Well, I missed this the first time around. I’ll have to second Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers. In an interview, he said something that’s stuck with me for decades;
[QUOTE=Paul Leary]
Rock and Roll isn’t about being smart.
[/QUOTE]
Just to prove it: The O-Men
I also must nominate the Renaldo/Moore two headed monster of Sonic Youth. They made sure it didn’t sound like your grandpa’s guitar.
I thought I remembered reading somewhere that after producing Independent Worm Saloon for the Surfers, John Paul Jones said he was so impressed with Leary that if he ever did a solo project, he’d want him on guitar. Checking the internet, it looks like he did just that on 1999’s Zooma.
lol - sure was beaten to it:
D. Boon
Greg Ginn
Nick Blinko
Bruce Anderson
Snakefinger
Dr. Know
Simon Wells
Well, if I see some hardcore entries…
Steve Bailey
Spike Cassidy
first couple Husker Du albums Bob Mould played on before “Flip Your Wig” came along.
Kurt Ballou
RonPosner
ok post-hardcore - sue me:
Steve Albini
David Grubbs
Duane Denison
Buzzo
His League of Gentlemen band, even if it was by no means his “main” band, I’ll say qualifies him for this discussion.
I wouldn’t consider him even a new wave guitarist.
Wow, I didn’t know that. I will have to listen to that bit of peanut butter and chocolate. Thankya!
I’ll add Jamie West-Oram of The Fixx. Reach the Beach was one of my favorite albums during my senior year of high school, and it remains one of my all-time favorites. There’s not a guitar solo to be found on it, but I’ve always been in love with brilliant, atmospheric guitar work.
Johnny Marr of The Smiths?
Johnny Marr is worthy of consideration
Yeah, I posted him upthread, too, depending on whether you want to count the Smiths as part of “new wave/punk” or not.
Gotta laugh. Bored here, and browsing through the 1st page was thinking that I didn’t have much of anything to add. Onlly to see that I DID offer my not much on page 2 - 7 FRIGGIN YEARS AGO! 
Gotta get better at checking dates on these threads…
OK thought I doublechecked the thread, but glad you mentioned him.
To me The Smiths resemble the remark, I worked at a New Wave influenced college radio station in the late 80s and my Lord, you would think the Smiths were the only band, ever.
Since this has been resurrected. I’d throw in Big Boys guitarist Tim Kerr.
Looking over the thread title, I see it says “era,” so Marr should count without needing to worry about whether the Smiths are considered “New Wave” or not.
what no peter hook of joy division/new order:eek: ? peasants…
I guess the real issue comes down to how Punk they were. Folks like Marr, Edge, Andy Summers - these guys were gunslingers who would’ve been a Guitar Hero in others eras.
I guess that’s what I’m trying to say: in that era, do you value their Guitar Hero-ness or their…whatever, authenticity??
Marr is at/near the top of this list. I see him as a gunslinger - again said with total respect.
Verlaine - you know, he sloppy, he’s weird - he’s angular. If he was in a different era I don’t see it as a slam dunk that he’d be a guitar hero. Maybe a poet or a jazz cat. Totally goofy and IMHO, but does that make any sense?
So I kinda go for the Verlaines within this thread. I have no interest or capability of engaging in a what’s Punk thread. But Johnny Ramones’ Johnny Ramone-ness seems more essential to the era’s sound and diff vs classic gunslinging.
When I think of what guitarist defines post-punk/New Wave to me, Verlaine would be my immediate choice.
Well, I guess technically bass is a type of guitar and Peter Hook did play his bass more like a guitarist than bassist, but I assume nobody has mentioned him because bassists are generally a different category than guitarists.
And I’ll toss in The Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant.
Someone not discussed much and wouldn’t make a Best Of ranking is Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Listening to those songs today, they sound like good classic rock songs, with snotty lyrics and delivery, and a different look. If Johnny Rotten wasn’t the perfect frontman, the guitar work is straight up rock guitar and they would’ve fit into a different category.
Oh, and someone who very much deserves a mention, a guy I copped a bunch of stuff and and wanted to play like for a year or two: Gary Sanford of Joe Jackson’s first bands. Dude could play! Stabby, jabby up-high partial chords that fit the groove and left a lot of space in the mix.
JJ is the equivalent of a Gunslinger - he was a songwriting talent, performer and bandleader that would do fine in any era. But those first two albums turn on a dime and capture the edginess and even snottiness while embracing musical excellence. And GS’s guitar work was a great part of that. Whatever happened to him?
I always wished JJ was more popular than Sting. JJ and Elvis are closer but Jackson has a more commercial sensibility I like.
Good call. (How could I forget about him? :smack:)
Regardless of what people think of the Dayglo Abortions, Murray Acton is a very technically proficient guitarist, as was Red Tide’s (Victoria early '80s Red Tide, that is) Chris Prohom (later played for DOA).
Tom Herman’s playing for what I consider Pere Ubu’s beyond-awesomest period ('76 - '82) is very worthy of mention too.