Changing opinion on players

[Soap]

The one player that I didn't care for and seeing him (fleetwood Mac's live reunion dvd + Lindsay bunkingham) changed my mind about him.
The man, although fleetwood mac isn't my preffered style of music, is a brilliant writer for that kind of music and very impressive player. No fancy arpeggio scales, but man is he a every an incredible rythmic/finger player.
I suggest anyone who hasn't, watch the reunion live dvd, mid through the concert lindsay has a solo (big money and looking out for love) and its very nice. He's a very well rounded writer and player, he can do it all.

Lindsay would be the one I didn't care for then, but do these days.

Santana?
He's very good at what he does, like most great players, but I just never really cared for him, or paid him much attention. Even with all his solo stuff his done with various mainstream artists have been good imo, I just can't for whatever reason get into him. I honestly don't know what it is.

[charvelguy]

Lindsay has an almost Knopfler approach.. he's a very solid player/writer. I was listening to the radio the other day and heard 'Gypsy' come on.. the solo was very Dire Straitish.
Neil Young also is a talent for songwriting..altho I prefer his acoustical works like "old Man" ..the elec guitar is an extension of expression..not flash, but often alot of additional angst. I have to be in the mood for this tho. I see Springsteen the same way.. using guitar as a more added extension of his vocal element.

[Endrik]

To me Santana is a definite guitargod.

Saw him at the North Sea Jazz festival, two years ago I think, and it was nothing short of mindblowing.

And his toooooooone, used to be MB all the way baby 8)

dude, I've always wanted to go to North Sea Jazz festival, some guys I know said it's one of the most amazing festivals ever.

[pro-fusion]

I think he is more of a meditative player than trying to be a chops hound anyway. Make a record with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and you'd probably decide what's the use trying to top those chops?

I disagree. Santana reached his peak as a player when he was being pushed hard by working with McLaughlin, as well as other jazz players like Alice Coltrane, Tom Coster and David Sancious. Carlos actually was starting to develop some chops, and I think he'd be a monster today if he'd kept at it. His fusion era albums ("Caravanserai", "Lotus", "Welcome", as well as "Love Devotion Surrender" with McLaughlin) are some of my alltime favorites, but he went back to being a pop musician in the mid-late '70s and kind of gave up the ghost as a musical explorer. Some of his late '70s albums are cool, but they don't hold a candle to "Caravanserai" in my opinion. And to me his playing has been pretty much a dead letter since the late-80s. He repeats the same five licks over and over while contorting his face to look like a "deep artist." "Blues for Salvador" was his last really good album, IMHO.

Great tone, as you say, though I find that he has a little too much high-mids in his sound nowadays and too much of that PRS high rolloff effect. He sounded better on Les Pauls and Yamaha SGs.

[pro-fusion]

Lindsay has an almost Knopfler approach.. he's a very solid player/writer. I was listening to the radio the other day and heard 'Gypsy' come on.. the solo was very Dire Straitish.

Lindsay is more than capable of tearing it up when he wants to, though he's more of a blues guy than a shredder. He's a fantastic player/writer/singer and he got to do Stevie Nicks in her prime. I'm so fucking jealous!!

[Guyver1]

Clapton is much better than what you hear on the radio. Versatile with fantastic tone. If you listened to his playing more you would undertstand what Slowhand really means. Its actually pretty cool and very accurate.

Slowhand came about because he'd break guitar strings, and instead of changing guitar he would change the string, the crowd would get impatient and 'slowhand' clap him, its a myth that this nickname was anything to do with his actual playing.

[Boxcar Willie 84]

I am not really complaining at all. This is a good thread.

[jgcable]

Slowhand came about because he'd break guitar strings, and instead of changing guitar he would change the string, the crowd would get impatient and 'slowhand' clap him, its a myth that this nickname was anything to do with his actual playing.

I never heard that story before.
For over 25 years now my friends and myself have come to know slowhand as meaning Clapton never really looked like his hands were moving very quickly yet he would be flying. Slowhand to us means an extremely efficient fretting technique.

I guess I learn something new everyday.

[GodOfRhythm]

dude, I've always wanted to go to North Sea Jazz festival, some guys I know said it's one of the most amazing festivals ever.

Definitly is, man!

One of the next editions we should hook up and go together! It is really an awesome event and the bill is never short of amazing.

[jeff300]

Lindsay has an almost Knopfler approach.. he's a very solid player/writer. I was listening to the radio the other day and heard 'Gypsy' come on.. the solo was very Dire Straitish.

That's funny. :ROTF:

Saying Lindsey plays like Mark is like saying Jimi plays like Eddie.

Ya got it backwards dude.

The original Fleetwood Mac, with Peter Green, and the Lindsey/Stevie incarnation were both huge influences on Knopfler.

[Endrik]

Great tone, as you say, though I find that he has a little too much high-mids in his sound nowadays and too much of that PRS high rolloff effect.

dude, I don't hear much high-mids in his tone, it's the classic Boogie Mark or Dumble tone wich is all low-mids

[Endrik]

Definitly is, man!

One of the next editions we should hook up and go together! It is really an awesome event and the bill is never short of amazing.

that would be badass

[5074charvel]

If you look at the Woodstock movie Santanas playing is so technical advanced as compared to the other players. Only Hendrix at that time had such an impact on the guitar as a solo instrument. From that point he did a lot of groundbreaking for what later became so-called shredding ...

[charvelguy]

That's funny. :ROTF:

Saying Lindsey plays like Mark is like saying Jimi plays like Eddie.

Ya got it backwards dude.

The original Fleetwood Mac, with Peter Green, and the Lindsey/Stevie incarnation were both huge influences on Knopfler.

oh I'm 40ish.. I know who came first...not to say Fleetwood Mac wasn't successful but most people nowadays recognize Knopflers playing as trademarked to him and not so much accredited to his former influences...altho I must admit I do not recall who he credits as influential.. Chet Atkins?

Ditto on Santanas playing at woodstock... I was going to mention it before that he was smoking it up at that time..

There were a few others that were shreddin back then... Jan Akkerman, Glen Buxton.

[pro-fusion]

dude, I don't hear much high-mids in his tone, it's the classic Boogie Mark or Dumble tone wich is all low-mids

You're probably right about that. Still, his tone in recent years (the last couple of albums or so) has become a bit more "nasal" to my ears, which is high-mids. Of course, it's tough for me to get past all of the rappers and shitty 'guest vocalists', so I don't listen to those very much. I wish Carlos would go back to making actual band albums. Perhaps the relative commercial failure of his most recent album will move him to do that. He's kind of milked the guest-star thing for all it's worth.