MY TOP FIVE GUITARISTS

WITH ME ONLY BEING A HUMBLE BASS PLAYER I FIND THAT I HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA TO MOST GUITAR PLAYERS AS TO WHAT A GOOD GUITARIST IS.
I DON’T SUBSCRIBE TO THE SCHOOL OF THINKING THAT A GUY HAS TO PLAY TEN TRILLION NOTES A SECOND TO GET HIM A PLACE IN ANYONES TOP 5.
WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY MY LIST ONLY CONTAINS ONE PLAYER WHO IS WELL KNOWN FOR PLAYING ‘PROPPER SOLOS’. FOR ME IT IS AS MUCH ABOUT THE OVERALL SOUND AND FEEL THAT THE GUITAR CAN BRING TO A SONG.
ANYWAYS , HERE THEY ARE

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No 5

DAVID RHODES
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ALTHOUGH HE HAS WORKED WITH PEOPLE AS VARIED AS
Blancmange/ Joan Armatrading/ New Order/ Paul Oakenfold/ Youssou N'Dour/ Tim Finn/ The Pretenders/ Talk, Talk/ Scott Walker/ Roy Orbison AND Paul McCartney
HE IS BEST KNOWN AS THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GUITAR WORK ON PETER GABRIELS STUDIO WORK SINCE GABRIEL THREE AND A MAINSTAY OF THE GABRIEL TOURING FAMILY FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS
HIS GUITAR ALWAYS BRINGS SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND IS JUST ENOUGH TO COMPLEMENT THE SONGS
LIVE HE IS BRILLIANT
YOU CAN JUST SEE THE WAY HE ENJOYS EVERY SECOND OF IT
AND THE ONSTAGE ATMOSPHERE BETWEEN HIM GABRIEL AND TONY LEVIN MAKES THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF MY NECK STAND ON END
NICE BLOKE

No 4
James Moginie AND Martin Rotsey

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IF YOU DON’T RECOGNISE THEM , THEY ARE THE GUYS FROM MIDNIGHT OIL (WELL DOCUMENTED AS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BANDS)
AND THE WAY THEY WORK TOGETHER IS BLINDING
THEY JUST SEEM TO HAVE A WAY OF BUILDING UP THE SIMPLEST OF SONGS BY PLAYING OFF OF EACH OTHER TO CREATE A BUILDING ATMOSPHERE WITH BATTLELING CHOPPY CHORDS.
AND DOING THAT RATHER THAN USING WIDDLY SOLO’S AND OVER THE TOP FRET-W*NKS THEY ARE ABLE TO CREATE A LOT MORE FEELING AND POWER WHICH PERFECTLY COMPLEMENTS THE OILS OVERALL SOUND AND FEEL

No 3
DARON MALAKIAN

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FOR ME THIS BLOKE HAS MOVED THE BOUNDRIES FOR ROCK/METAL GUITARISTS. AFTER BEAMING DOWN FROM THE PLANET GODSKNOWSWHERE AND GETTING TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE FREAKIST FREAKS ON THE PLANET , SYSTEM OF A DOWN WERE BORN.
FROM THE FIRST ALBUM THEY WERE DIFFERENT WITH SONGS LIKE SUGAR AND SUITE PEE. BUT IT WAS TOXICITY THAT SHOWED WHAT THEY COULD REALLY DO WITH CHOP SUEY , ARIELS AND PRISON SONG
HE SWITCHES FROM ACOUSTIC PICKING TO R AND B TO QUIRKY CIRCUS TUNES TO DEATH –SPEED METAL TO ARMENIAN FOLK WITHOUT IT SOUNDING MESSY OR FALSE
HIS BEST WORK FOR ME HAS GOT TO BE THE LATEST ALBUM MEZMERISE , WHICH HAS PROBABLY GOT MY VOTE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR.
THE SINGLES ARE BRILLIANT (B.Y.O.B / QUESTION)
BUT THE ENTIRE ALBUM IS EQUALY AS GOOD , IF NOT BETTER
GET IT , STICK IT ON AND TURN IT UP BLOODY LOUD

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No 2

BRIAN MAY
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YES , MR POODLE-HEAD HIMSELF.
QUEEN ARE THE BAND THAT FIRST GOT ME INTO MUSIC , I WAS TO YOUNG FOR PUNK AND LED ZEP AND THE WHO SEEMED LIKE OLD MEN , BUT FREDDIE AND Co SEEMED LOUD AND FUN.
I HAD HEARD THE ODD SINGLE BUT I THINK THE FIRST ALBUM I BOUGHT WAS A NEWS OF THE WORLD, SOON TO BE FOLLOWED BY Q1/ Q2/ SHEER HEART ATTACK/ A NIGHT AT THE OPERA/ A DAY AT THE RACES AND EVERYTHING THEY RELEASED FROM THEN ON. I DON’T HAVE TO MENTION SONGS CAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS THEM.
MY FAVE IS THE EARLY STUFF , IT REALLY ROCKED AND HIS GUITAR SOUND WAS JUST AWSOME , AND EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE MELLOWED HIS PLAYING STILL HAD A POWER TO IT.
MY IDEA OF A GOOD SOLO IS ONE THAT YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE SINGING ALONG WITH. BECAUSE IT IS A REAL PART OF THE SONG
JUST KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THE MIC
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No 1

PRINCE

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JUST THE MOST AMAZING LIVE PERFORMER I HAVE EVER SEEN.

HIS GUITAR JUST SEEMS TO BE AN EXTENTION OF HIMSELF ,
HE DOES DO THE SOLO STUFF , BUT ITS HIS RHYTHM AND FEEL THAT GETS ME ,
FROM SOUL TO ROCK TO GOSPEL TO DANCE HE DOES IT ALL.
WHAT MORE CAN I SAY
CLEVER B**TARD

WELL , THAT’S IT
NEXT WEEK
MY TOP 5 CURRIES