POLL: SPIN's Greatest Guitarists of All Time

yeah they were a good guitar band when that was their whole deal. he was their mike mccready!

Between Nels Cline and John McLaughlin right now. The flawed and egalitarian McLaughlin would be ahead in the sheer chops department.

Fripp's up there too obv.

Voted McLaughlin in the end. Guy is just superhuman.

Despite my criticisms, btw, I do think it's pretty cool that Spin included people like Bailey, Branca, Sharrock, Ribot, Chadbourne on this list.

voted Ribot

I voted for Robert Fripp

xp Sonny Sharrock is in SPIN's favorite 90's albums also, which is essentially the reason why I know he exists.

anyway, this list is weird and very spin-like in various ways (admirable, sad, funny, etc). i'm not annoyed by any exclusions, cuz that seems to have been the point, and it's nice to see some love for sonny sharrock, eddie hazel, d boon and robert fripp on airport newsstands.

i voted for john fahey, which seems both way too easy and lol old man, but i've got about 20 albums by the dude that consist of little more than fingers and strings, and i never get tired of them/him.

What this thread reminded me of: goddamn, I'm glad I don't have to rely on my opinions about music to put food on the table.

i've got about 20 albums by the dude that consist of little more than fingers and strings, and i never get tired of them/him.

I went to sleep to The Yellow Princess last night.

What else should I look for? (Have Womblife already.)

guys we're ruining this thread, can someone please save it and talk about the 'ondes martenot' some more

― man pipes blog (some dude), Saturday, May 19, 2012

this post was already a lol but i invite everyone to read "ondes martenot" in a maurice chevallier voice.

Ribot

Derek Bailey

I would automatically disqualify ALL punks no matter how much they practiced. I'm voting Zappa in protest.

Neil

Ended up voting for Asheton.

Where the hell is Ted Falconi?
Paul Westerberg?

i thought james williamson played lead guitar on raw power?

He did. Ronnie played bass. Is that what it says in the article?

nnnnevermind

Voted Carris Brownstein.

Chet Atkins

Where are Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, authors of the song "Karis"?

I voted Prince though I had second thoughts and tried to voted for Ron Asheton

Algorithm for voting in these polls
1) Is there somebody I actually think is the best and is he on the list? If so vote for him
2) Is there somebody who deserves better but is probably going to get zero votes unless I step up? If so, vote for him
3) Is there somebody who influenced or blazed a path for half a good number of the other jokers people in the running? If so vote for him.
4) Keep clicking on the thread from time to time until the spirit moves me to pick somebody.

Sorry forgot 3b)
Is there someone whose vocalist said of their band: "If someone told us we had to play Chuck Berry or die, we would have to die," vote for him.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

RIP The Blues I guess

Luckily the blues had a baby

Kurt Cobain


The "solo" that snakes through the final third of Nirvana's course-changing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is little more than a sly rip of the song's chorus melody.

EVERY Cobain solo is that. Was it always a "sly rip" when he did that bullshit?

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

nice rhythm guitarist tho

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

yes - people who are really into the Cobain mythos/memories of the 90s imagine they hear something v. great in his playing

DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking sly

http://www.thisheartsonfire.com/images/SlyFox03.jpg

The funniest part of that line is that Cobain actually plays the verse's melody. He plays it over the harmony and rhythm of the chorus, which is the sly part, I guess.

I'd never claim the guy to be a lead guitar genius or anything but I think there were only a couple of songs where he actually just played the verse's melody for the 'solo'. IIRC there was a highly chromatic solo on one of the In Utero album tracks.

(Definitely wouldn't rank him as the 4th greatest guitarist of all time though.)

I'd never claim the guy to be a lead guitar genius or anything but I think there were only a couple of songs where he actually just played the verse's melody for the 'solo'. IIRC there was a highly chromatic solo on one of the In Utero album tracks.

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:13 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well he didn't have that many guitar solos. Unfortunately he put them on some of his best songs.

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

In Bloom is probably my favorite 90s guitar solo

EVERY Cobain solo is that.

I'm pretty sure he only did that on Teen Spirit and Come As You Are.

youre dumb

heart-shaped box?

You're right that he did bother to actually write a solo for In Bloom though, good for him.

nah "heart shaped box" solo does not copy the vocal melody. pretty sure he only did that in 2 songs. :)

although you could be referring to the part that copies "i got a new complaint" but that's not really the solo section.

EVERY Cobain solo is that

Please see "Serve the Servants."

The funniest part of that line is that Cobain actually plays the verse's melody. He plays it over the harmony and rhythm of the chorus

The chord progressions for the verse and chorus are identical, only the rhythm changes, and the chorus has a brief turnaround at the end.

although you could be referring to the part that copies "i got a new complaint" but that's not really the solo section.

― billstevejim, Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:30 AM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Don't follow you here... I don't know what part of the song could be seen as copying that melody OTHER than the solo.

But yes, not EVERY cobain solo was just the vocal melody... But doing it in three different singles is a bit much don't you think?

Surprised Keith Rowe and Kevin Drumm aren't on the list.

Annoyed Pete Townshend and Bo Diddley aren't.

^ this. Except for Kevin Drumm, never heard him.