Love

With the recent death of George Martin, Rolling Stone inevitably published a list of his Top 10 Albums.

The entry for America’s Hearts, and in particular the hit single Sister Goldenhair, got me thinking that he was really trying keep the Beatles sound alive.  I mean, can’t you hear The Beatles doing that song?

Then again, maybe that’s what they were all doing.  Let Me Roll It could be Paul doing a John song from the White Album.  John's Starting Over could be on Abbey Road.  So could George’s All Those Years Ago.

Not surprising, I guess, that they would all continue to share what they had learned from each other.

Lucky us.

I Feel As Though You Ought To Know

Rubber Soul.  The best Motown album not released by Motown Records.

Jimi vs. Stevie

Many (possibly most) people consider Jimi Hendrix to be the greatest guitar player of all time, and, while I don't agree, I get it.  But listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Little Wing and tell me that isn't how Hendrix should have sounded all the time.

Heart Like A Wheel

Sometimes you just like you a band or artist because they fit in with your preferences.  Sometimes because they remind you of someone else you dig.  Or maybe for reasons that aren’t even related to music.  Sometimes – especially if they don’t necessarily fit your mould – you can’t quite put your finger on it.

Linda Ronstadt was always one of those last cases for me.  I mean, very talented, but not terribly original, and maybe a tad on the commercial side.  I mean, she was certainly not Led Zeppelin.  So I couldn’t figure out what it was I liked so much.

But I think I finally have:  she was so great because she was the whole American thing: country, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues - oh, and a little gospel.  Punk too.  She could deliver in each style with unassailable conviction – sometimes mixing in more than one of ‘em in the same song.

And then for good measure she went and got Peter Asher, friend and protégé of The Beatles, to be her producer.  Pretty hard to miss with all that jammed into a record.

Riding With The King

The introduction to Guitar Player’s 12 Most Influential Guitarists of All Time starts with an apology, as if they were expecting an avalanche of criticism – and I know I’ve done my share of whinging about lists over the years.

But they’re talkin’ about influence – not who’s best or who’s the most favoured – and I, for one can’t find a darn thing wrong with this one.

Who hasn’t copped a Chuck Berry lick?  Who hasn’t tried to emulate Clapton or Page or Van Halen?  Who hasn’t dropped his or her jaw at Hendrix or SRV and said, “How’d he do that?”  Who doesn’t appreciate how large Robert Johnson or Chet Atkins loom over all those cats?  And then there’s B.B..

Influential?  You bet.

True North Strong and Free

Rush notwithstanding; there is such a thing as Canadian rock and roll.  The best Canadian bands seem to be able to retain some of that bar band sound even after they’ve made it big.  You know that sound.  When you're digging the band in the bar.  In the bar.  That sound.

The Hip, 54:40, Tom Cochrane, The Northern Pikes, Colin James, The Arkells … even Our Lady Peace and The Guess Who.  They all preserved a bit of their roots, remained true.  

Makes ‘em more approachable, dontcha think?

6 Strings in the Shadows

What is it about human nature that renders everything down to a shorter, smaller, more obvious list?  Bad memory?  Laziness?  Brainwashing?

Guitar Player’s 53 Not-Forgotten Guitar Greats and Heroes is a case in point.

“Seminal movers and shakers who were not blessed with massive or on-going pop-culture fame.”  “Players who float just under the popular radar.”  It’s quite an impressive list.

A whole bunch of blues and jazz that have all but faded from memory.

Some “so that’s who that was” players, like Robert Blunt or Jake E. Lee.

Too many “how did I forget those guys?” guitarists, like Tommy Bolin, Michael Bruce and Glen Buxton, Randy California, Terry Kath, and Roy Wood (well not exactly forget, but …).

And quite a few more I need to check out.

Thanks for the public service, Guitar Player.

Someday He May Get Smart

Every time I listen to Johnny Winter’s Be Careful With A Fool, I smile and think, oh yeah, that’s why I like Stevie Ray Vaughan so much.

Sweet Dreams And Flying Machines

They may not all rock in a kick-ass kinda way, but the songs listed in Guitar Player’s Top 10 Acoustic Riffs of All Time nicely remind us that you don’t need a wall of Marshalls and a dozen stomp boxes to deliver 6-string joy.

The list is ostensibly about riffs, and every song listed has a signature riff indelibly stamped into our collective consciousness.  But the article actually focuses more on the tunes themselves, so you might question whether More Than A Feeling, or Hotel California, or Stairway To Heaven are acoustic or electric tunes – especially as compared to Fire And Rain, Angie or Tears In Heaven.

Then again, what’s to question?  They’re all awesome songs masterfully delivered.

Anything You Want We Got It Right Here …

That driving backbeat.  A relentless series of piano filigrees.  The unmistakable Chuck Berry guitar licks.  Some well placed harmony.  A gifted singer delivering simple lyrics that practically everyone can identify with – even if you’re not American.  Oh, and delivered with attitude.

Linda Ronstadt’s cover of Back in the U.S.A. just might be the perfect rock ‘n’ roll record.