POLL: 7 classic rock guitarists!

[TheCountOfNYC]

Lifeson and Gilmour.

[Stadler]

How is Ritchie Blackmore in last place in this poll??  That defies reason.

[ChuckSteak]

How is Ritchie Blackmore in last place in this poll??  That defies my taste.

Fixed.

[Evermind]

Gilmour and Blackmore for me.

[KevShmev]

How is Ritchie Blackmore in last place in this poll??  That defies reason.

The others are all way better.  Sometimes a simple question requires a simple answer.

[ganpondorodf]

How is Ritchie Blackmore in last place in this poll??  That defies reason.

I'm with you. Blackmore is easily my favourite of the classic rock guitarists. That Gypsy's Kiss unison doesn't get anywhere near enough love!

Gilmour gets my second vote.

[Stadler]

How is Ritchie Blackmore in last place in this poll??  That defies my taste.

Fixed.

Well, duh.  Hahaha.   It was more of an observation than a literal expression of opinion as fact.     I get it. 

[TAC]

Speaking of Blackmore, if you could pick one album to show someone what he's all about, which would it be?
Question for anyone..

[PowerSlave]

Speaking of Blackmore, if you could pick one album to show someone what he's all about, which would it be?
Question for anyone..

Machine Head is probably his most famous, but Perfect Strangers is my favorite DP album. A side question about Perfect Strangers, I was told years ago that RB played cello at the beginning of Knocking at your back door. Stadler, do you know if this is true?

Then there's Rainbow Rising. That album is a fuckin' monster!

Just picking between those three would be tough.

[max_security]

Perfect Strangers or Rainbow Rising I agree.

[njfirefighter]

Speaking of Blackmore, if you could pick one album to show someone what he's all about, which would it be?
Question for anyone..

In Rock, Made in Japan, Rainbow Debut 

[lonestar]

I voted Steve Howe and Pete Townshend.

[jammindude]

I’m only bringing this up because 1) we are talking about classic rock guitar players, and the abilities of some that are not on the poll and 2) there is a recent thread about AC/DC. 

...and I’m telling you right now that Angus Young is possibly the most UNDERRATED soloist in classic rock.   He gets completely overlooked because he is in a “only 3 chords” band, but I can count the number of guitarists who’s solos I have actually memorized *note for note* because they were so memorable and perfect...and Angus is easily in the top 3.   Soul Stripper, Riff Raff, and Let There Be Rock are particularly excellent examples.   I’m positive I can’t be alone in this opinion.   I have even heard (in the past, though exactly who does admittedly slip my mind) respected guitarists sing Angus’ praises and insist that he gets overlooked because the music is so simplistic...but his solos are amazing.

[WildRanger]

Speaking of Blackmore, if you could pick one album to show someone what he's all about, which would it be?
Question for anyone..

In Rock. Nuff said.

[Stadler]

Speaking of Blackmore, if you could pick one album to show someone what he's all about, which would it be?
Question for anyone..

Made In Japan or Long Live Rock and Roll.

[Stadler]

Stadler, do you know if this is true?

Well, with two caveats - one, I wasn't there, and two, Blackmore can be notoriously vague about stuff like that - I have heard that as well.  I have also heard that there is cello on Long Live Rock and Roll (the album), too (well, there is officially cello on "Rainbow Eyes", but Blackmore didn't take credit for it; he played bass on half that album and didn't take credit for that either, at least originally, so...). He has said specifically that he wrote Stargazer and Gates of Babylon on cello, and that he has recorded the cello on backing track for songs, but that's it. 

[Stadler]

I’m only bringing this up because 1) we are talking about classic rock guitar players, and the abilities of some that are not on the poll and 2) there is a recent thread about AC/DC. 

...and I’m telling you right now that Angus Young is possibly the most UNDERRATED soloist in classic rock.   He gets completely overlooked because he is in a “only 3 chords” band, but I can count the number of guitarists who’s solos I have actually memorized *note for note* because they were so memorable and perfect...and Angus is easily in the top 3.   Soul Stripper, Riff Raff, and Let There Be Rock are particularly excellent examples.   I’m positive I can’t be alone in this opinion.   I have even heard (in the past, though exactly who does admittedly slip my mind) respected guitarists sing Angus’ praises and insist that he gets overlooked because the music is so simplistic...but his solos are amazing.

For a band that gets slagged so often for being "a three chord band" who has made the same album "17 times" (even Malcolm said that in an interview that is on the "Plug Me In" set), Angus's solos are rather diverse.   He's really good.   I've often said that I would love love love to hear him and Malcolm in a room, with two acoustic guitars... obviously that will never happen, but there's a snippet of the two of them playing backstage before a show in '83 on the Plug Me In set; I ripped the DVD and made a track out of it and it's really cool to hear.   

[pg1067]

I’m only bringing this up because 1) we are talking about classic rock guitar players, and the abilities of some that are not on the poll and 2) there is a recent thread about AC/DC. 

...and I’m telling you right now that Angus Young is possibly the most UNDERRATED soloist in classic rock.   He gets completely overlooked because he is in a “only 3 chords” band, but I can count the number of guitarists who’s solos I have actually memorized *note for note* because they were so memorable and perfect...and Angus is easily in the top 3.   Soul Stripper, Riff Raff, and Let There Be Rock are particularly excellent examples.   I’m positive I can’t be alone in this opinion.   I have even heard (in the past, though exactly who does admittedly slip my mind) respected guitarists sing Angus’ praises and insist that he gets overlooked because the music is so simplistic...but his solos are amazing.

I would agree that he's underrated (and that the "AC/DC is a 3-chord band" thing is overplayed).  However, I don't think that he's anything particularly special (which may, in and of itself, constitute underrating him, but so be it).

[TAC]

I’m only bringing this up because 1) we are talking about classic rock guitar players, and the abilities of some that are not on the poll and 2) there is a recent thread about AC/DC. 

...and I’m telling you right now that Angus Young is possibly the most UNDERRATED soloist in classic rock.   He gets completely overlooked because he is in a “only 3 chords” band, but I can count the number of guitarists who’s solos I have actually memorized *note for note* because they were so memorable and perfect...and Angus is easily in the top 3.   Soul Stripper, Riff Raff, and Let There Be Rock are particularly excellent examples.   I’m positive I can’t be alone in this opinion.   I have even heard (in the past, though exactly who does admittedly slip my mind) respected guitarists sing Angus’ praises and insist that he gets overlooked because the music is so simplistic...but his solos are amazing.

I would agree that he's underrated (and that the "AC/DC is a 3-chord band" thing is overplayed).  However, I don't think that he's anything particularly special (which may, in and of itself, constitute underrating him, but so be it).

I agree.

[ReaperKK]

Gilmour and Lifeson, both had incredible sense of melody and are able to write the perfect solo for the song.

[Kwyjibo]

Angus is a really good bluesy solo player, but AC/DC is all about the rhythm and groove. So yeah, he's good but he's nothing special. I don't know if he's underrated though.

[Stadler]

Pure speculation, and so not relevant to this conversation, but I feel like Angus is one of those guys that, in his living room, can bang out  the entire Mussgorsky Pictures At An Exhibition piece on acoustic guitar.   Or maybe I'd just like to think that. 

I think - for me anyway - as much as I love AC/DC, their singular focus has  not gained them credibility, but lost them a little credibility.   People change.  People grow.  People evolve.   Someone like Ritchie Blackmore - who is way off the reservation compared to his work with Deep Purple - to me has followed his muse.   Even Eddie VH; Van Halen today doesn't sound like Van Halen from 1978.   Other than my taste in women ("I get older, they seem to stay the same age") there is very little I like now at 50 to the same degree I liked it when I was 20.   Even Iron Maiden went prog, then dropped an acoustic song into the mix.    By staying so singular in their approach, it sort of smacks of calculation and "product". 

[jammindude]

Pure speculation, and so not relevant to this conversation, but I feel like Angus is one of those guys that, in his living room, can bang out  the entire Mussgorsky Pictures At An Exhibition piece on acoustic guitar.   Or maybe I'd just like to think that. 

I think - for me anyway - as much as I love AC/DC, their singular focus has  not gained them credibility, but lost them a little credibility.   People change.  People grow.  People evolve.   Someone like Ritchie Blackmore - who is way off the reservation compared to his work with Deep Purple - to me has followed his muse.   Even Eddie VH; Van Halen today doesn't sound like Van Halen from 1978.   Other than my taste in women ("I get older, they seem to stay the same age") there is very little I like now at 50 to the same degree I liked it when I was 20.   Even Iron Maiden went prog, then dropped an acoustic song into the mix.    By staying so singular in their approach, it sort of smacks of calculation and "product".

But once in awhile....it still feels really good that my Levi 501’s are still the same. So it’s kinda like that.

And people mention Angus dismissively as being “a decent blues player”, and in the same breath, we’re singing the praises of Gilmour. 

[Stadler]

Not sure what to say about that; Gilmour is gifted, if not in his note choice, then his technique for delivering it.   One of the highlights of my concert-going experience is sitting in the old new Yankee Stadium and watching Gilmour deliver an extended version of the "Comfortably Numb" solo... the guy can play.