Presidential Medal of Freedom for bluesman BB King

sambrowne · Post by **sambrowne** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:51 pm

It's good when you leave a forum for a bit, come back and see everyone is up in arms about something you said. It makes for interesting reading.

I notice almost nobody (apart from a subtle mention from Darcy) mentions Santana. What is it that he has added to the pantheon of guitar playing, really? To even mention him in the same breath as a true icon like Hendrix seems blasphemy.

As for BB, ok yeah, he has his sound, I'll give him that. Lovely feel, distinctive tone - ok, point taken.

To me, music is about carving your niche. If you're a weekend warrior and/or covers player (and I'm not knocking it, I did it myself for years and still do sometimes), you don't have to reinvent the wheel, but if you're serious about being a musician as artist, what's the point of doing the equivalent of painting a still life - something that has been done time and time again in the past? I don't know, that's not for everybody I guess, but surely true artistic fulfilment comes from creating something, not emulating. Emulators who can do a lot of stuff quite well are never as good as the original - just look at Line6

Post by **Capt. Black** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 3:58 pm

sambrowne wrote:... - just look at Line6

What? Another boy band?

Gelato · Post by **Gelato** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:03 pm

sambrowne wrote:I notice almost nobody (apart from a subtle mention from Darcy) mentions Santana. What is it that he has added to the pantheon of guitar playing, really? To even mention him in the same breath as a true icon like Hendrix seems blasphemy.

I guess he's influenced a lot of people in one way or another to play the guitar or improve their playing. Who knows why some people find X guitar player inspiring, and Y guitar player to be over rated?

For me, I struggle to listen to a Hendrix song all the way through, and always have. I've never heard a single thing he's recorded that impressed me in any way, but 99% of guitar players wouldn't even comprehend how that is possible.

Different stokes and all that I suppose...

slash-ed · Post by **slash-ed** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:10 pm

sambrowne wrote:It's good when you leave a forum for a bit, come back and see everyone is up in arms about something you said. It makes for interesting reading.

This may be the only time you've actually come back to reply to something you sparked off

slash-ed · Post by **slash-ed** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 4:12 pm

Gelato wrote:
sambrowne wrote:I notice almost nobody (apart from a subtle mention from Darcy) mentions Santana. What is it that he has added to the pantheon of guitar playing, really? To even mention him in the same breath as a true icon like Hendrix seems blasphemy.
I guess he's influenced a lot of people in one way or another to play the guitar or improve their playing. Who knows why some people find X guitar player inspiring, and Y guitar player to be over rated?

For me, I struggle to listen to a Hendrix song all the way through, and always have. I've never heard a single thing he's recorded that impressed me in any way, but 99% of guitar players wouldn't even comprehend how that is possible.

Different stokes and all that I suppose...

Haha.... The "legends" that don't tickle my fancy are fairly blasphemous to most rockers... I don't like Hendrix (altho his rhythm is actually pretty cool), Zep, The Who, The What (no just kidding), The Stones, The Beatles... fuck that is a lot of "The"s.

Tsuken · Post by **Tsuken** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 6:13 pm

I've never liked BB's playing. I don't like his tone; I find his vibrato grating and anxious; and the repetitiveness of his playing bores me rigid.

However ... I can appreciate the degree of influence he has had, and recognise that my personal preference for other blues players is not the same as "BB King sucks" or "Buddy Guy pwns BB".

Santana? I love my man Carlos. Yeah he hasn't played much different in a great many years, but I don't care. I enjoy it - and he clearly has a great time. So do all his fans. So why mess with it? It's all about having fun, surely.

Malmsteen? He's kind of menstrual. I can cope with about a track a month - no more. But again I can appreciate a lot of things about his playing and his influence without particularly liking it (very often, anyway).

Conversely, I love Hendrix's playing, but recognise that technically he was pretty samick, really, and that there are a lot of people now who just don't "get" him - and there's nowt wrong wi' that.

Of course, I can also appreciate and respect the drive to constantly change and develop as an artist and so forth - but I absolutely do not believe it should be "required". Personally I hate when a band I love changes too much ... but then, I fear change.

humphreybear · Post by **humphreybear** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:41 pm

slash-ed wrote:
DarcyPerry wrote:If you diss him, you show your ignorance, or perhaps your youth and inexperience.
I dunno. What about opinion then. Maybe some people just don't dig his kind of music. Or won't. Just like one of my mates who will NOT listen to Yngwie Malmsteen just because... it's Malmsteen. "No feel", apparently. Has anyone listened to that tone?!?!

Yes yes, someone bring up the same runs over and over. Well considering I only have like, 3 tracks, I'm not that bored yet

y does everyone hate malmsteen so much hes a gud guitarist nd u guys say he does the same stuff all the time so does bb king (althought i agree with foal he did invent wot he does) I think those of you who dislike malmsteen becoz hes malmsteen r just jealous hes better than you

humphreybear · Post by **humphreybear** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:43 pm

DarcyPerry wrote:Ok, now we agree? That sux

Um, how do we get some tension back to this thread...

Malmsteen is a classical hack

No, its no use. The thrill is gone

have i brought enuf tension bak?

Optimus_prime · Post by **Optimus_prime** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:52 pm

I'm ignorant

Gelato · Post by **Gelato** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 2:54 pm

humphreybear wrote:y does everyone hate malmsteen so much

Who said everyone hates Malmsteen (apart from you just now?). It's just the majority of people hate him, not everyone

bc_rich_ · Post by **bc_rich_** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:22 pm

yngwies 20 inches of pure sveedish beef ya

Danger Mouse · Post by **Danger Mouse** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:10 pm

Actually this thread has got me thinking... ok BB King has had a huge influence on so many players, so has Santana and so has Malmsteen... so has EVH, so has Eric Clapton, so has Jeff Beck, so has Joe Satriani, so has Jimmy Page, so has... well I could go on forever...

...but thinking about all these guys, they all had their thing that made them great and they've all pretty much stuck to doing that thing. Some have even gone backwards, I was watching a recent-ish Eric Clapton concert on DVD in a Hifi shop a couple of weeks ago and saw some of the most uninspiring and boring guitar work of my life, why people clapped at the end of each song was beyond me, but I digress.

Anyway, if I wanted to see BB, I'd want to see BB doing the BB thing, same with Malmsteen, same with EVH and all the rest. It doesn't bother me that they might have been playing the same licks for 50 million years, if those licks twist my testicals, I'd want to hear and see them. BB is great at what he does and he deserves the recognition he's getting for what he's done for so many people. Whether or not you like what he does is a completely different issue.

Post by Bg » Tue Dec 26, 2006 10:56 pm

Old musicians just fade away, what else can they do? BB is an artist, personally I'd rather listen to one of BB's albums than Santanas Discography

Thats what makes people different.

Malmsteen did nothing for me when thin, now he's wanting to look like me its even less flattering.

People like bands to sound like themselves - there is always an outcry when they try something new. Metallica - St Anger, people were crying - how said is that?

slash-ed · Post by **slash-ed** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 12:26 am

But what I think i mean is... something innovative and new within their established niche/style.

But of course.. .YMMWVWTT