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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
shubertmaniac OP
350 posts
 
Just to let you know, the Yardbirds have reformed again. They are set to play in England soon with a real possibility of coming to States. No EC,JB,JP. Also Jeff Beck is coming out with a new album and will tour this summer. Now if you could get a double billing of Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds maybe they could jam on a few tunes together........... nice dreaming...........
harrysue
3 posts
 
One of my favorite guitar tracks is "astronomy" on the "some enchanted evenings" CD. It has a great solo and to me the guitar comes alive.
undertaker4
39 posts
 
The greatest guitar band would have the greatest guitarist, which would be Jimi Hendrix. The only question: JHE or Band of Gypsies?
shubertmaniac OP
350 posts
 
Undertaker4(is that the name of your band or your profession?),your premise is not necessarily true. Yes
Jimi might be the greatest guitarist, but the thread was the greatest guitar BAND. Which in this case neither band
struck a chord(pun intended) with me. Jimi's bands showcased
his guitar licks but the rest of his band members either
were not equal to the task or not allowed to stretch their
talents. I appreciated his guitar playing( I saw him several times), and his concerts were frenetic but
they were never musically satisfying. At least he could play
his music in concert unlike most other bands like Jefferson
Airplane or the Rolling Stones or the Doors. Those were the
worst concerts of major artists I saw. The best guitar
player I personally saw with a superb guitar band as backup,
easily Muddy Waters, every note was played as if God made his fingers move. Second best, the Yarbirds with both JBeck and JPage as colead guitarists with CDreja on bass. They too
could play the music.
undertaker4
39 posts
 
I won't argue regarding Muddy Waters (his later lineup with Johnny Winter smoked as well, what a band). I had the fortune of seeing Albert King live before he died, he was awesome (when asked about Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh said Albert King "would blow him off the stage with one note"). Still unclear on the "Guitar Band" label; is it a band that features guitar, but is good all around? Or that has the most quality people playing fretted instruments? With regard to the Yardbirds, they were very good, no doubt. Led Zep I was mostly YB material, some of which hadn't made it to record yet (dazed and confused, etc., maybe called "I'm Confused"?) Personally, as far as guitarists go, I preferred the pre "For Your Love" YB's w/Clapton. Page has never really done it for me as far as his lead playing; he either sounds lost or like he's trying to play as fast as possible. Beck was the better player, IMO. I still say that Hendrix is head and shoulders above any of them, Noel Redding was definitely no slouch on bass, and Mitchell was excellent as well. Right now, I've been listening to more of the Band of Gypsies, which probably is the more solid rhythm section. As far as live performances, I was too young to see JHE or Yardbirds (both broke up when I was about 2), so I'll take your word for it. I still enjoy JHE recordings much more than the Yardbirds (live or studio). Opinions vary. However, due to your posts, I will (asap) go back and review my Yardbird recordings and get back to you.
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