Where are all the guitarists?

[Nexxus]

Okay, I am not THE most musically knowledegable person in the world, but what happened to the "lead guitarist?"
Have we seen t6he last of the Eddie Van Halens? Will we never find the next Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, or Carlos Santana? Has "modern rock" radio condemned us to the likes of Matchbox Twenty, Blink-182, the Goo-Goo Dolls? When was the last time you heard a current guitar solo on the radio? How many people can recognize "Layla," "Heartbreaker," and "Couldn't Stand The Weather?"
I am agast (okay, not really agast, but amazed) that there is no talent out there being promoted full blast across this nation for his/her axe abilities. Sure you've got your Kenny Wayne Shephards and your Eric Johnsons, but what possible exposure do they generate? Are we left to feed off the "renunion" concerts or a "greatest hits" tour from the aged dinosaurs who, although they are not what they once were, can still kick the ass of any top 40 rock band out there right now.
I was lucky enough to see The Black Crowes w/ Jimmy Page this summer and let me tell you it was a blast to see him wailing out those old Zeppelin tunes (and not just the well known stuff, I'm talking about the unheard nuggets off "Presence" and "III.")like it was 1970!
Anyway, thats just my rant for tonight. Let me know why you agree or disagree, or just write to say I'm boring.

Ciao,
Nex

 

[Thumper]

RIP...the lead shredder

I agree Nex....too many guitarists too busy lookin at their fretboards or their shoes today....Thank you Seattle

Maybe the slash and burn style will return someday.
I hate the lead guitarist ego but they gotta have it to be one...

Grunge/Alternative/College will come and go
Madonna will stop cumming and go
But a Les Paul through a Marshall will never die!

 

[Flagg]

One of the first signs of getting old is when you start to complain about "music today" and how "it was better in my day". Be warned, you are treading a very unsteady path towards the land of old fogey. Its not too late to turn back though. Come on and sing with me:

"With the lights out it's less dangerous
Here we are now, entertain us
I feel stupid and contagious
Here we are now, entertain us

Yeah!"

 

[Xander]

Oh the lead guitarists still exist. Just not in popular music. For some reason it's not "in" to listen to that anymore. But....

Nuno Bettencourt is still out there, and does pop upon albums from time to time.
Yngvie Malmsteen, has his own popular carreer.
Carlos Santana. Well I don't really need to get into that one do I
Joe Satriani and Steve Vai is still trying to figure out who is best.
Gary Moore still has the blues.

All and more is still releasing albums. But do we hear them. No, because somehow most people prefer to listen to fucking Britney Spears and the likes of her.

Note: 5ive did make a pretty mean cover of Queens "We Will Rock You" Of course both Brian May and the drummer Roger ???something featured on it.

 

[Jeff726]

How about John Petrucci of Dream Theater? Now there's a guy who can shred!

 

[Xander]

How could I forget Dream Theater??
Yes John Petrucci does a mean Pick. But then again the enitre Dream Theater crew kick serious butt.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

Roger Taylor Xander... and you thnk that it was alright?

Why is it all the best guitarists cant really sing... I mean Carlos is probably the only one...

Great guitarists... NOW:

Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead)
Slash (GNR / whatever)
Graham Coxon (Blur)
etc

Olden days:

Angus..... thunder aaaaah thunder!
Jimi
Clapton
etc

 

[Xander]

Chef, I like the original a whole lot better. But in the absence of the greatness of Freddie Mercury, then yes. I think it was alright.

 

[MADDOG]

OK, I know everyone knows someone talented, but as God is my witness, I have this one mate who could stand alongside the best guitarists in the world and show them a thing or two.

And he was that good after just 2 months. He never picked up a guitar until he was 17, then he got interested, went out and bought a Gibson SG, and spent his lunches playing for everyone. And I mean EVERYONE. We'd just sit around and watch him do his thing. I'm telling you, this guy is a guitar God. His fingers were almost an inch longer than anyone elses, (How's that girls?!), and he could play any song you asked of him with complete perfection within 30 minutes of trying.

Like I said, everyone knows someone, but this guy is Hendrix. Someone should give HIM a go!

Why am I telling you this....? Um, sorry. I don't actually know...

MADDOG

 

[dave-73]

the best guitarist at the minute has to be Mike oldfield he still to this day ripps the piss out of anyone I have heard ever that includes hendrix he was a fucking amature compared to mike oldfield.....

 

[Blues]

I tend to agree with some of the earlier posts, there are still great guitarists out there, but not in the world of pop music.

From what I've personally seen playing live, Stevie Ray was the best. (This includes Beck, Page and Clapton jamming on the end of "Stairway..... at the ARMS concert in NYC with Phil Collins on drums, Van Halen, Randy Rhodes, Blackmore, Townsend, Buddy Guy, Copeland, Joe Perry, E. Johnson, DiMeola, and countless others).

There is this one guy that plays the blues named Coco Montoya who really kicks ass, I first saw him playing with John Mayall who's always had great guitarists.

 

[Endlessly]

Anyone with the last name of Montoya is cool, but..

I have a major hard-on for the music of Carlos Santana. That guy kicks ass, and his career is far from over. Hopefully we have a little extra time for that next awesome guitarist to surface..

I actually heard a CD with the best chick guitarist I've heard in AGES. She's not phenomenal like Santana or Hendrix, but she's honestly the best woman I've heard on the guitar. I forget her name, but the name of her CD (which kicks ass) is 'Soft place to fall.'

 

[Nexxus]

Very cool. I was afraid i might not get any responses, much worse get some that had that "oh, whats wrong with 'Savage Garden' anyway?" comments.
You all hit it on the head. There are a ton of great guitarists out there, but none of them get the recognition they deserve (who was that chick who played lead guitar in college for that "all boy band", damn I can't recall). Joe Satriani, Yngwie (or however you fucking spell it!), even bands like Veruca Salt (aggghhhh my fucking spelling!) can kick ass, but rarely get heard. As for the dinosaurs, they are in a class by themselves (Angus, indeed!!!!), and people like Freddie Mercury (not a guitarist, but just as a side note) cannot be succeeded.
And Flagg, quoting Kurt Cobain is actually probably putting YOU in old fogey status my man. Try Lit, Snot, Rage Against The Machine, and Slipknot for some up to date bands.
Thanks to everyone for reminding me that those six string heros are alive and well.
Oh I also was at the ARMS show (took photos and all) and will never forget seeing Clapton, Page and Beck jamming together. And last but not least, thank you for mentioning Gary Moore (an old fav) and try to check out Ronnie Montrose (including his work with Gamma), Robin Trower, any early stuff by Triumph, Frank Marino (WITH mahogany rush (?)) and Rory Gallagher (a MUST!!!!!)

Nex

[Edited by Nexxus on 07-26-2000 at 06:09 PM]

 

[Jonas]

Personally I don't think there are any original guitarists under 45. The old guys rock.

 

[Endlessly]

Well, I'm not saying guitar is all I listen to-- Savage Garden is one of my favorite groups in the world-- but I do agree the better guitarists aren't getting the recognition they deserve.

I'm prepared to get blasted for this, but Kurt Kobain was a joke adolescent who never outgrew his angst. His lyrics say that much.

Oh, and I used to think Richie Sambora was the man-- I have this one track of his that rocks and rolls-- but then I found out it was clapton on the guitar. Go figure.

 

[RonG]

The ultimate guitar solo I can remember when it was really a part of pop music was in Green Grass and High Tides by The Outlaws. The tastes and styles have pretty much shoved guitar heroes off stage. The last really creative guitarist, who really sounded different was Tom Verlaine. The rest of the guys eventually sounded so much alike (eg, who can tell Sambora from Clapton at this point?).

John Hiatt wrote the epitaph for these guys in the song "Perfectly Good Guitar"

 

[Bliss]

Personally I don't think there are any original guitarists under 45. The old guys rock.

What about Jonny Lang? He's not even 1/2 that age (hell, barely a 1/3) and he kicks butt. Er, or maybe blues guitar doesn't count? But then again, isn't it alllllll blues guitar?

Just a thought.

 

[Jonas]

Payne, the boy is a good player. He is not original, I've heard it all before.

 

[Xander]

Oh there is one man I forgot. Remember the intro solo from Extreme's He-man Woman Hater??
I used to think that it was Nuno Bettencourt who played that. (and he did when I saw them in concert) But that particular solo was made by:

Dwezil Zappa. Frank Zappa's son.

If there ever was a lesson in speed picking, that would be it. He covered evey aspect of speed picking in one solo. Now that takes a lot.

Another I really like is. Zac Wylde. Give that man a Les Paul and he'll rip.

The most entertaining I've ever seen, that must be good ole' Angus Young and his much used School uniform. How he manage to jump around like that, and still make a clean note is beyond me. But he manage it perfectly

I can only hope that I one day will achive all those great guitarists abilities.

 

[Flagg]

Actually Nexus, I quoted Kurt Cobain as a reponse to Thumper's comment (Thank you Seattle )

I for one can't stand Nirvana. When he shot himself, my friends and I had a party to celebrate and the band I was playing in even wrote a song celebrating the end of Nirvana. As for quoting Rage Against The Machine - I think you'll find they are just as old hat as Nirvana!

As I stated before, the age of the cheesey guitar solos is over. I enjoyed them just like everyone else at the time but now we've moved on.

 

[Mortto56]

Well there is one guitarist that has not been mentioned yet,Alvin Lee.Man could that motherfucker play a guitar....This last weekend I went and seen the Allman Brothers Band,and Gregg Allmans boy was playing guitar for them.He's in his early 20's,and man could he play.He didn't even use a pick most of the time.You ever get a chance to see them,gooo.They have added another percussion player to the band,so now there is 3 drummers."WHAT A FUCKING DRUM SOLO THEY PLAYED!!"It went for 25 minutes.The best I ever heard.....OH by the way,good old GEORGE THOROGOOD ain't no slouch on the guitar either...Later!!

 

[Guest]

Cock Rock Is Dead

RonG - yeah, Tom Verlaine had some cool solos on that first Television album.

I think the most innovative and original guitarists to come out of the '80s and '90s were Thurston Moore and Lee Ronaldo from Sonic Youth. They actually did something new - changing guitar tunings, creating chords and harmonies never heard before in rock, using discordance and mad feedback noises that would rip Lou Reed's head clean off his shoulders.

In the '70s the innovators in rock were Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp (especially when he was with Brian Eno and Bowie) and the various guitarists working with Captain Beefheart - especially Zoot Horn Rollo.

Back in the '60s Hendrix and Pete Townshend were where it was at.

I don't want to hear any more Malmsteen or Steve Vai wannabes showing off how quickly they can play a myxolidian scale. That's not innovative or original. There's no soul, emotion or power in that. It just shows you've spent too long sitting in your bedroom - masturbating over Guitar Player magazine.

Until the up 'n' coming guitarists do something new and exciting with a guitar solo I'd rather just listen to the originals - not some pale imitation.

Now, where did I put my sampler?