Passengers In Time

Have a listen to Secret Separation by The Fixx.  Actually, have a listen, because the video didn’t age well.

Imagine your soul mate, your one true love, your reason for being - and you must giver her/him up because you are both committed to someone else.  You must sacrifice your happiness, and with it your true love’s happiness.  Talk about sad songs!  Heartbreaking lyrics, and, given we’re talking 1984, the music fits them perfectly.

Close your eyes, though, or you might not take the song seriously.  The video producers didn’t seem to.

Pick Up My Guitar And Play

You could disagree with the albums, but it’s hard to debate the artists who made Guitar World’s 10 Essential Classic Rock Guitar Albums: Van Halen, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, The Who, The Stones, The Beatles.

Personally, I would swap Are You Experienced? for Electric Ladyland and Wish You Were Here for Dark Side of the Moon, and I do not count myself among those who believe Exile On Main Street is The Stones’ masterpiece, but let’s not quibble.

Except: The Doors?  Really?  The Doors debut album is absolutely an essential part of the Classic Rock catalogue, but who considers them a guitar band?  And - with all due respect - who puts a ton of effort into learning how to play like Robby Krieger?  I didn’t even remember his name.

Not to take anything away from The Doors well-deserved legendary status, but on a list of essential guitar albums, I think we’d be better served by the likes of AC/DC, Dire Straits, Clapton or Petty.  Little bit more distinguished guitar playing came from those cats.