Rain

60 years down the line it can be difficult to understand the impact they originally had because, after all these years, musically, the difference between British rock bands this side of the Beatles in the mid 60’s is often a matter of a few tiny degrees. I understand the need to put things into perspective - and being a big fan of the genre, I usually do. And I also know that one must take into account the whole rock opera thing. Indeed, there is something in the way Townshend approaches creativity that I sincerely appreciate. Which is why I keep trying. But, to me, in their execution, these albums fail to deliver for the most part. Being innovative doesn’t necessarily mean being good or great. Objectively speaking, and even taking into account the prowesses of Entwistle and Moon, from the later 60’s onwards, the end product doesn’t seem on par with many of their contemporaries, whether it's the album's or the live performances. That’s coming from someone who’s long been addicted to classic rock and learned to not only forgive but appreciate certain, uh, idiosyncrasies of the era. I am sure I can still sing the entire guitar solo/non-sense from Dazed and Confused on The Song Remains the Same note for note decades after I last heard it. Same for Interstellar Overdrive by Pink Floyd. I remember one of the very first CDs I bought was Live at Leeds. I had heard so many fantastic things about it, and it was often cited as the greatest live rock album. It turned out to be one of the biggest letdowns of my music buying career. I’m still trying to dig it, but it just doesn’t work for me. From that same couple of years, I can think of many live records that are, in my opinion, in every way superior to Leeds - Live Cream, Band of Gypsys, The Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, Humble Pie at the Fillmore, to name but a few, and not to mention all the live footage and countless bootlegs from other contemporary acts. But I am stubborn, so I will keep trying.

Ever since I finally “got” Rush after decades of intense dislike, I’ve been cautious with my musical opinions. One band that I keep trying to figure out is The Who. However, while I could still objectively appreciate Rush and I never thought of them as overrated even if I didn't like them, I find such a thing to be impossible with The Who. Rush I simply didn’t like. I knew they were great. May I live to regret these words, but, in my allegedly humble opinion, as a band, The Who suck. There. I said it. I understand their historical importance to an extent, but, yeah… And yet every couple of years, I give them a try, dig through their discography, find a handful of passable songs that I don’t hate, but the rest just makes me cringe. And this time was no different. Anyway, I am not sure how this happened but this latest attempt resulted in me revisiting early Genesis. What a strange ricochet, right? Since I’m really not a fan a prog rock, it’s always an adventure for me to test those waters. Last fall, I tried a few Yes classic albums and I was soon reminded of why I don’t like the genre. They seem to be one of the finest examples of everything that I dislike about prog rock. But Genesis were always different. Even if I wasn’t a fan, I’ve always had tremendous respect for Peter Gabriel, I’ve always dug Phil Collins’ drumming, and they had at least one album (albeit, from the post-Gabriel era) that I absolutely adored - Trick of the Tail. Maybe they also had an edge because I used to listen to Marillion a lot in the mid-late 80’s, and there are indeed similarities… Anyway, here I am listening to Nursery Cryme over and over and over - and really digging it. And the coolest part about all of this is that, in my world, Foxtrot, Selling England, and The Lamb have yet to be released. And I intend to make the most of this process. Meaning I always have tons of fantastic music to discover, regardless of the current state of the music industry. And who knows, maybe someday I’ll “get” Yes. The Who seems like a lost cause at this point, though. And Wagner I viscerally hate forever.

Mr. Bungle - Pink Cigarette

Hal Willis - My Pink Cadillac

Quiet Riot - Slick Black Cadillac

Randy Rhoads is the reason I started playing electric guitar and went on to study classical music. I was a big fan of EVH too, obviously. And I’ve always felt that George Lynch was the other side of that triangle - he has qualities that remind me of both (and he also happened to teach at Rhoads’ mother music school for a while). No disrespect to Jake E. Lee, whom I very much appreciate, but I think Lynch would have done a terrific job for Ozzy - just too bad they thought he didn’t have the look for the part. I’ve always liked Adrian Smith - nothing flashy about him but I dig his phrasing. I’ve always felt that he provides the emotional anchor to Maiden’s music - when his solo starts, the song just opens up on a whole other level. Vivian Campbell was another one I dug. I must mention James Hetfield - a tremendous influence on me. It’s often more exciting to hear him playing rhythm than it is to listen to someone shredding, to me anyway.

Signed, the country that gave us the greatest rock band ever. Seriously, though... What an amazing musician he was.

Kirk Hammett is the very first person I think of when I thing of awful vibrato and indecisive bends. He gives me tooth aches every time I hear him. Within the confines of the genre, he is one of the worse guitar players I can think of. James Hetfield is a much better lead guitarist (and he certainly is in my top 5 for rhythm guitar). Although that's not saying much. As a member of Metallica, Kirk was a hero of mine, and he seems like a really cool dude. But he sucks. He may an underrated rhythm guitar player though, seeing how he has to follow Hetfield. But even just within that top 50 - Hammett before Vernon Reid? James Burton? Brian May? Zappa? Frusciante? David Gilmour? Kamawn!!!! And where's Alex Lifeson?!

Guys - this lady says she's here to put an end to this thread...

Trey Parker and Matt Stone - Alabama Man (fake ad jingle)

I feel like I'm missing an important one with Alabama in the title, here... ?

Mick Taylor - Alabama

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Alabama

John Coltrane - Alabama

David Bowie - Alabama Song

Elvis Presley - There Ain't Nothing Like A Song

Stone Temple Pilots - Lounge Fly

Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now

Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away

U2 - The Fly

Indeed, one of the first names that popped in my mind. I assumed (or not really) he had to be somewhere in there, though... And again, many of the cats listed are on my personal list of favorites because I come from that school. I just don't mistake them for "the greatest guitarists".

Whenever an entry starts with a justification like "he or she may no actually be a very good guitarist, but he or she creates interesting stuff", you know you're dealing with BS. But again, it's Rolling Stone. 250 relevant guitarists would already be better. Any list that has The Edge (whom I sincerely like and appreciate) but no Danny Gatton or Django (I only browsed through the top 50) is a joke.

Yeah, no. lol

Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle

The Beauty of Gemina - Victims of Love (Qui Tollis)