In the vein of albums not yet noted, I'll nominate Bob Mould, specifically in his Sugar incarnation and the _Copper Blue_ album. Turn it up loud and be overwhelmed and awed at what can come from a single guitar.
Although its probably showing my age, I'll also throw Adrian Belew's _Big Electric Cat_ out there. He used to play with Laurie Anderson, if I recall correctly, and maybe did a stint with Genesis?
I recently picked up a couple by Johnny A on the recommendation of some A'goners in another thread. Sort of deceptively simple sounding blues, rock and jazz tinged in places. In other words, he's good enough to make it sound easy... has great tone and note placement, it all sounds pretty right to me. The recordings are quite well executed as well. |
Two that I've been listening to a lot lately are Kelly Joe Phelps' "Shine Eyed Mister Zen" and Martin Simpson's "Righteousness and Humidity". Great music and great sound - what more can you ask for?
These two CDs are responsible for getting me off my butt, buying a guitar and signing up for fingerstyle lessons. I'm never going to be either of these guys (especially starting this late in life), but I just hate the fact that all I do is consume music, and never produce any. That is changing, thanks to two guys and their guitars. |
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Al Di Meola ,,"Land of the Midnight Sun"and "Elegant Gypsy"I think they were his first two albums,have some very heavy playing, unbelievable guitar |
Pragmatist, Mfkeleher, Fab4fan: Segovia and Parkening are good but...
As a concert guitarist myself, I can't afford too much high-end equipment but I know who can play the guitar, here are a few of my favorites in no order: David Russell, Assad Brothers, Tilman Hoppstock, Alvaro Pierri, David Starobin Timo Korhonen, Gruber & Maklar, lutenists Paul O'Dette & Nigel North, Stephan Schmidt, Franz Halasz, Denis Azabagic, Jorge Caballero (MHS). These are all really worth hunting down. There are soooo many great players, it's really a shame nobody's listening except other classical guitarists! |
Can't believe that either. Figures,ah? Passion,Grace&Fire is a masterpiece as well. |
Can't believe nobody's mentioned "Friday Night in San Francisco"
Al Dimeola
Paco DeLucia and
John McLaughlin
This is a fantastic LIVE recording of some of the greatest guitar virtuosos of our time having a BLAST!
HIGHLY recommended. |
most of my favorites . . . not in any order, and not all of these are pure guitar - but they all have very prominant guitar.
George Benson - White Rabbit, Bad Benson
Buckethead - Cholma, Electric Tears
John Abercrombie - Timeless
Philip Catherine - any of his
Camel - any of theirs
King Crimson - Red, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, any others
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn, Songs of a Distant Earth, others
The Pentangle - Sweet Child, others
Mark Knofler - Sailing to Philadelphia, Golden Heart
Neal Young - Harvest, After the Gold Rush
Jerry Douglas - most of his
and Eric Clapton - many/most of his
I'm crossing a few genres there. These are the ones I put on the player primarily for the guitar playing, but hardly exclusively for it |
Dire Straits 1st album. That's just the best. |
Carlos Santana & John McLaughlin - Love, Devotion, Surrender. Some fantastic guitar work both soft and hard. |
Best CDs Led Zep 1, Buddy Guy Stone Crazy, SRV Pick One, Luther Allison Reckless, Clapton Live In Hyde Park, Hendrix Blues, Chris Duarte Texas Strat Magic, Danny Gatton Crusin Dueces, Robben Ford Discovering the Blues, Bill Perry High Octaine, Walter Trout Live & Kickin, Roy Buchanan Sweet Dreams, Allman Bro. Fillmore, Ronnie Earl Live, Other favorite guitarists Mato Nanji (Indigenous), KWS, Freddie King, Alvin Lee, Mike Bloomfield, Larry Coryell, Peter Green, Albert King |
Danny Gatton,Robben Ford,Peter Green,Steve Kahn,Larry Carlton,Joe Satriani,Mike Bloomfield with Paul Butterfield,David Spinozza,Cornel Dupree,Jerry Garcia,John Tropea,lots of us agree and thats good to see,looking forward to new stuff,thanks guys,Bob |
Los Romeros: "Carmen" and some Spanish dances. Their version of "Carmen" is beautiful. |
Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges. |
Wishbone Ash "Argus", Frank Zappa "Apostrophe" and "Overnite sensation" (get the cd with both of these on one disc if you can), Allman Brothers nuff said, Richard Thompson "The Old Kit Bag." |
Ronnie Earl....I can't believe that he has not been mentioned yet. I think it was Bigkidz who pointed him out to me on a similar post I had some time ago. Thanks for that one Bigkidz! I now have three of his CDs and all are played regularly. My favorite CD of his is probably I Feel Like Goin' On, try the "Blues for the Homeless" track, it's certainly played with feeling. |
Bernard Allison: Hang On! He's the man now for blues. |
Best guitar CD's
1) Joe PASS ....Virtuoso Series - Solo Acoutic Jazz guitar
Probably the best series that shows off this mans absolute talents as a musician.
2) Conversations in Swing Guitar...Duke ROBBILARD and Herb ELLIS....Great tunes, and swings like a pendulum
3) Jimmy THACKERY...Guitar...all instumentals, great playing and production
4) Danny GATTON...88 Elmira Street...Outstanding playing from someone who left too early.
5) Arlen ROTH... Toolin Around...Great playing and production by Mr. ROTH and friends.
6) Jeff BECK...Blow by Blow...highly influential
7) Jimi HENDRIX...Electric Ladyland...groundbreaking
8) Guitar Player Magazine...Legends of Rock: The 70's Great cuts from some of the most stalwart players from the 70's - Nugent and the Amboy Dukes to Frank Zappa.
9) Guitar Player Magazine - Legends of Guitar - Country/ Volumes 1 and 2. Covers alot of territory between Chet ATKINS to Doc WATSON with everyone else in between. jaw dropping! |
For layering of many voices with great harmony Steve Howe from YES is awesome. Try Quantum Guitar and Turbulence.
Allan Holdsworth's Live CD called ALL NIGHT WRONG is the best live recording I ever heard...its expensive though thru www.audiophileimports.com
Richard Thompson's CD's have tons of incredible fingerpicking style...
Check out YES's Relayer album,,,,its basically what I consider the best guitar playing on any album period.. |
Try John Williams' The Magic Box on SACD - nice recording, some great guitar based music. It has classical roots with a 'world music' style....interesting mix! |
Duane: Thanks for the Buckethead recommendation. As to my comment about "best rock guitarist", i didn't mean to sound like there weren't any others out there that were worth listening to. There are oodles of talented people out there pouring their hearts into their music and it shows. My comment was more to say that i thought that Hendrix did the most to break down barriers and experiment with new sounds / techniques than anybody else. While the guys from Blue Cheer may have pushed the "raw & distorted" sound barrier before Hendrix, they didn't have anywhere near the finesse or style to go along with their "bazooka blast".
As far as my comment about Entombed goes, i listed the wrong album. Rather than "Left Hand Path", i should have said "Clandestine". Much "heavier" sounding. Sean
> |
Steve Stevens "Flamenco A Go Go" Unbelievable recording and smokin' awesome |
Mark Knofler "Sailing To Philadelphia", Soundtrack from "Local Hero"
Allman Brothers Band "Fillmore East"
B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Les Paul.... |
Left them off my list, but I'd second
Michael Brook-Cobalt Blue
Beck - Sea Change
and
Nick Drake - Pink Moon
CD |
Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue (this one will blow your system outta the water)
Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom
LA Guitar Quartet - (any)
Beck - Sea Change
SRV - any
Hendrix - any |
Here's my favs:
GUITAR INSTRUMENTAL
John Fahey-America
Jeff Beck-Blow By Blow
Michael Hedges-Aerial Boundaries
Leo Kottke-6 & 12 String Guitar
Michael Brook-Cobalt Blue
Steve Roach/Roger King-Dust To Dust
Mark Whitfield-The Marksman
I'm partial to 80's "shred" guitar as a joke...kinda...
Yngwie Malmsteen-Rising Force
Vinnie Moore-Time Odyssey
All those guys on Shrapnel Records---Greg Howe, Jason Becker, Joey Tafolla, Michael Lee Firkins, Tony Macalpine, etc.
GUITAR "BANDS"
Johnny Marr-The Smiths-The Queen Is Dead
Randy Rhoads-Ozzy-Blizzard & Diary
Marc Bolan-T. Rex-The Slider & Electric Warrior
Nick Drake-All of his LPs
Steve Hillage-Many LPs
Corrin & Carrie-Sleater Kinney-All Hands On The Bad One & Dig Me Out |
Hey Sean, with Buckethead, i'd start w, Praxis Metatron (you can probably get it real cheap at half .com or Django's). For acoustic Buckethead, try Jonas Hellborg/Octave of the Holy Innocents.
There are alot of excellent recordings of guitarists whose work is unique (and not in any way in a competition w/ each other). Players like Allan Holdsworth, Uwe Kropinski, Fred Frith, David Fiuczynski, Terje Rypdal, Peter Wolbrandt, Sonny Sharrock, Michael Karoli, Nels Cline and David Torn to name a few have expanded the vocabulary of the instrument. Listening to these guys til the stuff gets stuck in yer' head really pays off. Anyone who hangs on to the notion that there is one best guitar player is cheating himself and prematurely dismissing alot of great music. |
Again, Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries is a must. Also,
Dire Staits - Love Over Gold
Carlton/Rittenour - Larry & Lee
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
Ronnie Earl, Pink Floyd, SRV - pick one.
Buckethead - Electric Tears
King Crimson - Discipline |
I've only got one of his discs and i'm not that impressed with it, but having seen him play live, i would have to imagine that at least one of the dozen or so releases he has out has got to be pretty good. Who am i talking about ? "Buckethead" of course : )
Honestly though, anybody have any of his releases ? If so, i'd like to hear some suggestions as to what the best that he has to offer would be. The stuff i heard him play and saw him do was pretty phenomenal in both a rockin' / experimental way. He's the kind of guy that can "jam at street level" AND impress a "guitar guru" like Eric Johnson, Satriani, etc... As far as those two go, i'd rather listen to Johnson as Satriani is more "guitar wanking / technique" than "music". As far as that goes, I think that Jeff Beck on a good day blows both of those guys away in both categories ( music & wanking ).
While i think that Jimi was the most innovative / original "rock" guitarist of all time, anyone that wants to know what "metal" guitar sounds like should check out Entombed's "Left Hand Path". Turn it up to "11" and get ready to be "destroyed". If this doesn't make you want to jump around playing air guitar and growl out loud, you're either too old or your stereo sucks : ) Sean
> |
Neil Young "Live Rust"
Sonic Youth "Sister"
Richard Thompson "Pour Down Like Silver" (w/ wife Linda)
Television "Marquee Moon"
Jimi Hendrix "Electric Ladyland"
Husker Du "Zen Arcade"
James 'Blood' Ulmer "Odyssey"
Matthew Sweet "Girlfriend"
Archers of Loaf "Vee Vee"
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Christopher Parkening carries on in the Segovia style. I particularly like "simple gifts". Also Julien Bream is another worth a listen in that direction. |
Mark Knofler
Eddie Van Halen
Frank Zappa
Stevie Ray Vaughn |
For jazz it's hard to beat Wes Mongomery's "Smokin' at the Half Note", or his double CD "The Verve Jazz Sides" which includes the entire Half Note release. Wouldn't recommend many of his later "pop" albums though. |
Joe Pass, "University of Akron Concert". |
Let me add a classical one. Andres Segovia's recordings of the Bach Lute Suites are outstanding. I've seen guitar players who don't really like classical music sit there with their mouths open listening to Segovia's chops. |
How about some jazz? "Solid" and "Idle Moments" by Grant Green
are both killer! Is it just me or is GG possibly the most
uderrated jazz guitarist ever?
Totally agree with the SRV "Tin Pan Alley" but also really
like his "Scuttlebuttin" too!
Jeez, gotta agree with the Jerry Douglas recommendation as
well - you can hear him playing on Jorma Kaukonen's (another
good recommendation) recent release "Blue County Heart" which
is absolutely stunning. |
Bleed
Artist Jeff Pearce
Album Title Bleed
Date of Release 2002
Genre Electronica
Jeff Pearce is one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time. Years ago, saying that would have been blasphemy. To compare anyone to Robert Fripp, the acknowledged master and progenitor of the style, was unthinkable, let alone conscionable. Yet, in many ways Pearce has surpassed Fripp. Bleed encompasses and acknowledges those ways. Pearce wrote the music for this album after reading his diary from his teenage years. He has made no secret of the fact that these were troubled years for him. Thus, the compositions are dripping with all the angst and pain of inner-child demons. Pearce has put his heart and soul right on the front lines. Deep listeners will feel the confusion, loneliness, and isolation of adolescence along with the pain and fear of rejection and abandonment. Pearce has stated many times that he creates his atmospheres with only a guitar and a processor. He fibs, too. This masterpiece features all of his emotional courage and spiritual strength — that is one of the ways in which he has surpassed Fripp. Pearce's compositional skills have also surpassed Fripp's. Pearce's willingness to let his audience into his heart and soul separates him from the rest of the crowd. In perhaps the strongest indicator of greatness, there are no discs even closely comparable to this masterwork. It rates a seven only because it has not had the test of time to be a nine. It is, quite simply, in a league of its own. — Jim Brenholts
2002 CD Hypnos 2241
Thank You-AMG (for these words) |
The WOW Factor on Tin Pan Alley ,
The WOW is Listen to "" Keith don't go "" Nils Lofgren
WOW : It just doesn't get any better than this guys |
Proy,
There isn't a doubt that "Tin Pan Alley" is one of the finest, if not the finest guitar pieces around! And I have turned it up way too loud, too many times...what was that you said*** |
I have 4
1-Tony Harmon-- La Purisima Mission, maybe hard to find
2- My Fav--Nils Lofgren / Acoustic Live unreal track 5
3-Doug MacLeod / Come to find
4- Antonio Forcione on Naim Label
And Steve Ray Vaughn / song "" Tin Pan Alley ""
************* WOW Just Turn This UP All The Way *********
Cheers |
It depends on what kind of music you like. One of my all-time favorites is Larry Carlton's "Alone But Never Alone". If your preference is flamenco, then you might want to give a listen to Govi's "No Strings Attached"(somewhat of a compilation of a few of his earlier works) or Jesse Cook's "Gravity". Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra have some really mellow nouveau flamenco offerings that you might like. If you think that you would like something that might be considered a little blue grassy, try Jerry Douglas playing his dobro guitar on his solo works("Changing Channels"-quite a list of famous accompaning musicians by the way)) or you can catch him playing on many of Alison Krauss' cds. I could go on and on because there are there are many many more guitarists in different genres that are my personal favorites, and these are just a few. |
I second the acoustic Hot Tuna and the solo work of Jorma Kaukonen (spelling?).
Also, Charlie Hunter's a great, young jazz guitarist. |
If you don't mind strectching your imagination a bit, I think you'll find true gems from the Spanish-influenced players. Paco De Lucia can probably be credited with resurrecting flamenco in the 60's. 'Sirico' is a little known gem of a CD. Also try Tonino Bailardo, lead guitarist with the Gypsy Kings. He has a brillant new solo CD.
The Brazilian brothers Sergio & Odair Assad: they do classical as well as tango, bossa nova & other brazilian styles. Their CD 'Sergio & Oadir Assad Play Piazolla' is in heavy rotation in my system along with their CD accopmanying Nadia Solerno-Sonnenberg.
Recently, on a whim, I picked up a CD entilted 'Flamenco Arabe'. You're likey never to have heard stuff like this before: Egyptian violins & bamboo flutes, Indian tabalas, and of course Spanish guitar picking by Rafael el Tachuela. Distinctly unique!
For more conventional stuff, Steve Ray Vaughn is 'boogie king numero uno' in my book (try to get remastered CD's since the early 80's CD's are way too bright IMHO). If you can find any Wishbone Ash, their album 'Argus' from the 70's was an overlooked diamond in the rough. Could be soundtrack music for the 'warrior epic' in us all! I also like Robin Trower's 'Bridge of Sighs' (remastered)
Enjoy your search... |
lawrence juber,"the collection" is a must have. he was the lead guitarist in wings. this is a much more laid back style of acoustic guitar,very well recorded.it opens up with hendrix's "little wing",one of my favorites. |
I wholeheartedly second the Michael Hedges "Aerial Boundaries" suggestion above |
Here are a couple of prime choices:
Leo Kottke6 and 12 String Guitar. Perhaps the greatest acoustic fingerstyle aLbum ever.
Michael HedgesAerial Boundaries. No one got more texture and rhythm out of an acoustic guitar.
Hot TunaAcoustic Hot Tuna. A definitive (and modern) take on vintage ragtime blues.
Enjoy! |
a little bit different genre from what's been mentioned, but hard to overlook allman brothers - especially "evening with the allman brothers" first set. amazing blue sky and southbound. |
One of my favorites is Bruce Cockburn. Try and listen to his "Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws" CD. It is nice classical/folk style with good variety of songs on the disc. |
Wow, a coupla you guys stole my lines - Danny Gatton and Al DiMeola are two of the best I've ever seen. Danny was (and will always be) the best in my book - I saw him many times at a local club (for $5.00!!!) and was able to get up close for a good look - simply unbelieveable!
I also have an autographed guitar from Al DiMeola that I won at a concert and had to strap to the sissybar of my motorcycle to get it home [smile].
Other guitarists that I admire greatly:
1) Sonny Landreth - best slide player currently.
2) Eric Johnson
3) Ronnie Montrose - get "Open Fire", his best album, IMHO.
4) Christoper Parkening - classical guitar.
5) Egberto Gismonte - incredibly talented, multi-genre.
6) Steve Kimock - just saw him last week - schweet!!
-RW- |
It may not be to everyone's taste, but I enjoy Surfing with the Alien form Joe Satriani, Love and relgion from Steve Vai and Minds eye from Vinnie Moore, although the latter gets a bit boring after a while. A complete different style is Friday night in San Francisco, Featuring Al DiMeola, Paco de Lucia and John Mclaughlin (I think. I might be wrong on John....). That said, everything from Jimi Hendrix is worth considering. |
