Best Ever Albums

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:01:30 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/14/2026 16:01

junodog4 wrote:

What everyone else has said... and I'm adding:

J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfo74Lcf9bcQJd2MMq-XBzw

Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy5NOGzY6RpJkwnGjt7eEkg

Absolutely. Love both of these guys. I’m going to have to do far more posts in this thread as so many great guitarists to share

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

junodog4 — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:47:52 GMT

Author: junodog4

Posted: 08/13/2026 17:47

What everyone else has said... and I'm adding:

J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfo74Lcf9bcQJd2MMq-XBzw

Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy5NOGzY6RpJkwnGjt7eEkg

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 02:46:51 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/09/2026 06:46

Link

Dip in and out as you choose with this one. Mick Taylor on fire!

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 02:43:17 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/09/2026 06:43

According to one source on Wiki, "The entire track was captured in one take, with the jam being a happy accident; the band had assumed the tape machine had been stopped, and were surprised to find the entire session had been captured. Originally, they were going to end the song before the jam started, but were so pleased with the jam that they decided to keep it in."

For me, this is the standout track from sticky fingers and quite rightly gets a 100 / 100 from me. It’s seven minutes of pure genius and happy coincidence. Spontaneous joy and raw playing. You have to love the latin feel to the second half of the track led my Mick Taylor.

The song opens with one of Keith Richards' most iconic riffs, and is one of my favourite guitar openers of all time.

My Favourite Stones track of all time

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 9 Aug 2026 02:38:37 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/09/2026 06:38

Michael (Mick) Kevin Taylor

Was the person that made the Stones the greatest band in the world.

In addition to the Stones, this guy worked with everyone and I mean everyone. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Little Feat, Ten Years After, Carla Olsen, Mike Oldfield, Mark Knopfler and Bob Dylan to name drop just a few

As a member of the Stones, he appeared on Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St., Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock 'n Roll, and Tattoo You. Let’s face it, the golden age for the Rolling Stones. Were the Stones ever better than this> Coincidence? I think not

So what made Mick so special. He brought elements of Latin music and jazz to his playing and you only have to hear Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, more on that later, to appreciate what a great, great guitarist he was. He was also multi-talented as he was also a great slide guitar player

As a 17-year-old Micks first success came with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, following two of the all time greats in the band, Eric Clapton and Peter Green, and he did it seamlessly apparently. That’s the measure of the man

Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash states that Taylor has had the biggest influence on him.

I could go on and on about Mick but it’s probably easiest to show you so I’m going to post a few YouTube videos of him. Judge for yourself

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Thu, 6 Aug 2026 05:08:29 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/06/2026 09:08

Roy Buchanan

He looked like your high school physics teacher and played like a god damn demon.

I don’t recall how or even when I came across Roy but I’m so glad that I did.

His albums weren’t always the best although his playing, was always top draw, with

That's What I Am Here For (1973) by Roy Buchanan

being, in my opinion a great album but, despite not always having the greatest material to work with, he always made his Fender Telecaster sing.

Buchanan has influenced many guitarists, including Robbie Robertson , Gary Moore , Danny Gatton , Jeff Beck, David Gilmour , Jerry Garcia , Mick Ronson , & Nils Lofgren .

Beck dedicated his version of "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" from Blow by Blow to him. Honestly, anyone who influenced Jeff Beck , possibly the greatest guitarist of all time, is worthy of your attention.

If you can find it there is a documentary made in 1971 called Introducing Roy Buchanan, AKA The Best Unknown Guitarist in the World.

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Wed, 5 Aug 2026 10:01:07 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 08/05/2026 14:01

There was a huge amount of interaction here and then, for some reason, I stopped posting and it died. So, I've stuck this thread on life support and am going to start posting again.

I'm kicking off with Roy Buchanan and am just in the process of writing a piece on him

To whet your appetite, here are a couple of his tracks that I love

Link

&

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 08:50:45 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 01/31/2026 13:50

Eddie Hazel

Eddie was an American guitarist and singer who played lead guitar with Parliament & Funkadelic, very much, to me anyway, in the vain of Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist. Probably the heaviest guitar sound in the whole of funk / soul history. A giant of the genre.

Along with George Clinton & Billy Nelson they became the driving force behind Funkadelic one of, if not, my favourite funk outfit of all time

The first three Funkadelic albums, Funkadelic (in 1970), Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow (also in 1970) and Maggot Brain (in 1971) were an immense undertaking and a creative high for the band. All three albums prominently featured Hazel's guitar work. His ten-minute guitar solo on the song "Maggot Brain" is one of the greatest solos of all time on any instrument. He appeared periodically on many other Parliament and Funkadelic albums

Eddie also worked with the Temptations on the albums 1990 (in 1973) and A Song for You (in 1975). Two of my favourite Temptations albums

All in all, he has featured heavily in my funk / soul journey

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Wed, 7 Jan 2026 06:06:23 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 01/07/2026 11:06

This Miller Anderson performance, both guitar and vocals is outstanding

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Tue, 6 Jan 2026 03:53:43 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 01/06/2026 08:53

Miller Anderson

I would suggest that Miller is the very epitome of “not the usual suspects”. He’s a Scottish guitarist and is the very definition of a wandering minstrel, having played with a huge number of artists as well as in his own right.

Starting off working with Ian Hunter in the 1960s. I mention this because Ian refers to Miller on the track All American Alien Boy ("well I remember all the good times me and Miller enjoyed, up and down the M1 in some luminous yo-yo toy").

Apart from pursuing his solo career, he was a member of the Keef Hartley Band, which is where I first heard him. I also saw him guesting with the Strawbs at a gig on London many years ago. He was brilliant.

Other groups Anderson has been associated with are
The Spencer Davis Group
Broken Glass
The Dukes
Mountain
Dog Soldier
Savoy Brown
T. Rex
Chicken Shack
Jon Lord Blues Project

As I said, the epitome of a wandering minstrel.

Also check out Hemlock (UK) , an early project of his who were pretty great

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 10:11:53 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/27/2025 15:11

Here's some Alvin Lee for ya

Link

Link

Link
[/youtube]

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 10:05:58 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/27/2025 15:05

Alvin Lee

I always loved Ten Years After. They didn’t always produce the most consistent albums, although many of their albums like

Ten Years After (1967) by Ten Years After

,
A Space In Time (1971) by Ten Years After

,
Watt (1970) by Ten Years After

and

Stonedhenge (1969) by Ten Years After

are well worth checking out, what always made them worth hearing was Alvin’s stellar guitar playing.

He “shot to fame” following his performance at Woodstock and his performance was an essential part of the documentary of the event. He was personified by 'lightning-fast' playing

It was said that “Lee was named "the fastest guitarist in the West" and considered a precursor to shred-style playing that would develop in the 1980s.”

Blues rock was Alvin’s preferred genre of music and he was so well regarded that the likes of George Harrison , Steve Winwood , Ronnie Wood , Mick Fleetwood , Albert Lee , Peter Frampton and Rory Gallagher all contributed to his post TYA solo releases.

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:59:32 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/23/2025 10:59

Link

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:50:53 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/23/2025 10:50

Samantha Fish

There are some phenomenal female guitar players out there, most definitely fall into the category of this post. One of the absolute best is Samantha Fish.

I think that her albums are fine but it’s when you see and hear her play live that you really appreciate what a phenomenal guitar player she is. Having said that her album with Jesse Dayton is well worth checking out

A great (predominantly) blues, but I’d also argue heavy blues artist, Having said that she also brings elements of rock, a smattering of country and a bit of funk into her playing.

Fish has cited Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tom Petty and the Rolling Stones as her influences.

There’s a story that in 2013, Fish was called up on stage to play with a sceptical Buddy Guy who was so impressed with her playing on the guitar, he declared with a beaming smile to his audience, "When this kind of shit happens, I'll play all night!” That pretty much sums up my feelings of seeing Samantha play live.

She kicked off her set with Kick Out The Jams and never let up. She’s kick ass brilliant and incendiary. She just doesn’t let up for the entire gig. Love her and love her playing.

Going to post videos separately as I'm struggling to find decent quality recordings and wanted to get this up on the thread

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 04:12:10 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/21/2025 09:12

A couple of videos of Michael Chapman

Link

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 04:06:02 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/21/2025 09:06

Michael Chapman

A real guitar hero of mine even before I got to meet him.

During his life (1941 – 2021) British guitarist Michael released a staggering 58 albums, and he definitely qualifies as a cult hero in my book. Very hard to pin down his style. Jazz definitely, folk, in its widest sense but he picked up influences from his extensive travels, particularly being influenced by American performers but it also went the other way with Michaels influence went much wider, for example, Thurston Moore , cited him as an inspiration in the formation of Sonic Youth

Chapman however evolved his own distinctive style of playing as you’ll hear on the attached videos. (See post below)

Contemporaries of Michaels were performers like John Martyn , Mick Ronson (who Chapman played with) and Roy Harper and he was much admired by the legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel.

After his heyday, or atleast relative success, Michael never sold shed loads of albums but his influence on others was immense. Both Ryley Walker and Steve Gunn worked with Michael in his later career.

I saw Michael play live several times, the best performance being upstairs at the Union Chapel, probably around 2017 / 2018. The most memorable was in 2016 though. It was a mates 60th birthday and we got Michael to play a house gig for him. I ended up being assistant sound engineer and Michael driver. The stories that he had were brilliant and he was very professional. No alcohol before or during the gig. Once it was over though, he imbibed a fair bit. Great bloke. Great musician

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 03:07:26 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/21/2025 08:07

Going to be doing a piece on each of these lesser known guitarists over the next few days

Michael Chapman

Miller Anderson

Eddie Hazel

Roy Buchanan

These are just for starters but they feel like they need a bit of love

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 03:01:08 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/21/2025 08:01

Romanelli wrote:

Known as the following:
The Telemaster. The Master Of The Telecaster. The Humbler. The World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist.

Danny Gatton
1945-1994

Committed suicide in 1994. Age 49.

Link

That’s a great shout. I have that album but haven’t played it in quite some time. Really great guitarist. Hadn’t appreciated that he dies so young and in such tragic circumstances. Very sad

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Romanelli — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 15:12:04 GMT

Author: Romanelli

Posted: 12/20/2025 20:12

Known as the following:
The Telemaster. The Master Of The Telecaster. The Humbler. The World's Greatest Unknown Guitarist.

Danny Gatton
1945-1994

Committed suicide in 1994. Age 49.

Link

Re: Guitar greats (not the usual suspects!)

Johnnyo — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:43:24 GMT

Author: Johnnyo

Posted: 12/20/2025 17:43

albummaster wrote:

Johnnyo wrote:

Great selections albummaster

I'd generally class Mark as a usual suspect (often mentioned, quite righty, as one of the all-time greats) but it's great to hear this rendition of Telegraph Road. One of my favourite Dire Straits tracks

Paco De Luca - I was unfamiliar with his work until these two videos. Definitely going to check him out more as I think that he's an ace guitarist. That's the sort of thing that I hoped people might share so really happy to hear those. Two rather different tracks as well

Prince, for me, is another usual suspect but that was a clip that I had never seen before. Great line up, great playing. He really was a genius.

Really grateful that you shared those with us.

I wanted to share my own videos, which I will do, but there is a lot being posted here and I want to get through these and listen to everything that people have kindly posted before doing mine. Really pleased that there seems to be an appetite for this topic

Thanks for thoughts, looking forward to seeing your selections. Pace de Lucia described by Keith Richards in an interview ""You say I'm a guitar legend, you don't have a clue. There are only two or three guitarists who can be considered legendary, and above all of them is Paco de Lucía". Prince, I thought, is one of those artists who sometimes isn't known/appreciated for his guitar work (but probably preaching to the wrong audience).

Just writing a piece on my first selection. Just got distracted by a music session with my wife though so will probably start writing again tomorrow.

On Prince - you’re probably right in that, for the general public, his guitar playing probably goes unrecognised but he was a genius guitarist.

Looking forward to checking out pace. If Keith says so, it must be true!