Yep. British Isles.
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[Music] Allan Holdsworth, Greatest ever British guitar hero?
- Thread starter exKT17
- Start date
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,351
John Williams is Australian.
having said that, I saw him in concert (solo) some 45 years ago and he was wonderful - certainly ranks in the top 3 of musical talents that I have ever seen in my life..... which I guess helps prove your point.
Superphil
Dismember
Big Jim Sullivan.
Performed on around 750 charting singles over his career, including 54 UK Number One hits.
Taught Ritchie Blackmore to play guitar.
Lived for many years in West Sussex till his untimely death in 2012.
His band backed Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran on U.K. tour of 1960.
He, Blackmore and Pete Townsend convinced Jim Marshal to, and helped him develop, the now legendary guitar amplifiers.
Performed on around 750 charting singles over his career, including 54 UK Number One hits.
Taught Ritchie Blackmore to play guitar.
Lived for many years in West Sussex till his untimely death in 2012.
His band backed Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran on U.K. tour of 1960.
He, Blackmore and Pete Townsend convinced Jim Marshal to, and helped him develop, the now legendary guitar amplifiers.
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Blues Rock DJ
New member
think things have moved on since the 60's........you'll be lauding Bert Weedon or Hank Marvin next.....
Superphil
Dismember
Thread title is Greatest EVER, hence I chose one of my favourites. And I think he did move on into the 70s and 80s as an immensely successful session guitarist, as well as producer and mentor to many other acts. Always modest and down to earth, played with Willie Austen around West Sussex for many years.
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Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
So modern guitarists are better than those from the sixties or seventies? Hmm not for me
I’ll have you know that Hank Marvin was Mark Knopfler’s inspiration, he even went for the trademark red guitar too.
Marxo
Well-known member
Allan Holdsworth great not greatest. One of the most respected among 'great' guitarists is Jeff Beck. My favourite is the late great Ollie Halsall.
Norman Potting
Well-known member
Mick Green of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. Huge influence on Wilko Johnson who I believe once said that he should have "Britain's no 1 Mick Green tribute act" on his CV.
The Sock of Poskett
The best is yet to come (spoiler alert)
- Jun 12, 2009
- 2,836
I've got one of the albums he recorded with his band Tiger in the mid 70s - excellent it is too.
Blues Rock DJ
New member
So modern guitarists are better than those from the sixties or seventies? Hmm not for me
I’ll have you know that Hank Marvin was Mark Knopfler’s inspiration, he even went for the trademark red guitar too.
and Peter Frampton's !
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Never knew that. I hesitate to mention that The Savage by the Shadows was one of the first singles I bought...
Superphil
Dismember
Of course they are. Many excellent (great if you prefer) guitarists in the 60s and 70s did wonderful things, very innovative things, and took electric guitar playing on to a different level. Today's best guitarists have absorbed and learned all the tricks and ideas from the 60s and 70s - and added more of their own. So, ergo, they've improved the standard of guitar playing so are (collectively) better.
A good analogy would be the Cruyff turn. When Cruyff launched it on the world stage in the 1970s the world stood back in amazement; now we've even got players playing for little old Brighton who can do it!
Oh, and as for the question of who is the greatest ever guitarist, the answer is no-one. There are, and have been, many great guitarists (including some that haven't even been mentioned on this thread yet) but they all have their different strengths and characteristics. Many greats, but not one greatest - saying 'XXX' is the greatest means nothing, except that 'XXX' is your favourite!
The Sock of Poskett
The best is yet to come (spoiler alert)
- Jun 12, 2009
- 2,836
This one? On my turntable this morning as it happens.
Ha! No, the other one they recorded, as it happens ��
pearl
Well-known member
think you need a new map
I think you need a new geography lesson. The British isles is not the same as the United Kingdom, nor the same as Great Britain.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
My point is proved. You enjoy your favourites. As do I - Thompson, Townshend, Hendrix I strong contention for me, they're my favourites, or among them. What they did was wonderful - now there's guitarists everywhere who can play what they did, although to be fair, I've not heard many that xcan do a Thompson or a Townshend. Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, Neil Young, etc, no problem!
A 'sound alike', as you so dismissively describe them, if the are playing what the greats of the past are playing, then at this moment they are actually as good as they were then. The fact that many can 'do' more than one of the greats puts them a step upwards. Like you, my tastes are a bit stuck in time; I don't see (hear) the same excitement or innovation these days, but technically, as in all things, things have moved on. It that respect it doesn't matter whether or not you enjoy it.
You, like me, will continue to enjoy our favourites, hopefully for a long time!
PS The Cruyff turn analogy is a good one. You can watch people do the Cruyff turn all over the place these days just as well as the master, maybe a bit quicker or slicker. But it doesn't take your breath away like Cruyff did when he did it.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
My point is proved. You enjoy your favourites. As do I - Thompson, Townshend, Hendrix I strong contention for me, they're my favourites, or among them. What they did was wonderful - now there's guitarists everywhere who can play what they did, although to be fair, I've not heard many that xcan do a Thompson or a Townshend. Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, Neil Young, etc, no problem!
A 'sound alike', as you so dismissively describe them, if the are playing what the greats of the past are playing, then at this moment they are actually as good as they were then. The fact that many can 'do' more than one of the greats puts them a step upwards. Like you, my tastes are a bit stuck in time; I don't see (hear) the same excitement or innovation these days, but technically, as in all things, things have moved on. It that respect it doesn't matter whether or not you enjoy it.
You, like me, will continue to enjoy our favourites, hopefully for a long time!
PS The Cruyff turn analogy is a good one. You can watch people do the Cruyff turn all over the place these days just as well as the master, maybe a bit quicker or slicker. But it doesn't take your breath away like Cruyff did when he did it.
I guess my point is that the guitarists I was alluding to played in bands where their style compliments the tracks that they are playing, so apart from being great guitar players the playing is crucial to the quality of the style of music being played. As an example Neil Young’s playing on live versions of Like a Hurricane makes a very good song excellent. So yes there may be guitarists who can play in the style of the old guys but are they able to compliment some great songs/instrumentals? I genuinely would like to hear their names and the bands they play in if so. I have heard some excellent guitar playing but I don’t seem to be hearing anything that hasn’t been done before and I can’t enthuse about the songs/tracks I am hearing.
Maybe [MENTION=5200]Buzzer[/MENTION] can help here, he has his finger on the pulse of modern music?