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.
I asked in my last post if the statement, “This is acoustic music in your face”, was a warning or a prediction. Still not sure which one it was but CD 2 was in my face and Tommy got a little bit of help from Bob Littell on Harmonica.
Highlights:
The mix: I know I said this in the last post but it’s so good and really makes the CD’s an experience to listen to.
Working Man’s Blues: Good old fashioned blues with Littell on the harmonica. They played off each other well and had a nice little jam going at one point. I’m not a huge fan of the harmonica but this was truly impressive.
Morning Aire: Beautiful song. I don’t know if there is more I can say.
Initiation: Tommy Does a long version of this where he’s really working the delay but in the end there’s a point where you could tell he just releases and lets the music take over. “Primal Guitar” as Michael Hedges used to say.
Questions: Last track on the CD and all I would write down in my notes was, “Wow!”
Any “lowlights?” For me, I would say too much harmonica. The first four tracks felt like they were Tommy featuring Littell. There was great guitar in those tracks but the harmonica seemed to butt in like a third wheel at times. My thoughts were, “I bought this CD for Tommy Emmanuel, not the harmonica.” As I said before, I’m not the biggest fan of the instrument. Great playing and I have a great respect for Littell’s playing but it was too much for me.
Final Thought:
Once again, if you don’t have it get it! If you are still wondering and waiting, get it anyway. You won’t be disappointed. Can’t wait for the DVD!
