Johnny Winter Rules !
listen to the nice price CD Captured Live.
Great Solo - Sexy Voice - Great teamguitar player.
This is when rock 'n roll got electric!
Schuine

Johnny Winter is great, but I've never considered him a great songwriter. Great player though (maybe a couple of solos too much?)

Talking about great guitar players, do not forget the late and great Clarence White! He's aspiring to top my list of favourite guitar players. Check out his work with The Byrds (1968-1972) - Amazing stuff; acoustic and electric.

"Because all the other british guitar gods are rich and famous and came no where
close to MT's body of work with the stones during that period."

So this is matter about MT not being rich or...... - has nothing to do with Stones.....

MT also left Stones because he wanted to do a super group with Jack Bruce, but it never became a super group - that's not Stones fault....

Schuine Hondsbossche Wrote:
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> Johnny Winter Rules !
>
>

Thank you. Finally - some sanity into the thread. JW is arguably the greatest pure blues/rock guitarists of them all. Stick that in your hat....

Johnny Winter Captured Live is essential. It was melted onto my turntable when I first bought it in '76. Unbelievable guitar playing..."It's All Over Now"...was given new life, Texas style. And his cover of "Highway 61" is the history of pyro-technic lead guitar playing all wrapped up into one song. While perhaps not a great songwriter , his covers of classic blues, Stones, and Dylan are worth the price. I was fortunate to see him many times back in his '70's prime, then throughout the '80's and early '90's. But the last time I saw him live was a few years ago, and it was a sad sight to see, he was a shadow of his former self. He was frail, very, very skinny, and could barely walk out to center stage. His roadies had to carry out his guitars and literally place them gently around his neck. Heroin and other things have taken their toll, he looked like a victim of some serious disease. His playing was all screwed up to, he was off beat and none of the blistering solo's were anywhere to be seen or heard. The only glimpse of the real Johnny was when they placed his Thunderbird around his neck and he managed to squeal out a few wicked slide riffs. The tone was fat and heavy, but the playing was very sad.

But...if we are to base our opinions on things from the past, Johnny definitely rides near the top of the heap. Essential listening includes Progressive Blues Experiment, Second Winter, Still Alive And Well, Captured Live, and Nothing But The Blues. Later essential releases from the '80's include Guitar Slinger, 3rd Degree, and Serious Business. Johnny playing some serious roots blues.


Jeff Beck is great...especially live. I usesd to say he was my very favorite when I went through my Jeff Beck phase. He's like watching a freak show of guitar explosions, squeaks, and missiles going off... some of the very best I've ever seen. But his songwriting? Not too much to say about that. Thats why Page and Hendrix stand above the rest...amazing playing capped off with versatility, and tremendous songwriting/production skills, etc.


One last word on Hendrix: Listen to Machine Gun from Band Of Gypsies, and tell me if any othetr guitarist in the history of the world has ever come close to anything like that. No jazz guitarist, doesn't matter how great they are, can even come close to this. I don't care if they can read and write music standing on their heads blind-folded, they couldn't come close. The climactic guitar bombs dropping and intense passion of the entire song paved the way for all future guitarists to copy. Jeff Beck must have listened very closely to this one.

I'd also mention the great Eddie Phillips of Creation 1965 - 67 - who was a brilliant, imaginative guitarist who was the first to use the violin bow on his guitar (At one point P Townshend wanted him to join the Who) - I've mentioned them before, but not many people know about this superb mod/maximum energy band - Shel Talmy, their producer (also produced early Kinks/Who) called them the most talented group he worked with. Explosive energy, attitude, fine material, etc (Making Time', 'Painter Man', 'Biff Bam Pow!', 'Nightmares' etc) -check em out, especially on the 1998 'Complete Works' cds/lps...R Wood replaced Phillips for 3 months (their bassist was ex-Bird Kim Gardner), tho 90% of their stuff is w/ Phillips

Hairball - thanks for the post on JW. By the way, he had hip-replacement surgery a few years ago - and is still in the process of recovery. nothing to do with his past drug problems (far as I know). he is living on borrowed time anyway - given his "natural state." his new studio album is okay - but doesn't hold a candle to his glory days.

Hip surgery...? That explains it. It was frightening to see him "crawl" out to the stage.
But how does that account for his terrible playing? Maybe he was all dosed up on morphine for the hip-surgery pain.

yep - that's what I've heard - but his current concerts aren't really that much better than what you likely witnessed. still - i'd pay to see him - just out of respect/homage.

great guitars? Richard lloyd! hell yeah, one of the greatest shows I ever saw was RL at CBGB drunk of his ass, playing like possessed. He reminded me of keith x 100.
Richard Thompson is another overlooked genius of the guitar.
Sonny Sherrock and James Blood Ulmer if you dig the Black Rock pre and post Hendrix. get Ulmer's album called "Black Rock" and check out the title cut. Whoo!

I agree with alot of what has been said about the brilliance of Page but I saw him live about 6 years ago, the Plant/Page Tour and he was very sloppy, almost seemed confused! However his studio acoustic work is untouchable, IMO, and the only guitarist that comes close is Pete Townsend. Beck is too much into sound affects like Satriani. Speed does not= wonderful in my world. Page at his very best was Zepelin one-four and I actually prefer his slow blues stuff like " Since I've Been Lovin You " that knocks me out to this day!

What about Ritchie Blackmore?
If heavy guitar is what you want, than Ritchie Blacmore should be on the list of all-time top 10 in my book.
From a well-schooled studio musician (like JimmyPage) on many early '60's pop/rock tunes, all the way to the intensity of his work with Deep Purple. Listen to Machine Head, and nearly all of the live Made In Japan album, and later songs like Burn. There is also the great BBC sessions of Deep Purple that have been released - top quality. Also a few nice trailblazing recordings can also be heard from his years with Blackmores Rainbow (Man On The Silver Mountain, etc). Admittedly, he ran astray after the demise of Deep Purple, but he eventually found himself back for Deep Purple reunions tours, etc. He then quit, re-joined, quit, rejoined, etc., etc.

For classically inspired Hendrix influenced amazing guitar work...I say Ritchie Blackmore should be remembered.
Especially the early Deep Purple years.

<Richard Thompson is another overlooked genius of the guitar.>

Listen to some of Thompson's work with Nick Drake - fabulous stuff (from both guitar players!).

Jimmy Page was a good guitarist, but very sloppy. Never could do it live. Too thin sounding. Zep needed a rhythm player for live shows. In the studio, he averaged at LEAST 5 overdubs on every song. Hell, I could make a guitar sound that good with that many overdubs. Mick Taylor was a MUCH better live guitarist. Clean, crisp, soulful, fast, etc. The best rock and roll guitarists are Peter Green and Jimi Hendrix, not sure who was better, depends on what day it is.

Just my humble opinion.

JR

Jimmy are no 1 and 2, Keith can not get there even if he quits the drugs but he is great too in his way, but lately he frankly sucks. Dont be another Rod Stewart jazz copy fool keith, please!!!

Great guitar players?

Charley Patton
Papa Charlie Jackson
Robert Johnson
Blind Blake
Big Joe Williams

The Grandfathers of guitar!

Oooh yeah...nice choices Potted Shrimp...may I also add these guitar slingers.

Son House
Blind Willie McTell
Skip James
Kokomo Arnold
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Hambone Willie Newbern
Blind Willie Johnson

ROCKMAN

I new you would understand Rockman...........

(Son House, complete library of congress sessions is a must have!)

Bring it up a few years and have a listen to these two amp-blowin boys.

Pat Hare
Willie Johnson

ROCKMAN

Pat Hare.....don't know the guy! Have some more info on that one Rockman?

Recorded for Sun in the fifties and backed such artists as Jnr Parker and James Cotton. Also played guitar for Muddy in late 50's... famous for Murder My Baby and that is exactly what he did... ended up dying in prison.



Pat Hare can be found on

Sun Records The Blues years 1950-1958 Charly CDSUNBOX 7

Junior Parker,James Cotton,Pat Hare - Mystery Train Rounder CD SS 38


Also check out the two Willie Nix that feature Willie Johnson's blistering guitar on the CD

Modern Downhome Blues Vol3: Memphis On Down - Ace CDCHD 1003

ROCKMAN

Thanks Rockman, I'll look into it!!!!!

Re the great Pat Hare, he did a great solo single called "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby," & then did! Murder his baby, I mean...Cut short his career...