Entertainment For Lively Minds
"The great sound of..."
Posted by nicktf on 31 January 2010 - 6:01am.
On another thread, Lennylaw posted a Sam Brown song, and threatened to dock cred points if the guitarist couldn't be identified by the massive.
Which (Non-vocal) musicians can you identify by their sound? Why?
For me, David Gilmour, Richard Thompson, John Entwistle, Brian May and Jeff Beck have a unique, distinctive, unmistakeable sound (though I've heard a really good RT impostor). With Gilmour, it's in the warm fuzz tone and voicings, RT, the notes, Entwistle the virtuosity, May just sounds grate (joke for guitar nerds) and with Beck, it's the precision and attack.
I couldn't pick out Eric Clapton out of a sonic crowd, though.
- More from nicktf.
- Login or register to post comments
-
Mark Knopfler
and Neil Young.
Robbie Robertson et al
I was very pleased with myself yesterday when a somewhat obscure track came up on shuffle, and I mentally identified it as probably by Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. It was actually the version of 'Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat' from the No Direction Home CD; but I gave myself a pat on the back for identifying the musicians.
Martin Carthy...
has a very distinctive guitar sound. Very percussive. Nic Jones's style was pretty distinctive too.
Absolutely...
I promoted a gig by Martin Carthy around 10 years ago and got to pick up his guitar. It is the most beautiful instrument I've ever held... old and worn, a lifetime of music held in the patina of the wood.
BB King...
that glorious, singing vibrato.
Carlos Santana
has a very distinctive sound.
Mark Knopfler
Another shout for Mark Knopfler and any excuse to post this......
His fingerprints all over this, especially the sublime outro from ~4 mins onwards.
Probably should be another thread, but this is one of my favourite Joan Armatrading tracks - a much under rated artist.....
Ritchie Blackmore
Back in the day, he was the ace plank spanker with a highly distinctive sound. Someone has put together this selection of his best solos:
John Martyn
Take a look at this:
Not sure of anyone else playing guitar in this way....
RIP - JM
Kenny G
A distinctive sound is not necessarily a good thing, as Pat Metheny and Richard Thompson would confirm.... A good time to post this old favourite again.
Jaco Pastorius...
I can't describe his sound... it's beyond words.
And Joni Mitchell's guitar playing is unique too. There's an entire website dedicated to deciphering her tunings.
Bruce Springsteen, but not in a good way
I yield to no man in my admiration for Bruce, but his lead guitar playing is a horrible din, awful tone, notes bent too sharp, recognisable anywhere. Three cheers for Nils Lofgren.
No good?
And at 3.09:
no
Hi Lucas
Thanks for posting these. They kind of prove my point, especially the racket starting at c. 1:20 on the first clip. As to the second, well, the contrast with James Burton's playing is pretty stark.
I'm all in favour of Bruce, but I do think his lead playing is pretty rotten. Plenty of people think otherwise though!
Fair enough!
As soon as I put the Zevon track on there, I thought to myself, Indus will hate that...
Not to mention his
erstwhile 'stunt guitarist' Steve Vai
And never forget
Bob Dylan's godawful harmonica playing
Dylan's
Harmonica playing much maligned. Have a listen to this - subtle and understated, I'd say, and certainly melodic:
Vernon Reid
The Living Colour guitarist sounds like no one else.
Miles Davis
That middle-register vibrato-less sound is unmistakable.
Jimi Hendrix
don't get more distinctive than that
Trouble is....
...A lot of people can do a convincing Hendrix. Try the Frankenstein guitar parts on this tune from Pearl Jam, for example...
A poco Paco.
All the greats are unique
Hair styling by Javier Bardem
?
I'm not a U2 fan
But I'd recognise that bloody Edge guitar sound anywhere
Not any more I wouldn't...
that's part of the reason I've gone off U2... The Edge started to get bored of sounding like The Edge.
As usual the answer is
Mark King!
Jah Wobble
That liquid, near-subsonic bass sound of his is instantly recognisable.
Lovely
...sound. Just reading his 'Memoirs of A Geezer' at the moment - highly recommended, very (anecdotally) informative and funny.
Stuart Adamson
The skirl of the geetars:
Peter Hook - bass, how low can you go:
Shome Mishtake?
Surely with Hooky's bass playing, it's more "how high can you go?
No mistake
Have you seen the way he plays it? :-)
Bert Jansch for me.
Always instantly recognizable...
Two fom Texas...
Billy F Gibbons and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Paul Kossoff
You can keep yer Clappo, Koss was the guvnor
Good call mentioning Kossoff...
and while we're on the subject of Free, a mention must surely go to Andy Fraser, who has one of the most instantly recognizable bass guitar sounds in all of rock music.
Keith Moon
Not so much drumming, more hitting things with style.
Always recognise Moon's playing
a) because its usually a Who track
b) because you'll have that near perfect metronomic beat, and then BANG - Lead Drums
Nick thinks Brian May sounds grate.
I'd disagree. He sounds on fire.
Now. If someone would be good enough to pass me yonder coat..
Now you're just...
...Guild-ing the lily.
Surely you should be
...passing yonder mantle(sic)??
I don't...
...have the hearth to further this exchange.
Yes, let's coal it a day...
We could be here all night...
...anthraciting these old gags. I'll scuttle off for now, though.
Very funny
but a little tong in cheek.
I saw Queen live once.
Quick gig, it was. Time flue.
Yes
Frank Zappa
Jaco Pastorius
Robert Fripp
Adrian Belew
Bill Bruford
Allan Holdsworth
Adrian Legg
Derek Bailey
Mick Karn
Oh, Derek Bailey!
Yes, Pocket. And also
John Zorn.
Ah, Zorn...
...and how about Pat Metheny? (Going to see him next week play his Orchestrion. Metheny shows are always a bit spesh).
Thoroughly good calls..
to which I'd add
Bill Bruford
Robert Fripp
Wayne Shorter
George Harrison
Eberhard Weber
Lester Bowie
J.J.Cale
although Cale might be a moot point.
and no mention of the great
Tom Verlaine
You just did.
Thanks.
Tom Verlaine.. now there's a rock god
If it wasn't for Verlaine we wouldn't have that post-punk twang. No Will Sergeant for one thing.
Another guy who never gets a mention is Alan Rankine of the Associates whose style was emulated by all the 80's bands - Cocteau Twins, U2 - the Edge has admitted he nicked the riff for 'Gloria' from 'Paper House' on the Affectionate Punch album.
Tom Verlaine...
I've long thought that he may have listened rather intently to the work of one Mr R. Thompson Esq. - he's one of the very few guitar players who sounds rather like the bearded and bereted one.
Mitch Easter
Brilliant, utterly distinctive.
If I heard all of the above....
...playing some sort or standard, I'm betting I'd only pick a dozen or so of them. But if Hank Marvin was in there I'm pretty sure I'd pick him out.
Ooh, also...
...Barry Adamson's bass.
Marc Ribot
I always find Marc Ribot's guitar sound very distinctive.
Oh, and Eric Dolphy on the bass clarinet, of course - those octave leaps!
I've attended...
...the Eric Dolphy memorial barbecue.
Ribot
Good call.
Can I also suggest the late Robert Quine?
I was scrolling down to see if anyone had added him yet
That great sideways guitar - there's something Monk-ish about his timing, too, which is unusual for a guitarist.
Unique.
Rolf Harris.No one wobbles a board like Rolfy!
Two words:
Nick Harper
Dave Swarbrick - you might
Dave Swarbrick - you might not believe a folk fiddler could sound utterly unique, but...
Christ I missed this one...
struggling now but...
Micheal Rother
Bernard Edwards
Nile Rogers
Ry Cooder
As part of Superbowl preparations, I am blasting out a range of New Orleans music, including the fantastic album "Our New Orleans".
The slide on Buckwheat Zydeco's "Crying In The Street" could only be one man - I hadn't remembered that it was him, but a quick check at the booklet confirms that my ears are alright.
His touch, his selection of notes, his space - what a great guitarist.
(That video seemed a bit sticky - here it is in Spotify)
http://open.spotify.com/track/0yZOeSfMJwg7IXcX7Hcy2y
There's loads of other examples of his great sound - "Paris, Texas", and his 70s albums especially - but this in particular reminded me of why I think he's so good