wimpiest lead guitar

[Will Shade]

Now mind you, I do like the Beatles (unlike some of the garage nazis), but I was struck recently by how godawful the lead guitar in "Get Back" was... from the tone to the attack (or lack thereof)... noodle city a la Grateful Dead almost... just wretched... it's not rock 'n' roll... more like Muzak... what are some other famous wimpy guitars? Take care that it's wimpy... not technically "bad" or something wanky... just lacking cojones...

[swt]

"Garage Nazis" is a scary concept. But I know what you mean.

[Axel Björnsson]

Randy California of Spirit had a bunch of wimpy guitar scales. Maby it's the cause of his jazzy background.

Good example the solo in dark eyed woman. great fucking guitarist...

[Greg Gutbezahl]

Not wimpy guitars, but a response to the wimpiness of "Get Back" ... Ike and Tina OWN that song with a really kick-ass version to eat all versions.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipoPPyIIf9A

 

In the Garage vein, I always liked the Tamron's "Wild Man" but was annoyed by the sheer lack of cojones the whole song has after the "Twilight Zone" opener... the guitar just doesn't cut it.......

[Patrick]

I think songs like "Wild Man" and "Born Loser" have a haunting minimalisitc quality of the primitive garage style.  Garage Punk in my opinion, was never a genre to display techincal mastery, that was left to the Progressive Rock (Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, Cream, Hendrix). To me, it's about a primitive inarticulate emotion.  A form of musical expression unrefined, experimental, raw, channeled within the confines of it's own limitations.  I do agree reluctantly, that the guitar was a little bit thin.  It could have been produced and engineered better (maybe some backround rhythm gtr).  I think though, if you put those early songs within the context of their times they were revolutionary as far as the dark theatrical "psychotic" impression they produced.  I guess I would just hate to see some bands butcher great songs by running them through a Grunge processor.

[Mitchhz]

I beg to disagree. Good guitar playing is part and parcel of wild primitive rock'n'roll just as much as minimalist guitar playing! Paul Burlinson and Cliff Gallup were excellent guitar players. Some of the finest garage songs displayed great expertise in terms of guitar work: The Recalls' Reesie and Nobody's Guy are killers, so is Project Blue by the Banshees. Or what about In the Past by We the People? I hear it's very hard to play (by the way check out the excellent French version La fermeture éclair by Belgian yéyé girl Delphine)!

 

So garage addicts should reclaim good guitar playing. Let's not leave it to bores like Mark Knopfler or Clapton!

Patrick said:

I think songs like "Wild Man" and "Born Loser" have a haunting minimalisitc quality of the primitive garage style.  Garage Punk in my opinion, was never a genre to display techincal mastery, that was left to the Progressive Rock (Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, Cream, Hendrix). To me, it's about a primitive inarticulate emotion.  A form of musical expression unrefined, experimental, raw, channeled within the confines of it's own limitations.  I do agree reluctantly, that the guitar was a little bit thin.  It could have been produced and engineered better (maybe some backround rhythm gtr).  I think though, if you put those early songs within the context of their times they were revolutionary as far as the dark theatrical "psychotic" impression they produced.  I guess I would just hate to see some bands butcher great songs by running them through a Grunge processor.

[John Battles]

....And , Paul Burlison almost single - handedly created what we now call "Punk" or "Garage" guitar. He and Link Wray , with Pat Hare's "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" before them , all years before fuzztone pedals were commercially available. It's good to be a good guitar player , if you can go easy on the wankery. Guitarists who go out of their way to sound BAD , i don't have a lot of patience for.

Mitchhz said:

I beg to disagree. Good guitar playing is part and parcel of wild primitive rock'n'roll just as much as minimalist guitar playing! Paul Burlinson and Cliff Gallup were excellent guitar players. Some of the finest garage songs displayed great expertise in terms of guitar work: The Recalls' Reesie and Nobody's Guy are killers, so is Project Blue by the Banshees. Or what about In the Past by We the People? I hear it's very hard to play (by the way check out the excellent French version La fermeture éclair by Belgian yéyé girl Delphine)!

 

So garage addicts should reclaim good guitar playing. Let's not leave it to bores like Mark Knopfler or Clapton!

Patrick said:

I think songs like "Wild Man" and "Born Loser" have a haunting minimalisitc quality of the primitive garage style.  Garage Punk in my opinion, was never a genre to display techincal mastery, that was left to the Progressive Rock (Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, Cream, Hendrix). To me, it's about a primitive inarticulate emotion.  A form of musical expression unrefined, experimental, raw, channeled within the confines of it's own limitations.  I do agree reluctantly, that the guitar was a little bit thin.  It could have been produced and engineered better (maybe some backround rhythm gtr).  I think though, if you put those early songs within the context of their times they were revolutionary as far as the dark theatrical "psychotic" impression they produced.  I guess I would just hate to see some bands butcher great songs by running them through a Grunge processor.

[John Battles]

It's not a concept , I'm afraid , it's a reality. People who think they know it all , and won't talk to you , except in a very condescending manner , unless you have no life , and have accumulated the same amount of information they have. Now , some people can obtain and store a lot of trivial knowledge in a very short amount of time. It's a good thing to be knowledgeable about the "Garage" genre , it's an interesting topic , to say the least. It's not a good thing to act superior if others don't share your fervor. I live in the real world , where some people dig this stuff , but , barely enough to notice . Like most of you , I'd imagine , I'm deluged with Rap and Hip Hop , a multi - multi billion dollar industry , but , IT's "Underground" , while the music I'm not forcing on other people is'nt.

I guess a REAL Garage Nazi would make people listen to Garage Rock , instead of letting 'em listen to whatever it is they want to listen to.

swt said:

"Garage Nazis" is a scary concept. But I know what you mean.

[John Battles]

....I'm trying to remember , was'nt the solo on "Get Back" by Lennon , not Harrison? I just remember , when Kicks Magazine ran their "Name the worst Beatles song" contest , somebody said "For You , Blue" because "John Lennon always complained of not getting to take a guitar solo , and then , when he did , this is what happened !". It was a few bars on the slide guitar , hardly warranting Harrison's heavy compliment , "Elmore James got nothing on this baby !". Jagger would'nt have even said THAT about Brian Jones on a record in 1964. I seem to remember Lennon playing that , admittedly thin , solo on "Get Back" in the "Let It Be" movie , but , I could be mistaken.

[John Battles]

Yeah , some of his stuff I like . Some , not so much. I heard when Randy and Spirit toured with Arthur Lee and Love in the 90's , Randy would do his obligatory rap about what great friends he and Hendrix were (I saw him do that before a stiff "Red House"). Arthur would stand in the sidelines , going "HE HATED YOU !!!".

Axel Björnsson said:

Randy California of Spirit had a bunch of wimpy guitar scales. Maby it's the cause of his jazzy background.

Good example the solo in dark eyed woman. great fucking guitarist...

[Mardy Pune]

Is that like a closet Nazi, but a little more out in the open?

swt said:

"Garage Nazis" is a scary concept. But I know what you mean.

[Weirdonia]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJR_KGZO4U0

 

What really gets me is he tries to make it look like it's the most badass shit ever at 0:59

[John Battles]

LOOKING AT THIS RIDICULOUSLY LATE , BUT , THIS LOOKS LIKE A STUDIO COPY , SHOT AT A DIFFERENT ANGLE THAN THE BETTER - KNOWN "WHERE THE ACTION IS" CLIP. BETTER QUALITY , TOO.     And , this is SO badass.