Barrueco
:smack:
He bugs me so much my brain cramped on the spelling of his name.
dave davies
Another Zappa quote that always makes me smile:
Of course you realize you won’t be able to hear the organ once we turn the guitars on.
A bit of a subjective question (what defines best?), but if we took “best” to mean “creates walls of sound that make the hairs on your neck stand on end”, I’d suggest Nick McCabe, formerly of The Verve. He was wasted on Urban Hymns.
personally i think some of the great solos include steve vai-speed metal symphony. jimi hendrix-red house. jimmy page-since i’ve been lovin you and of course jeff beck- black cat moan with john mayall.
Wow - guess I’m a thread killer. No comments on my Hendrix exposition? If not, sorry about that - didn’t mean to kill the thread…
See? No one cares, Wordman!
I think using the words ‘naivete’ is a little extreme when you’re making an argument that Hendrix is seminal because of the WAY he played? The motion and theatricality? If anything I think that just indicates what impressed you during your impressionable years.
I just can’t take that seriously. Doing all that sort of thing generally indicates the guitarist lacks chops.
Sort of like with effects pedals. They’re not called ‘talent enhancers’ for nothing, you know.
Now I’m not bringing down Hendrix technical abilities. But there are far better players out there. The previously mentioned Eric Johnson, Mark Knopfler has astounding technique, for one. And he’s dull as crap when seen live.
He always seems to get overlooked but for me it’s Peter Green all the way.
His playing defines the less is more ideal, simple lines played beautifully.
His best solo? the fleetwood mac cover of ‘Jumpin at Shadows’ from the boston Tea Party show.
Also an honorable mention to ‘Need your Love so Bad’
I’m pretty partial to the solo in Carlos Santana’s Samba Pa Ti. It’s soulful and moving, and speaks to me more than if there were lyrics sung along with it.
[slight hijack] At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve always gotten a kick out of the one-note guitar solo in Katrina and the Waves’ Walkin’ On Sunshine. [/slight hijack]
Wordman, I for one very much enjoyed and appreciated your paean to Hendrix. I didn’t agree with all of it, but I salute your sentiments in posting it. Personally, I never feel Hendrix needs any defenders or protestations on behalf of the faithful - I think his work speaks for itself and is the best argument-clinching evidence one can muster. For me it comes down to ‘Nine To The Universe’ and ‘Live at Winterland’. When I hear someone do anything with the axe electric that I think is greater than what JH does on those cuts, I’ll change my vote. Hasn’t happened yet, but it might.
Mind you, I’m not going to get in the way between you and Jonathan Chance, because JC has been very helpful on another matter so he’s great too. Anyone who not only loves Cliffs of Dover as I do but has also bothered to own the sheet music is one of the Good Guys in my book.
I feel I know what it’s like to be Switzerland when there’s a war!
Damn mountains!
Which is exactly why I say, Steve Howe. His work is impeccably clean, very complicated when need be, and interesting. Not all of his work is with Yes, although a lot of it is. His skills are daunting, and he’s not a cluttered player.
Cartooniverse
Snipped.
Well, I disagree with the popularity thought for a couple reasons. Let’s take Mr. Morse as an example. It is true that Steve isn’t well known by non-guitarists. At the same time he did play with Kansas, Lynard Skynard and is now in Deep Purple which are all well known bands.
But Steve has influenced a large number of guitarists who are well known. I don’t have the issue in front of me but Guitar magazine asked 30 or 40 well known guitarists who there influences were. The top four meantioned, IIRC, were Randy Rhoads, Hendrix, Page and Morse. Morse was meantioned alot by younger players. I think that is more important than how many non-musicians know someones name. The musicians are the ones who are going to take their influences and create new music, not the general public who just buy CDs. In fact I’m willing to bet that alot of lesser know musicians are responsible for alot of cultural changes. Do most people know who King Diamond is? Nope. But King Diamond was a huge influence for Metallica and therefore holds an important place in music history even though he isn’t well known. Same thing with Black Sabbath though Sabbath is fairly well known.
[QUOTE]
WordMan said
So if the question is just “who has good hands” then players like Morse win hands down, deservedly so. But if you want to include “who opened the door to a new way of thinking - about guitar, about music, about style, about life and its possibilities” then players like Hendrix are the ones that matter.
Well, if you want to get into who ‘opened the door to a new way of thinking’ I’ll agree that Hendrix did some of that. I won’t give him all the credit that you do, as there were other players that were exploring new ground at that time, but he did open some doors. So did Tony Iommi. So did Page. So did Morse. And Vai. And Satch. In fact I cannot think of a guitarist who plays and combines as many styles as Morse does. I’ll think some more and maybe I’ll come up with someone.
Slee
I can’t let this thread go by without mentioning Television
Listen to any song off of Marquee Moon and Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s guitar work is garaunteed to send shivers down your spine. The self titled early 90s Lp is almost as good, especially the single “Call Mr. Lee”.
On a related note, one of my favorite solos of all time is Richard Hell’s solo on the 45 version of “Blank Generation”
Jon
Urp…I mean Robert Quine’s solo on Richard Hell’s Blank Generation.
Jon
Wordman, I appreciated your Hendriz post but i am a dyed in the wool Hendrix fanatic. One aspect of his playing that you didn’t mention was his exploration of the electric guitar as a unique instrument, distinct from accustic. His use of feedback, whammy bars and wha pedals are well known but he dodn’t stop there. He actually transcended musicality at times and went for sheer sonic paintings. Onomotepaic effects such as the bombs and missiles on “Star Spangled Banner,” his willingness to experiment with any and all weird sounds he could wring from his instrument, his seeming abilty to make it talk or cry at will. He not only experimented with these sounds but always did it with such mastery and control. He bent the instrument to his will like no one else. My personal favorite Hendrix song, “1983, A Merman Should I Turn to Be” is a masterpiece of style, dynamics, musicality, psychedelia and guitaristic sound effects.
I agree with everything else you said but I just wanted to add that he cracked open what was a relatively new instrument and figured out everything it could do. I believe that virtually everyone who plays rock guitar even now is influenced by Hendrix whether they know it or not.
Sleestak, I appreciate your affection for Steve Morse and I agrre that he is a tremendously accomplished technician, adept at virtually any style, a great soloist and the consumate professional. The Dixie Dregs definitely had there spot in my tape case when I was young and I dug him plenty.
However, for whatever reason, he never seemed to transcend being a muscian’s musician. He’s one of those guys like Yngwie whose fans are mostly other guitarists (not to compare him with Yngwie in terms of quality or importance, Morse is clearly better).
I think it’s probably because Morse never broke through with a big hit song or album. His solo projects had their followers but instrumental projects rarely have huge commercial success. I think he’s a good composer but he was never “pop” enough as a solo artist to break through and his work with Kansas was, again, appreciated by musicians but he didn’t seem to garner the same kind of attention as other sidemen guitarists like Page or Townshend or Slash. That’s not to knock on SM, but I think the title of “greatest ever” should include some major popular recognition by non-musicians.
I still respect and understand your choice, though. Morse is a god to us guitarists, at least.
There is Hendrix and then there are the rest. The most unique, creative genius of emotion and imagination I have ever heard.
Other favorites:
Page
Gilmour
Lifeson
Rhoads
Iommi–the hookmaster
Best solo: Stairway.
Damn, I forgot Andy Summers!
Ravi Shankar can do with a sitar what no guitarist could ever do. He has the beauty of Harrison, the speed and innovation of Hendrix, the sweetness of Clapton and the perfect form af Django. He has inspired thousands of guitarists ( and a lot of beatles songs) with out ever picking up a guitar.
Obligatory Zappa quote: “Rating guitarists is a stupid hobby.” That said, Zappa’s “Watermelon in Easter Hay” is the best guitar solo of all time. It sums up all the emotions that Frank refused to put in his lyrics. And if you like “Watermelon,” check out “What’s New in Baltimore?” as well.
The best guitarist overall? I would say it’s a tie between Hendrix, for his groundbreaking sonic paintings, and George Harrison – not a flashy weedly-wee guy, but he could say more in one note than many guitarists can in an entire album. Just listen to the guitar solo from “Something”: absolute perfection.
Now that I think of it, Shankar probably has inspired a lot of guitarists. The man is unbelievable. My favorite work of his is on the pieces called dhuns, which are generally instrumental versions of folk melodies.