thevoid99's 10 Underrated Guitarists in Rock
Aug 23 '01
The Bottom Line These ten guitar players are some of the finest musicians in rock n' roll history.
If there was one instrument that’s been constant in the history of rock n’ roll, it has always been the electric guitar. For its near half-a-century timeline, the electric guitar gave rock n’ roll its edge and a sense of rebellion. From the 1950s, you had greats like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, Elvis Presley’s guitar player Scotty Moore, and Ricky Nelson’s famed guitar player James Burton. In the 1960s, you had the British Invasion guitar heroes from the Beatles’ George Harrison and the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richard and Brian Jones to psychedelic rock guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page. By the 1970s, the guitar was still dominate from progressive/art/glam rock guitarists like David Bowie’s guitar player Mick Ronson, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore, and Ted Nugent through punk/new wave guitarists like Johnny Ramone of the Ramones, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, and Elvis Costello. By the 1980s and 1990s, the guitar was still in presence with new heroes like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Mark Knopfler, and Eddie Van Halen through anti-guitar heroes like U2’s The Edge, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, and Radiohead guitar trios Thom Yorke, Ed O’ Brien, and Jonny Greenwood.
While many of these guitar players are considered some of the best, there are however, lists of guitar players that never receive attention for their guitar playing and sometimes these guitar players are considered pioneers in their own right. In my list of underrated guitar players, I decided to list ten guitar players that should receive attention not only for they’re playing but also the way the approached they’re playing in the confines of rock music.
1. Kevin Shields-My Bloody Valentine
Out of all the list of guitar players in numerous guitar magazines including lists of underrated guitar players, My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields have always been overlooked on many of those lists of great guitar players. Famous for his work with U.K. shoe gazing pioneers My Bloody Valentine, Shields broke a lot of ground on guitar textures by bringing post-punk guitar elements and feedback noises mixed in with ambient music formats. He experimented with texturing on 1988’s acclaimed album “Isn’t Anything” and took it much further on 1991’s rock masterpiece “Loveless”. After the release of “Loveless” there hasn’t been any word from My Bloody Valentine as Shields now works with former Dinosaur Jr. leader J. Mascis and U.K. rave-rock band Primal Scream. Pick up My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” album, where one describes as “Sonic Youth’s ‘Daydream Nation’ produced by Brian Eno”, and you’ll see that Shield’s guitar playing is pretty much ahead of its time.
2. Steve Stevens-Billy Idol, Michael Jackson, and BozzioLevinStevens
Famous for his work with Billy Idol, metal guitarist Steve Stevens helped shaped Billy Idol’s sound by combining textures of punk, new wave, and heavy metal that gave Idol a highly successful career in the 1980s. When he left Idol in late ‘86/early ’87, he worked with Michael Jackson on his “Bad” album and played guitar for on his tour. Since then, Stevens had an obscure solo career until he returned in the limelight in the late 90s when he along with King Crimson bassist Tony Levin and former Frank Zappa/Missing Persons drummer Terry Bozzio formed the power-trio BozzioLevinStevens to two critically acclaimed album where Stevens had been compared to the guitar styling of King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. Today, Stevens had reunited with Billy Idol as the two are promoting Idol’s greatest hits album.
3. Syd Barrett-Pink Floyd
Whenever people mention the art-rock band Pink Floyd, they sometimes think of guitarist David Gilmour who was famous for his guitar playing on such classic albums as “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”. While Gilmour is an excellent guitar player, he wasn’t Floyd’s original guitarist. Original guitarist and founder Syd Barrett who only played with the band on their debut album “Piper at the Gates of Dawn” helped shaped 60s psychedelic with elements of 60s British Rock Invasion sounds of the Beatles. On songs like “Astronomy Domine”, “Interstellar Overdrive”, and “Arnold Layne”, Barrett helped create a format for 60s British psychedelic rock scene but his mental illness combined with his addiction to LSD made him go insane and after a brief period with Gilmour as a five-piece, Floyd dropped Barrett as they moved on to greater fame. Barrett did had an obscure but acclaimed solo career but his madness overshadowed his music and today he’s been living in a mental institution where he’s become stricken with diabetes. Pick up Floyd’s brilliant debut album and you’ll hear Barrett’s wonderful guitar playing.
4. Peter Frampton- (solo), Humble Pie, and The Herd
Though he’s the most recognizable name on this list, Peter Frampton has always been given attention as the man who had the best-selling live album “Frampton Comes Alive” and for his good looks, which featured his long golden locks of hair. What Frampton never really receives is credit as a great guitar player. By age 7, he learned how to play the guitar with a banjo-like ukulele and by age 12, he already mastered techniques in blues, jazz, classical, pop, and rock guitar formats. By 16, he had already played with several famed musicians from the U.K. including Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and future pop legend and former classmate David Bowie. After a few years with the teen-pop band the Herd, Frampton along with former Small Faces guitarist formed the hard-rock blues group Humble Pie. After Frampton left Humble Pie in the early 70s, he went on to have a solo career. Today, currently enjoying a comeback, Frampton is currently on a sell-out tour with Journey and has just re-released his “Frampton Comes Alive” album, which has now sold around 16 million copies.
5. Wayne Kramer-MC5
Though Wayne Kramer has been considered a pioneer in the guitar sound of punk rock, his band the MC5 were known as a wild political group that were famous for playing riots including the one at the Democratic Convention in 1968. Kramer along with Fred Smith gave the MC5 a new edge that mixed garage rock noise with thrash rocking sounds that would be the prototype for punk rock. While the MC5 were considered the Rage Against The Machine of the 1960s, they were never a big commercial band. Today, Kramer enjoys a modestly successful solo career and is considered a legend in the punk rock community.
6. Ron Asheton-The Stooges
Another proto-punk guitar player, Ron Asheton of the Stooges has also been known for combining hard rock guitar formats with a garage rock sensibility. Unlike the MC5, the Stooges have been known as a group of wildmen led by singer and punk rock godfather Iggy Pop. Asheton’s guitar playing gave the Stooges its edge on their first two albums. Though they attracted a cult following, the Stooges did help pave the way for punk rock after they broke up in early 1974 even though left a huge mark in rock n’ roll. Today, Asheton enjoys a quiet life in Michigan where he recently has played guitar on Wayne Kramer’s new album and is also thinking about a Stooges reunion with Iggy Pop.
7. Carlos Alomar-David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Yoko Ono.
Though famous for his work with David Bowie, Carlos Alomar helped shaped Bowie’s sound throughout Bowie’s career. When he was known session guitarist for working with the production/songwriting team of Gamble & Huff, Alomar helped gave the Philadelphia soul sound a funky edge. When he met David Bowie in late 1974, he helped Bowie shape his new interest in soul music for his “Young Americans” album and since then has become a longtime collaborator for Bowie till 1987 by shaping his funky guitar sound with rock and electronic music. Around the Bowie worked on his electronic minimalism period with Brian Eno, Alomar along with Bowie and Eno helped shape that sound for Iggy Pop’s first two solo albums and he’s since then reunited with Bowie in ’95 and worked on albums for Yoko Ono and other artists.
8. Earl Slick-David Bowie, John Lennon, Yoko Ono.
Another famed guitarist for David Bowie, Earl Slick joined Bowie in 1974 during the “Diamond Dogs” tour and has become a powerful lead guitar player. In 1976, Slick had his greatest impact with his wall-to-wall guitar textures on the title track to Bowie’s album “Station To Station”. Later that year, Slick left Bowie to pursue a solo career and then in 1980, he worked with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on their “Double Fantasy” album. After Lennon’s murder, Slick worked on Ono’s “A Season of Glass” album and since then done some session work for many artists including Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople. Last year, Slick reunited with Bowie for a European tour including a classic performance for the BBC, which ended up as a disc for Bowie’s BBC Sessions album.
9. Andy-Fairweather Low-Roger Waters, Eric Clapton, and Bill Wyman.
Though he was a short-lived teen-idol in the 60s, Andy-Fairweather Low has been known as a high-class session guitarist/bassist throughout the 70s and 80s. By the 1980s, he worked on solo albums for former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters and in the early 90s, he worked on acclaimed albums for Eric Clapton including “Unplugged” and the blues-influenced “In The Cradle” album. Recently, Low went on tour with Roger Waters and Eric Clapton and has done a blues album with former Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Low’s guitar playing can be highlighted on Roger Waters recent live album “In The Flesh” where does a lovely guitar solo on “Every Stranger’s Eyes” that nearly eclipses Clapton’s version on Waters “The Pros & Cons of Hitch Hiking” album.
10. Phil Manzanera-Roxy Music
Famous for his work with the art-rock group Roxy Music, Phil Manzanera has been famous for the bands work from their early years in electronic-glam rock with original keyboardist Brian Eno through their lush, pop sound on the band’s final album “Avalon”. During his tenure with Roxy Music, Manzanera along with Roxy saxophonist Andy Mackay has been working on the jazz-rock side project 801. After Roxy Music disbanded in 1983, Manzanera has since gone on to an acclaimed solo career and has done session work for Duran Duran and his former Roxy bandmates Brian Eno, Andy Mackay and Bryan Ferry. Today, Roxy Music (minus Eno) is currently on an acclaimed reunion tour and is thinking about a new album with Eno as producer.
These ten guitarists I hope get the attention they do deserve. They’re all fine guitar players who aren’t trying to be guitar heroes. They’re just here to play. Though these 10 guitarists are some of the most underrated, there’s a whole plethora of guitar players that never get credit and here’s the names who I think that deserves some attention: Page Hamilton (Helmet), David Roback (Rain Parade, Mazzy Star), Tom Verlaine (Television), Billy Zoom (X), Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails, Tapeworm), Robert Smith (The Cure), Bob Mould (Husker Du), Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), David Gavurin (The Sundays), Adam Jones (Tool), Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths).
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