I have been doing a pretty decent job of avoiding political discussions this election season, which is amazing considering the attention this race has drawn. I have a select few friends, on both sides of the aisle, that I chat with semi-regularly and I do enjoy those discussions, even if I don't always agree with what's being "pitched". As much as I try to avoid the incessant bickering that goes along with political opinions, I find it nearly impossible to extract myself from any argument involving music, especially when it concerns the timeless question of "So who is the greatest guitar player of all time?" This is one discussion I will always be in the middle of when it comes up even though it may eventually cause me to stroke out.
Anyone who knows me understands that musical conversation, especially in the Rock and Roll realm, will always draw me in no matter my mood, temperament or current activity. It's as impossible for me to ignore as a plate of Suzy Q's, though arguably more healthy. Like politics, music can be a very personal thing, and even more so when the subject of favorite this or favorite that comes up. I have opinions, like all music fans do, but often times those opinions can be woven with simple scientific fact that for some reason, the knuckleheads trying to argue with me just can't seem to understand! Usually, the argument begins with, "You know who the greatest guitar player ever was? ____________________!" This is usually when I see red and quickly try to imagine soft white bunnies and whispery winds and calming waterfalls, in an attempt to stave off the intense rise in blood pressure I know is coming. It rarely works...
There are a lot of fantastic rock guitarist out there, some living and some dead, and all brought their own unique style and sound to Rock and Roll. There are players like Eddie Van Halen who took the hammer on/pulloff style to an entire new level, some would even try to say he invented it (he didn't). There are legendary neo-classical players like Richie Blackmore whose work with Deep Purple was imaginative and soaring and speedy and inventive, and sometimes just plain boring, oddly. There is Randy Rhoads, who was cut from a cloth similar to Blackmore and took the classically inspired sound to new heights while playing his short lived stint with Ozzy, and likely would have been a bigger legend than he is today had he lived beyond his 25 years. Of course many people worship and adore Jimmy Page, as do I, for he crafted some of the most recognizable and in-your-face Blues based riffs ever to hit the eardrum. David Gilmour from Pink Floyd often times gets overlooked when guitarist discussions come up because he was rarely flashy. However, his blues-drenched note bending and passionate timing is awe inspiring at times, especially on his later solo works. Aerosmith, in my opinion, have always been at their best when they are in stripped down, bluesy form and Joe Perry is shredding away. His style and technique is impeccable, interesting and messy all at the same time, and paved the way for later greats like Slash to come along and take it up a notch. These are all true legends of the instrument, indeed, and worthy of a place in the Top Ten...but none of them can match the magic and sheer intensity that the Top 3 bring to the game.
Eric Clapton was not called "slow hand" because he played slowly. It was actually a name given to him resulting from a "slow clap" that originated in his early club years, in respect to his brilliant, bluesy playing. Later he would be called "God" and be sought after by numerous bands and legends to compliment their works. I have seen him live a half dozen times now, most recently at MSG with Steve Winwood who played along side him in Blind Faith, and I can say with no reservations that he is the greatest living blues-rock guitar player alive today. The man can work his away around minor pentatonic scales and lazy rock riffs like no other player out there. I was in complete awe of what this legend did with those 6 strings that night as he took in your face blues to a dimension few of us have probably ever seen and likely never will again. He took fellow musicians to school while he captivated the casual fans, as he simultaneously intoxicated us all.
There will never be a list of greatest rock guitarist that doesn't include the late Jimi Hendrix.. it would be blasphemy and unquestionably grounds for a minor beating from me. The man took the guitar, broke it into a billion little pieces, rebuilt it again, added a hearty helping of distortion and just shot off for the moon. What was amazing about Hendrix is that so much of his writing and playing took place while he was high and in many performances he's utterly brilliant despite the limitations his state of mind placed on him. Even when Jimi was out of tune he was ON, man. He just took the Blues and set them right the f**k on fire and didn't look back. Guys like Clapton and Pete Townsend knew they were done after they saw him play, as he fortified his reputation in London earlier in is career before tearing up the States. He worked with some of the greats like Miles Davis in his career as well, and everyone that came into contact with Hendrix knew they were part of something special. Anyone who places him at the very top of a greatest guitarist list can't be faulted for the choice, and I almost agree with them...almost.
To me, the measure of a great guitar player is not just about the speed or timing or technicality of the playing, it's not even about the sound. The best players have a combination of all of these things and some excel in certain areas more so than their peers, however the very essence of a great guitarist, or any musician for that matter, is how they ignite your emotions. Do they connect with your soul on a level that's not able to be measured in beats per minute or decibels or originality alone? Can they convey the feeling of the song or the passion of their playing in ways that no others can? For me, the one person who was always able to do that better than any other was Stevie Ray Vaughn.
S.R.V used to go out on stage and feel that he was "channeling" Jimi Hendrix, who he worshiped. He played some of Jimi's tracks like Little Wing and Voodoo Chile(Slight Return) complete with feathery scarves and cowboy hats and a wild way about him, ripping through the songs like a man possessed. His interpretation were not only very accurate and complimentary, but they were even more inspired and electrifying than the originals. Stevie used heavier gauge strings to add "thickness" to his sound, but still managed to play faster and more harshly than Jimi, ramping up the bluesy rock numbers to a frantic pace and sometimes just shredding them to pieces. Then, in a blink he'd be bending a note with so much focus and passion that B.B. King would be stunned. Stevie Ray had long wanted to be a black man, he had said, and rightly paid tribute to many of the Blues greats like BB and Albert King and Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy with his playing, and often times sharing a stage with some of them as well. He blew them all away, and they knew it, and they loved it.
What Stevie Ray Vaughn did with the guitar was pick up where Jimi left off and inject a southern-inspired shot of adrenaline into it. He had what Jimi had and a little more, and not only played like a maniac but also wrote some great Blues Rock music to boot. If you watch him play live on any of the numerous live concerts available on DVD you'll see a man that was so in touch with his instrument I have often wondered if he wasn't cosmically connected to it. He was a technician beyond compare, but he was also a passionate soldier of the Blues that drenched every note with inspired emotion. S.R.V was the man, and that's just the way it goes.
Now, I understand there are still lots of people who prefer Jimi or Eric or Eddie, or many that think the younger gunslingers like Satriani and Vai are "the shit", and I do love and respect all these players as well. Guys like John Petrucci and Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse, Yngwie Malmsteen are insanely talented, in another universe at times. Pete Townsend and The Edge and Alex Lifeson are all somewhat underrated legends of the 6 string that likely deserve more credit than they ever receive. Jazz players like John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth are so mind-numbingly impressive technically that it makes my head hurt to watch/listen to them play! However, for me the guitar is simply a vessel for administering joy and pain and inspiration and in my opinion the captain of that ship will always be Stevie Ray. He was a God among the divine, man.
My Top 10:
1. SRV
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Eric Clapton
4. Randy Rhoads
5.Jimmyi Page
6. David Gilmour
7. Eddie Van Halen
8. Richie Blackmore
9. Joe Perry
10. Eric Johnson/ Slash (tie)
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