It Was 40 Years Ago Today...

Never got him until I heard him with an acoustic guitar and no band behind him. Still can't stand the E-Street Band stuff.

Kb54, nothing is "without question" in a subjective field. I've had two or three guitar students over the years who did not like the Beatles. There are no absolutes.

Bdp, I have a friend who once announced he was going to release an album entitled "Songs in the Key of E." He did not follow through on the promise, but I thought it was a good title.

I have to say Petty is another artist who had me scratching my head over his popularity. It's not bad stuff, just not the stuff musical dreams are made of (IMHO). I like the guy as a person, from what I've seen, and I think he has good taste in music. But what he does does not drive my monkey wild.

Whatthe, those of us who do not care for the music of the E-Street Band are not necessarily missing out on an absolute truth. It's a relative thing. You like what you like, you don't like what you don't like. I wish I liked everything, life would be a little easier. I wouldn't have to push the "skip" button on the remote so often. Still, not a big problem. I've still got healthy thumbs.

The numbers also say Bieber is a pop wonder. If he stays in the business and continues to sell will you put him up there with Bruce?

They were more than interesting--they were an amazing blues-infused rock band. You can still hear echoes of them today in certain tunes by Los Lobos and ZZ Top.

Marty, FWIW, John Mayall considers only Clapton to be in the Freddie King mold. He says Mick Taylor is more like Albert King and Peter Green is more like B.B. King. I don't know Mick's style as well as the others but I agree about Eric and Peter.
I tend to pick things out of fruit salads. I love the earliest F. Mac incarnation and it gradually falls off from there. I do admire the talent of the famous last version and like some of the stuff they did. But, wow, people get carried away IMO.

Certainly each of the three Brits in question were influenced somewhat by each of the three Kings--listen to how much Strange Brew sounds like Albert's Crosscut Saw, for instance--and by other early blues artists as well. I hear a ton of B.B. in Peter's early records and thought it worthwhile to mention what Mayall, after many years of listening and reflection, had to say on the subject. As for B.B., he once said that Peter Green was the only white blues player who made him sweat, FWIW.

The Japanese-made Tokai strats and Les Pauls are nice guitars, well worth the money. I had a Tokai strat for 30 years. Marty, I agree about Eddie. On the other hand, I love Hendrix more with each passing year. Not the best singer, but I like his vocal style.