Sunday, February 14, 2010

Ten guitar heroes

#10 Daniel Ash (Bauhaus)
Try: In The Night (1982), She's In Parties (1983)

#9 Graham Coxon (Blur)
Try: She's So High (1991), London Loves (1994)

#8 Johnny Cash
Try: Folsom Prison Blues (1955), I Walk The Line (1956)

#7 Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music)
Try: Streetlife (1973), More Than This (1982)

#6 Richard Hawley
Try: Born Under A Bad Sign (2005), Remorse Code (2009)

#5 Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
Try: Satisfaction (1965), Street Fighting Man (1968)

#4 Chuck Berry
Try: Maybelline (1955), Johnny B Goode (1958)

#3 Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite)
Try: Clampdown (1979), Know Your Rights (1982)

#2 Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
Try: This Charming Man (1983), Unhappy Birthday (1987)

#1 David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
Try: One of These Days (1971), Money (1973), Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1975), Comfortably Numb (1979)

***
Also rans: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Mick Ronson, Martin Gore (Depeche Mode), Stan Cullimore (The Housemartins), James Dean Bradfield (Manics), Bernard Sumner (Joy Division/New Order), Bernard Butler (Suede), Vini Reilly (Durutti Column), Scotty Moore, James Honeyman-Scott (The Pretenders)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

You couldn't have slotted Zappa in there? Or even Tony Iommi? Tsk tsk.

claude said...

I'm not incredibly familiar with Zappa's work (my wrong) so couldn't really.

As for Tony Yow am and Black Sabbath: absolutely not my cup of tea.

Anonymous said...

Gilmour at Number 1? Don't think so, dude. More listenable than Roger Waters though.

Also, if Manzanera's there and Ronno's bubbling under, then where's Bill Nelson? If you like Roxy and Ziggy you'd have loved Be Bop Deluxe.

Ben E said...

When Noel Gallagher commented that women were "maybe good for cleaning guitars but that's about it", was he taking the piss or no?

claude said...

Ben E.
Both Noel and Liam are a pair of plonkers.
Anywez.
I can't think of any female guitar-heroine...but there is a wast amount of female singers I personally love from the 1950s on. Five names that cross my mind right this moment: Patsy Cline, Helen Shapiro, Shirley Bassey and later on Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie Sioux etc.

asquith said...

What about some local lads (local to you anyway) K.K. Downing & Glenn Tipton out of Judas Priest?

I generally like it heavy, outside metal I focus more on the vocals than owt else so I couldn't help much with a list of "guitar heroes" that would be your cup of tea.

Off the top of my head, Neil Young & Hendrix too. I like several the old bluesmen too. But I cannot be arsed with listing them.

socialist sam said...

Of course Jimi Hendrix, Robert Fripp (cant believe no-one's mentioned him yet!!!), Kurt Cobain.

The Edge may not be overly technical but his attention to detail, sound and taste more than make up for it.

claude said...

burkeswork,
I'll have to check out Bill Nelson's stuff. I'm ashamed to say I'm unfamiliar. It sounds interesting though.

asquith,
good point about neil young and the 'local lads'.

socialist sam,
I take your point about the edge and hendrix. Fripp though doesnt quite cut it for me personally.

Helen Highwater said...

Oh yes, Cash, Coxon 'n' Marr!

I'm surprised there's no Bernie Butler on a blog named after a Suede song! (but then again, I wouldn't expect Richard Oakes to appear, but saying that, he's none too shabby).

As for women guitarists, there is of course Lady Bo. You wouldn't have had Bo Diddley without the Lady.

And Kim Deal!

claude said...

Hi Helen,
well I was in two minds about Bernard Butler (who by the way he's in the 'also rans' bit).

I think he's obviously a genius and a fantastic guitarist, but too often he's guilty of going on a bit in a slightly self-indulgent fashion -i.e. 7 layers of discordant overdubs and 5 extra of feedback lasting 5 minutes coz you know he wants to make sure that you know he's a bit wacky, etc...

That, to be honest, puts me off.

PS. "A blog named after a Suede song"???

Emma said...

James Dean Bradfield should have been in the top 10, not in the 'rans'! He's probably the best lead singer/lead guitarist ever, and seeing him play is incredible. It's amazing how he can sing and play so intricately at the same time. Genius.

Daniel Hoffmann-Gill said...

You've opened a can of guitar worms here Claude, I mean Cash was a perfunctory rhythm guitarist, not a great player at all, that was Perkins.

Manzanera was part of the Roxy mix and not a great innovator and Gilmour is dull as old beans.

Iommi deffo, Hendrix wipes the floor with all, you need early Clapton, great tone there and innovation and Greg Ginn of Black Flag of course.

But in agreement with Marr, Berry, and Richards.

JB said...

There would seem to be a Pete Townsend shaped hole in your list.

Also, virtually anyone who has ever played with Danny Thompson; Richard Thompson (Shoot Out The Lights), John Martyn (Solid Air), Bert Jansch, Darrell Scott (Live in NC).

What about Mark Knopfler? Forget about Brothers in Arms and all that nonsense, the first two Dire Straits albums are sublime.

Helen Highwater said...

Claude: "My Marilyn"? Not that it's a song title, but I assumed it was from the lyrics to "Heroine" on Dog Man Star! ;D

I know what you mean though about the way he goes to town with 20 guitar tracks all at once. I'm assuming that producing Duffy's album let him go full throttle at being Phil Spector: Sideshow Bob hair imminent.