Guitars were front and centre with the first British Invasion that began in 1964 with the Beatles American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. The boys played them louder and up front with the vocals. However, the guitar solos of that era were largely bridges between the 2nd and 3rd verses. It wasn’t until Eric Clapton with Cream and Jimi Hendrix began stretching out the solos that much more was expected. Extended solos took off for broader audiences with the release of ‘Disraeli Gears’ and ‘Are You Experienced’. However, some guitarists got the jump ahead of time and really let it out, albeit briefly. The following are my picks as the top 10 guitar solos from the first wave of the British invasion era.
10. George Harrison- Taxman. Harrison was a quintessential bridge guitarist. Under Lennon and McCartney’s leadership and George Martin’s musical direction he was constrained to play what they wanted on their songs. In this case he wrote his own song and let out all the anger at having 95% of his earnings taxed away.
9. Keith Richards- Heart of Stone. The Stones lead guitarist has never been a premiere soloist. His strength has always been in great chords and repeating lines. He did let loose on this one, however. Besides what is any rock and roll list without the Stones.
8. Jim McGuinn- Eight Miles High. This is the first song to feature an extended solo that expands on the song. Several groups including later versions of the Byrds would use this song as a platform for extended jams but McGuinn led the way.
7. Zal Yanovsky- Night Owl Blues. Kingston Ontario restaurateur Zal Yanovsky proved that the Lovin’ Spoonful didn’t have to be so nice all the time. Some great pre-Cream wired out blues.
6. Dave Davies- You Really Got Me. Davies’ solo sounds like a jail break with an early and Kinky shot across the bow to bridge soloists.
5. Jim McCarty- Devil with the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly. Detroit area rock n’ rollers were often one step ahead of the rest of the world in the 60s. McCarty both wired it out and provided a bridge between the two songs for Mitch Ryder.
4. Jeff Beck- The Train Kept a Rollin’. Actually, an entire top 10 could be constructed of Beck’s Yardbird solos. Every garage band in the world had to play this tune. It was the first song to feature not one but two guitar solos both with superb Beck construction and phrasing.
3. Dave Davies- All Day and All of the Night. I know. This song sounds like a redo of You Really Got Me but the solo works better. In YRGM the solo just runs out. This one builds up and finishes nicely.
2. Eric Clapton- I Ain’t Got You. Eric explodes out of an otherwise forgettable song; pure electricity from the master. This is the second entry for the Yardbirds and the list ain’t over.
1. Jeff Beck- Shapes of Things. The feedback line that runs contrapuntally with the main line has to have been overdubbed. This solo is so good that even Jimmy Page couldn’t play it very well in his Yardbirds’ years. There is a clip of Beck playing it live and he did better. However, he failed miserably when trying to improve on it with the Jeff Beck Group. The original solo synthesizes all the dread and pathos that the song tried and largely failed to capture.
This list is subject to change. As noted, I could easily pop in 4 or 5 Jeff Beck solos from his year and change of recording with the Yardbirds. At any one time I could do some shuffling. However, I am sticking with my number one selection. It’s the greatest short solo of any era.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The Age of Classic Rock
I am a big fan of classic rock, having grown up with it. The era between the early 60s and mid 70s was a golden era that featured a meld of great new tunes, terrific covers, great vocal harmonies, and the rise of electricity! This is the era when the amplifiers were turned up to 11! The guitars went from the background to the forefront and never stepped back.
There is no clear agreement on the classic rock period. So, I have my own milestones. Those are the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 and the tragic death of Stevie Ray Vaughan 20 years ago in August 1990.
Why the Beatles and why the Ed Sullvan Show? A case can be made for the Beach Boys. They are definitely classic rock artists riding the surfing craze of the early 60s and hanging ten alongside the British invasion. 'Surfin' USA' was a rework of Chuck Berry's classic 'Sweet Little Sixteen'. However, the surf music didn't last and the Beatles took rock and roll music one step forward, bringing the guitars up front and centre with the vocals. The Fab Four covered a lot of older Rock and Roll songs by artists like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. They also wrote their own songs in the same style and played hard.
The Beatles were popular before their famous appearance on Ed Sullivan. They had concurred England beginning with Love Me Do in 1962 and were on the charts in the US before they got off the plane in New York. However, their Ed Sullivan performances with the girls screaming sent shock waves throughout North America. Just as we all remembered where we were a few months before when JFK was assassinated so too we could never forget the 'four moptops' opening salvo. The Rolling Stones and The Animals would come a few months later playing covers of American Blues but they would bring the same hard charging style that the Beatles first showed on the Ed Sullivan Show.
At the other end of the spectrum, Classic Rock's demise was much like the end of the Roman Empire. It's hard to define a point at which Rome no longer existed although 476 AD is generally considered to be the end. For me, it was the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan who re-energized the blues in the early 80s. SRV's 'The House is a Rockin'' was the last classic rock and roll song to climb up the charts. It's a great song in the tradition of 'Rock and Roll Music' and 'Rock Around the Clock'. That it didn't sit on top of the charts for 16 weeks is an indication that an era had ended. Rap, alternative, grunge, and other forms would take over for a newer generation.
On the other hand as Pete Townshend so aptly put it:
'Rock is dead they say,
Love Live Rock'.
There is no clear agreement on the classic rock period. So, I have my own milestones. Those are the appearance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 and the tragic death of Stevie Ray Vaughan 20 years ago in August 1990.
Why the Beatles and why the Ed Sullvan Show? A case can be made for the Beach Boys. They are definitely classic rock artists riding the surfing craze of the early 60s and hanging ten alongside the British invasion. 'Surfin' USA' was a rework of Chuck Berry's classic 'Sweet Little Sixteen'. However, the surf music didn't last and the Beatles took rock and roll music one step forward, bringing the guitars up front and centre with the vocals. The Fab Four covered a lot of older Rock and Roll songs by artists like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. They also wrote their own songs in the same style and played hard.
The Beatles were popular before their famous appearance on Ed Sullivan. They had concurred England beginning with Love Me Do in 1962 and were on the charts in the US before they got off the plane in New York. However, their Ed Sullivan performances with the girls screaming sent shock waves throughout North America. Just as we all remembered where we were a few months before when JFK was assassinated so too we could never forget the 'four moptops' opening salvo. The Rolling Stones and The Animals would come a few months later playing covers of American Blues but they would bring the same hard charging style that the Beatles first showed on the Ed Sullivan Show.
At the other end of the spectrum, Classic Rock's demise was much like the end of the Roman Empire. It's hard to define a point at which Rome no longer existed although 476 AD is generally considered to be the end. For me, it was the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan who re-energized the blues in the early 80s. SRV's 'The House is a Rockin'' was the last classic rock and roll song to climb up the charts. It's a great song in the tradition of 'Rock and Roll Music' and 'Rock Around the Clock'. That it didn't sit on top of the charts for 16 weeks is an indication that an era had ended. Rap, alternative, grunge, and other forms would take over for a newer generation.
On the other hand as Pete Townshend so aptly put it:
'Rock is dead they say,
Love Live Rock'.
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