DID WE BLOW IT???

[doc taz]

I finally read it. I'll have to read it again later, and comment again, but I tend to agree with what's on the issue, so far. Well done.

 

I like the articles on Frank Marino, and Pete Anderson. Marino's one of those types I've only discovered in the last year or so. From what I've heard from friends, and online, I'd go see him.

 

Cool comic-book style artwork for the Anderson one, too!

[njrocker]

I thought the moments were pretty good, although they did leave out some things I would have liked to see, like developments in the studio and various gear stuff.

 

And I geuss MTV was a major moment, but I don't know how "great" it is. They almost killed Rock N roll, man!

[Tedster]

We need to come up with "100, er, ALMOST great moments that didn't quite make the list"...

 

1939: Adolph Rickenbacker's not-too-bright cousin Cletus tries to put a pickup and strings on a real frying pan. Or some such stuff...

[Caevan O’Shite]

Originally posted by Tedster:

"1939: Adolph Rickenbacker's not-too-bright cousin Cletus tries to put a pickup and strings on a real frying pan. Or some such stuff... "

"Yes, sir... NOW we're cookin' with gas! Ham 'n' eggin' it, we are... look out: hot guitar! Them's some greasey licks, mmmnn-hmn... O.K., bringin' home th' bacon now..."

[D_dup3]

Re: newstand availability: every store (or local chain outlet) deals with different distributors, much like every record shop does.

There can often be several factors that affect availability; I suggest 2 things: search for an outlet (newstand, music shop, whatever) that does carry what you want rather than keep checking where they don't; alternately you can approach managers/owners---don't stop with clerks, they may just consider you an annoyance in their day--- & express to them your interest in buying certain periodicals & that you would do so regularly.

They want to make money, if they know/think they can do so by satisfying a potential customer, they generally will do what it takes.

 

On-line, of course, there's always the G Player site "next door"....although they stock the "current" issue late, too, compared to some retailers.

FWIW, retailers & subscribers often get the same materials at different times. When I subscribed, I'd often see issues at shops before I got mine by mail.

Now I read it at the local library (a great resource, especially for back issues---you can even buy them when they clear out their back-stacks!); I've noticed that they recieve GPlayer & KBoard at very different times during the month.

[Gabriel E.]

I like the new(est) design and I dig most of the content.

 

However I'm sick of lists. Best this/greatest that/Top 100. . . blah, blah, blah.

 

IMHO these lists are lazy journalism - easily compiled filler of no importance that should be left to Blender and Rolling Stone. I always suspect the editorial team throws them together when the writers all miss their deadlines or when potential interviewees don't respond.

 

More stuff like the article with Nels Cline would be good. That was a great feature.

[PBBPaul]

I have one issue with this issue.

 

I'm reading along on page 60 about Scotty Moore and the Echosonic, get to the end of the page, flip the page and... no more Scotty Moore! It goes right to Bo Diddley. But wait, then I find that the Scotty Moore blurb on page 60 was continued on page 64 and the Link Wray paragraph on page 62 was continued on page 66. Who laid this out?

[Editor Boy]

Hi all...

 

Thanks to PBBPaul for catching and publicizing the unfortunate printing error that causes the reading of pages 60-66 to be like a maze with a revolving door. Yep -- ya gotta go from page 60 to page 64, and then back to page 62 and on to page 66. Then you're okay. I apologize greatly for this goof.

 

Regarding all the comments about availability on the newsstands: I will forward them to our circulation director to see if we can do something about the situation. However, those who wish to subscribe online CAN do so. Just click to guitarplayer.com and hit any of the SUBSCRIBE buttons.

 

To Gabriel E: I can dig it if you don't dig lists, but I will say that compiling, researching, writing, and editing these massive lists is FAR from "lazy journalism." The staff almost collapsed getting this story to the printer on time (we had a two-week + working schedule before the printer's jaws started chomping to get this baby). I'd rather do a single interview any day!!! These things are scary as hell for a staff to tackle, but we recognize that the majority of readers dig them, and they sell like crazy on the newsstand.

 

Thanks for all the comments. As more and more readers see the article, I'll be awaiting even more feedback!

 

Cheers,

Mike

[TCA117]

Perhaps it's fashionable to ignore the obvious, but how could you choose to disregard Springsteen's Born to Run album from your list of 101 Guitar Moments? A top 20 album of all time, it remains simply American Guitar Rock & Roll. From Thunder Road to Jungleland, guitars weren't merely heard, but became part of the extension of the storyline.

On the album cover, Bruce's Fender Esquire was front and center. Even today THAT guitar is remains part of the legacy of Rock.

[BriBaby]

How about when Danny Gatton got a major label release? That was a major moment for guitaring I would say imho.

[The Lone Chicken]

Overall, it looks like GP did a good job with their "The 101 Greatest Moments In Guitar History." Here's a few personal additions of mine to the list...

 

1970: The release of "Glass Harp" (Decca), the self-titled debut album by an ahead-of-their-times power trio that introduced the world to the guitar virtuoso that was and is Phil Keaggy. After two more albums with Glass Harp, Phil has since recorded numerous solo albums and also worked with other artists, including P.O.D. Phil is, in my opinion, the most talented, the most gifted, the most versatile, and simply the best guitar player who has ever lived.

 

1978: The release of "Awaiting Your Reply" (Star Song), the debut album by Resurrection Band (or "Rez" for short). Rez was perhaps the very first Christian hard rock band, and, powered by the scorching blues-rock guitar work of Stu Heiss and Glenn Kaiser, they showed that Christian bands can more than just do it as well as secular bands--they can do it better!

 

2003: The introduction of the Alesis GuitarFX multi-effects pedal. OK, this may not have been much of a moment for most, but for me, a guitar player who in 2003 was able to "get back on the playing field" (getting a '03 Fender Strat that is very much like a '63 Strat that I owned way back in the late 70's and early 80's), finding a single pedal that can do so much for so little cost...well, it's significant to me!

[Darklava]

It was good to see that Frank Marino got

some props for once,this guy is great guitar

player.He never got any respect because he

was concidered a Jimi clone,but he can do much

more then some people think.Can't wait for

his blues album to come out.

[Darklava]

1978: The release of "Awaiting Your Reply" (Star Song), the debut album by Resurrection Band (or "Rez" for short). Rez was perhaps the very first Christian hard rock band, and, powered by the scorching blues-rock guitar work of Stu Heiss and Glenn Kaiser, they showed that Christian bands can more than just do it as well as secular bands--they can do it

That maybe true but there was nothing like the

Atomic bomb that Ed dropped on the guitar world

in 1978.He made a lot of guitar players re-think

what they were doing and some were jealous

one that comes to mind was Joe Walsh.

Albert King can blow Van Halen off the stage

with out pluggin his guitar in {Joe Walsh}

[D_dup3]

Finally saw it.

This is off track for the "guitar moments" commentary but I've got to mention the Pete Anderson piece.

 

Even if one dismisses his work with Dwight Yoakam, read this. His esposition of how/why to mix digital & analog recording methods rather than use either alone is fantastic.

Very clear & explicit.

[Proginoskes]

I'm not sure everyone in the thread knows what it's about ...

 

You missed a MAJOR timeline in the history of guitar: 1963: Dave Davies of the Kinks takes a razor blade to his "green" amp and cuts slices in it, resulting in the classic distortion sound heard on "You Really Got Me" (the first single to sell a million copies, by someone other than the Beatles), "All Day And All Of The Night", and "So Tired Of Waiting For You." It might not have been considered a major moment, since distortion as a fad went out of style almost immediately afterwards. 8-)

 

Another Kinks/guitar moment was in 1966, I think, when they recorded "Fancy". Ray Davies detuned his Framus guitar until he got the droning Eastern-type sound heard on the song. And BTW, this was a year before the Beatles discovered the East.

 

-- christoPheR heckman

 

P.S. At least GP didn't say that Eddie Van Halen invented two-handed tapping. That goes back at least to the 1950's.

[Dave da Dude]

Editor Boy said, ... However, those who wish to subscribe online CAN do so. Just click to guitarplayer.com and hit any of the SUBSCRIBE buttons.

Does this allow on-line access to current issues and searching of archives, etc.?

 

I don't really want the "... dog eared ..." hard copy hangin' 'round. I'll never find it (no dis intended).

 

But if I have it (as, for instance, an e-book or pdf file) in my mass of (somewhat) organized info on my computer ... now that's cool

[Tedster]

Perusing it again...did I miss "Someone figuring out how to wind a bunch of wire around a magnet and inventing the pickup"?

 

It seemed like it went from the "invention of the resonator guitar" to "Gibson offers the first electric guitar/amp combination".

 

Maybe I just accidentally missed it. I'll check again...

 

But, I've been enjoying the article all morning. It's one of those things that should be seperately published as a "Coffee Table Book"...something you can leave sitting out for people to browse a little at a time.

 

Hey, now, there ya go, Mike...publish it as a coffee table book! A few more snazzy photos and there ya go!!! I'd buy a copy both for me AND for my doctor's office (I get sick of reading "Golf Digest" when I go in there). Plus, there's a lot of stuff in there that's of interest to non-guitarists as well, jazz, blues, rock, country history...

[john rosett]

well, i read the article three times to make sure i didn't miss anything. there's a couple of moments that were left out.

1. charlie christian joins the benny goodman band. charlie christian was the father of electric guitar players, and possibly the first musician to understand and exploit the electric guitar as a different instrument that the acoustic. his playing influenced everything that came after.

2. the bristol sessions. maybell carter was the first country "lead guitarist", and had a profound influence on guitarist such as chet atkins, merle travis, hank garland, etc, etc. her influence is still evident today in country, bluegrass, folk, and even rock&roll.

3. oscar moore with the nat king cole trio. mr. moore was one of the first electric guitarists to be heard in "popular" music. jethro burns once told me that he and chet atkins spent hours trying to figure out how he did the things he did.

4. speaking of chet atkins... i mean, come on! known as "mr. guitar". one of the most influential guitarists of all time in so many ways. for a great moment, how about when he recoded "chinatown" in the 50's? i doubt that many of the guitarists mentioned in the article could do that.

it's unfortunate to me that guitar player has become so "rockcentric". ignoring these pioneers and their achievements, while running a full page photo of kiss is the main reason i'm letting my subscription run out. if we're going to talk about the "greatest moments" in guitar history, we'd better check that history.

[NMcGuitar]

Slightly OT:

 

I've got 2 words for Ace Frehley: DANCE BELT?!?!?!?

 

Otherwise, I'm only about half way through the list. It's definitely got some great moments in it (and I'm sure I'll think of others that were missed).

[Funk Jazz]

surprised to see mention of Vai's work with Ibanez on the 7 string article, but you left out his seminal albums Flexable and Passion & Warfare.

 

for the most part it was a good list, i learned a lot, and got a better perspective on the timeline of things.

 

my only gripe is that you tackled an enormous task, and attempted to condense it to a single issue. the subject matter deserves an on-going series with more depth rather than a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am aproach.

[mad-doc]

Never had a problem with availability. My subscription always comes early. I see GP on every magazine rack in every grocery store, bookstore, general merchandisers, etc, They're everywhere.

As to your "101 GREATEST MOMENTS IN GUITAR HISTORY" you have chosen the release of Deep Purple's Machine Head album containing Smoke on the Water. A pretty good choice, but I think a better one occurred on July 13, 1972 in Cobo Arena in Detroit, where the Rolling Stones played to a sold-out crowd. A buddy and I got our tickets like everyone else, by lottery. We were lucky enough to score two at $6.50 each. We were offered $250 for the pair outside the Arena before the show, but we came to see the Stones. That was a lot of money back then. There was a riot outside and windows were broken from people trying to get inside Cobo. Stevie Wonder was the warm-up act, and the spotlight hit his mother in the crowd, and he sang "You are the Sunshine of My Life" to her. It was an unforgettable moment. But later, when the house lights went dark, and the only light was the glow of a long row of amplifier pilot lights and a faint glow behind the stage, and the silhouette of a thin, caped bobbing figure appeared behind the backline, the crowd noise was deafening, but the Stones came on even louder and more visually stunning. This was back in the days when the band was expected to bring enough ampification to be heard, and the PA was for the vocalist. 120dB on stage is what the papers reported. There were no blow-up dolls and no fiery post-modern dragons; just a stage, a band, and their guitars, amps, and a PA. Garage rock gone big-time. THAT was rock and roll. THAT TOUR was a sellout, and a monumental benchmark in the history of amplified guitars.

[Chad Thorne]

Originally posted by Proginoskes:

I'm not sure everyone in the thread knows what it's about ...

 

You missed a MAJOR timeline in the history of guitar: 1963: Dave Davies of the Kinks takes a razor blade to his "green" amp and cuts slices in it, resulting in the classic distortion sound heard on "You Really Got Me" (the first single to sell a million copies, by someone other than the Beatles), "All Day And All Of The Night", and "So Tired Of Waiting For You."...At least GP didn't say that Eddie Van Halen invented two-handed tapping. That goes back at least to the 1950's.

With all due respect, Christopher, blues guys were doing the razor blade thing in the '50s, too. A better watershed moment in R&R guitar distortion might have been when Paul Burlison of the Johnny Burnette Rock & Roll Trio loosened a tube in his amp to produce the distorted sound heard on "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (yep, that one; the original, before the Yardbirds and WAY before Aerosmith).

[greg8]

Well, yes you blew it. Come on, do you people really think that lame-ass bands like Kiss and the Ramones trump the most original, musical, and stunningly virtuosic electric guitar pioneer to date:Alan Holdsworth, for "Greatest Moments in Guitar History"!? Considering the emphasis the mag puts on tone, originality, harmonic knowledge, phrasing, taste, and chops, and the occasional respectful Holdsworth article; it's a stunning, glaring ommission. It seems to me you've even had feature articles on his chords. Can't wait to see the article on harmony according to Kiss, or the Ramones. Oh, never mind I already know how to strum a major bar chord. I guess they express original guitar style by the rock star posing, and clothes/costumes. Sad.

In conclusion "he's the best in my book" Eddie Van Halen, "he's too good" Neil Schon, "Holdsworth belongs to the highest rank of guitar virtuosos" New York Times (fer cryin out loud), "More than just a gifted artist popular among his fellow musicians, he has originated what has become the Allan Holdsworth school." Guitar Player Magazine.

[Tedster]

While I most wholeheartedly agree that Holdsworth is a guitarist's guitarist, and has no doubt influenced scores of players to take their playing to the next level and beyond, I can't discount the impact that scores of "lame-ass rock star posers" have had on countless kids, in getting them to pick up the guitar in the first place. Not saying it's right or wrong, only that it is.

[Jim Soloway]

The magazine just arrived a few minutes ago so I haven't read it, but given that he's been dead over 30 years, shouldn't there be some limit to how many times you can put Jimi Hendrix on the cover without a really good reason?

[gfred611]

I thought that the invention of the Fender Electric Bass in the early 50's should have been included. Many guitarists double as bassists and technically, the bass IS a guitar.

 

I remember reading somewhere that Leo Fender actually created the P bass to give some of his "unemployed" guitar friends an instrument they could easily master and add to their resumes.

 

Gwen

[picker]

Mr Molenda,

reading the article impressed me with just how much good fortune I have enjoyed in my life. I witnessed many of the events GP wrote about in that article, as a child in the 50's, a teenager in the 60's and a young adult in the 70's. What an amazingly influencial time I have been witness to! What a long, strange trip it's been...Gee, I guess at 53(next month), I am officially a boring old fart. Wow man, that crept up on me...

 

You missed one important guitar event that I can think of, so far; MC5's live first album has been heralded by some folks as the birth of punk rock, and deserves at least a mention.

 

Whoops, one more; Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper made a significant contribution to the "super group" concept with both their "Super Sessions" and "Live Adventures" albums. Prior to that, there was an almost enforced "group indentity" to the most popular bands. Then came Blind Faith, CSN&Y, etc, and the casual confluence of great musicians playing together became as common in rock as it is in jazz...

 

Did you mention James Burton's work with Ricky Nelson on the Ozzy & Harriet TV show, bringing rock n roll to the white American audience in their homes in prime time?

 

I gotta go back and read that article again. GOOD stuff..

[The Lone Chicken]

Originally posted by Tedster:

While I most wholeheartedly agree that Holdsworth is a guitarist's guitarist, and has no doubt influenced scores of players to take their playing to the next level and beyond, I can't discount the impact that scores of "lame-ass rock star posers" have had on countless kids, in getting them to pick up the guitar in the first place. Not saying it's right or wrong, only that it is.

Good point, Tedster. In any field (i.e music, sports, and life in general), a person or group of people who may have through most of their lives exhibited little talent and perhaps even less ambition or drive may--just for a moment and perhaps entirely by accident or by the hand of God working through them in spite of themselves--far exceed themselves and end up doing something that makes a major and even historic impact in their particular field. As for the world of guitar, there are many guitarists who may have been considered by some as not worthy of respect or admiration for their music or talent but who nonetheless did something in their music that helped to cause a major change to how the guitar is seen, heard, and played. Notice that GP's list was "101 Greatest Guitar Moments," not "101 Greatest Guitar Players". And, as someone else brought up here (I forget who--sorry), GP could have perhaps spread this story over two or three issues and done a more in-depth job, although I still think that overall they did a good job with the list.

 

As for Allan Holdsworth, he has also been one of my favorite guitarists through the years. I think that the release of The New Tony Williams' Lifetime's first album (don't recall the title offhand--I believe it came out around 1975), which I believe was the album that introduced the world to Allan's awesome gifting (well, it was the album that introduced ME to his playing, anyhow ), and the 1978 release of "I.O.U", Allan's first solo album, would have been worthy additions to the list.

[pbognar]

Of course a list like this can't cover everything, but here are some omissions IMHO:

 

- Clapton or Harrison playing guitar through a Leslie speaker, eg. "Badge" or tunes on "Let it Be" or "Abbey Road"

 

- The JC-120 Chorus of the first chorus pedal

 

- "Road Games" by Allan Holdsworth - the guy is admired by almost every guitar player (sorry - just read the post by someone eles regarding Allan)

 

- EH Micro Synth, or Korg X911 or Roland GR-500 or GR-300 (Polyphonic) - something about guitar synthesis

 

- First guitar system with MIDI out to capture performances via a sequencer

 

- First use of feedback "I Feel Fine" - Beatles

 

- First 12 string guitar

 

- First channel switchable amp (Gallien Krueger, I think...)

 

BTW - I really didn't need to see Ace Frehley's junk.

 

Finally, how many times in the last 2-3 years have you had Hendrix on the front cover? If you want to move some product, and you're showing Ace's junk anyway, why not more chicks and nipples on the cover?

 

Really, though, the issue where you had the Holdsworth article, it would have been nice to see him on the cover. Just imagine the embarassment of your sister publication Keyboard - the have a story of B-3 legend Jimmy Smith, don't have him on the cover, and then he dies the same month... Someone dropped the ball there...

[Kiwi]

Some of the "101 Greatest Moments" were more subtle than others, and I'm glad these occurred to you, and then survived the editorial culling. These sure spun my young head around, at the time:

 

- Kottke's "6 and 12 String Guitar" album was to the acoustic world what "Van Halen 1978" was to the electric world - the atomic bomb. Kudos also for the explicit mention of John Fahey's influence on Kottke.

 

- Andy Summers playing textured guitar, neither quite rhythm nor lead, but so compelling you kept dropping the needle back onto "Regatta de Blanc" to hear it again. (And does the lick to "Message in a Bottle" ever get to be any less of a stretch?)

 

You'll never meet everyone's expectations or keep everyone happy, but GP continues to be the mag for grown-ups. The new web site looks good, and I appreciate the downloads.

 

Opening this Forum is also an interesting step - your Kevlar flame suit is handy, I trust?

 

Kiwi (from the Guitar Diner)