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Guitar Talk:
Hi and welcome to my page. This is the bit where I get to talk about the guitar....
where I get to tell anyone interested in the instrument where (in my opinion) you
can catch the best bits of guitar playing around .This will give you an incite into
what influences me in my guitar playing.
What I really want from this page is for you to discover the true great guitarists/guitar moments
and to promote the work of guitar players you probably haven't even heard of.
Where possible I've tried to include a catalogue number so you can dig out on the internet an
existing copy of the recording because it’s unlikely you'll find these in the shops.
So if one person reads this, goes out and buys a CD, I would feel its all been worth it.
So first of all, a little about me:
I was born in 1965.....so you work it out.
I've been playing since I was 6 years old and performing on stage since I was 8.
I don't think you can count playing in front of the school at the age of 7 as a real gig.
My Dad paid for lessons for me right from the start and this continued until I was 16.
I practiced an hour a day, every day, without fail, even when I broke my wrist and managed
to attain the Grade 8 Trinity College Classical Guitar exam when I was 13.I then studied at
music college in Salford for 2 years and subsequently in Liverpool for 3 years, under the
direction of world renowned master classical guitarist Neil Smith who can be found here...
At age 21 acquired the letters "GMus FVCM (Hons)" after my name.
I played in various bands and on various sessions over the years, done live radio sessions
and interviews, TV appearances and records including "Amerikan Cleopatra" and "Private Oyster"
with Jayne County, "Your Loving Embrace" for Shekinah Ministries (Gospel album recorded in Malta)
and other bits and pieces with The Grumbleweeds, Linda Nolan and most recently with Chris Bannister
on the album October Already (Libra Records) and an artist from Phoenix Arizona called Dino De Luca.
I regularly do recording sessions for a recording company in the US and have toured extensively
with The
Country Legends of the Grand Ole Opry Theatre
show, which I'm still occasionallycalled upon to do.
In the 80's I taught music and played Guitar, Keyboards, Banjo and Mandolin in a country rock band
called Oregon.
There are still some recordings of us in the attic along with my clarinet and grade
8 Trinity College certificate in clarinet playing.
From about 1993 I played with Kushti for about 10 years.
Touring the USA in 1997 with the release of the self penned Hurtin' Pains CD.
From April 2002 I got together with Nige and we formed NINETEEN:84 with premise of making the music of
the early 80's, the music of the here and now.
Oh yeah…..we've got some CD's too.
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AUDIO:
For Audio samples...please go to Stu's Myspace Page!
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Let me introduce you to:
Albert Lee.... He started out with Lonnie Donegan and then later and even to this day plays with
The Everley Brothers. However if you want to hear a classic Albert guitar moment check out
the song "Country Boy" he recorded this with "Head hands and feet" but there are subsequent solo
recordings of the track including live ones. Try The Best of Albert Lee (CPP Media) (PO973GTX).
You can find it on the internet. Go and find it now. The latter guitar solo is a little echo trick
(I use the same trick on the NINETEEN:84 version of "Daydream Believer") but I've seen him play
it without any tricks. Albert is that guitar player that’s always on those concerts
"Celebrating the music of" or "The life of" or "The reunion of" you know that 50 years of rock n roll
type concert. He toured with Eric Clapton for years as a second guitar player, but I only ever went
to a Clapton gig to see Albert. Also check out the Ricky Skaggs song "Humming Bird" with Albert
doing what he does best.
Jerry Donahue.... Apart from being a phenomenal player he has an amazing guitar tone. If you listen
to the tone of the rhythm guitar parts of "Road To Hell" by Chris Rea or "500 Miles” by
The Proclaimers you will know what I mean.
He does some amazing things with bending 2 and 3 guitar strings in different directions all at the
same time, or bending the strings behind the nut.
For me the best recording to show off his style is a track called The Claw from his album
Telecasting (MML 88001 1 Music Maker).
Originally written by Jerry Reed and also covered on a nylon strung guitar by Chet Atkins it demonstrates
a unique style and tone. I remember in the 80's a TV programme called "Equinox" on the electric guitar
and everyone I knew saw it. The next day and for the next year everyone was saying did you see that
guitarist on the TV last night? Well that was Jerry Donaghue playing The Claw.
Subsequent recordings of him can be found with 2 very stylish guitar players
"The Return of the Helecasters".
Check out www.helecasters.com
Tommy Emmanuel.... First and foremost I would like to thank my friend Paul Winstanley
(an excellet guitar player and bass player with The Lost Angels) for introducing me to
Tommy who is as far as I’m concerned the finest guitar player that has ever walked the planet.
He's been described as the best two guitar players in the world. To get into Tommy Emmanuel you have
to buy the DVD "Mel Bay Presents Tommy Emmanuel Live at Sheldon Concert Hall (MB20064DVD).
You won't be disappointed.
Tommy plays his arrangements on the acoustic guitar for 2 hours. I watch it over and over in amazement
that somebody can be that good. He plays the bass, the accompaniment (including drums) and melody all
at the same time. Interspersed with Tommy's wonderful personality, humour, flash cascading harmonics,
guitar licks and tricks this is the most outstanding piece of guitar work I've ever seen. Every single one of
the 25 tracks has something in it that makes you go. How did he do that? Listen to his version of "Daytripper"
by the Beatles for sheer brilliance. His command of the instrument is unprecedented. He seems to have mastered
every style of guitar playing going. Listen to the cascading harmonics on "Michelle". If you come to one of
my gigs I'll show you how he does it. Trust me he is stunning. Also listen to his acoustic fills in the background
of the song "In Days To Come” by John Farnham on the Chain Reaction CD (BMG PD74768) .
One other thing to mention. The first guitar book I ever got was by Mel Bay. Chet Atkins did an album of duets with
Tommy called "The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World" (Columbia CK 67915) and on it is
"Ode To Mel Bay" To anyone that has ever tried to learn the guitar you must listen to this track.
Its not complicated or flash just very true and very funny.
Gary Moore.... Well everyone knows "Parisienne Walkways" and I have to say it was a big tune in getting me
into playing the electric guitar but the real gem of Gary's recording is "Still Got The Blues For You".
It appears on loads of his compilation albums and of course on the "Still Got The Blues" album (Virgin records CDV 2612)
It’s like a bluesy ballad version of Parisienne Walkways. There's so much emotion in the words, singing and playing.
There is a live version on the Gary Moore live album. But everyone should have a copy of the "Still Got The Blues"
album in their collection.
Steve Wariner.... You've never heard of him have you? Yet he's sold millions of records.
He has a beautiful but for sheer guitar brilliance listen to "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (BMG LC3484).
This is an instrumental album with the exception of the last track and is collaboration with other
world class guitar players. Check out the opening track also titled "No More Mr. Nice Guy" this is with
Vince Gill and Nolan Ryan).Also if you want to hear him sing (and I love his voice) listen to "Small Town Girl"
from "The Best of Steve Wariner" (HMNCD 028) or if you really want a piece of true emotion in a vocal performance
find "Holes In The Floor of Heaven" I've the hairs standing up on the back of my neck just writing the title.
I'll try to find a catalogue number for this.
Brett Garsed.... Stunning guitar player with the band Nelson (The sons of 60's singer Ricky Nelson I believe)
I first heard Brett play on "Whispering Jack" (BMG PD71224) by John Farnham (Where does he keep getting
the great players from) and the track that stands out is "Let Me Out" you can in fact find him on "Age of Reason (BMG PD71839).
I bought Whispering Jack because John Farnham is an incredible singer but I bought Chain Reaction and Age of Reason
because Brett was playing the guitar on them........
and what a bonus to find out years later that Tommy Emmanuel was on there as well.
Vince Gill.... There is no way the intro on "High Lonesome Sound" could have been improvised.
Its magical it must have taken an eternity to write.
Vince is a singer/songwriter and guitar player from Nashville (I think). Every thing he does is of the
highest order although I wish he'd play more up tempo than he does.
He did some great work in the 80's with Pure Praire League. If you discover PPL in a record store make
sure Vince is on it before you buy it. They were never as good without him.
Vince’s first solo album includes a slick solo at the end of Okalahoma Border Line.
Steve Lukather.... Guitar player with Toto. There are too many guitar events by this guy to mention.
Any Toto album takes a lot of listening to get into but "Toto 4" (CBS LC0149) is the easiest on the ear, with hits like
"Rosanna and Africa on it. My favourite is "The Seventh One" (CBS 460645 2) but listen to "Lea" on
"Farenheit" (CBS 463087 2) just for how well the nylon strung guitar has been recorded.
Chances are you've heard him without realising because he plays sessions on everyone’s records.
Listen to the solo in "Running With The Night" by Lionel Richie for a great example of his style.
Brent Mason.... Again another great session player, he's done a lot of work with Collin Raye and major US country artists.
His attitude is "Play Good or Look Stupid". His solo album "Hot Wired" (Mercury Records) contains a real mix of
instrumental music my favourite is "Blowin' Smoke" its very accentuated and its difficult enough playing the right
notes without having that much control over them as well.
Yngwie Malmsteen.... He's a Scandinavian rock guitar player. His style is very classical but with overdriven guitars.
I used to have an album called "Marching Out". It’s all great technical and exciting stuff. I just checked on the internet
to see if he's done much since I bought "Marching Out". I was astounded to find he has 21 solo albums available.
I'm sure you'll find something interesting on any of them.
Alan Murphy.... He played sessions during the 80's and eventually joined Level 42, however he died shortly after joining them.
I saw him in the back of the band doing The Princes's Trust concerts in the 80's which is also where I and the
rest of Britain discovered John Farham. Alan played that haunting guitar solo and theme on Silent Running by
Mike and The Mechanics. It’s all about the tone of the guitar. This artist is a major influence on my style as listening to Alan
introduced me to the fact that the tremolo arm wasn't just for dive bombing. I had never owned a guitar with a trem system
on it until I heard Alan's slight of hand on it.
I went straight down to see Ritchie Tomson at Tomson Guitars (Tel: England +44 (0)1942 862081)
and demanded he made me a new guitar with this floating tremolo system on it. I've played it every day since.
Alan also played some great guitar work on the 2 "Go West" albums in the 80's.Check out the solo on
"Don't Look Down" where he replaces picked notes with light touches on the tremolo arm.
Well worth a listen he's so stylish.
Joe Satriani.... Master technician he has many solo instrumental CD's my favourite being an early one called "Surfin' With The Alien".
The two tracks that stand out for me are "Satch Boogie" and "Always With Me/Always With You".
An electronic version of the latter by Nige and myself as NINETEEN:84, appears on our "ELECTRIC:EP”...
but Satch plays it much better than me!
Stanley Jordan.... Magic touch was a guitar album for Stanley. His style involves playing everything
on the fret board. What I mean is, he taps out the melody with his right hand on the fretboard and
plays the accompaniment also by hammering the left hand lower down the neck. Listen to Eleanor Rigby.
Trust me its one guitar player, with no overdubs or electronic tweeking.
Steve Vai.... Steve was originally with Frank Zappa but later went solo after playing with Alcatrazz,
David Lee Roth and Whitesnake. "For The Love Of God" on the "Passion and Warfare" CD is a dramatic
melody with very passionate and intense picking further into the song. His fantastic talking guitar is something to behold
in the intro to "Yankee Rose" on David Lee Roth’s 1st solo album (The name of the album escapes me.........
a little more research needed here). Here Steve's guitar actually has a conversation with David.
There's a similar thing done on "The Audience is Listening" also on "Passion and Warfare" but the "Yankee Rose" one is better.
One other classic Steve moment is in the film "Crossroads" with Ralf Macchio. Steve plays the character "Jack Butler".
Towards the end of the film there's a big guitar duel. If I told you too much, it would spoil the film if you haven't seen it,
but just to let you know Steve plays both parts on the sound track. Watch it, it’s a good film anyway.
Other Guitar Moments....
Friday Night In San Francisco
John Mclaughlin, Paco De Lucia and Al Di Meola
This is a live acoustic set with lightning guitars played by these three masters of the guitar.
The whole thing is a mixture of jazz and flamenco. The opening track (The name escapes me) sounds very
Spanish in style and the speed at which they play is something I've never heard on acoustic instruments.
Listen to the opening song "Up" on Shania Twains CD of the same title.
It’s the simplest of songs with the most amazing array of guitar sounds. Starting with a 12 string,
"John Macnaly from "The Searchers tone, then some tenor guitar part below it.
Then there's some overdriven crunchy stab as the vocal comes in. Behind the lead vocal during the 1st part of the verse,
is a juice harp sounding with some sort of phasing (almost vocal in itself) rhythm guitar part.
Then that U2 echo trick with a slide guitar leading into the chorus.
Clean tapped harmonics in the middle 8, acoustic guitar rhythm and all manner of other things going on, yet you can still
hear everything individually its astounding. This I think is all down to one guitar player, Michael Thompson and his Magical Guitar Orchestra.
It all gets mixed together by the master producer himself Robert John Mutt Lange, who is also a great singer songwriter
Listen to "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis and The News. Mutt wrote and produced that song along with
"You ain't got nothing if you ain't got love" by Michael Bolton.
If you listen carefully you can hear him singing in the background on everything he wrote.
"Paid Vacation" (Capitol Records) by Richard Marx is a lesson in songwriting.
Bruce Gaitsch the guitar player is outstanding in his tone and the value of each note he plays far outweighs any
speed picker you'll ever hear. You don't hear much of Richard Marx anymore. The last I heard he was writing songs and
playing keyboards with none other than John Farnham.
I hope to add more information and downloads to this page in the future, so please check back from time to time.
Stu Clark