[www.msnbc.msn.com]

I would have switched out Brian May for Peter Green...but oh well...

JR

i'ld put gilmour and steve howe in for van halen and brian may, but you're right stone-relics, "oh well...". just glad keef got his due.

I would put Jumping Jimi at number one, somevody better listen to Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) and Carlos should be number two. Hey and Prince is as goodas any of those guys.

These lists are all relative and a bit pointless I have to say. None of them ever state the critera used to make the selections and if you ask 10 people for a list of "the best" you'll get 10 different answers.

I did not see this as a list of top ten. I did however think they nailed Keith's place in the mix. He does not fit the mould but has risen to the top of 'his' field.

I don't like when people define Keith as strictly a rhythm guitarist. Yeah he is not playing 10 minute guitar solos, but is playing strictly rhythm.

He's up there for songwriting and being a favourite person who happens to play guitar. But as for his technical skills - no, he's not a virtuoso, nor can he be ranked us such. He's not even a blues player.

I think guitar players' lists of these types are usually Quite different from the average music fan.

Duane Allman, in my opinion, is the greatest white blues-based guitar player in history.

I think Peter Green is the best Blues guitarist ever, in any colour you like....

I was listening to a soundboard from San Fran in 1968 live show...he just kills...

I love Duane and Carlos, but both stole a lot of their style from Pete...Carlos, by covering Black Magic Woman, and Duane and Dicky copying the harmony guitar from Peter and Danny Kirwin.

JMHO,

JR

>> He's up there for ... <<

Keith is up there for being a great guitarist.
"flamboyantly nimble soloist" isn't the only definition of "great guitarist".

stone-relics Wrote:
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> [www.msnbc.msn.com]
> 107/s/2/
>
> I would have switched out Brian May for Peter
> Green...but oh well...

I disagree, Brian May has a very recognizable sound and was highly innovative in his way of playing. Peter Green was just another boy playing the blues. Oh well...

That's strange becasue I rank two Stones guitarists over Keith: Brian Jones and Mick Taylor.

When it comes to influence and inspiration, charisma, soul and style - nobody can match Keith. I'm glad he's on the list! And I'd be deeply disappointed if he wasn't!

Why is always Robin Trower forgotten when there´s talk about white blues guitarists? I think he´s a brilliant musician, look at this clip.

Hound Dog

I hear you, but you can't put him into the overall perception of the rock, screeming soloist catagory, so what do you do. It would be nice to catogorize his oun style but if you are going to get a chance to put him on a pedistal this appears to be the only spot recognizable to the general public.

I think I know how this evolved because I find myself hacking at reditions of songs on my couch and you need the rythem but I end up try to squeek licks in in the same sweep of the right hand. I've often speculated this is how he writes, trying to give us a gist of both the rythem and those deadly riffs tossed in, nothin left to fill but the rest of the weeve.

stone-relics,

Are you referring to the recording of Peter Green from the Carousel Ballroom in San Fransico with Fleetwood Mac? That's a greaet show! I'm listening to it right now.

jamesfdouglas Wrote:
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> He's up there for songwriting and being a
> favourite person who happens to play guitar. But
> as for his technical skills - no, he's not a
> virtuoso, nor can he be ranked us such. He's not
> even a blues player.
>

I'm sorry, but I just don't get the continuing disclaimers about the technical skills..music either conveys power and beauty and emotion or it doesn't...

Also, I don't understand the comment "not even a blues player." And, I think Keith IS a blues player and a good one.

>
> Duane Allman, in my opinion, is the greatest white
> blues-based guitar player in history.

Duane Allman had an extremely advanced ability to convey beauty and emotion with his instrument.

It's quite subjective after all. For me the absolute top 2 favourites are Keith and Chuck Berry although I do admire the work of Clapton, Hendrix, Santana, Django and many others. Then again Mr. Van Halen's input to rock'n'roll music is in my opinion not that unforgetable. But I do understand it depends on who you're asking; there must be a million rookie (and another million of advanced) guitarist who will swear that Yngvie Malmsten is the greatest there has, is or will ever be. And I can't stand all that nonsense.

neptune Wrote:
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> That's strange becasue I rank two Stones
> guitarists over Keith: Brian Jones and Mick
> Taylor.


But you don't think either of them have been more influential then Keith do you?

11-Chuck Berry
12-David Gilmour
13-Robin Trower
14-Steve Howe
15-Buddy Guy
16-Don Felder
17-Michael Schenker
18-Tony Iommi
19- Walter Becker
20- Levi Chen -- Google him and have a listen. You will be blown away.


Long live Keith Richards!

Ket Wrote:
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> But you don't think either of them have been more
> influential then Keith do you?

No doubt, Keith was very influential. Brian did introduce slide playing to a much wider audience and that counts for something in my book. He and Keith, via The Last Time, Cloud, and Satisfaction, wrote the book on making a guitar riff drive a song.

No mention of Pete townshend?????

Am I the only one who thinks he should be somewhere on that list?

Any "Top 10 Guitarist" Poll that doesn't include Jerry Garcia and Johnny Winter is nutz...

And Mick Taylor is right up there too, Billy Gibbons, they all deserve consideration...

Before he's through alot of people are going to be listing John Frusciante too...

But Keith deserves it, 100% easy Top 10, unique, and irreplaceable.

Wow, its always the same cast of characters. Where is Zappa, Rory Gallagher, and Jerry Garcia. A real guitar list should defined by lead guitarists (solos) and rythm players. Keith would definitely lead the ladder and be further down the road in the other. You really need a few different type of lists to get all the great players named. John McLoughlin might be the best living guitarist and many have neither heard of him or his great talents. Shame.

Yep, the Mac, 1968 Carousel Ballroom, then I switched to the Warehouse, New ORleans, 1970....woof...and someone said Peter was just copying the blues....BS...that guy WAS the blues...

JR

TombstoneShadow Wrote:
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> Any "Top 10 Guitarist" Poll that doesn't include
> Jerry Garcia and Johnny Winter is nutz...
>
> And Mick Taylor is right up there too, Billy
> Gibbons, they all deserve consideration...
>
> Before he's through alot of people are going to be
> listing John Frusciante too...
>
> But Keith deserves it, 100% easy Top 10, unique,
> and irreplaceable.

After reading your post, I assume that you are also a guitar player, or musician of some sort yourself.

Django Reinhardt.....Keef.....Pete Townsend....Hubert Sumlin....Johnny Thunders....Chuck Berry.....Tony Iommi....Jimmy Page......Johnny Ramone......James Williamson.....Link Wray.....Ron Asheton.....Bob Stinson....Jimi Hendrix.........Scotty Moore.....Mick Taylor

artalta Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's quite subjective after all. For me the
> absolute top 2 favourites are Keith and Chuck
> Berry although I do admire the work of Clapton,
> Hendrix, Santana, Django and many others. Then
> again Mr. Van Halen's input to rock'n'roll music
> is in my opinion not that unforgetable. But I do
> understand it depends on who you're asking; there
> must be a million rookie (and another million of
> advanced) guitarist who will swear that Yngvie
> Malmsten is the greatest there has, is or will
> ever be. And I can't stand all that nonsense.


Van Halen not that unforgetable? Really? You may not personally care for him and that's fine, but you grossly overlook his influence, which continues to this very day.

Prior to VH, had anyone thought of the concept of combining the sound of a Les Paul with the vibrato system of a strat?--by which I mean, combining a humbucker with a vibrato? The answer is no. Now, dozens of guitars are made this way by all manufacturers--pretty influential if you ask me. Eddie thought of it himself, in his garage as a teenager, no less--he literally changed the way guitars are made--pretty influential, no?

Prior to VH who had ever thought to expand the fretboard by using right hand hammer-ons? No one. It became, virtually over-nite a part of every guitarist's arsenal and represented a completely inovative appraoch to the instrument--AND Eddie made it sound cool---listen to some of his playing--notes are coming from all over the place; done in a way that is very musical. The fact that this became "cliche" and admittedly overused, is hardly his fault--afterall, imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery, no? And, for those who cite to Billy Gibbons, please--he did it with one note--not quite the same, by a long, long shot. VH in addition to changing the way guitars are made,changed the way guitars are played--an influence that casts a pretty long shadow and arguably more influential than anyone else on that list authored (given that Chuck Berry is not on the list).

People on this board get fired up over the way the Crowes aped the Stones (which, in part, they did; no question) try comparing that to the VH "imitators"/wannabes---it probably numbers in the dozens. Some could argue that is a sign of "influence".

Eddie also had a sense of rhythm and melody that allowed him to use his virtuoso musical chops in the context of songs that everyone could enjoy--Malmsteen is an amazing player, but who, outside of hardcore guitar players can sit through one of his discs? Try playing it for your girlfriend/significant other, see if you even get to the 3rd song. Doubt it. Panama,Jump,Unchained etc etc are enjoyed by lots of people who have never picked up the instrument in their life.

Don't forget Eddie came out when Rock music was at it's nadir, "classic rock" bands in '76-'77 were awash in bloated, drugged out excess and disco was king/queen. VH put out a record that was straight forward rock that comes whizzing out of the speakers and literally breathed life into a music form that if not dying, was on the precipice of a spiral--even the punks saw that era of "rock" for what it was. Plus,it was a time that saw the rise of "corporate rock" Yuck! Just typing the phrase is nauseating. Put on the 1st side of VH 1 and tell me it sounds "typical" for the era.

So, frankly, Eddie is rightfullyon the Mount Rushmore of rock guitarists, taking a backseat to no one and you could make the argument his contributions have had greater impact than anyone's in the last 30 years, maybe longer......

Think I will go crank up Fair Warning..........

As for Gilmour and Howe, great, great players, no question, but outside of an individuals personal prefernce how do their accomplishments even get in the same zip code as EVH?

I Wish I Never Met You Wrote:
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> Wow, its always the same cast of characters.
> Where is Zappa, Rory Gallagher, and Jerry Garcia.
> A real guitar list should defined by lead
> guitarists (solos) and rythm players.

Exactly... Keith is THE rhythm guitarist... in many ways he's as central to the rhythm of the stones as much as charlie or darryl

Glass Slide Wrote:
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> As for Gilmour and Howe, great, great players, no
> question, but outside of an individuals personal
> prefernce how do their accomplishments even get in
> the same zip code as EVH?


You're right, Floyd and Yes are light years away from Van Halen. But in which direction?