Post by Happy Jack on May 2, 2010 15:40:52 GMT -5
So which five bands or guitarists or bands do you like the most or have influenced you the most or would you like to play like
I know trying to pick five is incredibly hard and on a different day your five may change - I don't think mine would though.
It isn't a "who's best!" competition just an insight to the influences of the guitar players on the forum
Rory Gallagher - the first guitarist I really got into at the tender age of 12/13. My first album was "Sinner and Saint" which was an early Rory Gallagher compilation. I don't think anyone has or ever will mix blues, traditional Celtic / British folk, Skiffle and Rock quite like Rory did in his early albums. I bought Sinner and Saint 33 years ago - still play it regularly.
The Who - obviously the user name gives it away - I am a huge Who fan (I am not particularly happy and my name ain't Jack). Pete Townshend is underrated as a guitarist I think because people see him as a rhythm player - big crashing chords and manic strumming. Listen to some of his acoustic stuff especially when he plays Who songs. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is an incredibly powerful song with the repeated keyboard "riff", crazy drumming, thumping bass and crashing guitar. Listen to it stripped back to one guitar and somehow it is even more powerful.
Robert Cray - one word TONE and Bob Cray has it by the bucket load. Wonderful laid back blues. No guitar histrionics or ten minute solos just pure funky blues / soul. If I could be a guitarist it would be Robert Cray - no question about it
Nine Below Zero - not so much for them although they are one of my favorite live bands and always will be but more for the journey I think they started me off on and that was my journey into rhythm and blues and blues music. Although at the time I was listening to lots of blues based music it was Nine Below Zero that really kicked me in that direction. Ironically the bass player and drummer - Brendan O'Neil and Gerry Macavoy are ex Rory Gallagher Band. Even more ironically a guy I met dog training was their manager for a while so we spent a year or two going to all their gigs for free!
Ledbelly - just a defining moment really - like a light bulb going on. Hard to explain to be honest but it was the first station on the journey back into the blues and also now forward into blues. People often look back for blues music but there are some really good new / young / still alive blues players. Ledbelly also got me listening to folk music as well
Anyway that's my five - what's yours?
Just thinking of the ones I have missed! How could I have left out Wilco Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Richard Thompson, Billy Gibbons and of course The Goodies
I know trying to pick five is incredibly hard and on a different day your five may change - I don't think mine would though.
It isn't a "who's best!" competition just an insight to the influences of the guitar players on the forum
Rory Gallagher - the first guitarist I really got into at the tender age of 12/13. My first album was "Sinner and Saint" which was an early Rory Gallagher compilation. I don't think anyone has or ever will mix blues, traditional Celtic / British folk, Skiffle and Rock quite like Rory did in his early albums. I bought Sinner and Saint 33 years ago - still play it regularly.
The Who - obviously the user name gives it away - I am a huge Who fan (I am not particularly happy and my name ain't Jack). Pete Townshend is underrated as a guitarist I think because people see him as a rhythm player - big crashing chords and manic strumming. Listen to some of his acoustic stuff especially when he plays Who songs. "Won't Get Fooled Again" is an incredibly powerful song with the repeated keyboard "riff", crazy drumming, thumping bass and crashing guitar. Listen to it stripped back to one guitar and somehow it is even more powerful.
Robert Cray - one word TONE and Bob Cray has it by the bucket load. Wonderful laid back blues. No guitar histrionics or ten minute solos just pure funky blues / soul. If I could be a guitarist it would be Robert Cray - no question about it
Nine Below Zero - not so much for them although they are one of my favorite live bands and always will be but more for the journey I think they started me off on and that was my journey into rhythm and blues and blues music. Although at the time I was listening to lots of blues based music it was Nine Below Zero that really kicked me in that direction. Ironically the bass player and drummer - Brendan O'Neil and Gerry Macavoy are ex Rory Gallagher Band. Even more ironically a guy I met dog training was their manager for a while so we spent a year or two going to all their gigs for free!
Ledbelly - just a defining moment really - like a light bulb going on. Hard to explain to be honest but it was the first station on the journey back into the blues and also now forward into blues. People often look back for blues music but there are some really good new / young / still alive blues players. Ledbelly also got me listening to folk music as well
Anyway that's my five - what's yours?
Just thinking of the ones I have missed! How could I have left out Wilco Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Richard Thompson, Billy Gibbons and of course The Goodies
