Confessions of a Fanboy

Let’s get something straight right out front: this is not intended to be any sort of definitive “Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” It’s not even intended as a “Greatest Guitarist of This Era.” Here endeth the disclaimer.

I love the guitar. I love guitar-heavy music. I have heaps of admiration for those who have mastered the instrument. I am apparently not alone in this as there is no shortage of periodicals dedicated to the instrument and its masters, nor is there a shortage of debates about those great guitarists and which of them stands above all others. Rock and roll music as we know it could not exist without the electric guitar.

Chuck Berry invented rock and roll guitar, or at the very least was the first one to find widespread success using the elements of what are now considered rock guitar. Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix borrowed from and extended that framework. The ’70s had no shortage of guitar heroes as rock music began dividing and subdividing. Duane Allman, Jimmy Page, Joe Perry, David Gilmour, Ted Nugent, and who knows how many others were making themselves rich and famous with their guitar mastery. This paragraph may never end because I can’t live with myself if I don’t throw guys like Zappa, Metheny, Phil Keaggy, Pete Townshend, and Neil Young into the discussion, and I know full well I am still leaving some out. The hair metal of the ’80s gave us an explosion of would-be guitar greats and while a lot of the music is balls stupid, some of those guys really could play: Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, just to name two. We also got introduced to the unbelievable Stevie Ray Vaughan.

The grunge revolution of the early ’90s, which for the most part was a great thing for music, seemed to exalt guitar anti-heroes over the more technically proficient. Grunge came and went, but the “guitar god” concept never really recovered. While alternative and indie music may not have uncovered the next Yngwie Malmsteen (tongue planted firmly in cheek), it would be a mistake to think no one in those genres has done anything interesting with a guitar. Again I reiterate this list is not exhaustive, but here are a couple guys who can make magic with six pieces of string:

• Doug Martsch: Three words: “Goin’ Against Your Mind.” It’s the first song on BTS’ fabulous 2006 album You In Reverse, and it is one of the most extraordinary cacophonies of guitar you are ever going to hear. Not every note is played by Martsch, but he plays lead and probably plays more than one of these lead lines. The song starts and stops and spins in and out of control through the magical sounds of swirling guitars.

  Speaking of lead, though, Martsch doesn’t play lead in any traditional sense. He doesn’t play a lot of notes like the heroes or aimlessly noodle like the jam guys. He’s got more in line with the latter than the former of those two types, but what separates Martsch from so many jam guys is ideas- he’s got them, lots of them. When you listen to his work, you don’t get the sense that he’s repeating himself while he waits for one to come to him. He plays his ass off and they continue materialize.

• Jack White: Chuck Berry and Keith Richards wrote almost every great riff in rock and roll history. They probably both kick themselves for missing “Seven Nation Army.” I know that is more bass riff than rock riff, but it’s still one of the most magnificent achievements in music in the past decade. It is an eternal riff, and we should all bow before it.

Jack can do more than riff, he can play some great modern blues. Jack’s playing has the feel of the classic delta blues with the strange sonics of a modern mad scientist. Get Behind Me Satan is a good record but Jack’s guitar work was downplayed a little too much for my taste. The record is great, but I love to hear the massive minimalist at work.

• Billy Corgan: Riffs and layers- that’s the Billy Corgan way. “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and “Zero” are huge slabs or rock and roll goodness. The legend of Billy Corgan, alternative frontman, was made with Smashing Pumpkins and there are some great songs from that era.

  The Zwan record, for me, is the best example of the Corgan guitar style. He had other guys in the studio and rumor is he let some of them play, but it’s not the notes as much as it is the way they are stacked together that makes this record so spectacular. “Ride a Black Swan” is not a great riff and has no memorable solos, instead relying a huge wall of beautiful, ringing guitars. No one heard this record, and it’s a damn shame.

Part of the transformation of the “guitar god” is that they’re not exclusively found in rock music. One of them is one of the top players on the blues circuit. You probably haven’t heard of him, but you should. The other one has gotten a little mainstream exposure but can’t be conveniently categorized. They are six-string sorcerers of the highest order:

• Robert Randolph: I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to describing the immense talents of sacred steel maestro Robert Randolph. Maybe I won’t even try- I’ll just tell you where to go to experience his abilities for yourself. The first place I’d recommend is also the hardest to find. Randolph, John Medeski, and North Mississippi All-Stars made a great instrumental record called The Word. The album is out of print, and it is a total shame. That album is filled with the kind of instrumental goodness, particularly Randolph, that should be available for generations.

  Randolph’s most recent album, Colorblind, is fabulous but it downplays his guitar for a slicker sound. The album is still great, but if you want easy access to albums filled with sacred steel goodness, check out Unclassified and especially Live at The Wetlands.

• Nick Moss: Nick Moss is a recent discovery for me. The guy is quite simply one of the best blues guitarists on planet earth. He’s old enough to have played rhythm for the ultimate blues rhythm man, Jimmy Rogers, and young enough to be among the keepers of the keys to the blues kingdom. He might play a few more notes for the blues purists, but that standard doesn’t apply equally across the board. Moss can flat out play and you want to hear him.

Doug Martsch/Built to Spill	Goin’ Against Your Mind
Jack White/The White Stripes	Seven Nation Army
Billy Corgan/The Smashing Pumpkins	Ride a Black Swan
Robert Randolph	Ted’s Jam
Nick Moss & The Flip Tops are not currently available from the iTunes Music Store. Check out his Live at Chan’s album, available online.

Filed under: Billy Corgan, Built to Spill, Musical Musings and Random Ramblings, Robert Randolph, Zwan