The most under rated guitarist of all time?
Discussion
Allan Holdsworth? (RIP)
I am old enough to have seen him on many occassions including as far back and the Soft Machine Bundles tour (that ages me!), then with Bruford, Level 42 and more recently with his own band at the Cluny in Newcastle (Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Johnston and Allan) before his untimely passing.
I've been re visiting him of late and, surely, he's right up there if not at the absolute pinnacle?
His playing is mesmeric and, to boot, he was such a down to earth Yorkshireman who loved his ale. What a miss.
Check out his playing on Hazard Profile Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zSZBAcQ-5M
(bear with it until 3:00)
I am old enough to have seen him on many occassions including as far back and the Soft Machine Bundles tour (that ages me!), then with Bruford, Level 42 and more recently with his own band at the Cluny in Newcastle (Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Johnston and Allan) before his untimely passing.
I've been re visiting him of late and, surely, he's right up there if not at the absolute pinnacle?
His playing is mesmeric and, to boot, he was such a down to earth Yorkshireman who loved his ale. What a miss.
Check out his playing on Hazard Profile Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zSZBAcQ-5M
(bear with it until 3:00)
Edited by Lotobear on Wednesday 27th February 12:42
I didn't know Allan had passed away!
And you're right, he was a mighty talent; technical, effortless, and always seemed down to earth.
On the subject of your OP of under-rated guitarists, I'd table:-
T-Bone Walker : One of my favourite blues players, with an inimitable style and phrasing that melded jazz and blues
Devin Townsend : Has specialised for a number of years in crushing soundscapes using chords in an open C tuning, but was technically proficient enough to be Steve Vai's #2 in live sets for years
Frank Zappa : Played completely outside the envelope, exploring exotic time signatures and scales and was a big influence on Vai's style
Jay Graydon : L.A. session player who did the solo on Steely Dan's "Peg". A tune that is fiendishly complex, but he nailed it perfectly and was instrumental on other best selling Billboard tunes
Stone Gossard : Rhythm guitar for Pearl Jam. Without him, I suspect PJ would not have amounted to much
Alex Lifeson : Keeping one's head above the water on your guitar lines, whilst keeping up with Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy Lee's noodling bass is not to be sniffed at
And you're right, he was a mighty talent; technical, effortless, and always seemed down to earth.
On the subject of your OP of under-rated guitarists, I'd table:-
T-Bone Walker : One of my favourite blues players, with an inimitable style and phrasing that melded jazz and blues
Devin Townsend : Has specialised for a number of years in crushing soundscapes using chords in an open C tuning, but was technically proficient enough to be Steve Vai's #2 in live sets for years
Frank Zappa : Played completely outside the envelope, exploring exotic time signatures and scales and was a big influence on Vai's style
Jay Graydon : L.A. session player who did the solo on Steely Dan's "Peg". A tune that is fiendishly complex, but he nailed it perfectly and was instrumental on other best selling Billboard tunes
Stone Gossard : Rhythm guitar for Pearl Jam. Without him, I suspect PJ would not have amounted to much
Alex Lifeson : Keeping one's head above the water on your guitar lines, whilst keeping up with Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy Lee's noodling bass is not to be sniffed at
Pyrolysis said:
I love John Frusciante
Me too but Im not sure he's underrated? He seems to feature quite highly in lots of 'best guitarist of...' polls.My vote goes to Robert Smith of the Cure, pretty excited to see them live for the first time later this year.
Ill add in the late John Martyn as well, and will probably go and dig something of his out now for a listen.
I think when most people think great guitarist they automatically think of rock music, shredding, long solos and the like.
Edited by yellowbentines on Thursday 28th February 22:02
yellowbentines said:
My vote goes to Robert Smith of the Cure
That's an interesting one.Many years ago, I bought a CD that was a compilation of Jimi Hendrix tunes performed by modern artists (it includes a version of Manic Depression by Seal and Jeff Beck, which is f
king dynamite). Anyway. The first track was Purple Haze by............The Cure! "WTF", I thought at the time. However, it's a very clever re-work of the original, and although there isn't a guitar solo by Smith in it, there is a guitar "motif" throughout that is a furious flurry of notes, totally in key, finishing on a nicely judged trem bar bit of work.I was coloured "impressed"
Here you go:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxUF5cMckvg
Alan Holdsworth died two years ago!
Am I missing something? Ah OK it's not a 'Someone's recently passed' thread..
The riff from Hazard Profile was imported, copied - whatever - from a band called Ian Carr's Nucleus, in which Holdsworth played, prior to joining Softmachine. The song was entitled Song for the Bearded Lady. See if you can spot the riff
Seriously groovy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBK1s77r0Ao
Am I missing something? Ah OK it's not a 'Someone's recently passed' thread..
The riff from Hazard Profile was imported, copied - whatever - from a band called Ian Carr's Nucleus, in which Holdsworth played, prior to joining Softmachine. The song was entitled Song for the Bearded Lady. See if you can spot the riff
Seriously groovy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBK1s77r0Ao
Lotobear said:
Allan Holdsworth? (RIP)
I am old enough to have seen him on many occassions including as far back and the Soft Machine Bundles tour (that ages me!), then with Bruford, Level 42 and more recently with his own band at the Cluny in Newcastle (Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Johnston and Allan) before his untimely passing.
I've been re visiting him of late and, surely, he's right up there if not at the absolute pinnacle?
His playing is mesmeric and, to boot, he was such a down to earth Yorkshireman who loved his ale. What a miss.
Check out his playing on Hazard Profile Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zSZBAcQ-5M
(bear with it until 3:00)
Holdsworth was an incredible player. Shawn Lane was even better and even less well known. I doubt this is really the forum for this type of discussion though as we're really discussing musician's musicians with guys like these. Guthrie Govan, Frank Gambale, Tony Macalpine, Greg Howe and Richie Kotzen are all fantastic fusion players too. I am old enough to have seen him on many occassions including as far back and the Soft Machine Bundles tour (that ages me!), then with Bruford, Level 42 and more recently with his own band at the Cluny in Newcastle (Chad Wackerman, Jimmy Johnston and Allan) before his untimely passing.
I've been re visiting him of late and, surely, he's right up there if not at the absolute pinnacle?
His playing is mesmeric and, to boot, he was such a down to earth Yorkshireman who loved his ale. What a miss.
Check out his playing on Hazard Profile Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zSZBAcQ-5M
(bear with it until 3:00)
Edited by Lotobear on Wednesday 27th February 12:42
Edited by Mastodon2 on Thursday 28th February 23:52
HustleRussell said:
Nobody talks about Lindsay Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac but I saw him perform ‘Big Love’ solo and was blown away.
Christ, I'm up really late again (night owl) but before I get some shuteye, I have to contest that! Lindsay has been talked about day and night for ruddy years, surely? Still is.
Did you hear he's had a heart attack just recently? Get well Lindsay.
I posted this up only a few days ago here on another thread, still love him doing this: 'I'm So Afraid'.
The pic is from the event which was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara Football Field, May 2, back in 1976.
I've followed Fleetwood Mac since 1967.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5kOzGwsHXw
Talking of under-rated guitarists of all time imagine playing like this at just 18.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jks0tiht98&li...
As someone said, just one note in and you knew it was Danny Kirwan.
cherryowen said:
I didn't know Allan had passed away!
And you're right, he was a mighty talent; technical, effortless, and always seemed down to earth.
On the subject of your OP of under-rated guitarists, I'd table:-
T-Bone Walker : One of my favourite blues players, with an inimitable style and phrasing that melded jazz and blues
Devin Townsend : Has specialised for a number of years in crushing soundscapes using chords in an open C tuning, but was technically proficient enough to be Steve Vai's #2 in live sets for years
Frank Zappa : Played completely outside the envelope, exploring exotic time signatures and scales and was a big influence on Vai's style
Jay Graydon : L.A. session player who did the solo on Steely Dan's "Peg". A tune that is fiendishly complex, but he nailed it perfectly and was instrumental on other best selling Billboard tunes
Stone Gossard : Rhythm guitar for Pearl Jam. Without him, I suspect PJ would not have amounted to much
Alex Lifeson : Keeping one's head above the water on your guitar lines, whilst keeping up with Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy Lee's noodling bass is not to be sniffed at
+1 for Stone Gossard, he was also very good in Mother Love Bone.And you're right, he was a mighty talent; technical, effortless, and always seemed down to earth.
On the subject of your OP of under-rated guitarists, I'd table:-
T-Bone Walker : One of my favourite blues players, with an inimitable style and phrasing that melded jazz and blues
Devin Townsend : Has specialised for a number of years in crushing soundscapes using chords in an open C tuning, but was technically proficient enough to be Steve Vai's #2 in live sets for years
Frank Zappa : Played completely outside the envelope, exploring exotic time signatures and scales and was a big influence on Vai's style
Jay Graydon : L.A. session player who did the solo on Steely Dan's "Peg". A tune that is fiendishly complex, but he nailed it perfectly and was instrumental on other best selling Billboard tunes
Stone Gossard : Rhythm guitar for Pearl Jam. Without him, I suspect PJ would not have amounted to much
Alex Lifeson : Keeping one's head above the water on your guitar lines, whilst keeping up with Neil Peart's drumming and Geddy Lee's noodling bass is not to be sniffed at
Popeye.
Indeed it was and for my sins I also saw Ian Carr back in the day, post Nucleus but doing some of their numbers at a gig at Newcastle University Theatre. He also died a few years ago, sadly.
Recently I recommended him to someone on here whose son was learning trumpet!
Nucleus were prolific, Alleycat is my favourite of their albumns but all of their stuff is good.
John Etheridge replaced Holdsworth in SM, another good fusion guitarist but not in the same mould as Allan.
Indeed it was and for my sins I also saw Ian Carr back in the day, post Nucleus but doing some of their numbers at a gig at Newcastle University Theatre. He also died a few years ago, sadly.
Recently I recommended him to someone on here whose son was learning trumpet!
Nucleus were prolific, Alleycat is my favourite of their albumns but all of their stuff is good.
John Etheridge replaced Holdsworth in SM, another good fusion guitarist but not in the same mould as Allan.
Chuck Schuldiner (of Death fame)- one of the most inventive and technically gifted guitarists I've heard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSSSRvaWM1g
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