A buddy of mine was friends with Varney and I think even released a track or two on Shrapnel records.
I grew up on EVH, too. And I hear you about technique - always impressive on a fundamental How do they do that? level, but I always end up coming back to phrasing and melodic approach. I think that’s why I respect Beck so much - he can out-technique most out there, but I always hear the phrasing and art first…
The great Lenny Breau, demonstrating his unique genius, applied to a song we can all play (“Yesterday”), but played in a manner almost no one alive can duplicate. And that’s from 1966.
Reverend Gary Davis. I love Piedmont blues.
Thanks for this. My favorite of all the posts. This belongs on a shelf right next to David Gilmour on Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb.
I’m really enjoying this thread. It leads you to things that are off your normal musical path. Are there other threads like this, maybe focusing on different instruments?
“My Guitar Gently Weeps” two ways:
Acoustic - by Tommy Emmanuel (six-string guitar) and Jake Shimabukuro (ukulele). I don’t know if they’ve ever recorded it, but they’ve played it live a bunch.
Electric - Prince’s solo during George Harrison’s posthumous RnR HOF induction (2004). There was A LOT of starpower on the stage doing this song, but Prince just grabs hold and completely takes it over starting at 3:28. The look on Dhani Harrison’s face is icing on the cake.
Oh, shit, Prince! Forgot about him. This is my favorite guitar performance from him, I think, from a live bootleg - guitar solo starts at 2:32 and just keeps going and going:
OK…you lose style points for having Rod Stewart inlcuded!
I also see what you’re saying to a degree, but this isn’t Beck’s best example to me. His technical mastery doesn’t match Vai’s in this song, especially considering this is a blues piece. It’s masterful, no doubt. Plus Beck needs a pick!
I got on thinking about Jeff Beck and there it was fourth post in. I’ve been listening to many of these: incredible John McLaughlin, Prince, Hendrix. Thank you, thank you for this thread and for giving me something to distract from the blasted debate…This made my night.
I am sorry man, but I found those to be unwatchable/unlistenable. To each their own I suppose.
Good Lord. He wins the “most artificial harmonics while having great hair” award.
I can’t believe I used to like this band. Eh…teenage years are wasted anyway.
In that case.. Neal Morse and Roine Stolt
And did this thread really go this long with no one mentioning Derek Trucks? (This could (maybe should) have been a link to any of a great number of songs, but this was the one I was in the mood to hear.)
And just for fun; a blind link. 
Here’s Joe Satriani playing Satch Boogie. I’d give my right arm to be able to play like… ah hang on. 
Say what you will about his career choices, but Rod had a great bluesy voice and his work with The Faces and Jeff Beck Group really hold up.
You’re right; this isn’t a song where Beck is using his mastery of the whammy bar and harmonics to create vocal-like passages or anything Black Belt like that. That’s kind of my point - the stuff he is doing is very straightforward to play; I could play it when I was just learning. But unlike, say, Clapton - who typically has a straightforward blues technique in all of his playing - Beck is still doing interesting phrasing - it doesn’t just sound like straight-up pentatonic blues. He takes the basic ingredients but whips up something more than a basic blues dish.
And as for “Beck needs a pick” - I still use a flatpick, so I hear you - but Beck gets so much sound and has so much versatility by using all the fingers of his right hand. I am in awe of his approach - it’s part of what sets him apart…
Labdad, could you be my separated-at-birth twin brother? Seems likely.
You know, I had a few songs from Truth on my iPod and this was not one of them. I’ve fixed that and I agree it’s really impressive.