The RGD Hall of Fame (my favorite players)

Here's the first segment of Rock Guitar Daily's Hall of Fame.  The players who have left the greatest impressions on an impressionable mind.  The guys I go to frequently and forever shall sing their praises.  Some are larger than life, some you've probably never heard of.  Over the next few columns I'm going to list my favorite records, guitars, unknown guitarists and such.  It's a slow news period anyway, right? 

George Harrison  -  Beatle George looms large in my life, as much for his spiritual side as for his huge musical abilities.  He gave me the beginnings of any religious leanings I possess, and they are substantial.  As a guitarist, George defined melody and taste.  Early on Harrison brought a tremendous rockabilly vibe to The Beatles early recordings.  His tone cut through every mix and never clashed with Lennon and McCartney.  His chord voicings were usually played higher on the neck than John's chugging rhythms, and his solos were never less than both perfect for the song and exceptionally well played.  His phrasing and technique were superb.  As time moved on his playing evolved, becoming more melody driven and less influenced by his musical heroes.  As he became a more confident writer his use of sophisticated chord structures became a hallmark.  His first solo album, All Things Must Pass, is a remarkably beautiful production, with acoustic guitars creating a huge wall of sound, and the melodic Strat work by himself and Eric Clapton are gorgeous throughtout.  Clapton never played better than he did with George.

Mick Ronson  -  Mick's solo on Moonage Daydream remains as incredible as any solo to ever grace a rock and roll record.  With stunning speed, flash, and tone, it was and is the quintessential glam-rock guitar song.  However, it was Ronson's melodicism that always grabbed me most.  Not just a great guitarist, Ronno sang wonderfully, played great piano (Bowie's Lady Stardust), arranged strings as well as George Martin (Mott the Hoople's Sea Diver, Lou Reed's Perfect Day), and he wrote more than a few great songs.  He personified the right hand man in rock, making better everything he touched with his egoless approach to teamwork.  Many have never heard his solo album Play Don't Worry, but it perhaps is the best document that displays in full his huge range of talents.  The platinum haired spider died too damned soon.

Django Rheinhardt  -  I remember the first time I heard the mad gypsy.  I thought I'd fallen off the bus and missed school completely.  No guitarist's education is near complete without finding out why Beck and Blackmore both agree that he was the greatest that ever lived.  He played with a fire unmatched to this day, barrelling through every tune with neck breaking speed, perfect timing and a devil may care sense that remains unchallenged.  Many great guitarists dedicate their musical lives to his style and it's not hard to see why.  Shred?  Django invented it in the '30s.

Bill Nelson  -  Nelson's work with Be Bop Deluxe influenced Randy Rhoads tremendously.  He masterfully and seemingly without effort played dazzling guitar over everything he wrote, and what he wrote was brilliant (still is).  Be Bop's Sunburst Finish resides at the top of my desert island top 10.  After leaving the world of commercial rock behind, Nelson has continued to record inventive and endlessly interesting music for 35 years, practically inventing DIY.  He was recording in his attic years before it became the way of the world.  The world lost a lot when Nelson gave up big rock, but you gotta love a guy who sticks by his guns and follows his muse as opposed to chasing dollars.  A few years ago, Bill teamed with American guitar maker Campbell Guitars and they produced the Campbell Nelson Transitone, maybe the coolest signature guitar ever made.  He's been championed a bit over the last few years by Guitar Player's Michael Molenda, and that's a good thing.  Eveeryone should get to hear Sunburst Finish.

Gary Moore  -  Bluesman, rocker, bluesman, rocker....Truth is he's as good as they come at both.  Moore might be the most under valued guitar star on the planet.  His rock work in the '70s and '80s set a high mark for shredders, and he sings as well as he plays.  Whether solo or as an occasional member of Thin Lizzy, Gary never fails to bring tremendous passion to his work.  His right hand be the most authoratative I've ever heard.  Dazzling speed and a near Beckish melodicism graces his every note.  Not many have made the argument that he's the best that ever played and sang concurrently, but I will and with no apologies to the Stevie Ray crowd.  Moore has vocal chops for days, a great singer, not a 'good singer for a guitarist'....

Webb Wilder  -  Webb is the only basic rock rhythm player who's name I mention in the same breath as Keith's.  And more than that, he's consistantly produced great records for 25 years and in the process worked with some of the best guitar players you've never heard, such as Donny "The Twangler" Roberts, George "The Tone Chaperone" Bradfute, and Tony Bowles.  These fellows have been burning it up on Webb's records for years, and making his shows amazing displays of taste and virtuousity.  Wilder himself is an excellent soloist, and he trades licks with these great players fearlessly.  His last live CD, Born to be Wilder, has three guitarists tossing of great licks left and right as Wilder runs this guitar circus with wit, humor, piss and vinegar.  With one foot in country and the other in rock and roll, Wilder by his own admission is loved by dozens.

Ritchie Blackmore  -   No one's favorite fellow, Ritchie is still one of the most unique and skilled guitarists I've ever seen or heard.  Throughout his run with Deep Purple and Rainbow, Ritchie displayed a great combination of riffs and sophisticated soloing.  His playing sounds like his own and no elses.  It's almost impossible to hear anyone's influence on his playing with the possible exception of Django.  Blackmore alone brought that type of gypsy improvisation to heavy rock.  I wonder if he'll rock again....I almost hope not.

Jimmy Page  -  Led Zeppelin exist on the same plain as The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Queen.  There's no real comparing them to anything, and you know them the minute they start playing.  Page is at times almost maddeningly sloppy, but so what?  He jammed more great guitar information into a single song than anyone else.  No one has come even close in terms of guitar orchestration.  Jimmy would combine tunings, techniques, and tones to create whole worlds of sounds.  His production syle defined the sound of Zeppelin on record.  A shame he never produced for others.  And he defines guitar player cool to this day.  The man reeks sophisticated rock coolness.

Uli Jon Roth  -  Best known for his incendiary performances with The Scorpions, Uli combined a love for Hendrix and classical music, and this combination became shred guitar.  More than any single player, Roth brought mind bending technique to the world of hard rock.  Early Scorpions tunes such as Catch Your Train, and Pictured Life woke me up to a post-Hendrixian world of guitar playing.  Never had I heard such a combination of technique and over the top rock madness.  His huge tone, incredible virtuousity, and melodic sensiblities still leave me breathless.

Jeff Beck  -  Keeps getting better, and better, and better....I first heard Beck on 1968's Truth, and there's been no looking back.  The man continually forges his own path and his brilliance has never wained.  Sure I wish he worked with a singer more often, but that's my problem.  Guitar Shop set a standard for rock instrumentals which has not yet been bested.  His transcendent meditation on The Beatles A Day in the Life might be the best guitar instrumental I've ever heard.  He's been the high water mark for guitarists since 1965.  Need I say more?  There's every guitarist and then there's Jeff Beck.  A breed apart.

Michael Schenker  -   I've saved my favorite for last.  He's had more ups and downs than you can imagine, more lives than a cat's nine, but for my ears, Michael Schenker is the finest purveyor of the rock and roll guitar solo.  His work is melodic, toneful, fast, and beautiful.  His years with UFO produced a lot of the finest guitar rock in existance.  He plays with a fluidity that perfectly matched his melodic sensibilities.  His turn to heavier rock with 1980's Michael Schenker Group still compares with the best metal of the 80s.  Forget the personal crap and listen to the man's playing.  I'm hoping that the end of The Scorpions here shortly will bring back together the guitar team of Michael and Rudolph Schenker.  They've parried together brilliantly, but never for a full record since before Michael found his footing.

There you have it.  No illusions that this is anything but MY favorites.  Every person SHOULD have a different list, it makes everything more interesting, right?

Peace, love, and pretty guitars.

       

Black Country: "This Band is Viral" a chat with Glenn Hughes

Seems a bit funny to title an interview piece with the words of someone other than my interview's subject, but it feels right, and those are the words of no less an expert than super-producer Kevin Shirley. And that is what Kevin is saying about Black Country, Glenn Hughes's new band, with axeslinger extraordinaire Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham, and Derek Sherinian. The producer is taking a very active, hands-on role for this record, overseeing the songwriting, arrangements, and generally serving as field marshall.

I spoke with Glenn at length yesterday about this exciting new band. Here's what he had to say:

"I had a bit of a vision, a dream," Hughes begins, "I had a follow-up to last year's record (the excellent First Underground Nuclear Kitchen, F.U.N.K.) fully written and ready to go, but there had to be a hold up to the follow-up. As you know, I played with Joe at the Guitar Center show in November, shortly after I had wrapped up my world tour. He had asked me to come up and do a couple of my old tunes, Mistreated, and Medusa, and as we played I looked over at Joe, he back at me, and I said that's it; this is a band!" And so it was born, Black Country.

There's ample proof of the chemistry shared between the two over on YouTube, and it is pretty obvious that this is not just two successful solo acts getting together for a one-off project. Black Country is their new group, a band, a tribe from and of the black country of England, the home of both Hughes and Bonham.

"I've known Jason since he was a child, what is he? about mid-forties now, and we've played together through the years, on occasion, and when we started playing with Joe and Derek, he just smiled."

Hughes points out that in spite of himself and Bonamassa both having very busy careers, this record may upset things a bit.

"There will be proper touring, not just going out for a few shows here and there. My voice gets stronger as I work, and this will be a touring band. We've got all the songs written, titles are in place, and Joe has clearly told me, 'I want to be in a rock band,' so he's got some Zeppelin in him, and some times he's as bluesy as Kossoff (Paul Kossoff, legendary guitarist for Paul Rodgers' Free). He's singing and writing great stuff as well."

Bonamassa has been headed down the road to rock for some time, and Hughes is finally returning to a full-on rock approach, something fans and fellow rockers have been clamoring about for years, though Glenn has kept moving in a positive motion towards his funky proclivities, and his own creative path in lieu of chasing the easy rock dollars.

"Tony, you have to understand I get asked to do huge tours, and to join big bands every year, and I've chosen to pursue my own projects, but now it's seems fated that this band happen. You've got Chickenfoot, Them Crooked Vultures, and while I avoid the term supergroup, this IS a band, and we've obviously got some good company.

"We're as bombastic as The Who, and as bluesy as Free, but we are doing some different kinds of things in terms of structure, and tempo: 7/8, 6/8, even 5/8 time, so it's not just a few chords and out. Joe's just written a song that is just blowing me away. He sings a couple, I sing a bunch, and there's a few where we're both singing. We originally had figured mid 2011 for the release, but here we are we've got it written, we'll have it tracked by the middle of March, around the 17th, and we should be done with vocals, and some overdubbing by April the 10th, just before Easter. So, it makes sense for it to come out sooner and now it should be out around September of this year.

"We recorded basic tracks for some of the songs on January 3rd and 4th, and we didn't even get a playback, we just packed them off, and didn't hear them until the next few days,and they were amazing. We've got some epics, I will say that. And, we've cut them live, with me using an old P-Bass, all of us together in one room. I don't want to be that guy, saying supergroup. But if you had told me back last February, that I'd be in a rock band, I'm not so sure. What we've got is not what I have done, not what Joe's done, but something tremendously exciting, and brand new.

"Kevin Shirley is calling it, 'viral rock' and 'beyond beautiful,' and coming from Shirley this is high praise, indeed. "You know, Tony, it's funny; at one point, the critics are calling me horrible things because of bad habits and vices, and now they knock me for being mr. health nut, the higher power guy, but this band and record seems to have everyone rooting it on, the time just feels right."

We spoke for a long time about Glenn's past, his work with Trapeze, Deep Purple, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath and his famous bout with addiction, yet so much has been written about this elsewhere that there seems little benefit in my spending time on it here, but here's where Glenn left that subject:

"I am almost 60, playing with a 32-year-old guitarist, but you'd never know to listen. We are hitting at full velocity (not a bad title, there) and don't think I don't feel fear I am an alcoholic and addict in recovery and I'm riddled with fear every day of those demons returning, but I'm very lucky. I will tell you this I hit the next note with absolutely no fear, and for that 90 minutes to two hours that I am onstage every night, I am completely without fear"

I wanted to include this because it shows a bit of the character of this immensely talented, yet humble and generous man. I've rarely had a more pleasurable conversation with lifelong friends, let alone this stranger whom I've only known from afar, but Glenn is as easy to chat with as an old school-chum. That he admits the frailty and vulnerabilities that face anyone in recovery only goes to display the man's humanity, and speaks of his honesty.

I spoke to Glenn about his bass playing, which is melodic and acrobatic, as well as rock-solid.

"Well, Tony, my playing is getting better. I play at least 5 to 6 hours a day, and I'm not one of these guys from the 70s that chooses to sit back. The more I sing the better I'm able, and my voice gets strongest mid-tour. My guitar playing is getting a lot better of late, also."

This is coming from a fellow who played for a quarter of a million people in his early twenties at California Jam with the biggest hard-rock band in the world at the time, Deep Purple. This truly marks the graduation of rock into serious music, as its elder statesmen continue to grow and develop even relatively late in their careers.

Glenn and I spoke about other topics in a lot of detail, and I'll have more of his words in future postings as the band and record progresses. I'm going to follow this one closely as I think it is going to prove to be the surprise of the year, in the midst of a year that is shaping up as the best year for hard rock yet in this century. So I want to keep the focus on Black Country for today.

Thanks so much to Glenn Hughes, Kevin Shirley, and to everyone reading and all my kind friends and supporters on Facebook, where I'm always talking guitars and rock.

Peace, love, and loud guitars, tony conley

Entwistlean Logic - Bass Matters

Pino Paladino is amongst the greatest bassists who ever lived, of this, there is no debate.  In the same breath I add that I don't care for his work in the context of The Who. This comment is generally met either with a spirited defense of his efforts, or a stare that lets me know the person doesn't realize the Who even has a bass player, and that's when I realize that something has gone a bit funny.

I've repeatedly gone back and checked out clips, tapes, and such of many of The Who's performances, and by comparing a recent show to a tape from the Quadrophenia tour in 1973, I realized the difference.  The song was the bass driven epic, The Real Me.  In the new edition, Pino hits all the right notes, and generally does a fine job, but a terribly unexciting job.  I listen to the earlier John Entwistle fueled version, and I'm instantly engaged, the song demands that I anxiously accompany it on its path.  It's compelling.  It won't be ignored.  It can't be ignored.

John Entwistle's playing commanded to be heard, whether in the over the top manner of The Real Me, the barreling solos throughout My Generation, or his horn-like embellishments on Behind Blue Eyes.  His tone blasted through a mix like no other, sounding at times like a massive rhythm guitar, as on his amazing power chords that ring in the verses of Pinball Wizard, chords that are not even recognized by the casual listener as bass notes.  He took possession of Townshend's songs, made them his own, left an indelible stamp that turned rock songs into reasons for living.  Entwistle's talent made them larger than life in the grandest of fashions.

Every great band has a great bass player, and if you don't have a bass player, I'm not gonna much like your band, at least I haven't yet.  I hear The White Stripes, and yeah, I miss the bass to the point of distraction.  The Doors came close with Manzenerek  playing pretty decent bass on a Fender bass keyboard, but I always wanted to hear the songs with a proper bassist.  No, make that a great bassist.  The bass is the magic that marries european harmony to african rhythm and creates rock and roll.

Paul McCartney always talked about, "....the guy playing the bass" on the Motown stuff, and though he may not have known it was James Jamerson supplying those throbbing lines that made America dance, he knew that what Jamerson did was indispensable to the music.  Paul then proceeded to spend countless hours crafting bass lines that made Beatles tunes stand out from any others.  He spent a lot of time and energy creating parts that worked harmonically, rhythmically, and it shows in the results.  All too often I now hear radio ready rock in which the bassist merely apes the chords being played by the guitars, and it nearly drives me around the bend.

It's as if the whole ease of operation of digital recording has sped things up tothe point where musicians aren't taking the time to create parts, they just barrel through the song and pop it out.  I hear less craftsmanship on records now than I can ever remember.  I'll listen to any oldies station and be amazed at the care, skill, and craft being shown on even the most throw away old pop, rock, and soul stuff.  It stuns me to hear the differences in simple effort and ingenuity.

John Paul Jones created magic on every Led Zeppelin track in existence.  This speaks loudly of the fact that Jones was a trained orchestrator, and not just a failed guitarist.  It's worth noting that many of the best bassists come to the bass from other instruments.  Entwistle, Bruce, McCartney, Jones, Flea: each of these great bassists are skilled on other instruments, which means they know a little (or a lot) about how music is assembled.  Jack Bruce is a great pianist, Entwistle, an accomplished horn player, McCartney can make great music out of about anything, and this has a huge impact on the bass line these fellows laid down.

McCartney is as inventive a musician as has ever lived.  His bass lines never cease to amaze me, from the descending melody on Michelle, his fuzzy underpinnings in While My Guitar Gently Weeps, and the magnificent playing that accompanies George Harrison's Something.

Some of the greatest pop music of the 60s featured fantastically inventive bass lines from incredible players, such as James Jamerson and Bob Babbit's work on Motown, Duck Dunn on Stax stuff, and the unknown but brilliant Joe Osborne, whose great work I recognize every time I hear an oldie by The Grassroots.  How many bands today can you recognize by the bass lines, aside from Flea's always stellar work  with The Red Hot Chili Peppers?
 
One thing worth pointing out is that these fellows almost never played a repeating part throughout a tune. They always opt to vary notes, rhythms, and structures, and this creates interest that keeps you listening, and involved.  I can't stress this enough.  Repetitive parts makes for staid, and boring music, which I'm hearing a lot of these days.  Makes me howl with frustration is what it does.

This will be just the first in a serious of meditations on the art of the bass.  I haven't even touched on such topics as tone, note selection, and style.  More on this later.              

Gary Moore: A Return to Rock?

Over on facebook, I'm being inundated with the news that guitar great Gary Moore is to play a hard rock set at the Sweden Hard Rock Festival.  This is really some cool news.  In a year that appears to be sizing up as a great one for the world of rock guitar, this is but another indication that rock guitar is far from dead, in fact it appears to be afire.

Gary Moore has focused his career on the blues for the last 20 years, and will most likely continue to do so, but this show that he's playing indicates at least a slight return to rock.  Though it's hard to fathom, there are a great many people who know Moore only as a bluesman, not realizing that he reigned near the top of the hard rock world throughout the 70s and 80s as a solo artist and as a frequent collaborator with the late great Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy.

I first saw Moore playing with the Lizzies back in 1977.  He stood in for an injured Brian Robertson on an American tour.  I was bummed out for about two minutes when the band took the stage without one of my favorite players.  That disappointment didn't last long.  Moore was much more than a stand-in, in fact he stole the show from Lynott, the band, headliners Def Leppard, and everyone else in the arena.  His fiery playing turned the 6,000 strong audience on their ears.  His high water mark with Lizzy was the Irish rock anthem, Black Rose, and it was during this song that my long and subsequent love of Moore's work began.

Moore's career had started with early appearances in Colusseum II, and Skid Row, but it was only when he joined Lynott in Lizzy that he appeared on American radar. He toured with the band off and on, but only recorded the English hit, Still In Love With You, in 1974 with the band.  The only full length album he recorded with the band was 1979's, Black Rose: A Rock Legend. His stays in Lizzy were always brief, as Moore focused instead on establishing his solo career.

1979 marks the true beginning of the ascendancy of Moore to "rock god" status.  The Black Rose album charted #2 on Britain's record charts and sold well in America as well.  Moore's first major solo outing, Back On The Streets, did big business and landed him his first #1 single, the classic, Parisienne Walkways, a duet with his friend and occasional mentor Lynott.  The album features Moore's astounding guitar work, his passionate vocals, and songs.  He's joined by such stalwarts as Lynott, keyboard wizard Don Airey, and super drummer Cozy Powell.  The title cut is one of the finest rockers of the era, featuring Moore and Airey dueting throughout the solo sections.  Don Airey, if you're not aware, is unquestionably the best hard rock keyboardist in history.  In this period alone he contributed mightily to this album by Moore, Rainbow's Down To Earth , and Michael Schenker's first solo record.  Not a bad year for either gentleman or any of these great bands.

Throughout the 80s, Moore recorded and toured incessantly, releasing excellent albums and filling large venues as a headliner, and  was a favorite at festivals throughtout Europe.  This period saw Moore become both a rock guitar legend, and a hugely successful band leader.  America took to the man, but nothing compared to Europe and Japan.  Speaks more of this country's need for glitz than it does about the talent involved.

I've always been equally astounded by Gary Moore's talent.  He's equally blessed  as a remarkable guitarist, a passionate and powerful singer, and a great songwriter, equally at home with screaming rock, tender ballads, or of course, the blues.  The man possesses perhaps the most powerful, authoratative right hand in the annals of guitardom.  His playing brims with confidence, soul, and excitement.  Listen once to his cover of The Yardbirds classic hit, Shapes of Things, from his 1983 release, Victims of the Future, and you'll be a convert for life, if you're not all ready.  The histrionics on display are mindbending, featuring a great array of Moore's finest chops.  Moore was amongst the first guitarists that Ozzy Osbourne called when confronted with the unfortunate death of Randy Rhoads.  Thankfully Moore turned the offer down, as did my old friend Michael Schenker.  Both guitarists have always followed their own muse, and wisely chose the focus of solo careers, which saw both filling arenas on the strength of great guitar playing, a day sadly passed, I fear.

Moore continued playing to huge crowds and recordig excellent hard rock records throughout the 80s.  Run for Cover, released in 1985, saw Moore featuring a great set of tunes and sharing the stage with his old friend Phil Lynott, and also a gave a glimpse at what has to be one of hard rock's greatest missed oppurtunies, Moore teaming up with Glenn Hughes.  The pair duet on several songs, Hughes singing a couple, playing bass on a few and we get a taste of a band that would have been amazing had it grown to fruition.  This is another absolute must listen.  If you've never heard this album, you should remedy that at once.  It is an amazing LP, and amongst my top 20 hard rock albums.  Moore shines when singing and playing beside equals and never more so than here.

Moore rounded out the 80s by becoming increasingly Irish with every release.  He always displayed a political side with many songs concerning world affairs, and as time went on, he reverted back to his Irish roots and put out two records, Wild Frontier, and, After the War, that stand as the best examples of Irish hard rock ever put to tape.  Wild Frontier, especially is a very nationalist album, and another gem, filled with jig-tinged molten rock.  Moore takes to his hoe as a fish to water.  His passion is almost overwhelming.  Check it out.

1990 saw Moore get the blues, and he's been here ever since, and doing it heroically I'll add, but I've missed his rocking side mightily.  He brought hard rock technique and tone to the blues to great success and has hada big influence on many great young bluesers, such as Bonamassa and Davey Knowles. 

I hope that this foray into the realm of rock means that Moore will return at least a portion of his energy to rock.  This year marked John Sykes's retirement from Thin Lizzy.  Perhaps we'll see Gary take up some of that slack.  In a year that is promising to be the best that the rock guitar world has seen in many, the return of Gary Moore to the arena could be yet another high water mark.  Let's  hope.

We've got great projects coming from Black Country (Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa), West, Bruce Jr, and Laing, and more to come.  Yeah, it's gonna be a good year for guitar lovers....

Thanks to everyone who has read, and commented.  If you have anything to suggest please do not hesitate.

Peace, tony conley

   

Sharp Dressed Men in Three Piece Suits: guitar, bass, and drums

Today The Who will excite thousands (millions?) of duped listeners at the Super Bowl, with tapes, extra musicians (?), and a rhythm section that while serviceable, couldn't shine Moon and Entwistle's shoes. 

Me?  I'm gonna sit here and reminisce about loud three piece bands and their glory.

I just watched an old youtube video of The Jeff Beck Group, recorded live at the Fillmore East in New York city sometime in 1968 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8c0uzSbcrg ),  and it reminded me just how cool and exciting the classic three piece band can be in the hands of the right few men.  I'll list 'em:  Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, The Who, Cheap Trick (I'm including bands with stand alone singers - my blog, I do as I must here).  I'll maybe think of a few more along the way, but you get my drift.

The act of presenting a guiar and a voice with just a rhythm section to support them is a brave act for a guitarist.  It's treacherous territory to attempt such a stunt - it takes equal parts of talent and cajones to pull this off.  You've got to cover a tremendous amount of territory in this position.  You must fill up a lot of space, all the time, and still manage to not become boring or repetative.  If you've never tried it, you can't know the responsibilty I'm speaking of here.  The only braver act may be that of the slitary troubador.  Can you say that your guitar playing can assume this?  That's a lot of faith in your abilities.  Says a ton about the player, says a ton about you.

The Who were the first major three piece rock outfit, and that's appropriate, given the equal sizing of Pete Townshends' talent and ego.  Townshend knew exactly what he was doing, and outfitted himself with a rhythm section as powerful as himself, ensuring no dull moments.  Townshends tones and playing also quickly came to supply a wealth of musical geography, covering an immense territory.  His rhythm playing went from a whisper to a howl to a scream, often in the same tune, and never did anyone get bored at a Who show.  The man's lead playing is sometimes short shrifted by those who consider technical abilities more important than soul and the ability to communicate, but to my thinking he may be as exciting a soloist as has ever lived, breathed and busted a guitar.

Go straight to The Who's Live at Leeds, for more than ample proof of this.  Or check out their set at The Isle Wight 1970 show.  Townshend not only entertained with his incredible showmanship, he also lead a band through a two hour show with just his guitar.  This is heroic stuff.  He transverses the tundra from the proto-metal blues of Shakin' All Over to the gorgeous chording that makes See Me, Feel Me so moving.  His playing on Pinball Wizard astounds me to this moment.  You've heard it so many times that you forget that he wrote it and played it anew at one point.  Pete is the Christopher Columbus of rock.  He not only discovered America, he conquered it, and along the way laid a template for those who followed.

Following The Who to America were two sensations of the british post-Beatle music scene.  Born almost simultaneously, The Jeff Beck Group and The Jimi Hendrix Experience both took the blues and applied their own twists, resulting in music that still resonates with audiences and players alike.

Jeff Beck must only shake his head at the riches and success of Jimmy Page.  There's no question that Page is an immense talent and has earned everything he has, most of which he stole from Jeff Beck.  And there's no real question that Beck did fine on his own and has no qualms with the man. Still, the facts remain.  I know, I can hear it all ready.  Yes, Page is the best arranger/producer/writer  this side of The Beatles - I love his work - but the man never met an idea he couldn't glom, and Led Zeppelin was certainly (at least at first) a play from Jeff Beck's playbook.

The Jeff Beck Group consisted of Beck, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood , and drummer Mick Waller.  Beck supplied volcanic guitar, spewing molten licks in every direction, as Wood played lead bass as surely as Entwistle had in The Who.  There's talk of Beck and Woodie reconvening this lineup, and while it seems unlikely, I'd love another taste.  The youtube clip I mentioned earlier gives credence to the opinion that if Beck had so desired, his band may have out-Zeppelined Zeppelin.  Beck and Wood entertwine magically, and Stewart was once a tremendous rock shouter.  The album, Truth remains a classic example of how exciting a three piece band can sound.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience came to be that same season in 1966 in the same town.  London certainly set the tone for the sixties when it came to musical invention.  Hendrix took the blues, Dylan, and The Beatles to place they'd never been, would never go.  It's important to note that these bands were working with almost absurdly primitive equipment at this time, without the benefit of decent monitors to hear themselves while playing live.  They were truly flying by the seat of their pants,and this realization makes it even more thrilling.  Hendrix created the guitar hero for American audiences.

Ready to have your mind blown?  At the same time Hendrix and Beck were rehearsing their armies, Eric Clapton busied himself recruiting Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to form Cream, who debuted in July of '66.  You've got three of the most innovative and exciting three piece rock bands in history, all literally getting their acts together simultaneously, and in the same town.  I can barely fathom this, can only just get my arms around it.

So you've got these four groups setting the world on fire when Jimmy Page finally lays the Yardbirds to rest and creates the most successful three piece with a singer band in history, Led Zeppelin.  Page took Townshends' lead even a bit further, supplying Zeppelin's records with layer upon layer of guitar tracks, often using different tunings, instruments, amps, and effects creating orchestrations never before concieved.  He may not have been first, but once he got going Page certainly became arguably the most elaborate guitar sculptor in rock history.  I still get amazed with great regularity when I headphone up to some Zeppelin tracks.  I suggest you do the same.

I don't mention too many specific examples in these blogs.  I assume you're smart and ambitious enough to do your own homework, so I do no hand-holding - i just suggest directions.  There's too many resources and music is too available for me to ruin the hunt for people.  I remember the search for great music and suggest everyone do their own.

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons took this all in and decided to join the fray, having all ready, of course, been legendarily being paid homage to by Jimi Hendrix for earlier exploits.  ZZ Top Americanized he three piece vision by combining a dose of greasy Texas blues with the histrionics of the british axeslingers.  Never as musically adventurous as his brit counterparts, Gibbons still managed to produce album after album, show after show of guitar genius for a great many years.  Ten years on, Gibbons decided to join the crowd and offered up synths and drum machines to the Tejas stew, and millions of listeners didn't seem to mind, though I still prefer mine straight with no chaser.

CheapTrick formed about the same time, and brought a Beatles-esque vibe to the three piece for the first time.  Rick Neilsen seldom gets his true due as a guitarist and writer.  His success at both is stunning, a fact perhaps hidden by his image and team player mentality.  Cheap Trick's live sound is immense, echoing the previous partnership of a strong rhythm guitar and an adventurous bass that made The Who such an incredible locomotive.  Sure sometimes Zander straps on a guitar, but Cheap  Trick basically remains another fantastic example of the three piece concept.

I think I'll leave it there.  That should get you started thinking about just how hard it is for a guitarist to take on the resposibility of being the sole melodic instrument leading a band, and how cool the results can be.  I could write another 10,000 or so words on the topic, but hey, this is a blog.  I'll leave the fun part to you.  You go out and do the homework, find the music, get inspired, who knows, maybe even start ya up a three piece .

Happy guitaring, and thanks to Chris Wright for this morning's sermon on the three piece.

Scorpions Say Goodbye

I'll take the bait here and join the internet glut of articles following the announcement today of the band's intention of ending their 40 year career. 

For me The Scorpions haven't been very relevant for some time, but I'll also add that they have been amongst my favorite outfits for some 35 years.  They put Germany on the rock and roll map, probably being far bigger than any other non-anglo outfit except maybe ABBA.  As they grew larger in popularity their artistic relevance shrank, but that's not what I want to focus on here.

The Scorpions did for heavy metal, and rock in general, what Kurt Cobain would later largely undo.  They brought technical proficiency and pure passion to the form, in a way that far outshadowed their popularity at the time.  They introduced not one, but two of the most influential lead guitarists in the history of shred guitar.  Michael Schenker found greater fame in UFO, but it was in The Scorpions that he laid the groundwork for his illustrious future.  As younger brother to founder Rudolph, Michael played the role of lead guitarist to his brother's relentless rhythm guitar abilities and songwriting talents.  Even after his stay in UFO, Michael rejoined The Scorpions briefly in 1979 for the recording of Lovedrive, the band's first outing after the departure of legendary virtuouso Ulrich (Uli Jon) Roth.  Unfortunately, Michael's desire to lead his own army and his dislike of attention on a grand scale drove him to a successful solo career.

Uli Roth joined the band when they had lost Michael to UFO, who were a much better opportunity for Michael at the time, giving him musical control for the first time, at a time when his riff writing skills were becoming apparent.  Roth brought to The Scorpions a voice that was extremely unique at the time.  His playing captured both the wildness of Jimi Hendrix, and a technical prowess previously unmatched in the realm of rock.  His solos fused trem-bar madness with exotic scales for the first time.  No other guitarist ever outdid Roth at using Hendrix as a stepping stone and not just a high water mark.  Roth went far beyond Jimi in many ways.  Roth has never been quite given his due, but his technical abilities far outshined those of the more illustrious Ritchie Blackmore, the only other true contender for the title of Father of Shred Guitar.

Roth also brought to the band a very different songwriting style than that of Rudolph Schenker and Klaus Meine, which may have cost the band commercially, it certainly made them a much more interesting band on record that they were ever to be again.  His  tunes were laced with extreme doses of Hendrixian psychedelia, and were stupendous examples of what a Fender Stratocaster could do in the right hands.  Buddy Holly never saw Uli coming, that's for sure.

What made The Scorpions great in the Roth era is exactly what finally drove the gypsy guitarist from the nest.  The Scorpions were on the verge of breaking out on a much larger scale and at the same time Roth had the urge to follow his more eclectic muse, so a parting of ways on made sense.

What had made The Scorpions perhaps the most interesting and progressive metal band of their time turned out to be not only what seperated Roth from the band, it also lead them to huge worldwide success.  Such is the strange mix of music and commerce.

The albums that The Scorpions made with Roth remain some of the finest documents of the early history of heavy metal and hard rock.  His final two outings with the band, Taken By Force, and the live, Tokyo Tapes, are perfect examples of what made the band brilliant.  You have Rudy and Klaus supplying incredibly melodic, commercial metal riffs alongside Roth's high brow mentality, and the marriage sounded incredible.  The production on this material by Dieter Dierks always set the standard by which I measure the audio quality of anything to which I listened.  Stunningly good.

Always overlooked were the tremendous vocals supplied by Klaus Meine, as fine a singer as has ever recorded.  His huge range was matched by his ability to self harmonize and creatively arrange massive amounts of overdubbed singing.  I've always been stunned that he never got the acclaim he so deserved for his skills.  I'll chalk it down to the band's german heritage and their tendancy to let the music do the talking.

While the lead players always got the ink, Rudolph Schenker may have influenced heavy guitar rock more than any other guitarist, save Tony Iommi.  I simply don't think you'd have James Hetfield's precision right hand rhythms had he not tuned in to Rudy's stunning German precision.  As much as Kirk Hammett cut his teeth on brother Michael's lead work, Hetfield and a thousand subsequent metallers got their schooling from Rudolph Schenker, who also set the standard for the recording of acoustic guitars in a hard rock setting, almost inventing the rock ballad along with his brother's work in UFO.

It's not my intention to shortsell Matthias Jabs or the fine work he's done with the band, but everyone knows this already.  His melodic soloing has always been one of the hooks that captured the world's ear, but he never developed a signature style as had Michael, and Uli Roth.  I've always thought he might do something on his own to highlight his talents, but I remain waiting.  Maybe now?

It'll be very interesting to see where this leads both Rudolph Schenker and Klaus Meine.  I know Klaus has historically battled throat problems, but I certainly hope we've not heard the last of this amazing voice.  As for Rudolph, maybe we'll finally get him back together with his brother (they've been promising this for years).  At any rate, if we never get a note out of any of them, we all owe more than we know to the greatest German rock and roll band to ever stalk the tundra, The Scorpions.

Incidentally, I'm aware that years ago the band went to using simply Scorpions, but that's not really the band I've been writing about.  Go back and find the early stuff and you'll be more than amazed.  This band was so very much more than Rock You Like A Hurricane. 

Thanks to a great band for so much great music for so many years.

peace, tc

  

The Replacements: Not the band

Writing last week about the gifted Glenn Hughes, and previously Ronnie Wood, it got me to thinking about pinch hitters.  Musicians who replace established players in established bands.  A tough situation for both band and fan. 

I just listened to no less a talent than Steve Vai getting mercilessly hounded by Yngwie fans at his first show with Alcatrazz back in 1984.  At that time Vai had little sway in the metal community, being better known amongst guitar geeks and Zappa fans.  Steve was greeted with a chorus of, "Where's Yngwie," and "You suck," before he had so much as played a note.

On the other hand Ronnie Wood was hugely lauded by Stones fans based largely on the word of Keith Richard's championing his old drinking buddy.  Artistically, it set up the great debate amongst Stones' fans as to which version of the band was best, the Brian Jones, Mick Taylor, or Ronnie Woods versions.  That's how the eras of the band became known in fact.  I'm a Mick Taylor guy, being a fan of the classic lead player, but can see the validity of all three.  Jones brought great versatility and experimentation to the early bluesiness of the band.  Then finally, along came Woods who outlasted them all by a great margin, remaining with the band longer than both predecessors combined. 

Deep Purple replaced two members at the height of their glory and suffered little, in fact becoming a more versatile, interesting band, as David Coverdale's vocals were routinely challenged by Glenn Hughes's almost unearthly vocal skills.  They were the Everlys of british hard rock, and the pair brought a funky swagger to the band that served them well, allowing the band to stylistically forge ahead, breathing new air.  Their second album together, Stormbringer, may still be the best blues rock album to ever come out of England, an amazing stew of funky keyboard, rhythms and vocals doing battle with Ritchie Blackmore's rebellious hard rock guitaring.  It may have contained no smash singles, but every song is a winner and I defy you to find a more exciting record.  Coverdale and Hughes mixed and matched vocals better than any duo in hard rock history.  The band also saw huge success as headliners at '74's California Jam, which culminated with a furious Blackmore destroying a network camera and another nice Strat.

Germany's teutonic rock opera of The Schenker brothers has made for interesting comings and goings, as brother Michael flew in and out of The Scorpions and UFO with dizzying regularity.  Artistically, The Scorpions couldn't have done better than replacing Rudolph's younger brother with uber guitar wiz Ulrich (Uli Jon) Roth.  Roth took the band to new levels of sophistication, and almost singlehandedly took heavy metal guitar playing into the world of classical influence.  Half Hendrix/half Paginini, Roth's use of exotic scales, mixed with exceptional trem bar histrionics had to have influenced Yngwie Malmsteen as much as Blackmore. 

The Scorpions huge success the world over didn't occur, however, until both Schenker and Roth had exited, to finally be supplanted by Matthias Jabs, a fine player by any measure, though not as innovative as either of the band's earlier axemen.  Jabs was in, then out, then in again finally, as Schenker struggled between sibling loyalty and his draw towards his own muse.  In the end, the band profited by being finally lead by the artistic vision of Rudolph Schenker.  Rudy wrote, Matthias played solos and that was that.  While never again as exciting and innovative, the band found a focus previously unseen, and it took them to the top of the charts across the planet.  It's hard to argue with success, though I still pine for albums like 1977's, Taken By Force.

UFO also had many issues with replacement players over the years, as they tried and ultimately failed to keep Michael Schenker on board through a great many trials and tribulations.  Paul Chapman came and went several times, never achieving either the popularity or the musical success that the band had with Schenker.  Several guitarists made appearances over the years, including non-descript outings with Lawrence Archer, and fine but unnoticed records with Atomic Tommy McClendon, a fabulous player who never got a decent listening I'm afraid.  Now the band carries on with long time replacement Vinnie Moore, a fine player, but one without a strong identity of his own.

The name of Steve Vai always arises when discussing the role of the pinch hitting gunslinger, having followed his stint as Yngwie's replacement in Graham Bonnet's Alcatrazz (which netted the band their finest record, Disturbing the Peace), with perhaps the gutsiest of all replacement missions, that of following Eddie Van Halen as David Lee Roth's right hand man.  Vai did fantastic work on both occasions, then surprisingly failed miseably when he replaced the fiery John Sykes with David Coverdale's Whitesnake.  This I blame on a bad premise, that of thinking that Vai's otherworldly, etheric guitar atmospherics would meld well with Coverdale's bluesy songs and vocals.  Sometimes two rights can make a wrong.

Replacing a guitarist in an established band is never easy, given the stylistic peculiarities of individual players.  Jake E. Lee never quite got out from Randy Rhoads shadow with Ozzie Osbourne, but time heals all, and  over time Zakk Wylde became Osbourne's musical voice, as the world eventually got beyond Rhoads's death.  Zakk's harmonic squalls have become as much a part of Ozzie's sound as Rhoads's astounding solos and unique riffing.  Had Wylde immediately followed Randy's departure, he'd have had it much rougher.

Sometimes, changing guitarists can sound a band's death, as it did in the mid-'70s for England's Mott the Hoople.  While Mick Ralphs took his burgeoning songwriting talents to platinum success alongside Paul Rodgers in Bad Company, the Hoople died, as Ralph's replacement, Ariel Bender (Spooky Tooth's renamed Luther Grovsner) proved to be a better drinking partner for Ian Hunter than a musical foil, proving to be barely functional in the studio.  Then to finally put the band in it's grave (perhaps intentionally), Hunter brought in the ultimate rock and roll Tonto, David Bowie's brilliant guitarist/arranger Mick Ronson.  Though Hunter and Ronson remained partnered for the rest of Ronson's all too short life, with Mott they only made a few shows and one single, their glorious goodbye, Saturday Gigs.  Ronson came into Mott and took too much power and influence from the remainder of the band and proceeded to sink an all ready teetering ship.

Speaking again briefly of Deep Purple, Blackmore's departure (his first of several) was followed by Tommy Bolin, a guitarist who's reputation far outweighs any evidence of greatness.  Terribly out of place in a hard rock band, and terrifically hampered by drug problems, Bolin never fulfilled his promise.  I saw the band shortly before Bolin's death, and it was pathetic.  Never had I been so disgusted by a performance.  The man could barely walk, let alone play.  Live recordings bear this out as well, with Bolin buried under Jon Lord's keyboards.  This was a shame and a tragedy, as Bolin had been touted as such an amazing replacement and seemingly had such potenial that never came to fruition, aside from his work with Billy Cobham.  Deep Purple now soldiers on admirably with virtuouso Steve Morse, but they aren't remotely the same band (not that they need be,oe even should be - hat's off to them here) as the one that gave the world, Made in Japan.  For some fans this is fine, for some it is near heresy.  Such is life.

This parade of pinch hitters probably began with Clapton, Beck, and Page with the Yardbirds.  Ever since, there's always been great discussion controversy and interest whenever a major band replaces their guitarist, or a guitarist departs from a band.  It certainly keeps things interesting and provides a fascinating look at what we like and why we like it.  I didn't even get into Thin Lizzy, Humble Pie, Yes, or a hundred other interesting examples.  Or singers, drummers, or even keyboardists (Yes?).

peace, tc

     

Black Country: The Real Vultures?

Based on what I'm hearing so far, it seems that the closest we may get to Zeppelin-esque nirvana in 2010 may not be Them Crooked Vultures after all.  With six tracks in the can and more on the way, the new blues/rock supergroup, Black Country, featuring Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, and Jason Bonham, should have a Kevin Shirley produced album done by late March, and it may blow away anything previously done by any of the group's members.

Kevin Shirley has stated that the group would most likely complete their first record and have it out by late summer, and has expressed amazement at the group's sound and initial progress.  Shirley has produced such acts as Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, Iron Maiden, and he did the remixes for Zeppelin's How The West Was Won. 

Judging from Hughes and Bonamassa's jam at Guitar Center's Night of the Blues in November (several vids available on youtube - especially a great version of Deep Purple's Mistreated), this project will be perhaps the sleeper event of the year for fans of guitar oriented rock and blues.  With Sherinian said to be supplying mostly "distorted Hammond Organ sounds," the group sounds like the closest we'll come to a classic Deep Purple-styled outing.  As much as I'd love to see Ritchie Blackmore tread the boards with his former band mates again, I'm not holding my breath given singer Ian Gillan's distates for the man, and David Coverdale's throat problems.  I know Deep Purple is an ongoing concern, but what they do now is admirably a bit removed from classic Purple.  Steve Morse has been with the band a great many years, and has made it an entity of it's own that while doing great work, isn't really classic blues rock, which is what old Purple did best.

Glenn Hughes has been recording and touring to great success for many seasons, but has until now failed to find a partner with which to share the stage.  Said to be issuing an autobiography this year, which should be a great read, given his amzing discent into addiction hell and his subsequent recovery.  Unknown to most American rock fans, Hughes plays to sold ouut audiences all over the world, and is amazingly prolific on the album sidee of things as well.

Hughes's bands have featured some fine guitarists, but no one with a strong identity, or an established sound of their own.  He's not had a challenging regular bandmate with which to share the stage since David Coverdale.  This has now changed, especially given Bonamassa's increasing rock and roll stance over the last couple of years.  He's been inching closer and closer to rock and roll, and this should finish the job.  The world may finally get what it's never received from Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker's ill-fated attempts at reliving the promise of Cream over the years, or Purple's post-Blackmore progression.  Black Country could be the new champion of progressive rock and blues.  Having Kevin Shirley behind the mixing console is a great sign.  Having Jason Bonham onboard - great sign.  My assuption is that these two stalwarts will push the duo firmly in the direction of rock.

What I like about this is that there is no talk of remote recording, or any of the malarky that so often goes along with these supergroup type collaborations.  No, these guys are writing and recording together as a band, with the producer on hand, and none of the Pro Tools as Houdini bullshit that oftens occurs.  Many is the project that features bands that have never played in the same room, and the problem is, they always sound like it.  Working with Shirley in actual sessions, and sessions spread out over some time, not just knocked out in one day also bodes well for the project's success.

One area that concerns me is the songwriting side of things.  If I have a problem with Them Crooked Vultures, it's in the realm of songcraft.  Granted it's only my view, but I wish Grohl's sense of melody and structure had more strongly figured into their equation.  I'm a song guy, and in the song category, I don't hear myself humming any Vultures tunes yet.  My guess is that Bonamassa's more simple blues based sound will combine with Hughes's ultra-sophisticated take on rock and funk, and come to an agreement somewhere in the middle taking both to a higher level.  If I'm right, we may have a monster on our hands.  Here's hoping they exceed beyond all expectations.

I can easily see these guys on tour with the newly formed/reunited West, Bruce, and Laing in the fall.  I've yet to hear Leslie West and Malcom Bruce (Jack Bruce's son who has filled his father's shoes in this reunion) play together, but I hear good things, and entertain my usual high hopes.  West's 2007 album of  Dylan covers, Masters of War, remains one of the finest hard rock guitar outings I've heard in many years, and I'm hoping he's still on track.  If you never heard the Dylan tribute, look it up and have your mind blown.  I listened to it just the other day, and I'm always pleasantly surprised to hear West singing and playing better than ever.

I've been a huge Glenn Hughes fan since first hearing Deep Purple's, Stormbringer, and have been aching to hear him perform with a guitarist with a own sound and character of his own ever since.  He came close twice.  Once with Tony Iommi on the proposed Iommi solo record that became a Black Sabbath record, The Seventh Star.  Then a few years later, he recorded a few great tracks that ended up on Gary Moore's, Run for Cover.   Both outings sadly lead nowhere, and since, Hughes has done fine work on his own, but has never had a cast as strong as his lead.  Now that may well change, and the world may get a great surprise and a great new band.  Wouldn't (may I should say - won't) that be great?

I'm placing much of my faith on the fact that Derek Sherinian, a fantastic keyboard player, is being used to largely play the role of a latter day Jon Lord.  This tells me that the Purple vibe is being carefully considered, and that could be very cool, indeed.  The combination of this with Kevin Shirley's vast experience as a producer and engineer tells me volumes about this project.

My prediction is that this will be the sleeper of the year.  We'll see, won't we....coming in late summer, 2010.

Black Country.

Edit:  By the response I've received, it's obvious that I should point out the fact that Glenn Hughes has been amazingly prolific for the past decade.  He's made several records with Iommi since the Sabbath record.  My point in the blog is that Glenn hasn't had a regular partner for touring or recording that is equal his amazing talent or stature, and I think every artist benefits from this. Blacck Country should prove this.  Find out more on Glenn and Joe, and Black Country at:

http://www.glennhughes.com/
http://www.jbonamassa.com/
http://www.cavemanpproductions.com/ (Kevin Shirley's site)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsN_kJVR-YI (hughes and bonamassa doing Mistreated)

and thanks to Mark ( a reader) for correcting my gaff on the name of Seventh Star (a great record incidentally, my favorite to ever bear the name Black Sabbath).  Fire at will, Dio, Gillan, and Ozzie fans.

Paul McCartney: As a Musician (Reprint From 2010)

Lots of thing are said about Paul McCartney these days, but it seems that very little of what's said is about his music.  Most of what I see involves his social life, and personal matters, none of which are of my interest or concern.  And really shouldn't be anyone else's either.

What interests me is wondering if possibly Paul is the finest musician that ever lived, and why.  I can already hear the naysayers, and the Lennon fans.  I love Lennon's music, don't get me wrong, but I also am not under the impression that he was anywhere near the level of McCartney in pure musicianship, nor did he have any interest in such.  Before you dismiss this possibility, ask yourself this:

Has anyone ever done as many different things musically as well as McCartney?  Sure, there might be better singers, but Paul's a great one.  There are writers as good, but perhaps none better over the long haul.  As a pianist, he's as facile as rock's best ( Martha My Dear, Maybe I'm Amazed, Let It Be, Hey Jude)....pretty good, eh?).  His arranging skills are superb.  As a guitarist, he's a brilliant lead player, and no one sounds like him on an acoustic: beautiful and unique.  Paul the Bassist?  The capitalization is intentional.  He's almost inarguably the best bassist in the history of rock and roll.

Often overlooked is McCartney's fantastic abilities as an accompaniest.  Listen to his bass work and background vocals on George Harrison's Something.  Wow.  Listen to his playing on Lennon's songs.  Paul was much more of a team player than he's ever been given credit for.  How many cool songs did he write for Ringo Starr to sing?  How many writers give away an A Little Help from My Friends, or a Yellow Submarine (granted a weird one, but was it not perfect for what it was?).

His mastery of style is awesome ( a word that's become terribly misused, but I mean it here as intended - awe inspiring).  Early on he rocked I'm Down, then crooned Yesterday. He did Michelle around the same time he did, Got to Get You into My Life. Later, he gave Linda My Love, and Maybe I'm Amazed, while banging out Let Me Roll It, and Live and Let Die.  He even tackled country rock with Rocky Racoon. He also regularly travelled the well paved roads of Ray Charles and Little Richard with piano fueled rythym and blues.  Seems there's no style he can't do and do well.

As a bassist, Paul is not in a league of his own, but he's got scant company.  It may be said that James Jamerson played as inventively, and as beautifully on most of the Motown hits of the '60s and early '70s.  John Entwistle also is a member of the small group of bassists I'd consider truly as great.  I'd throw in the underrated John Paul Jones as well.  While these guys are in McCartney's league as a bass player, none of them sang while they played for the most part, nor performed their own compositions, either, with the exception of Entwistle, occasionally.

McCartney's bass work is all you could ever asked for from a player.  Even the reasonably rather easily tossed off later hit, Coming Up, has a stunningly great bass line.  His playing is perpulsive, melodic, inventive, and unpredictable.  I recently enjoyed Tom Petersson of Cheap Trick's performance of the whole of the Sgt. Pepper album, and as impressed as I was with his playing,  I was more taken by the fact that McCartney had originally conceived and performed such wonders.  There's not a song on the record in which Paul sounds like he did anything but laboriously think out, and contribute his best effort.  On most every track from his long career Paul has made an effort to play a great part, as opposed to a tagged on bass line.  That's where his skills as an accompaniest shine through most brightly.  He always played his heart out, never once mailed it in.

I wonder how many people listened to The Beatles's, Taxman, then went on to rave about George Harrison's ripping guitar solo, never realizing that the indeed ripping solo had been laid down by Paul McCartney.  His electric lead guitar playing is brilliant, and mostly overlooked when people discuss great guitarists.  While he's never made an appearance in any top 100 guitarists type polls, that's both a shame and a crime.  Listen to his lead lines on his solo track, Maybe I'm Amazed.  I'm absolutely amazed, alright.  There's loads of great guitarists who've never played a solo as beautiful, succinct, or better for a song.  Paul played lead guitar on a great many Beatles tracks, as confirmed in several books that chronicle the band's recordings.  Geoff Emerick, who engineered much of The Beatles's catalogue, discusses this a great deal in his excellent book, Here, There, and Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles.  While to a discernible degree a McCartney apologist, Emerick's personal opinions may be one thing, but I can't question his veracity.  His facts are indisputable.  Fact is, McCartney is a tremendous guitar player, and that fact has been given short shrift.  He's a great, great guitarist, regardless of how you look at it.

McCartney the singer?  If you fancy yourself any type of capable singer, try a few McCartney tunes on for size.  His range and abilities are stunning.  Wimpy?  Tell me that what he sang on Helter Skelter is in any way wimpy.  You kidding me?  The man has been critically derided for most of his career because he happens to be as good a singer of love songs as anyone ever.  We can't go about supporting someone actually espousing the beauty of love, now can we?  Paul's performance on the end The Beatle's final recording, Abbey Road, should end any discussion concerning his abilities as a vocalist.

Not often mentioned (people rarely discuss such matters), is McCartney's skills as a background vocalist.  He's perhaps the greatest that ever lived.  Again, give a listen to his accompaniment of George Harrison on Something, and you will be amazed.  Throughout the entire history of The Beatles, Paul sang his heart out every time he contributed a harmony to someone else's tunes.  The art of harmonization is finally returning to the world of rock after a long absence, and this is a beautiful thing.  No one did it better than the Beatles.  From day one they were performing wonderfully complex and sophisticated harmonies.  McCartney's vocals not onlt boast great tone and range, his note selection also cannot be overlooked.

Martha My Dear, a love song Paul wrote to his sheepdog, started out as a piano playing exercise.  McCartney, a musician always seeking to improve his skills, devised the piano on this track as a way to sharpen his chops, and the results are obvious.  One would never know that this is not the work of a brilliant pianist, which, of course, it is.  Paul wrote more hit songs on his piano than perhaps anyone but Cole Porter, and his playing is always spot on.  I listed but a few of these hits earlier in this article, but go back and listen to his piano playing.  It stands up to the work of such greats as Nicky Hopkins, Leon Russell, or any other great rock and roll piano player.

Arrangement is an art that many listeners never consider, but one that can't be overlooked (using that word a lot, aren't I?).  In the history of recorded music, has anyone ever recorded a better suite of songs than that which wraps up Abbey Road?  Or, how about the middle eight, bridge section of Lennon's, A Day in The Life, where McCartney supplied the brilliant, "Woke up, Fell out of bed" section?  Much of Lennon and McCartney's shared brilliance lies in their ability to arrange their songs, not just play them as written.  This may speak to work ethic as much as it does to talent, but they had that in spades, and it can never be forgotten that hard work is what develops great skills.  Later on, McCartney showed the brilliance of his arranging and producing skills by reuniting with George Martin on the incredible, Live and Let Die, which is so seamless that you almost don't notice how complex and majestic the composition and recording are.  It's a musical marvel made to sound effortless by Paul's great talents.

Did I mention that he's also a very competent drummer?  I didn't even go into his marvelous acoustic guitar playing, simply because that deserves it's an article of it's own, he's that good.

Yeah, for my money, Paul McCartney may just be the all round greatest musician who ever lived.  Beethoven never sang his compositions, Sinatra never wrote his songs, and no one I can think of ever so ably contributed to the work of bandmates.  He wrote them, played them, sang them, and produced them.  Who ever did it all, better? It's an interesting question.