Under(and over)rated guitarists

[Rick Lee]

Forgot to mention Brian May. He's totally awesome. Anyone ever hear his Starfleet Project with Eddie VH? Someday I will see BM play live.

Steve Howe is a god. I've seen him 5 or 6 times with YES. Just awesome.

I've seen VH about 20 times. Best ever show was Sept. 04 at the Borgata in Altlantic City. Believe me, he still has it.

Saw Yngwie a few times. A real as$hole, but great player.

I've seen Rush about 35 times, met them twice. Always loved Alex Lifeson. He inspired me to buy my GK250ml when I was 16 and I still use it every day.

Eric Johnson is one of favorites too. I see him every time he's anywhere nearby. He and EVH are probably the two I've learned the most from.

Saw Stevie Ray on his last tour. Super! Jeff Beck opened.

And I always thought Page was a little overrated. He came up with some of the most classic stuff around, but always sounds sloppy trying to pull it off.

[notfarnow]

overrated: B.B. King


(ducking)

[Sarc]

Underrated:

Mike Bloomfield. Been listening to "Super Session" a lot lately.
Dave Gilmour, too.

I think Pagey's awesome, but I am just a noodling hack.

[scottmandue]

Saw Joe Perry from Aerosmith play solo at the palace in Hollywood during the Areosmith breakup years, great show, about blew my head off, theater was only about half full, glad the band got back together.

As long as we are getting obscure... underrated, Glen Cambel, don't care much for his music bt the boy sure can play.

Didn't know there were so many closet Yes fans on the board, I have seen them a bunch of times at the Form and the Long Beach arena. There is a good reunion DVD of them playing in San Luis Obisbo, they run a few cheesy psychedelic light show effects while they play live but the music is great and with all the original players.

[Rick Lee]

Scott, what could I trade you for a copy of that Yes DVD?

[Z-man]

Have any of you ever heard of Phil Keagy? He's pretty well known in the Christian Rock circuit. Plays all types of guitar - rock, blues & jazz, and new age stuff as well. I've seen him live a couple of times - his music is simply mesmerizing. Probably the most underrated guitarist I know.

When Jimi Hendrix was awarded some type of 'guitarist of the year' award, he accepted, but stated that he wasn't the best guitarist out there. He mentioned there was a young guy doing the Christian rock circuit that was far better than him - his name: Phil Keagy.

Oh, BTW, Mr, Keagy is missing a finger on his strumming hand.

-Z-man.

[nostatic]

well, if you're talking missing fingers, then you have to mention Django.

Tony Rice and Tommy Emmanuel on the acoustic side.

[Les Paul]

I wonder how many of the people that dog Clapton have seen him live? How many have listened to all of his new music not what is played over and over and over on the radio? I have to laugh at those that say he peaked with Cream. Whatever.

[1967 R50/2]

Underrated guitarists: Eric Johnson and Lindsey Buckingham

Underrated bassist: Tony Butler

Great guitarist you guys will never mention: Andres Segovia

Other great guitarists you will not mention: Pat Metheny, Bela Fleck, Stanley Jordan

Originally posted by Les Paul
I wonder how many of the people that dog Clapton have seen him live? How many have listened to all of his new music not what is played over and over and over on the radio? I have to laugh at those that say he peaked with Cream. Whatever.

BTW: Les...you forgot to mention yourself. I've seen your show at the Iridium several times!!!

[Rick Lee]

Oh yeah, saw Stanley Jordan at a local bar here a few yrs. ago. Amazing.

How about Steve Lukather?

[Sarc]

How about Esteban, former pupil of Segovia and saving alot on his insurance with Geico?

[nostatic]

Originally posted by 1967 R50/2
Underrated guitarists: Eric Johnson and Lindsey Buckingham

Underrated bassist: Tony Butler

Great guitarist you guys will never mention: Andres Segovia

Other great guitarists you will not mention: Pat Metheny, Bela Fleck, Stanley Jordan



BTW: Les...you forgot to mention yourself. I've seen your show at the Iridium several times!!!

sorry, not a Metheny fan. Not a Jordan fan either. Yes, he has amazing technique, but it doesn't move me at all.

As for Clapton, I saw him live in '87 and two times in the 90's. The '87 show was flat out amazing. The lineup was him, Nathan East on bass/vocals, Greg Phillanganes on keyboards/vocals, and Phil Collins on drums/vocals. That's it...a quartet. And they kicked ass. That was in support of the August album which is pretty R&B tinged and one of my favs.

Still, nothing tops the sheer emotion and technical virtuosity displayed on Layla and other assorted love songs. Nobody pushed Clapton like Duane Allman did. Yes he can still play, and yes he turns out some great stuff. But that album was pure magic.

[stuartj]

Originally posted by Les Paul
I wonder how many of the people that dog Clapton have seen him live? How many have listened to all of his new music not what is played over and over and over on the radio? I have to laugh at those that say he peaked with Cream. Whatever.

Ive seen Clapton live a couple of times and stand by my remarks that he is the most boring fart ever to strap on a Strat. Conversley, having been a Page disciple for years as a kid, and never having seen Zep, my friends had to drag me to see Page and Plant's tour in the 90s. I really feared the worst, given his atrophy in the early 90s. He was fantastic. Note perfect, precise and absolutely on it. Its nice to have a legend live up to a reputation.

To Scott- Glen Campbell. You are dead right. Great player.

And another Dixie player- still hacking around I beleive, Dickie Betts.

Gary Moore, anyone?

[Les Paul]

Hey some of us here are old farts too. When we fall we might not get up.

[arcsine]

I don't think Buddy Guy gets the props he deserves. Probably as he does not come across on recording as he does on stage but live it was surreal.

Leo Kottke I enjoy as well. Saw him and Michael Hedges few years ago. Lots of Seattle grunge rock in the audience. It was hard to believe there was not someone offstage on backup.

[deathpunk dan]

underrated:

Wayne Kramer of the MC5/Gang War/solo
Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5/Sonic Rendevous Band
Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls/Heartbreakers/solo
Walter Lure of the Heartbreakers
Ross The Boss of the Dictators/Manowar
James Williamson of Iggy & The Stooges
Ron Asheton of Iggy & the Stooges
Robert Quine of the Voidoids/Lou Reed/Matthew Sweet/solo
Bob Mould of Husker Du/Sugar/solo
Ron Wood during his Faces days

[Victor]

Obviously no metal heads here.....

What about Slash, Dimebag, Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde etc? Possibly all over rated but certainly know how to bang out a ripping solo.

We just had a similar discussion in a pub the other day, a great guitarist can be recognised just by listening to him play 2 notes.

[Victor]

Another under rated player would have to be Alvin Lee. Saw him play a small venue years ago and the things he could do to a crowd with an old gibson and a marshall stack where staggering.

Saw Joe Satriani within a couple of months and came close to falling asleep. Awesome shredder though............

[WolfeMacleod]

Underrated: Adrian Legg.
How many people here have heard of him?
Recomended listening: High Strung Tall Tales and Mrs. Crowe's Blue Waltz

And you can't forget D'jango, as Nostatic mentioned.

I disagree on Page being overrated.
Yes, he was sloppy. Yes, he had faults.
But, it's what he did with the slop, faults, and technically terrible tone that was so great.

I also disagree on Clapton being overrrated. I've seen him several times, and he can still rip it up.
I disagree with him using a Strat for the recent Cream stuff though.

Overrated:
Satriani, Malmsteen, Dimebag Darrel, Buckethead

Underrated:
Martin Barre, Vito Bratta, Tom Scholz

[targa911S]

Originally posted by Z-man
Have any of you ever heard of Phil Keagy? He's pretty well known in the Christian Rock circuit. Plays all types of guitar - rock, blues & jazz, and new age stuff as well. I've seen him live a couple of times - his music is simply mesmerizing. Probably the most underrated guitarist I know.

When Jimi Hendrix was awarded some type of 'guitarist of the year' award, he accepted, but stated that he wasn't the best guitarist out there. He mentioned there was a young guy doing the Christian rock circuit that was far better than him - his name: Phil Keagy.

Oh, BTW, Mr, Keagy is missing a finger on his strumming hand.

-Z-man.

I grew up with Phil and even remember his drug days before he got God. I was lucky as a kid I knew Phil, Joe Walsh in the James Gang days and Glenn Swartz who was the original guitarist in The James Gang , who taught Joe. He went out to the West Coast formed Pacific Gas and Electric and WAY lost his mind. He's back in Cleveland now, lives in a van and plays a little bar in the flats on thursday nights. he is still phenominal as a guitar player, but mad as a March hare. The last time The Eagles were in town, they all came down to see him...what a night to be there!

Speaking of over rated...I saw the Cream show at Albert Hall the other night...what a yawner! The only one that really looked like he was glad to be there was Jack Bruce. Clapton was actually boring in his solos and seemed detached from it all. Ginger was still good but lacked the energy he had as a young man ( a testimony for heroin and methanphetamine). Anyway , I thought they were pretty light for the money they asked for tickets.