Greatest Guitar Band


I thought just before Christmas I'd get a good thread going. IMHO,the greatest guitar band was the Yardbirds, not because E Clapton,or J Beck, or J Page was in it but because Chris Deja, and Paul Samwell-Smith were great rhythm and bass guitarists that could rock and keep up with the above. Plus Jim McCarty the drummer could keep the group in line and fine harmonica work from Keith Relf(ok not the greatest vocalist, more of a finesse singer).They had it all, I cannot think of another band that had three great guitarists in the band at one time(J Beck, C Deja, P Samwell-Smith). In 1967, when J Beck and J Page were in the band togther as co-lead guitars, they were the lead in band for the rolling stones, they just blow them away,ok, that is not a fair comparison considering the rolling stones still cannot play their instruments very well. But in comparison to say Led Zepplin, LZ did not have a rhthym guitarist(except J Page would overdub that part on recordings). That made them sound not as well rounded live as far as guitar work is concerned. I am not saying LZ was a bad band on the contrary,they put on probably the best show ever, but I do not consider them a guitar band per se. Besides, J Page stole vitually from his former band anyway. Remember "How Many More Times" is a repackaged version of the YBs "Smokestack Lightning", a Howlin Wolf tune. YBs version is in my mind the best rock song ever. So what do you think????
shubertmaniac
Mikec, re: SRV, brings to mind the early Fabuluous Thunderbirds, also one of the greats. Craig
Hi Craig, yes so so many and yes the Yardbirds are one of my special favorites Shubert. I've spent over 40k just to make this music come alive in my livingroom and boy do i enjoy the music. Thanks all
Don't mean to be rude but it would actually be a really good thread if it threw up a few names we've never heard of ..otherwise it's just back-slapping.. as much as a lot of the music mentioned is good....respect to S for this thread and his respect for Beck...a true original but as I said further back it is hard to define... I enjoy 70's Genesis with Rutherford/Hackett and also late 70's Talking Heads (a great guitar band) and Television...Johnny Marr with The Smiths..John Squire The Stone Roses..Westerberg..The Replacements..the Young brothers AC/DC..the list is endless...no "best" only constant enjoyment,re-discovery... and personal opinions..keep them coming.... Regards, Ben H
Dekay, do you know of any publishings (video or audio)of that episode of Eric vs Chet on the Ed Sullivan show? It sounds like something I'd be interested in seeing/hearing not to mention purchasing for my collection.
Wsmatau: Sorry, no I do not. I just happened to see it one Sunday evening when I was a teenager. It was not pleasant to watch as Chet was somewhat hurt and embarrassed. I suspect that if there was any kind of a rehearsal, that Clapton held back a little during it. I also remember that Jimi Hendrix was on the Johnny Carson Show and Janis Joplin was on Dick Cavets show at around the same time. Hendrix was all smacked out and Janis was sober and shy. Strange TV times.