Comments on: Spiderman gone wild

By: john q public

john q public — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:20:06 +0000

Forget Layla.
Listen to the version of Badge on crossroads two.
That thing just smokes.

But I will say its funny that Clapton is often considered the greatest guitarist of all time, when he wasn’t even the best guitarist in his band.
Its akin to calling Jeff Kent the best player on the early 200 Giants.
Dwayne Allman just smokes him.
Take a peek around.
There are bootlegs of the guitar duels from the Layla sessions.
They are just unreal.

By: Glen

Glen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:33:48 +0000

OK…I’ll second Slash. We tend to forget how remarkable someone is once their greatness becomes ubiquitous. I’m sure the first time the world heard “Eruption/You Really Got Me Now” it was pretty much like stepping out of black and white and into Technicolor Oz…but we treat Eddie Van Halen like a cliche now. Same for Slash…when “Appetite” dropped into the Bon Jovi/Skid Row/Whitesnake/Warrant/Motley Crue world, it changed everything…almost entirely due to Slash’s playing. And random note here…when I was 16, I saw Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers open for and then share the stage with Bob Dylan at was was then called Sandstone Amphitheater. One surprise was the staggering amount of chronic (not that I knew that word then…in 1986, I’m pretty sure people still called it “dope” and Dr. Dre was gangbanging with Eazy E and Ice Cube) being blazed by people my parents’ age. The other was Mike Campbell, lead guitarist in the Heartbreakers. Solid if uninspiring in the studio, he was/is breathtaking live. One of the very best players ever…and certainly the most unexpected.

By: Rick Denison

Rick Denison — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:02:09 +0000

1. “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” is the most enjoyable and smile-inducing (not “greatest,” not “best”) rock album ever made, if nothing else for the selection and pacing of the songs. I mean, sides 3 and 4 are enough to make you weep. While smiling, I mean. I’ve owned three versions — I bought the “Special Audiophile” LP because of all the tape hiss on my old LP version, and was rewarded with the ability to hear the hiss in even higher fidelity. The CD has mercifully reduced the hiss to a tolerable level. Yay, digital audio.

2. “Layla” is the the. Best. Song. Ever. Any genre, including plainchant and operetta. The shift to the Jim Gordon piano movement still makes my heart break after hundreds of listenings. Completely wrenching. But I still grin whenever I hear those first seven notes.

3. The best superhero-TV-show intro ever is from the old “Adventures of Superman” series, with the stirring orchestral theme and the stentorian narration — “… change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands …” I know it’s not a song, and the show wasn’t a cartoon, but that doesn’t change the facts. I can still recite the whole thing when begged at parties. Doesn’t happen often.

By: alex

alex — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:44:47 +0000

The greatest lead guitar player of all time is/was Slash. Not even close. Unfortunately, he’s often dismissed because he was associated with that crazy Axl fella. That’s my humble opinion.

Rhythm guitar player: Keith Richards. Again, not even close.

Now all-around guitar player: that’s a whole different question and hard to answer.

By: Creston

Creston — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:29:24 +0000

i[is gritty, hard-nosed, a clubhouse leader, feisty, plays every day, and plays with more heart than anyone in the history of the game*]i

The BBWAA just collectively swooned and sent in their – slightly moist – ballots where Pedroia wins not only the AL MVP, but also the NL MVP, both Cy Youngs, the Rolex Reliever award, 9 silver sluggers and some sort of humanitas award.

After all he’s short! And white! And he leads the league in pretty numbers! Who cares that his OPS is lower than anyone else’s and that there’s quite a few candidates who simply add more wins to their teams?

By: nightfly

nightfly — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:20:57 +0000

Mark H – “Even for a Prog Rocker like me, it might be worth the chance and a few bucks on a used copy. Thanks for the tip.”

You’re welcome. And if it makes you feel any better, I’m also a huge Yes fan.

By: wtsherman

wtsherman — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:59:26 +0000

GoGiggs-

My regret is that I pursued the subject with a second comment.

By: FredCDobbs

FredCDobbs — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:41:32 +0000

Watching that Ramones video on youtube, I just love the way they sneer “look out!” after the first verse.

And the “scene of the crime” bridge makes the whole last verse of the song work.

Chris Russo: “Bad job by Joe there in a big spot!”

By: Clayton K

Clayton K — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:56:40 +0000

Here are my favorite guitarists, in no particular order: Mark Knopfler, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Jimmy Page.

By: Mark H

Mark H — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:44:13 +0000

If you want a copy of Saturday Morning Cartoon’s greatest hits, there are currently 72 copies (mostly used?) on Amazon right now…

Even for a Prog Rocker like me, it might be worth the chance and a few bucks on a used copy. Thanks for the tip.