Does an average Blues guitarist smoke the best rock guitarist?

[caesar]

I have been listening to the Stones' Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out, and can't figure out why Keith Richards and Mick Taylor are held is such high esteem by Rolling Stone. Yes, there are nice solos on Sympathy for Devil, but the rest of their guitar work just blends into the overall Stones sound ambiance. Kind of like sugar and flour blend into a cake. Nothing really stands out to move your soul.

Then I pop a CD by a relative obscure BUT SERIOUSLY AWESOMELY talented Fenton Robinson, Somebody Loan me a Dime, and the guitar work is phenomenal. The sad thing is that almost no one has heard of Robinson and he died in relative obscurity. He may have been lucky to sell 10,000 -20,000 copies of his CD, which was released in 1973, while others have sold millions.

What's going on? Is it my listening preference? Is it just better marketing on the part of the rock guys?

 

[Mosin]

I believe you may be right. Another genre to consider is Bluegrass. Some very seriously talented musicans are to be found there. Their technical abilities continue to amaze me.

On the other end of the spectrum are bass players in Death Metal groups. I can't stand the music, but some of them play bass like rockers only dream they could do.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Does an average Blues guitarist smoke the best rock guitarist?

No and vice-versa as well. It's about talent, not music genre.

 

[Mosin]

Does an average Blues guitarist smoke the best rock guitarist?

No and vice-versa as well. It's about talent, not music genre.

I think it is just that we have been ignoring some places where serious talent exists, and the truth of the matter is that sometimes it exists in genres that we don't necessarily prefer. Then again, the discovery helps to open our minds to music we never really considered before.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I think it is just that we have been ignoring some places where serious talent exists, and the truth of the matter is that sometimes it exists in genres that we don't necessarily prefer. Then again, the discovery helps to open our minds to music we never really considered before.

Oh, I agree with that entirely ( and the first part of your post as well). Take Flamenco as an example......

 

[Bill Hart]

Here's something stupid. Try to catch Glen Campbell before he folds from Alzheimer's. He's on tour now, and will be for the next several months. The guy has amazing chops, was a session guy before he got famous, with the legendary 'Wrecking Crew.' We heard him the other night, he was amazing. For that matter, try to catch Red Volkert (sp?)- who used to play with Merl Haggart, and appeared on that big hit album that Brad Paisley did. You'll never sneer at a country player again. (You can usually catch him at the Continental on South Congress in Austin when he is around, he plays as part of a 'house band' there, with Johnny Cash's piano player. Those guys kick ass. And I grew up on Jimmy Page, Duane Allman and Clapton, in addition to T-Bone Walker, etc. I dig blues to death, but man do i have respect for those country and bluegrass guys.
PS Ceasar: if you like Loan me a Dime, you gotta know the Duane Allman version that was recorded with Boz Skaggs before Duane took off with the Allman Bros, right? Duane plays brilliantly, and you can easily ignore Boz if you are not a fan.

 

[DaveyF]

This is an interesting question. IMHO, almost all (maybe all) great rock guitarists have their roots in blues. The blues scale is one of the foundations of rock guitar. At the last Newport show, I played a very early recording of Jimi Hendrix on JTinn's system. In Jimi's early work, he played almost pure blues.
One could clearly hear his brilliance even in this very early pressing.
One of my favorite guitar players is Robin Trower, IF you hear him play the blues, you begin to realize how very close the two genres are. Robin can play blues with the best of them, IMO.

Does an average Blues player smoke the BEST rock players, not IMHO. Now if we're talking the likes of SRV, well that's another story.

 

[slowGEEZR]

Here's something stupid. Try to catch Glen Campbell before he folds from Alzheimer's. He's on tour now, and will be for the next several months. The guy has amazing chops, was a session guy before he got famous, with the legendary 'Wrecking Crew.' We heard him the other night, he was amazing. For that matter, try to catch Red Volkert (sp?)- who used to play with Merl Haggart, and appeared on that big hit album that Brad Paisley did. You'll never sneer at a country player again. (You can usually catch him at the Continental on South Congress in Austin when he is around, he plays as part of a 'house band' there, with Johnny Cash's piano player. Those guys kick ass. And I grew up on Jimmy Page, Duane Allman and Clapton, in addition to T-Bone Walker, etc. I dig blues to death, but man do i have respect for those country and bluegrass guys.
PS Ceasar: if you like Loan me a Dime, you gotta know the Duane Allman version that was recorded with Boz Skaggs before Duane took off with the Allman Bros, right? Duane plays brilliantly, and you can easily ignore Boz if you are not a fan.

I saw Glen Campbell in Midland, TX way back in '68 or '69. I was amazed at his playing ability. Sneering at country players? No way. Check out John Inmon, who was a member of the Lost Gonzo's and played for Jerry Jeff Walker. I last saw him at the Saxon Pub, in Austin. He is well regarded as one of Austin's finest guitarists, I believe. Actually, there are so many great guitarists here, in Austin.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I think those two genres, for the most part, have very different approaches. Rock, at it's best, is about the song, and the greatest rock guitarists are often about the phrase/theme/hook that defines the melody and the short, melodic solos that extend it. Richards, George Harrison, Mike Campbell, James Burton...these are the kinds of players that come to mind. Blues is much more about improvisational soloing, so the playing tends to be a lot more showy. Is it better? Depends on what you like best. Is it harder? I don't really think so, they're just different. One is about improvisation and a certain kind of chops; the other is about composition and a different kind of chops.

Tim

 

[caesar]

I think those two genres, for the most part, have very different approaches. Rock, at it's best, is about the song, and the greatest rock guitarists are often about the phrase/theme/hook that defines the melody and the short, melodic solos that extend it. Richards, George Harrison, Mike Campbell, James Burton...these are the kinds of players that come to mind. Blues is much more about improvisational soloing, so the playing tends to be a lot more showy. Is it better? Depends on what you like best. Is it harder? I don't really think so, they're just different. One is about improvisation and a certain kind of chops; the other is about composition and a different kind of chops.

Tim

I guess, I don't get it. What is the point of short soloing? These guys are considered by Rolling Stone as some of the best, and they can't last 89 seconds? If I take my wife to a nice restaurant, and I pay $59 for a steak, I don't want a bunch of mashed potatoes drowning in a wine reduction sauce with a dime-sized piece of meat. I want a large steak+ mashed potatoes + wine reduction sauce!

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

It depends on what you like. Personally, I like it all at the top level. I like the new "The Fillmore Concerts" better than the original "live At The Fillmore"...including all 32 minutes of Mountain Jam. On the other hand, the brief solo in Taxman is one of my all-time favorites. What's "the steak?" for me it's the song, and sometimes that's a lot of guitar playing, sometimes not so much.

Tim