# Rolling Stone names Hendrix best guitarist ever



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

Well... Is he, or isn't he?
http://news.yahoo.com/rolling-stone-names-hendrix-best-guitarist-ever-054130594.html

On the pop side, you'd think the likes of Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana would get some love in that department.

On the classical guitar side, Liona Boyd, Narciso Yepes and Alexandre Lagoya are also worthy of consideration...


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Man, this is a very difficult one to answer and it shouldn't be as he was one of my main influences both on guitar and Mitch Mitchell on drums...wow,...they do this all the time, though, don't they? I mean, Jerry Garcia never got the props he deserved as he was extremely unique and influential in so many way to what is now the jam band scene. 

I think that if you take Jimi's recordings and I'm talking about the studio ones...you can easily see why they would name him that. The solo on All Along The Watchtower...his beautiful clean tone from the Strat on Bold as Love, Little Wing, Wait Til Tomorrow...pretty much everything he laid down in a studio was revolutionary for the time and is still impossible to recreate because of the effect use and really because of the style itself. In these respects, sure...he deserves to be called the greatest guitarist.

That being said,...this list can easily change daily as there are so many fine contributors to the electric guitar since man first decided to put a pickup on it!


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

... And how about *Robert Johnson*, _the King of the Delta Blues_? He influenced all of these guys... I spoke of Johnson in my _Chrionique du disque _last month.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

That's what I'm saying...this is a list that can change daily!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

No arguments from me if the category is solely hard rock - Hendrix didn't just push the electric guitar itself to new limits but also the whammy-bar and amplifier, too. Until Eddie Van Halen came along in 1978 with a fresh approach (or should I say with a new box of tricks) all hard rock guitarists were eating Hendrix's dust - but after all this time Hendrix's legacy is the strongest and has aged the best. EVH on the other hand spawned a million hair-metal 'tapping'-obsessed fretw*ankers who painted his style right into the corner.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

These lists mean nothing. Hendrix and Segovia both played the guitar, but they inhabited very different musical worlds.

I like Rolling Stone for their investigative/political coverage. Their music coverage is of very little interest to anyone who is into modern/progressive music.


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

starthrower said:


> These lists mean nothing. Hendrix and Segovia both played the guitar, but they inhabited very different musical worlds.
> 
> I like Rolling Stone for their investigative/political coverage. Their music coverage is of very little interest to anyone who is into modern/progressive music.


God bless Segovia, but what has he, or any other classical guitarist for that matter, got to do with Rock n roll?

THE VOTERS: Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder (The Eagles), David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O'Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Touré, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

If we are talking of guitar in general (and we're including jazz, blues, classical, flamenco etc) definetely no. I don't think he is one of the best regarding deepness of expression. He was a great guitarist and a great innovator, but to me guitarists like robert pete williams, lenny breau, ed bickert, tisziji munoz (who is influenced by hendrix) just to name a few are a lot superior as musicians, though far lesser known. 
But if we are talking only about the importance and the influence on rock guitar (and not just about "greatness") he is probably the most important rock guitarist ever for the use of distortion, feedback and effects like wah wah. Though i prefer listening to guitarists like Duane Allman, Peter Green, Jerry Garcia and others.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

Does anyone really care what those media whores think anymore?


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

regressivetransphobe said:


> Does anyone really care what those media whores think anymore?


Well it tells us something about the current state of music when they can't even put musicians on the cover anymore.


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## Igneous01 (Jan 27, 2011)

Philip said:


> Well it tells us something about the current state of music when they can't even put musicians on the cover anymore.


yup, they have unleashed the vortex to which all artistic and musical creativity has been sucked into the void. The future, is the sound of black holes.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

norman bates said:


> If we are talking of guitar in general (and we're including jazz, blues, classical, flamenco etc) definetely no. I don't think he is one of the best regarding deepness of expression. He was a great guitarist and a great innovator, but to me guitarists like robert pete williams, lenny breau, ed bickert, tisziji munoz (who is influenced by hendrix) just to name a few are a lot superior as musicians, though far lesser known.
> *But if we are talking only about the importance and the influence on rock guitar (and not just about "greatness") he is probably the most important rock guitarist ever for the use of distortion, feedback and effects like wah wah.* Though i prefer listening to guitarists like Duane Allman, Peter Green, Jerry Garcia and others.


In terms of importance and influence he's as strong a contender as anyone, but let's not forget about Chuck Berry. Although he's technically not as great as Hendrix, Allman, Clapton, Page, Beck or the rest of 'em, he's the one that is the most responsible for making the guitar the most dominant instrument in rock and virtually every rocker after him played Chuck Berry licks. Keith Richards has practically made a career out of it.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2011)

Jimi utterly revolutionized guitar playing and music in general, so even if today's kids can play more notes per second, which is absolutely meaningless, no can touch Jimi on the electric guitar in my opinion. I'm so thankful I got to see him just a few months before he died. Here's a picture from the concert:


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> In terms of importance and influence he's as strong a contender as anyone, but let's not forget about Chuck Berry. Although he's technically not as great as Hendrix, Allman, Clapton, Page, Beck or the rest of 'em, he's the one that is the most responsible for making the guitar the most dominant instrument in rock and virtually every rocker after him played Chuck Berry licks. Keith Richards has practically made a career out of it.


Yes, i totally agree.


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## Ralfy (Jul 19, 2010)

Perhaps they should have referred to "the best rock 'n' roll guitarist" rather than just "the best guitarist."


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

Ralfy said:


> Perhaps they should have referred to "the best rock 'n' roll guitarist" rather than just "the best guitarist."


Or, as another commentor put it, the best "electroc" guitarist.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> If we are talking of guitar in general (and we're including jazz, blues, classical, flamenco etc) definetely no. I don't think he is one of the best regarding deepness of expression. He was a great guitarist and a great innovator, but to me guitarists like robert pete williams, lenny breau, ed bickert, tisziji munoz (who is influenced by hendrix) just to name a few are a lot superior as musicians, though far lesser known.
> But if we are talking only about the importance and the influence on rock guitar (and not just about "greatness") he is probably the most important rock guitarist ever for the use of distortion, feedback and effects like wah wah. Though i prefer listening to guitarists like Duane Allman, Peter Green, Jerry Garcia and others.


Hendrix wasn't the only guy playing electric guitar at high volumes using feedback and a wah wah pedal back in the 60s. Frank Zappa was doing all that stuff too, but people paid more attention to his lyrics than guitar playing.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

elgars ghost said:


> Until Eddie Van Halen came along in 1978 with a fresh approach all hard rock guitarists were eating Hendrix's dust.


Now, let's not get carried away here. Jimmy Page? David Gilmore? I mean, right there you have two guys who were creating an entirely different kind of music at the same time who some would argue blew Jimi away both technically and creatively. I like all the three for how amazing they are. There's about as much need to compare these as there is to compare any classical musicians.

Unless you're talking GG or EW who have absolutely no one to compare to in any way.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Gilmour (David Gilmore is a jazz/fusion guitarist) Page, Hendrix, all blues based guitarists. I wouldn't say the first two were superior technically or creatively. Page borrowed heavily from folk and blues music, he even ripped off another song for Dazed And Confused. But hey, they all made some good music.

If you want to hear something truly innovative from that era, listen to what Zoot Horn Rollo and Elliott Ingber were doing with Captain Beefheart. It's much more sophisticated than blues/rock.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> Hendrix wasn't the only guy playing electric guitar at high volumes using feedback and a wah wah pedal back in the 60s. Frank Zappa was doing all that stuff too, but people paid more attention to his lyrics than guitar playing.


i know, Hendrix infact learned about wah wah exactly from Zappa if i remember well (though i've never liked too much Zappa as guitarist). And of course there are a lot of guitarists who use effects, feedback and distortion before Hendrix. But i think he's probably the first who has used all those things sistematically and often together.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

Sadly naming anyone or anything as the 'Best' is a futile exercise. I bought his first album and was blown away. After that it became a bit of a mess all wah wah, feedback and distortion. My own preferences always tended towards articulation, hence among my faves would be Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Alvin Lee, Mick Taylor etc.


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2011)

Let's not forget Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple...he was one of the first neo-classical shredders. Yngwie Malmsteen basically copied his playing (albeit a little faster but with one-half the finesse), choice of guitars, amps, clothing, jewelry, and stage moves!


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## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

Personally I like Eddy Van Halen but I guess Hendrix deserves it, that is if you're talking about rock artists. I'm not sure I could choose a best guitarist of all time.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Let's not forget Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple...he was one of the first neo-classical shredders.


not a great merit, imo


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

kv466 said:


> Now, let's not get carried away here. Jimmy Page? David Gilmore? I mean, right there you have two guys who were creating an entirely different kind of music at the same time who some would argue blew Jimi away both technically and creatively. I like all the three for how amazing they are. There's about as much need to compare these as there is to compare any classical musicians.
> 
> Unless you're talking GG or EW who have absolutely no one to compare to in any way.


Hi Kv466. What I was trying to say was that since Hendrix's death in 1970 no guitar slinger IMO from the hard rock/blues rock/call-it-what-you-will school did anything really new (or should I say EVOLVED) until EVH first came along - Jimmy Page the guitarist in, say, 1975 was not really much different to Jimmy Page the guitarist in 1969, good as he is and great as his group were. Same applied to Rory Gallagher, Paul Kossoff and Johnny Winter, but they probably wouldn't have wanted it any other way. The more 'flashy' hard rock guitarists that rose to prominence in the 70s such as Frank Marino, Michael Schenker, Pat Travers and Leslie West all gained admirers but I would argue that none of them did anything that could be considered particularly innovative compared to what Hendrix did before them - the nearest to being the exception could be Ronnie Montrose whose group's own debut album in 1973(?) sounded almost like a harbinger of things to come. I listened to Van Halen's debut yesterday and it still has the same effect on me now as it did back in 1978 - I genuinely felt that the group as a whole and Eddie Van Halen in particular were ushering in a new hard rock era just like Hendrix himself did in late 66/early 67 with the Experience's debut album and those first singles.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

@ KP, That's awesome! When and in which venue did you get to see and hear Hendrix? When my friend was in the Marine Corps he got to see Jimi at a show Hawaii in the Sixties.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

There is only a "best" for a particular time. Babe Ruth was so much better than his contemporaries, it was ridiculous. But he probably would strike out every time against today's pitchers. Hendrix was the best during his time - as Pete Townshend never ceases to relate - but Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker and B.B. King were quite innovative for their times. And lets not forget Les Paul. Also, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss Zappa as a guitarist. He seems at home with many genres, unlike those who cannot expand beyond jazz, blues or rock and roll.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

misterjones said:


> Also, I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss Zappa as a guitarist. He seems at home with many genres, unlike those who cannot expand beyond jazz, blues or rock and roll.


yes as a composer he was the personification of eclecticism, as a guitarist it seems to me that he was far more conventional and limited.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> yes as a composer he was the personification of eclecticism, as a guitarist it seems to me that he was far more conventional and limited.


It doesn't sound like you've listened to much of his work. Zappa was anything but conventional when he picked up a guitar. He was one of the most adventurous and daring rock guitar improvisers ever! He also had a highly idiosyncratic way of phrasing that was unmistakable. He didn't sound like anybody else. He could also play the most amazing melodic solos over some crazy rhythmic underpinnings. He was a composer who played guitar, rather than the other way around. He never played conventional guitar licks and phrases like so many rock guitarist do.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> It doesn't sound like you've listened to much of his work.
> Zappa was anything but conventional when he picked up a guitar. He was one of the most adventurous and daring rock guitar improvisers ever! He also had a highly idiosyncratic way of phrasing that was unmistakable.


in the last post i was thinking to write that i've never liked his kind of phrasing, he was often trying to play fast withouth having a great technique, so to me he sounds verbose without having the kind of fluidity or groove of guitarists i like (like Duane Allman). Anyway, i haven't listened to a lot of his stuff, but i know his style on the instrument, this is a good example i think






It's not that i think he's bad (actually i think that this is pretty good), only i don't think he's one of the greats or that his playing is creative as his compositive side. Anyway what are your favorite pieces of him as a guitarist?



starthrower said:


> He didn't sound like anybody else. He could also play the most amazing melodic solos over some crazy rhythmic underpinnings. He was a composer who played guitar, rather than the other way around. He never played conventional guitar licks and phrases like so many rock guitarist do.


I don't know, if i think of unconventional rock guitarists i think of D Boon, or Captain Beefheart's guitarists, or Marc Ribot, Manuel Gottsching, Roy Montgomery, Allan Holdsworth (ok he was more a jazz rock guitarist).

Things like


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## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Three British names that need to be on any such list (in no particular order):

Robert Fripp
David Gilmour
Steve Howe


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

norman bates said:


> in the last post i was thinking to write that i've never liked his kind of phrasing, he was often trying to play fast withouth having a great technique, so to me he sounds verbose without having the kind of fluidity or groove of guitarists i like (like Duane Allman). Anyway, i haven't listened to a lot of his stuff, but i know his style on the instrument, this is a good example i think
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm a big fan of those records by Beefheart, and Waits. I recently picked up John Zorn's Electric Masada live in NYC w/ Ribot.

I'm not interested in perfect technique. I want to listen to a guitarist who has something to say when they play. I have the bootleg DVD of that Zappa show in Sweden. The band is amazing, but I don't think Zappa was enjoying himself all that much there. It was a very chilly night as you can see by his attire.

I think some of Zappa's best soloing is on Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar, The Helsinki Concert, Zoot Allures, feat. the original Black Napkins solo from a concert in Japan, Transylvania Boogie from Chunga's Revenge. Listen to his clean toned wah, wah solo on Stinkfoot. It's really great!

For some great solos to hear at YouTube, try Occam's Razor, or Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar Some More. Yes, his phrasing is weird. Unlike many of the blues based rockers who came up in the late 60s, Zappa was influenced by a lot of other music from the east.

As for Allan Holdsworth, I think he's just about the most incredible guitarist/musician on the planet. I bought his transcription book Reaching For The Uncommon Chord a long time ago, and the title says it all. He plays the most beautiful, amazing chords ever. They're very difficult to execute too. This book increased my respect for his music quite a bit.


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## misterjones (Oct 9, 2007)

Wasn't it G.E. Smith who played on Rain Dogs? He anchored a tight band that backed Bob Dylan in 1988, which was some of Dylan's best live work. Some guitarists are superb at backing others, knowing just how to play to accompany the particular artist (presumably by having an excellent sense of the accompanied artist's flaws and strenghts). I would put Larry Campbell in this category, as well. He also performed with distinction with Dylan in the late 1990s and very early 2000s. I had the pleasure of seeing both perform in a Hank Williams tribute a few years back, along with some guy named Jorma Kaukonen who founded Blind Lemon Airplane or Tuna Melt or some such group.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Both of these solos are from live performances of the tune Inca Roads.
This first one was edited and used on a tune from Joe's Garage. Here's
the full length version. Disregard the accompanying video which is un-
related to the audio track.






This one was used for the Shut Up album. Probably my most listened to Zappa guitar solo. Beautiful melodic playing with great continuity throughout the solo. Both solos are medium tempo with nice phrasing.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

There were some other tasty solos on Joe's Garage as well, as I recall - Watermelon in Easter Hay? Wasn't On The Bus originally titled Toad-O Line?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Watermelon seems to be a favorite of Zappa fans. There's another one based on a repeated scale that I like better. It's called The Deathless Horsie. The fact that these solos can be taken out of context and listened to as separate musical pieces says a lot for me. They are spontaneous melodic compositions within another compositional framework.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I love the Zappa solos on _Dirty Love_ and _My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama_. I've always rated him as a pretty great player from the stuff I've heard, he is unique and some of his ideas are pretty brilliant. I love the different 'spliced sections' thrown into 'My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama' ideas like that are so creative and just awesome. I've mostly only listened to his album 'Strictly Commercial', but I also own 'You Are What You Is', and have heard a bit of 'Hot Rats' as well, which I thought sounded amazing and I plan to pick that album up soon.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> I'm a big fan of those records by Beefheart, and Waits. I recently picked up John Zorn's Electric Masada live in NYC w/ Ribot.
> 
> I'm not interested in perfect technique. I want to listen to a guitarist who has something to say when they play. I have the bootleg DVD of that Zappa show in Sweden. The band is amazing, but I don't think Zappa was enjoying himself all that much there. It was a very chilly night as you can see by his attire.
> 
> ...


thank you 



starthrower said:


> As for Allan Holdsworth, I think he's just about the most incredible guitarist/musician on the planet. I bought his transcription book Reaching For The Uncommon Chord a long time ago, and the title says it all. He plays the most beautiful, amazing chords ever. They're very difficult to execute too. This book increased my respect for his music quite a bit.


Holdsworth is one of the most talented guitarists ever in any genre and not just in jazzrock, he has not just a technique that is unbelievable, his harmonic ideas as you say were and are absolutely original (as a guitarist he is far more original than Eddie Van Halen, though i know we're talking of different genres, i've thought of him just because someone has mentioned him). My problem with him is that i find his music invariably cold. I think it's hard that anybody who is not interested or knows nothing about guitar could sit to listen to albums like Metal Fatigue or Believe it.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I don't find Holdsworth's music cold at all. In fact, he plays very soulfully to my ears. Listen to the two beautiful solos on The Unmerry Go Round from Metal Fatigue. It's very lyrical, beautiful playing. Same for his acoustic solo on Home. Sometimes it's a matter of just spending more time with the music. It can sound fairly abstract at first. He plays chord progressions very fast sometimes, and it's hard to absorb at first. But as you say, the average listener probably wouldn't be interested in this advanced guitar technique.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

tdc said:


> I love the Zappa solos on _Dirty Love_ and _My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama_. I've always rated him as a pretty great player from the stuff I've heard, he is unique and some of his ideas are pretty brilliant. I love the different 'spliced sections' thrown into 'My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama' ideas like that are so creative and just awesome. I've mostly only listened to his album 'Strictly Commercial', but I also own 'You Are What You Is', and have heard a bit of 'Hot Rats' as well, which I thought sounded amazing and I plan to pick that album up soon.


Dirty Love has a great little screamin' solo! Kill Your Mama is kind of unusual. It's a groovin' rock tune with a sort of classical style guitar solo.

You Are What You Is is heavy on the vocals which are amazing, but there's some incredible guitar solos on tunes like Sinister III, If Only She Woulda, and a few others.

Hot Rats is a classic. Half extended jammers, and half composition pieces. I'd also recommend Roxy & Elsewhere, One Size Fits All, and The Grand Wazoo.

If you like modern composition and musique concrete with a bit of rock n roll and doo- ***, get the Uncle Meat album. It's filled with a ton of great music.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

starthrower said:


> Kill Your Mama is kind of unusual. It's a groovin' rock tune with a sort of classical style guitar solo..


 *
My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama* _is_ very unusual, I really love the whole song but especially from about 1:22-1:57 of that song. All the different solos on various instruments in that section are equally amazing...the whole concept of doing that is really cool, but how well he executed each of those little mini-sections, and then seamlessly brings it back to the groovin' rock tune. Its a pretty special piece of music.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

starthrower said:


> I don't find Holdsworth's music cold at all. In fact, he plays very soulfully to my ears. Listen to the two beautiful solos on The Unmerry Go Round from Metal Fatigue. It's very lyrical, beautiful playing. Same for his acoustic solo on Home. Sometimes it's a matter of just spending more time with the music.


frankly i don't think i have that problem, i've not discovered his music exactly yesterday. 
Sometimes i wonder what Philip Larkin (who notoriously hated Coltrane's playing, a player a lot more warm than Holdsworth) could have said of him.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

To each his own. Holdsworth is obviously not your cuppa.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

tdc said:


> *
> My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama* _is_ very unusual, I really love the whole song but especially from about 1:22-1:57 of that song. All the different solos on various instruments in that section are equally amazing...the whole concept of doing that is really cool, but how well he executed each of those little mini-sections, and then seamlessly brings it back to the groovin' rock tune. Its a pretty special piece of music.


If you think that tune is unusual, you ought to pick up the whole album, Weasels Ripped My Flesh.


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