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Haven't Done This In A While. Most UNDERRATED Guitarist

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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 09:14 AM
Original message
Haven't Done This In A While. Most UNDERRATED Guitarist
Three idioms, three players in each, folks! Rock, Jazz, Country. I'll start:

Rock: Elliot Easton, Todd Rundgren, Martin Barre

Jazz: Tal Farlow, James Ullmer, Eric Gale

Country: Junior Brown, Vince Gill, Keith Urban (Hey, i don't like country music, but i know great when i hear it!)

Who's on your list?
The Professor
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cleofus1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 09:36 AM
Response to Original message
1. i have one off hand
Terry Kath
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 09:55 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Horrible Tone, Though
Probably the best player in that band. (It sure wasn't Lamm! He's a hack.) But, i always hated the way Kath's guitar sounded. Good pick, though.
The Professor
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cleofus1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 10:06 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. hey legend has it
that jimi hendryx thought terry was great!

what do you mean you hate the way his guitar sounded? too distorted? or someting else...

oh and how about the guy that played the solo in that carpenters song...
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cleofus1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 10:12 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. goodbye to love
I pictured a melodic fuzz guitar solo, and knew just the guitarist I wanted to employ—Tony Peluso. Karen and I had met Tony in 1971 when his band, Instant Joy, had backed Mark Lindsay, who had opened for us on our spring tour. The resulting guitar solo is, in my opinion, one of the best in recording history
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 10:14 AM
Response to Reply #3
5. Too Brittle
All upper mid range. No bite at the top, no body in the lower mid. Just too thin, whether it was distorted or not.

Besides, i don't worship at the altar of Hendrix. He influenced a lot of people who were a mountain range better than Jimi, so i give him that as an innovator. But, him saying so isn't going to make me like anybody. I pretty much have to trust my own ear.
The Professor
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-24-06 04:51 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. I remember reading a lot of buzz about Hendrix so I went to see him.
My recollection is less of musicality and more of amp humping. Of course the memory is fogged by time and my state of consciousness then.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 06:44 AM
Response to Reply #7
10. LOL!
State of consciousness, huh? I don't dis Jimi. But, i've got a couple of live DVD's of him. (I don't buy movies on DVD. Just concerts.)

The band is sloppy and his playing is, well, not great. Very adventerous, and i give anybody points for walking on the tightrope, so i've certainly got to give him that. But, i would prefer both adventerousness and the ability to, oh i don't know, STAY IN TUNE!
The Professor
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 12:31 PM
Response to Reply #10
13. Mike Bloomfield liked to talk about the time he was playing at the
Filmore and was having a horrible time. He claims he stepped forward for a solo, butchered the crap out of it, stepped back hanging his head in shame, and got a standing ovation.


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XNASA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-23-06 11:13 AM
Response to Original message
6. Dave Gregory
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pepperbear Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-15-07 11:48 AM
Response to Reply #6
58. Of XTC fame! awesome tone and approach n/t
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-24-06 04:59 PM
Response to Original message
8. I don't understand "underrated." Do you mean underrated in a
popular sense?
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 06:25 AM
Response to Reply #8
9. I Guess Yeah
For instance, if you and your friends were sitting around talking about guitar players, which really, really good player would be unlikely to come up in the conversation.

My first choice, always, is Elliot Easton. Listen to the first 4 Cars albums! His playing is truly great. Yet, i'll bet there are musicians all over the place that don't even know his name. His band (and he) made gazillions, but he wouldn't be on most people's list of famed guitar players.
The Professor
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 12:50 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. I guess it may have been your inclusion of Tal Farlow and Junior
Brown that threw me.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #14
21. Why?
Why did those two throw you? I would guess there is a huge percentage, even of guitar players who don't know who those guys are. And, even if they know some jazz guys, i would guess they know Joe Pass, Howard Roberts, Pat Metheny, etc. Not that those guys aren't great, but they bury the knowledge of other guys as good, maybe better. (I'm personally fond of Farlow's tone, which is less blippy and blurpy than most jazz guys.)

And, with someone like Brown, i would also bet that millions of country fans wouldn't know his name from a NASCAR driver. (It sort of sounds like that name. In fact, wasn't one of the early NASCAR stars named that? Maybe not.)

Why did those two names mess up your understanding? I'm really curious.
The Professor
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 05:51 PM
Response to Reply #21
25. There is a vast difference between the average jazz fan and the
average country fan.

I constantly channel surf when I am in front of the tube and cannot count the number of times I have seen Junior Brown on country videos. I work with a Nashville Country fan who can tell me the lives and loves of the "stars" (he is also a big NASCAR fan). I mentioned Junior Brown to him the other day and he said, "Isn't he that guy with the weird guitar?" I then asked if he had heard of Grady Martin and he drew a blank.

I cannot recall a conversation with a guitar playing jazz fan about great jazz guitarists where Tal Farlow didn't come up. If nothing else the fact he quit playing to become a sign painter.
One of my all time favorite guitar players who happened to be called a jazz player was Ted Green, what an amazing player he was. A master in the true sense of the word.
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retread Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 07:47 PM
Response to Reply #25
26. Just noticed I misspelled Ted Greene's last name. n/t
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-27-06 08:08 AM
Response to Reply #25
28. I Get It Now
Thanks
The Professor
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opiate69 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 09:26 AM
Response to Original message
11. Definitely agree with your choice of Martin Barre...
and I'd have to add: Alain Johannes, and John Sykes.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 11:38 AM
Response to Reply #11
12. Don't Know Sykes!
I know who Johannes is, but not familiar with John Sykes.
The Professor
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opiate69 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 07:08 PM
Response to Reply #12
15. Sykes is a madman!
He was in Thin Lizzy for a spell, then joined Whitesnake and recorded their two "big" albums, "Slide it In" and "Whitesnake" (the one with "Here I go again" and "Still of the night")then when coverdale fired the entire band a replaced them with the "video" guys, he formed Blue Murder. Suggested listening: Blue Murder "Valley of the Kings", "Ptolemy", "Billy".. actually, hell.. the entire disc is a clinic in guitar god-ness..
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 08:20 AM
Response to Reply #15
19. Oh, OK. Now I Know Who You Mean
I'll have to look into Blue Murder. I liked his playing in Whitesnake.
The Professor
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leftofthedial Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 07:09 PM
Response to Original message
16. Well, i'm not a fan of the lots-of-notes school
I like players who play the perfect part for the song


Rock: Ron Wood

Jazz: Bill Frisell

Country: JT Korenflos (considering that eveyone knows that Kenny Vaughn is as hot as it gets and is therefore not underrated)

I'd also throw a shout to Martin Sexton, though I'm not sure in which category. He plays his ass off, extremely musically.
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johnnie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-25-06 09:54 PM
Response to Original message
17. I don't know about these being under-rated
But here are a few that you don't hear much about as being "great guitar players". Well, maybe by guitar players, but not the general listener.

Prince, Brad Paisley, Frank Zappa and John Jorgensen.
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leftofthedial Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 12:54 AM
Response to Reply #17
18. Brad Paisley is an excellent guitarist
much appreciated in Nashville.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 08:22 AM
Response to Reply #17
20. I'll Agree On Everyone But Zappa
I know my criteria is a little skewed here, but i think both guitar players and music fans all know how good Zappa was, and his name had high recognition.

I guess my version of underrated would be that even though someone had commerical success (or not) careful listeners and other guitarists either don't know the name or would forget them when talking about fine players.
The Professor
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johnnie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 12:28 PM
Response to Reply #20
22. I'll agree but
Even when I was younger, they had those "rock posters" and it was always Hendrix, Clapton, Blackmore, Ace Frehely (they were big then), Page, Trower and a few others. I never remember seeing Zappa as one of the "greats".

Most guitar players I know would put him up there with the best, but not many people who aren't musicians.

That has just been my experience, but maybe it was just because of when I grew up.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #22
23. Well, Try This Explanation
Edited on Thu Jan-26-06 12:36 PM by ProfessorGAC
He sold many, many albums, and almost all of them had his name right on the front cover. So, he had lots of fans, lots of admirers among the musicians, and his name was well known. I think he'd be a little harder to call underrated.

At the same time, my guy Elliot Easton, was in a band that sold 25 million copies. But, i'd have to guess that less than 5% of the people who owned those records would ever have recognized his name. So, i guess i changing the rules as i go along, but we're just having fun here. And, others can make up their own rules for their answers. As long as we all know the reasons why someone picked somebody, we'd all understand! And probably agree. (Well, as long as nobody says Ted Nugent!)
The Professor
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johnnie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jan-26-06 01:00 PM
Response to Reply #23
24. Most of the people I know who know Zappa...
... Seemed to like him for his funny material. But I dig what you are saying.

Easton was/is a great guitarist and I agree with him being under-rated. Unfortunately, the band he made it big in wasn't really taken too seriously. I think if he would have directed his career into another direction he would have been recognized more for his playing.

Another one that just came to mind is Neil Geraldo. That guy could play. I have a basement tape that he and a friend of mine are playing on before Pat Benatar hit, and he plays some good guitar.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-27-06 08:08 AM
Response to Reply #24
27. Absolutely!
He was superb. I regretted him hiring that keyboard player and deciding he was a producer and not a guitar player. The later records suffered because of that.
The Professor
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regularguy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jan-27-06 03:24 PM
Response to Original message
29. Tal Farlow
I'm glad that he lived a nice long life,but had he passed away at a young age maybe he would have a more dramatic reputation or something...Anyway, I had a chance to see him here in Philly a few times when he was maybe around 70. Like you said his tone was beautiful (that harmonics thing he did was real tasty). He also played regularly at some brunch thing down the Jersey Shore for many years. I think that most people who've only heard him play as an older guy might not realize that he was also one of the original Jazz guitar speed daemons.

I loves me some Junior Brown too!
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G_j Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-30-06 12:58 PM
Response to Original message
30. Ever hear of Terry Haggerty?
Haven't heard his newer stuff, but he was wonderful with the 'Sons'.

Terry is the legendary guitarist of the classic Bay Area group The Sons of Champlin.
www.terryhaggerty.com
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Beaverhausen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-30-06 02:24 PM
Response to Original message
31. Bruce Cockburn, Richard Thompson, Patty Larkin, Joni Mitchell
Great guitar playing doesn't just have to be about lightening fast leads.
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driver8 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 04:37 AM
Response to Reply #31
32. Bruce Cockburn and Richard Thompson are both amazing
guitar players. Two of my faves, for sure. I am always surprised that Richard Thompson is not more well known...his playing is incredible.

Another favorite of mine -- Robert Buck from 10,000 Maniacs (R.I.P., Robert)...Oh, let us not forget Joey Santiago from the Pixies!
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Beaverhausen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 12:53 PM
Response to Reply #32
35. I saw Bruce at McCabes a few months ago
Good god he was amazing.

Another fave is/was James Honeyman-Scott from the Pretenders. I loved what he added to their early sound. What a terrible loss that was.
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driver8 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 02:32 PM
Response to Reply #35
36. I was just talking with my guitar teacher about James Honeyman-
Scott. Not only was his playing amazing, but the tones he used to get were great.

I would love to see Bruce Cockburn up close like that. His guitar playing has always been overlooked because of his songwriting.
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Beaverhausen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-01-06 05:10 PM
Response to Reply #36
39. I was in the first row at McCabes
Bruce's right hand work is just amazing. And my boyfriend, who had seen him many times before, said he actually seemed tired. But he was just fantastic.

And of course his politics are in the right place. He had been in Iraq recently and told a great story and sang his new-ish song called Baghdad.

Lyrics:

Everything's broken in the birthplace of law
As Generation Two tries out his tragic flaw.
America's might under desert sun
I saw her frightened eyes behind the muzzle of her gun.

Uranium dust and the smell of decay
Sewage in the streets where the kids run and play
Not enough morphine and not enough gauze
Firefight in darkness like snapping of jaws.

This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad


You couldn't see the blast
The morning was bright
But some radiant energy flared up into the night
Like the skies throwing its hands up in horrified dismay
At the souls of the dead as they sped on their way

Car bombed and carjacked
And kidnapped and shot
How do you like it
This freedom we brought?

We packed all the ordinance
But the thing we forgot
Is a plan in case things didn't turn out quite like we thought

This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad
This is Baghdad

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driver8 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-02-06 01:10 AM
Response to Reply #39
40. One of the things I have always loved about Bruce Cockburn is
his politics.

I grew up on the Canadian border in upstate NY and listened to the radio stations out of Canada. They played a lot of Bruce Cockburn and I became very familiar with his music. The album that really got me, however, was "Stealing Fire." This came out while I was in college and blew me away.

Did you know that Bruce Cockburn went to the Berklee School of Music?? Just a little tidbit for you...

I cannot imagine sitting that close to Bruce Cockburn and being able to watch him play guitar. Was it just him??
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G_j Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Feb-03-06 09:14 AM
Response to Reply #32
42. I have seen RT many times
both acoustic and electric.

he can do just about anything, the guy is awesome.
BTW he was involved with the soundtrack for the documentary "Grizzly Man" The DVD has a wonderful special feature on the music!
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 08:23 AM
Response to Reply #31
33. I Don't Recall Saying It Did!
The Professor
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Beaverhausen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 12:51 PM
Response to Reply #33
34. No you didn't
But it just seems that the lists of "best guitarists" are usually populated with only the flashiest, fastest players. That shit bores the hell out of me.

Your list was great - I especially like that you mentioned Todd. Todd is God!

:hi:
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driver8 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 02:33 PM
Response to Reply #34
37. What?? No Yngwie Malmsteen?? (however you spell it??) n/y
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-02-06 08:26 AM
Response to Reply #34
41. Oh Ok! Just Making Sure
I didn't mean to imply that. Even though i'm a shredder, i know good when i hear it.

Besides, flashy guitar is seldom underrated. It pretty easy to overrate it, i would think.

Lots of those hairmetal guys in the late 80's were really fast and had technique to burn, but they were musically tedious. I have one easy standard rule: If i can't tell who it is playing, it's not special.
The Professor
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B3Nut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-11-07 07:46 AM
Response to Reply #31
60. Bruce Cockburn is
one of the best guitarists I've ever seen perform. His command of the instrument, coupled with his fantastic writing, made for a thrilling concert.

A true musician's musician if there ever was one.

Todd in Cheesecurdistan
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opiate69 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jan-31-06 08:23 PM
Response to Original message
38. A couple international candidates..
Hideto Matsumoto and Tomoaki Ishizuka (Pata) of X Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Japan
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LynneSin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Feb-07-06 08:59 PM
Response to Original message
43. Brian May from Queen
That guy was fricking talented but so overshadowed with Freddie Mercury



I swear a lesser singer (because Mercury was just so fricking charismatic that he overshadowed the rest of the band) and May would have been compared to some of the great Brit guitarists like Clapton, Beck, Page, etc!
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-08-06 08:46 AM
Response to Reply #43
44. Yeah, That's A Good One
Also, he practically invented a guitar tone that is totally unique. Only Brian's guitar sounds like Brian's guitar.
The Professor
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SlavesandBulldozers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Feb-19-06 01:02 PM
Response to Reply #43
53. brian may definitely lays it down.
n/t
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av8rdave Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-15-06 12:43 PM
Response to Original message
45. Don't forget Yngwie Malmsteen
n/t
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XNASA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-15-06 02:05 PM
Response to Reply #45
46. But I spend most of my waking hours trying to forget him.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-15-06 02:10 PM
Response to Reply #45
47. He's Underrated????
Every guitar player in the world knows who he is. His technique is well understood and acknowledged, and he has legions of fans mostly based upon his guitar playing. Sorry. Don't think that meets the definition of underrated.
The Professor
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av8rdave Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-15-06 02:47 PM
Response to Reply #47
48. OK...gotta agree with that....
Guess I was thinking more "underrecognized," by other than his core of fans.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Feb-15-06 03:00 PM
Response to Reply #48
49. Up Thread A Bit. . .
. . .i mentioned my #1 underrated, which is Elliot Easton of The Cars. That guy is a wonderful guitar player, but most other guitarists don't even know the name. Millions of people have their albums (geez, they sold 30 million of them!) but i would bet 99.99% of them would have no idea who the guitar player was!

So, i guess that's what i meant by underrated. Not so much that only hardcore fans, as opposed to the general public, know them or not. But, that even fans of the music don't even know who they are! I think Elliot meets that standard in spades, but Yngwie not so much.

And besides, anyone who's ever been invited to be the 3rd guy on a G3 tour is automatically disqualified! LOL!
The Professor
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av8rdave Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-16-06 11:35 AM
Response to Reply #49
50. Point taken. In that case...
I'll cast my vote along with whoever mentioned Martin Barre earlier in the thread. Did have the opportunity to see him play with the Tull in the 70s....awesome show!

On a related note, if you're an acoustic fingerstyle fan, I saw Tommy Emmanuel play Friday night - pretty mind boggling to watch/listen to.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-16-06 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #50
51. Yes I Did!
I saw Tull a few times back in the day. I saw them on the Living in the Past tour, the Burstin' Out tour, and then about 8 years ago on the small room tour. (Saw them at the Park West in Chicago.)

I've heard Tommy's stuff. I like it a lot. I've been a John Fahey and Leo Kottke fan for a long time. I like that style of playing. I don't do a lot of fingerstyle because i've got a low quick and it's really hard to grow my nails to the point where the tip of the nail goes beyond the tip of my finger. If i hold my hand in the EXACT right position, i can catch the string with the nail every time, but if my hand moves an eighth of an inch, i start getting finger tip instead of nail. So, i'm pretty much committed to flatpicking.
The Professor
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aint_no_life_nowhere Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-18-06 01:32 AM
Response to Original message
52. I'll try making three jazz picks (no pun intended)
since I think I'm more aware of jazz players than country or rock.

Jimmy Raney
Marcel Dyens
Charlie Byrd

I saw Jimmy Raney live at the Santa Ana Musician's Union in about 1972. A Sunday afternoon concert was supposed to be given by the great Kenny Burrell. But Kenny showed up with his arm in a cast and had broken his wrist the day before. So, Kenny Burrell called some of his friends to fill in for him and they included Ron Eschete, Barney Kessel, and Jimmy Raney, three towering giants of jazz guitar. Eschete was great, but he's well known on the West Coast and not underrated (he was unknown at the time but very, very good). Barney Kessel blew my mind, but he was very highly celebrated during his lifetime. But poor Jimmy Rainey, although one of the very best ever to pick up a guitar, maybe almost on a par with the great Joe Pass, never seemed to garner the same attention. Jimmy Raney played as though he were in a trance, barely moving his body throughout the jam session. And unlike Barney Kessel, whose fingers were flying all over the fretboard, Jimmy Rainey had a style involving long stretches of his fingers to reach notes. He seemed very physically self-contained, almost engaged in meditation, but the things that came out of his guitar were fantastic. I remember Barney Kessel suggesting they jam on the tune "One Note Samba". Whereas Barney Kessel was swinging the crap out of the tune and extremely hard-driving, playing a lot of "outside" stuff, Raney was smooth as glass, extremely fast, fluid, and his be-bop lines were seamless, some of the greatest be-bop lines I've ever heard next to Wes Montgomery. He had his own style and the great Barney Kessel had his. But unfortunately, Jimmy Raney never became a household word among guitar playing households during his lifetime and is even more obscure after his death.

Marcel Dyens in my opinion is one of the world's great improvisers. He's extremeley well known in Europe but almost totally unknown in the U.S. His version of "All The Things You Are" seems to get sounds out of 6 strings that I've never heard. He's a fingerstyle player.

And Charlie Byrd is one of the all-time greats, but his name is rarely mentioned. During his life, he played cool jazz like bossas and bluesy tunes on a nylon string classical guitar before Earl Klugh made it popular. Along with Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd was one of the guitar greats to record on the Concord record label. For some reason, his name never gained the recognition it deserved, in my opinion.

By the way, I love Tal Farlow, but I think he's very well known, at least among jazz players. Fewer people actually heard or appreciated Jimmy Raney, whose talent I think was at least as great as the great Farlow.
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SlavesandBulldozers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Feb-19-06 01:02 PM
Response to Original message
54. Kim Thayil
n/t
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Swamp Rat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Feb-10-07 12:36 PM
Response to Original message
55. Lenny Breau, Rafael Rabello, Paco Peña,
and me. :)
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leftofthedial Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Feb-12-07 01:20 PM
Response to Original message
56. Tanya Rae Brown
Junior's wife and rhythm player

a right arm like a steel spring
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C_U_L8R Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Feb-12-07 07:18 PM
Response to Original message
57. Geordie Walker
of Killing Joke fame

his flowery ES-295 breaths hellacious fury... OMG !!!!
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DFW Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Apr-19-07 04:23 PM
Response to Original message
59. I wouldn't exactly say he's underrated, but..........
More like "known to a small circle:" Leo Kottke, who has
already been mentioned here.

Christmas, 1971, my brother got me his "6 and 12 string Guitar" album,
also known as the "Armadillo" album. I was so mesmerized, I listened to
it something like ten times through that Christmas day. It was like an
awakening. I ditched my electrics (except for Bass), and got an old
mid-sixties Guild 212-XL to try and teach myself to fingerpick. Later,
when I could afford it, I went to seek out Božo Podunavac, the guy who
was making Kottke's 12-strings back then. Božo's 12 strings had a very
distinctive sound, and he has made me eight guitars over the years, six
of them 12-string, and all completely different. He is 80 this year.

Kottke's sense of syncopation and melodic imagination just leave me
in total wonder.
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ProudDad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-04-07 07:50 PM
Response to Reply #59
72. I sat and watched Kottke from less than 10 feet away
and I STILL couldn't figure out how he does it.

Truly great!

I hear that he started life as a 5 string banjo picker -- might explain his backwards thumb...
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B3Nut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri May-11-07 08:07 AM
Response to Original message
61. Andy Latimer of Camel
Such a tasty guitarist and good writer. Good flautist as well. I love early Camel stuff, great music.

Todd in Cheesecurdistan
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doggyboy Donating Member (586 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun May-27-07 08:05 AM
Response to Original message
62. David Lindley, Frank Zappa, and someone whose name I forget
He was the guitarist for Elvis. He died a few years ago. And as an alternate in the jazz category, I choose Grant Green. Great touch and sense of timing
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-30-07 07:43 AM
Response to Reply #62
63. Scotty Moore?
Didn't he play with Elvis? Is that who you meant? I really like Lindley's lap steel work. Great tone and superb touch and vibrato.
The Professor
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johnnie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jun-04-07 10:55 PM
Response to Reply #63
64. Scotty is still alive
The only one I can think of is Hank Garland.
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Throd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Aug-15-07 11:04 PM
Response to Original message
65. The guitarist for Heart whose name I could never remember.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Aug-16-07 08:43 AM
Response to Reply #65
66. Roger Fisher or Howard Leese
Both of those guys were very good, but the Wilson sisters, being the face of the band, and the songwriters stole the show. (Not a bad thing.)

They both played very interesting things in the early days of the band, had very good tones, and worked the arrangements together to make some very interesting and unique rock hits.

I saw them once and Roger was bombed out of his mind. At one point, his guitar disappeared from the mix (he was playing BADLY), and next second there's no keyboards, but the guitar was back, and Howard had started taking over the leads. Those two guys were both terrific.
GAC
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abq e streeter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-03-07 01:03 PM
Response to Original message
67. Steve Cropper
So utterly tasty and economical
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Ezlivin Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Sep-05-07 08:39 AM
Response to Original message
68. Ty Tabor of King's X
An underrated guitarist in a band that should've been more popular.

And I would add Eric Gales and Frank Gambale to the group of underrated guitarists.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Sep-06-07 09:34 AM
Response to Reply #68
69. Good Ones
The bass player/singer in King's X was from my area. Small town about 6 miles south of us.
GAC
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Swamp Rat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Sep-28-07 01:15 AM
Response to Original message
70. Rafael Rabello
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ProudDad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-04-07 07:46 PM
Response to Original message
71. Richard Thompson
Edited on Thu Oct-04-07 07:49 PM by ProudDad
Just saw him at a nice 400 seat house here in Tucson.

He's freakin' amazing!!!! And his band's KILLER...

Roy Clark of HeeHaw was a GREAT player too! I guess COuntry...
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Oct-05-07 08:13 AM
Response to Reply #71
73. Been Said
I know i'll get flamed, but i don't get it.

I bought a live concert DVD of him based upon the folks here on this thread.

Sorry, but don't see it. He's not rated highly for a reason. He's ordinary. His tone is vanilla. He's melodic sense is tedious. He's harmonically uninteresting and his technique is mediocre. Several on this thread mentioned him, and i used that as a recommendation to buy this concert. Somebody here owes me $18! (LOL!)

Roy Clark, i agree with. Because he's seen as an entertainer, people tend to forget he's a serious picker.
The Professor
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ProudDad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Oct-05-07 12:33 PM
Response to Reply #73
74. Like many of the great ones
He's better live...
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Oct-08-07 08:00 AM
Response to Reply #74
75. My DVD Is A Live Concert
Still don't get it. Sorry.
GAC
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Squeech Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-09-07 02:59 PM
Response to Original message
76. You may not believe this
but I'm gonna propose Peter Frampton. Not for that talkbox rubbish he made a brazillion dollars with, I hasten to add.

Instead, there was a record called That's The Way I Feel Now, one of the first "tribute" records, that came out during the '80s-- I don't remember exactly when, but I have it on vinyl, which dates it somewhat. The subject was Thelonious Monk, and the people paying tribute included both jazzbos and rockers. Frampton did "Work," a multiply overdubbed studio project of just him and session dude Chris Spedding, and he took this gorgeous liquid solo-- think Mark Knopfler channeling Larry Coryell.

Todd Rundgren contributed also, and his tune was almost as cool, but hardly as much of a surprise.

Of course it helps if you like Monk and his angular banjos approach to melody.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-16-07 08:55 AM
Response to Reply #76
77. That's A Good One
And, i'm a Monk disciple. I played jazz piano for 16 years before taking up guitar. I think i still play guitar like a Monk disciple, only louder.
The Professor
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The Spirit Of Radio Donating Member (26 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-20-08 10:43 AM
Response to Original message
78. Alex Lifeson. n/t
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Mudoria Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-21-08 11:25 PM
Response to Reply #78
79. Scott Gorham
and Brian Robertson when Lizzy were in their prime in the '70's.
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Twillig Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Oct-31-08 12:37 PM
Response to Original message
80. Randy Bachman
As a kid I loved the sounds he got out of his guitar. Still do.

Here's a tasty one:
Bachman Turner Overdrive ~ Blue Collar

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ET Awful Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Nov-11-08 08:30 PM
Response to Original message
81. Maury Muehleisen
Jim Croce's partner and lead guitarist.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-13-08 06:35 AM
Response to Reply #81
82. Yeah, He Was Really Tasty
I still have an old tape of Croce live on Soundstage. Maury is really, really good in that performance.

Cool pick!
GAC
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PVnRT Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Nov-19-08 03:19 PM
Response to Original message
83. Easton is always on my list
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Nov-20-08 11:26 AM
Response to Reply #83
84. Cool
Thanks for the agreement. He's wonderfully skilled and super tasteful.
GAC
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spiritual_gunfighter Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-03-08 02:14 PM
Response to Original message
85. Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-10-08 07:17 AM
Response to Reply #85
89. Wow! I Met Him Back In Around 1975
Whole band actually. That was a pretty good gang of guys. Later on they were much better because they used more cowbell.
GAC
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TomInTib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-06-08 04:47 PM
Response to Original message
86. Geoff Muldaur, the late Eddie Shaver
And me.
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charlie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Dec-06-08 05:05 PM
Response to Original message
87. Billy Gibbons
Before he went all Eliminator on us. He used to dip into the old worn-out blues bag and come up with stuff that was greasy and mean. Waitin' For the Bus, Just Got Paid, Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings, Cheap Sunglasses -- Reverend Willy had it going ON in his youth.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-10-08 07:19 AM
Response to Reply #87
90. I Like Him Lots. But, Is He Underrated?
He's in Guitar Player magazine's Gallery of Greats, he's in the R&R Hall of Fame, etc.

Now don't get me wrong. He is a fine blues/rock player and he is one of the MASTERS of tone (an all time, all-timer). But, i don't know if i would call him underrated. He is a legend, isn't he?
GAC
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charlie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Dec-10-08 04:21 PM
Response to Reply #90
91. No, he's not underrated
Point taken, he really doesn't belong here. I mentioned him because the Texas Eurodance stuff he's renowned for overshadows the short time when he was actually a notable player... and many of the guitarists I concur with were already taken :)

BTW, have you seen seen the Elliot Easton video interview on Guitar Player TV?

http://www.guitarplayertv.com/?channel=eeaston

He explains the construction and influences in the solo to My Best Friend's Girl here:

http://www.guitarplayertv.com/?channel=eeaston&videofile=gptv/ellioteaston/gptv_d07_eechange
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Dec-11-08 07:14 AM
Response to Reply #91
92. Thanks, That Was Great
That was really fun to watch!
GAC
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rocktivity Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-07-08 06:59 PM
Response to Original message
88. Rocky George, Sudicical Tendencies
Too bad Mike Muir was shouting so loudly over his exquisite playing on Institutionalized. And I recall that Keith Urban did a surprisingly decent cover of Gimmie Shelter at the Live 8 concert.

:headbang:
rocknation
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old mark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-12-08 12:50 AM
Response to Original message
93. Harvey Mandel. nt
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whatchamacallit Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-19-08 08:23 PM
Response to Original message
94. Pat Martino - maybe not underrated, but not super well known n/t
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charlie Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-19-08 08:33 PM
Response to Reply #94
95. Pat's a remarkable story
I mean losing every memory you had about music and relearning your instrument from your own recordings, I don't think anyone else has ever gone through that and come back fully like he did.

I had a friend who studied with Pat, couldn't say enough good things about him.
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ProfessorGAC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Dec-21-08 06:56 AM
Response to Reply #95
96. I Remember Reading About That
It is cool that he was able to get it back, though.
GAC
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enigmatic Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Dec-22-08 04:55 PM
Response to Original message
97. Eddie Hazel
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