Thoughts on some of my favorite Guitar Players
Submitted by 5intheface on Tue, 07/20/2004 - 02:28
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- Jimmy Page~ My favorite guitarist in the world. He knew how to play, hands down. While some say he was too sloppy I say its was all style. Self-taught style. He made his own thing out of what he knew, and did more, better than anyone else I think. He played some of the most memorable, easily-identifiable solos, and could play any style of music and still let you know it was him playing. He's so widely mimiced and you can hear his influence everywhere. To choose just one solo as my favorite would be hard, but I think the live version of Stairway to Heaven from the Song Remains the Same is a good choice. Makes me cry when I watch it.
- George Harrison~ Not the best player by any means, but he could lay down some well-planned solos that were simple and most effective. Beatles would definetly not have been the same without him. His solo career was very fruitful too in terms of good music. Check out My Sweet Lord for his very unique slide sound, or Something from the Beatles.
- Stevie Ray Vaughn~ If Jesus played guitar, he'd want to sound like Stevie Ray. The man is everything a great guitar player should be: talented, original, and unique. When you hear him scream the blues you know its him before you even know the song. I would say he easily did the best covers ever. Check out Sky is Crying, Life by the Drop, Taxman, anything you can get your dirty little fingers on.
- Eric Clapton~ When he was with Cream, he was f'n amazing. When not with Cream just mediocre. Still a good player, just didn't know how to use it when he broke up with Cream. His solos with them are all amazing and breathtaking and I can't say enough. But his solo career to me was terrible. Check Crossroads and tales of Brave Ulysses for two of my favorite solos from Old Slowhand.
- Jimi Hendrix~ As Legendary and talented and influential as he may be, Jimi will always be second to Jimmy. Page that is. Jimi Hendrix was the first to burst out and do the things he did and he was very good. I like what he did. Voodoo Child of course is a great solo, and Machine Gun is sweet.
- Duane Allman~ He's just good. That's all there is to it. His slide work awesome, best slide player. From Layla, to Jessica, he could just kick ass.
- Robert Johnson~ Very influential and very talented. I dunno if he was so good it was worth selling his soul to the devil, but he's definetly worth listening to. My favorite is Red Hot, and Me and the Devil Blues.
- Brad Nowell~ Yeah, the guy from Sublime. I mentioned this before that i don't know why I like him but I do. Check out Santeria, What I got and Daterape.
- Jerry Garcia~ I love the simplicity and the all the roots you can hear shine through at once. Either you get it or you don't. I love the simplicity though. More people should play less sometimes. I love Uncle John's Band, Fire on the Mountain and pretty much anything he does.
- John McLaughlin~ He just blows me away. Anything off of Birds of Fire with the Mahavishnu Orchestra is just phenominal. The man's a genius.
- Frank Zappa~ THE most under-rated musician, especially guitarist probably ever. The man was like a Mozart of the 20th century, but most people just don't get it. He wrote awesome stuff and could shred on guitar. Check out Sofa, Sexual harassmant in the Workplace, and pretty much anything you can get your hands on is good.
- Prince~ Love him or hate him, he is a great player. Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain, Kiss, all classics and darn fine playing on them. I love Prince.
Author Comments:
That's my five cents. For the record, I'm a guitar player myself, for about five or six years now.
*If Jesus played guitar he'd want to sound like Stevie Ray....* So David Bowie has fired someone who's "bigger than Jesus." And the graffiti says that "Clapton is God."
I think I heard this bit from someone else and, even if I made it up myself, I do use it whenever the subject of great guitarists comes up: "In guitar battles everyone wishes they were Eric Clapton. Eric Clapton wishes he was Buddy Guy."
I do know that Eric Clapton plays his own signature Fender Strat while Buddy Guy "endorses: His signature guitar available exclusively from Fender Musical Instruments." The reason why Buddy doesn't play his own "signature guitar" is because Clapton does. Fender signed Clapton to a deal first... and EC plays (stole) Buddy Guy's set up. So Fender & Buddy had to come up with a (slightly) different axe to market to the wannabes. It's ironic that the biggest wannabe already gets his guitars for free.
Every time I've seen Buddy Guy he will, in the latter half of the show, solo for about a half-dozen choruses on some song. I wish I could remember what song it was, if indeed it was the same song every time. In any case, Buddy will play each chorus in the style of a different guitarist. I've seen him do Clapton, Stevie, Duane Allman, B.B. King, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Robert Cray and probably some others that I'm forgetting. One time he even copped the the sound of the guitarist who opened for him. He won't quote actual licks and he fits the solos into whatever song he is playing but you just know what he's talkin' 'bout.
It is amazing to sit in a hall and hear the rustling in the seats when people first hear him doing Clapton. (He started with Clapton every time.) Then there's some muttering when he moves on to mimicking the next guy. The murmurs start next when they realize what he's doing and from then on it's a hushed silence punctuated by quiet gasps of awe whenever a new style is identified. In my mind's eye that is when Buddy lifts his head and looks out at the audience with a giant s***-eating grin spread across his face.
It is all equal parts commentary, mockery, humiliation, lesson and tribute. You walk out of the hall bewildered and wondering why Buddy hasn't sued every other guitarist who ever played electric guitar for plagiarism. I almost died laughing when, after a chorus of B.B. King, he slung the guitar behind his back and started clapping in time while pretending to sing into a non-existant microphone while looking over his shoulder at the band... just like B.B. does. He did that for an entire chorus and then went on to do someone else.
I don't know if this is still the case but Buddy Guy used to record and tour with Double Trouble. And of course, Stevie died flying back from a concert with Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and Robert Cray. Enough people now claim to have been at that concert to fill the Alpine Valley ski resort well into the summer. I like to imagine hosts of angels frantically ditching their harps and picking up the harmonica or kettle drums or whatnot before Stevie Ray can get through the pearly gates. Then they learn that Stevie is already out touring the Nine Circles of Hell (horrible venues but the groupees can't be beat.)
I don't quibble with favorites but if you haven't heard Buddy Guy do try and go see him (his albums can be very uneven "efforts.") Besides which everyone knows that God plays piano. Which leaves the Holy Ghost to play bass.
See you at Communion.