Might as well crank up a discussion about David Wagle's new "Listening To Learn" article. (If you haven't read it yet, https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=502 .)
I was pleased to see Leo Kottke on the list, and other names that I recognized were Al DiMeola and Steve Cropper. I was just poking around on the EBow site, and there on the list of artists that use the EBow was Phil Keaggy. (#4 on David's list.)
There was an MP3 of Keaggy's version of "Amazing Grace," so I gave it a listen. It's *outstanding*. The sound of bagpipes, made by a guitar. Well worth checking out.
--
Doug C.
That is a pretty eclectic list . As a fan of popular rock music most of the names on that list are unfamiliar to me . Being a 46 year old man who has played guitar since he was 10 , I have my own list of favorites that I think have received far too few mentions on any of these " best of " lists .
I don't begrudge anyone their taste as long as they return the same courtesy . Here is my list :
Eliot Easton of the Cars - did more with a 15 second solo than many could with 4 minutes .
Alan Collins , Gary Rossington , Ed King , Steve Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd - impossible to separate but responsible for more memorable licks than anyone in their era .
Howard Leese of Heart - overshadowed by Ann and Nancy but contributed very tasty solos .
Tom Scholz of Boston - noone sounded like him before or after .
Randy Rhoads of the Blizzard of Oz - brief flame that burned white hot and I consider him as innovative a player as Eddie Van Halen .
Angus Young of AC/DC - kept blues rock guitar alive and did it his way .
Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple , Rainbow - the solo in "Highway star" is my all time favorite and if you've never heard "Lazy" I feel sorry for you .
There are also guitarists that I have heard and enjoyed but don't know their names , testimony that they are under-rated . I'll list them by band name :
Foghat
Molly Hatchett
The Outlaws
Kansas
The Knack (My Sharona's solo is asskicking)
Marshall Tucker Band
Nightranger
Etc. , etc.
If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .
Yes I was happy to see Phil Keaggy on there. His studio work dosen't even come close to seeing him live though. His songs are different and better everytime I go and see him.
The king of rock, some say lives
the lizard king, is surely dead
the king of France, lost his head
the King of Kings... bled
( email me at esherman@wideopenwest.(com). I almost never check my hotmailaccount.
I was pleased to see a Classical guitarist on the list. I've got Christopher Parkening's method books and think they're really very good - even though I know there's a guy on the rec.music.classical.guitar newsgroup who thinks Parkening has no talent and should be burned at the stake.
As diceman says, any list is always going to contain a certain bias towards the writer's preferred choices, and the danger here is that we'll all out up our own list of those we think should be more "appreciated" and this thread will become simply a list of lists. Personally, I think Alex Lifeson, Brian May and Slash get undermentioned in these conversations, but I know there are at least a dozen regular subscribers who will shout me down.
So, let's keep the discussion on the level. I thought David's article was very enjoyable and look forward to seeing more.
Best,
A :-)
"Be good at what you can do" - Fingerbanger"
I have always felt that it is better to do what is beautiful than what is 'right'" - Eliot Fisk
Wedding music and guitar lessons in Essex. Listen at: http://www.rollmopmusic.co.uk
That is a pretty eclectic list .
I'll cop to being eclectic, but it doesn't mean I don't like popular music as well. Really the number of truly fabulous guitarists out there is pretty small compared to the population of guitar players, but still far too large to be captured in any reasonable "best of list."
Indeed, I find the whole "top <insert number>" lists kind of silly precisely because there are so many really talented artists out there.
When choosing the list for that article, I had a few criteria:
1) Somebody who was not only a memorable artist in their own right, but whose influence permiated one or more music styles. With the exception of Keaggy everyone I mentioned meets this criteria.
2) Somebody that is well known in their own genre, but is generally not recognized by guitarists in other genres. I think everyone with the possible exception of Steve Cropper meets this one.
3) Someone with a deep mastery of the guitar as a whole, not merely of a particular style. I think the discography of everyone on that list testifies to meeting this.
4) Lastly, someone who's style is uniquely their own.They're recognizable from the first few notes they play. I think everyone on the list meets that test as well.
Obviously, there are other deserving artists -- or it wouldn't be a series, it'd be a single article. My next article I'm going to be taking a look at rock/metal guitarists.
As a fan of popular rock music most of the names on that list are unfamiliar to me .
Great!! I hope you take the time to listen to one or two of them! I can't promise you'll like everything you hear, but I can guarantee that you'll be hearing great artists and maybe you'll find something that inspires you.
Yes I was happy to see Phil Keaggy on there. His studio work dosen't even come close to seeing him live though.
I have tried to explain this, but I can't. He's a man possessed when he plays live . . .although he might object to that phrasing. But his studio work is pretty pedestrian. One of the big reasons I recommend the Jams CD is precisely that it comes from live shows.
Personally, I think Alex Lifeson, Brian May and Slash get undermentioned in these conversations, but I know there are at least a dozen regular subscribers who will shout me down.
All excellent players and definitely people in my collection as well.
I'm aware of whom you speak on rec.music.classical.guitar as well . . . I have no idea where that guy is coming from. I can understand not likeing the music Parkening chooses to play. I can understand him not being someone's favorite classical guitarist. But thinking he has no talent is utterly baffleing!!
My 10 Ten Underrated / Overshadowed Guitarists (no order):
Joe Perry / Brad Whitford - Great knack for catchy riffs, and they work so well as a unit, it's hard to list one without the other!
Albert King - A name that's almost never heard outside of the record collections of blues fans or guitarists, and an absolute shame because of that.
Randy Rhoads - I have to quote Zakk Wylde on this one - "Every time I get comfortable, I tell myself, 'Keep practicing! You're still not as good as Randy!'" An absolute inspiration, and someone who brought class back to rock and roll. (Particularly the bowtie inlays on his trademark polka-dotted Flying V!)
Ritchie Blackmore - Loved his stuff with Deep Purple and Rainbow, and if it hadn't been for a certain Mr. James Page, he would've gotten the respect his talent deserved!
Rory Gallagher - One of my all-time favorite guitarists; he created a true fusion of blues and rock and made it all his own.
John Frusciante - Great sense of melody, even greater sense of timing. Scar Tissue is, for that reason, one of my favorite Chili Peppers songs.
The Edge - He's been crucial in the development of that U2 sound. Perfect example of playing off his bandmates and creating a melodic sound that gives their pop-rock amazing credentials.
Izzy Stradlin - Slash gets all the respect for the solos - but if it weren't for Izzy holding down the rhythm guitar and the catchy riffs, Guns wouldn't be half the band they were.
Kyle Gass - the greatest lead rock acoustic guitarist ever. It takes true talent to craft simple songs as well as he does, and with Jack Black's lyrics and personality, they'll be on the same level as Frank Zappa one day.
Henry Garza, Saul Hudson, and Darrell Abbott could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Rodya S. Thompson.
- Paraphrased from the Tenacious D series
Interesting list David. I think we all discover some various lesser-knowns along the way. Leo Kottke was an early influence for me -- fortunately, I have seen him play live, and from a distance of about 10 feet. However, I'll always remember a guy I met in college telling me "You like Leo Kottke? You should listen to the guy who started that style -- John Fahey, a.k.a., Blind Joe Death." No longer with us, and a real mean SOB when he was, Fahey was definitely an original.
Others ...
Les Paul: for advancing recording and especially inventing multi-tracking.
Maury Muehliesen: The guy who did all great fingerpicking and fills on Jim Croce's tunes
Robert Fripp: for bringing classical influences to rock and making an art of live looping (Frippertronics)
-=tension & release=-
Greg, I went the opposite way... found Fahey, then Kottke.
Paco Pena is the only one on the list I haven't listened to - I'll have to look out for him.
Some time back I started a list of guitarists I thought were influential - I thought I'd make my own 'top 100 list', ya know? I keep adding to it every now and then... it's up to around 450 names now.
Oh, and for classical players, Parkening is pretty much today's big name. He's not as well known as Segovia, but Segovia really redesigned the way classical guitar is played (particularly the thumb motion), so he definately deserves his top billing. For lesser knowns today, I like Sharon Isbin - she's been around a while (20 or so CDs to her credit so far), and is quite influential - she founded the guitar program at Julliard.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Fantastic article, and plenty of names I'd never heard before.
Just a thought ,but as the discussion mentions unique styles...
One name I've not heard mentioned on this site is Johnny Marr of the Smiths. He had a individual style, was innovative, and could write a hit record.
The Smith's were never that big in the U.S so I guess that's why his name doesn't come up. He's been very influential though in terms of British guitar music since the 80's.
There are also guitarists that I have heard and enjoyed but don't know their names , testimony that they are under-rated . I'll list them by band name :
Foghat
Molly Hatchett
The Outlaws
Kansas
The Knack (My Sharona's solo is asskicking)
Marshall Tucker Band
Nightranger
Etc. , etc.
Well, I know that Kansas would be Rich Williams
There are also guitarists that I have heard and enjoyed but don't know their names , testimony that they are under-rated . I'll list them by band name :
Foghat
Molly Hatchett
The Outlaws
Kansas
The Knack (My Sharona's solo is asskicking)
Marshall Tucker Band
Nightranger
Etc. , etc.
Well, I know that Kansas would be Rich Williams
Foghat was Rod Price who just passed away on March 22. Sad loss.
Here are a few rare players I have been influenced by or who's music i enjoy.
Lou Reed - "Run, run, run" and "European Son" got me into playing.
John Frusciante - Not really obscure but many people don't know about his incredible solo albums.
Dick Dale - He started surf guitar and he definetly inspired thrash or some other genre of metal.
Steve Cropper - Ya he was mentioned but i feel cool having found him a while ago.
Beck - His new album is awesome.
Tom Verlaine - I've only found one person that's known about Television.
Robert Quine - He was in Richard Hell and the Voidoids, listen to "Blank Generation." He played with Lou Reed in the Eighties.
Alex Chilton - Big Star was great.
James Williamson & Ron Asheton - These guys never played together but they were both in The Stooges who were one of the first hard rock bands ever.
Andy Summers - Sure The Police were huge but how often do you talk about this guy.
Cheers.
Better shred than dead.
Yeah the new Beck cd is faboulous. Not to hijack the thread or anything. :P
The king of rock, some say lives
the lizard king, is surely dead
the king of France, lost his head
the King of Kings... bled
( email me at esherman@wideopenwest.(com). I almost never check my hotmailaccount.
James Williamson & Ron Asheton - These guys never played together but they were both in The Stooges who were one of the first hard rock bands ever.
Yup, Iggy and company have done it as long as good as anyone.
Tom Verlaine - I've only found one person that's known about Television.
Television is pretty much one of my all time fav bands. Dont underestamate Richard Lloyd though, the solo on 'Elevation' is awesome, and he's the perfect sidekick to Verlaine.
...Finally first post...
