed seeing them at the Oxford, but have seen a few of their tours a decade or so ago.

Rob Younger was nearly hired as the singer for the Sunnyboys. A bit of trivia. My daughter saw him fairly recently still performing with the New Christs.

 

[daRque]

Music is sooooooooo subjective though, for example I view Springsteen as a very average pub rock act, yet I know so many people who thought he was the second coming.

I feel the same about Fleetwood Mac, they bore me to tears.

Yet, I think CCR and Slade are two of the best rock bands I've heard.

 

[daRque]

I was about 14 when Radios Appear came out. I bought the album based on a review I read in Ram magazine (anyone remember that?). To this day I still play that album. I missed seeing them at the Oxford, but have seen a few of their tours a decade or so ago.

Rob Younger was nearly hired as the singer for the Sunnyboys. A bit of trivia. My daughter saw him fairly recently still performing with the New Christs.

I still have some copies of RAM saved because there were articles about us in them.

Going back even further the main magazine was "Go Set".

Rob Younger was just a genuinely good guy, no ego, no attitude.

 

[andyrabbit]

I still have some copies of RAM saved because there were articles about us in them.

Going back even further the main magazine was "Go Set".

Rob Younger was just a genuinely good guy, no ego, no attitude.

I had a big pile of RAMs, about 50 or so that my mother burnt when I went away to uni. I was devastated.

Can I ask what band you were with? PM if you prefer.

 

[andyrabbit]

Music is sooooooooo subjective though, for example I view Springsteen as a very average pub rock act, yet I know so many people who thought he was the second coming.

I feel the same about Fleetwood Mac, they bore me to tears.

Yet, I think CCR and Slade are two of the best rock bands I've heard.

Agree. I never got Springsteen although loved Fleetwood Mac.

I also find sometimes you're more receptive to music that others. There's plenty of musicians that I didn't like initially, that years later after more listens that I now love. Grateful Dead is one of those. I thought they were average, but years later became almost addicted.