I have decided to start a new “series” of sorts, here at Guitar Musings. Along with giving you my thoughts and recommendations on new CD’s that I have purchasedt, I will also grab some music from my collection and let you know what I think. Why should all recommendations come from new releases when there is so much music to explore that has been around for years?
My first selection is Bruce Cockburn’s “Speechless.” I chose Bruce because it was his playing that inspired me to study fingerstyle guitar with his signature alternating bass lines with that unwavering thumb and his melodies continue to make my draw drop. Speechless came out in 2005 and is a collection of his instrumentals throughout his almost 40 year career. I think every song on this release is wonderful but here are some of my favorites.
Rouler Sa Bosse: He has been performing this live quite a bit now. Took me over a year to get that sucker down.
Sunrise on the Mississippi: Great blues tune. A great example of how his thumb is independent from his entire body. Make you feel like you’re on the front porch down south with some of the old greats.
Deep Lake: Slow meditative song that reminds me of a trip I took to the English River in Canada.
Water Into Wine and Sunwheel Dance: Both of these songs are perfect examples of his mastery of fingerstyle guitar. There is so much happening in these songs, you sometimes wonder if there is someone playing with him.
Mistress of Storms: Another “thumb” song but he adds vibes to this for a more jazzy feel. If you can get a hold of him doing this live, get it! His improv is incredible.
I was poking around Digg today and I came across a Rolling Stone article titled, “The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.” Some items on the list made sense and others made me wonder, “What the hell were they thinking?” Here’s the top 6:
“Johnny B. Goode” - This I can agree with. As soon as you hear that intro guitar solo, you know what song it is. The guitar makes the song, not the lyrics or singing. You could argue that this was the first “guitar song.”
“Purple Haze” - Classic Jimmy Hendrix, I can’t argue with this.
“Crossroads” - No familiar with the song as much as others so I won’t “yay” or “nay” this. But it’s Eric Clapton so I’m thinking that it’s probably a pretty good choice.
“You Really Got Me” - I can see why they chose this because it has great groove that is instantly recognizable. I prefer the Van Halen version instead of the Kinks, however.
“Brown Sugar” - Like “You Really Got Me” I can see the choice but I wouldn’t consider it a top 5 guitar song of all time.
“Eruption” - I had to include this because this is the song by the man that inspired me to learn the guitar. Eddie Van Halen transcended guitar throughout the 80’s and “Eruption” was his calling card. Easily, should be 3 or 4 on this list, at least.
I won’t go through the complete list but many songs seemed to be chosen because of popularity instead of how it influenced guitar. I agree with some choices but cannot believe some of the choices on the list. Most notably, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which was rated at #10.
What!!!!!
OK, I get it. This song spoke to a lot of people and many loved/loves the mysteriousness of Kurt Cobain but a top 10 guitar song of all time? I don’t think so. Nirvana has it’s place in music history but this isn’t the list.
Anyway…..
I’ve seen this before. From sports, movies to music there will always be controversy/disagreements in these types of lists. Who knows? Maybe Rolling Stone did this to create a buzz on the article. If so, then it worked. I have a piece of advice for Rolling Stone, create a “Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” list and put that eight year old kid who got a perfect on Dragon Force in expert mode on Guitar Hero at #10. That should generate some buzz.
Guitar Musings is now three months old and I would like to ask you how I am doing? Below is a brief survey, about 7 questions, and your answers will help me improve upon what I feel is a good start. If you fill out the survey, you will also be entered to win a copy of Tommy Emmanuel’s “Live Center Stage.” Please, only one entry per person. The survey will be open until Wednesday May 28th 8:00 PM MST.
Once again, thank you for visiting my site.
Larry McDowell
(5.28.08: survey is closed. Thanks to all for your responses)
Just got this message from Tommy Emmanuel camp. In case you haven’t listened Bob and Tom, they love practical jokes and are pretty funny. Their energy and Tommy’s should be quite interesting.
Tommy will be on the top rated National morning radio program BOB AND TOM at somewhere around 8:30 am EDT on May 20th - from Indianapolis, Indiana. It is LIVE in 150 cities. Some cities delay it (Pacific & Mountain time) so they can air as their morning drive show. Here is their affiliate list: http://www.bobandtom.com/gen3/affiliates.htm Also, here is a pass to their VIP website so you can listen to the show on your computer if Bob and Tom is not broadcast in your city. Just go to www. bobandtom.com .. and select VIP top right tab. USER NAME: airheads05 PASSWORD: airheads05 This is a great opportunity to expose Tommy and his music to America. Please pass this information on to others, and if you can…Listen in! Regards, Linda
So set your calendars and alarms so you can wake up in time for a listen.
Was YouTube surfing tonight and and ran across this little gem. It’s Muriel Anderson performing “Day Tripper” by the Beatles. Only knew of Tommy Emmanuel’s version so I was excited to see someone else’s take on this song. In the middle of her performance, she demonstrates a different baseline that is in the original song but Tommy left out. Not saying this is better or worse than Tommy’s version but I love seeing how two different guitarists attack an arrangement for the same song.
article titled, “The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.” Some items on the list made sense and others made me wonder, “What the hell were they thinking?” Here’s the top 6:
