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Greatest recordings of electric guitar ever made?


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Hard to say what would make one the best, but I have a strong memory of the 1985 album "Indifference" by the Boston band The Proletariat being one of the first time I was completely engaged by the sound of the guitar through a whole album, so I will always have a real soft spot for that.

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By "greatest recordings", do you mean the performance? Or the technical aspect of capturing the sound of the guitar onto the recording?

 

 

More the latter, but to do that, it'd help greatly to have the former, I would think. But no, it doesn't have to be a technically amazing sort of performance. I'm more thinking about the overall sound captured.

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But no, it doesn't have to be a technically amazing sort of performance. I'm more thinking about the overall sound captured.

 

 

It is enough for Ken to play one note in the guitar solo, as on Ken's 22th Centrury music album where the dog pushes down one key on a synth randomly.

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If the focus is on the recording....Knopfler's recorded sound on Dire Straits albums was always good from the first one, but he was able to improve and enrich his tone album after album. I recall reading comments from him somewhere that tone always was a challenge for him since he plays lead without a pick - I can understand since I also play electric without a pick (you want to pull off every note to get some twang and beef into the tone, but that doesn't work.)

 

IMHO he totally conquered that issue - the last DS album - On Every Street - is a reference point to me for a fabulous recorded tone.

 

6lJdPSahN-4

 

nat whilk ii

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Theres so many I wouldnt know where to start.

I guess I'd have to go with some of my first albums that still sound great when I play them.

I cant be real objective about them because its a combination of performance, technology of the day,

and the fact I learned all the songs note for note. Funny thing is many of them are live albums or have live tracks.

 

Humble Pie - Rocking the Filmore.

Edgar Winter - Roadwork

Johnny Winter And - Live

Almond Brothers - Eat A Peach

Hendrix - Band of Gypsies

 

For studio stuff I lean a bit towards the jazz blues stuff.

Robert Cray, George Benson, Larry Carlton.

 

For all around Composer, Studio and Live Show

I'd definately have to go with Todd Rundgren.

 

He was just so far ahead of the pack isn so may ways

Technology wise, show wise, Musical variety, and he was a killer guitarist aw well.

I think he has been highly under rated with his playing talent both solo and with his bands.

 

I've seen allot of bands in 45 years of playing. His one show with Utopia (out of the 8 shows of his I saw)

was the only show I actually had to leave the building for awhile because the band was so intence.

I never saw a bad show with him either. All were different and all were outstanding.

 

Along with his studio work and experimental mixing techniques I classify him as a Musician's Musician

as well as a gifted audio engineer who has produced many major acts including Hall and Oats, The Tubes,

Patty Smith, Rick Derringer, and many others.

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I still think Page's solo on Stairway to Heaven is the pinnacle. The performance, both technically and artistically, are incredible. With regards to its capture and post processing, all I know is whatever they did, they did it right. They didn't eff it up. Sounds like tape delay into a plate.

 

Whenever that solo occurs... everything stops and I focus on digging it. I know the word "soaring" is kind of an in joke but... that solo soars. They cranked up the soar on that one.

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Of course, now that I've asked this question about what is the greatest recorded electric guitars, I kinda go blank. I had more ideas, but oh well. :D

 

Led Zeppelin "Ten Years Gone": I really love the orchestration and layering as well as obviously the performance, so this has got to be up there for me.

Innocence Mission "Glow": That's right, the whole album. Beautiful chimey guitars.

Rolling Stones "Beast of Burden": Just love the sound of those as well as obviously what they're all playing. Fantastic fantastic sound.

 

More later...

 

It's of course impossible to completely separate great recordings from the performance, but that's what it's all about ultimately anyway, isn't it?

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Two bits from my childhood that I remember loving the way they sounded (the combination of what is played, how it's played and the recording) so much that they inspired me to want to play guitar are Page's guitar during the "and it makes me wonder" sections of Stairway to Heaven and Grand Funk's "I'm Your Captain".

 

Also CCR's "Born on the Bayou".

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Okay, I thought of more while out driving.

 

Van Halen "Van Halen": yeaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

U2 "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Joshua Tree": beautiful, beautiful guitars, with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois recording

Emmylou Harris "Wrecking Ball": another Daniel Lanois production, with him playing guitars.

Iron Maiden "Number of the Beast": beautiful intertwining guitars

Lowercase Noises "Marshall": this is a very recent release, and I love the way the ambient guitars glow and how they are orchestrated, almost like chamber music. Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse "Live Rust": Wow. Now those are some beautifully effed up guitar sounds, especially "Like a Hurricane", which is also one of my favorite guitar solos.

 

I know I should put a David Gilmour mention here somewhere, but I'm not sure which album to cite...but I know I've heard solos and thought how amazing sounding they were, both his execution and how it was recorded and mixed in the track.

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