Discography - Week 41

We have reached Week 41 in our Discography music discussion, which is also our penultimate thematic week.  Due to a series of high level meetings with the esteemed Bob Craigmile we are going to discuss the Best Guitar Solos and/or the Best Guitar Songs (Bob suggested Solos and I added an amendment, because I'm all about compromise).

Bob Craigmile

My pick for guitar solo is Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb, which actually has TWO solo sections and the second one is almost like two solos itself. 

The first solo at around 2:40 soars like some sort of elegant raptor looking for a place to land.  It's brief and really is just a break 

The longer second solo at 5:05 is the eagle (sorry to be so corny) spying it's prey and swooping into the attack.  Oddly, given my imagery, this solo has so much sadness haunting it. The Wall album and story arc is itself incredibly depressing, and I relate to it a little too well. 

One vector for depression I've learned is anger.  It can be anger that's turned inward (in my case).  Instead of being comfortably (at least physically) numb, there is a numbness that is also uncomfortable and I believe that the solo indicates this conflict between anger and sadness in dramatic, even epic, fashion.  The lyrics and movie make this case, given Pink's missing father and messed up Mum, not to mention the drama at school.  But you could only listen to the solo to hear it all.

One wonders what our current President makes of this song.  He's of the same generation as Roger Waters (3 years apart).  Had some sort of troubled relationship with his father (was shipped off to military school), got rich and famous and fucked it all up, including marriages and kids.  Alas, I come not to analyze the Orange or the Pink.  

I think that a lot of men my age have trouble with emotions and expressing same (so my ex told me).  We really didn't have great models for it; this is not an excuse of course, but a reminder that we don't create ourselves, even if we're born rich, or our dad dies in the war.  Stuff happens.  This gets channeled into song and we somehow have a great solo from a guy who, despite being a male model, gets transforming pain into beauty.  Eagles fly.

A favorite guitar song is Funk 49  by the James Gang.  (Thanks to the aforementioned Rock Band video game, I also got into it with fake drums).  This song has some great crunchy riffs that just make other guitarists so jealous.  Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge, and the guitar work on this song is full of imagination.  As opposed to Comfortably Numb, it's not unhappy, but has a great steady drive that puts a smile in my heart.

Gary Beatrice

The White Stripes, Blue Orchid 

Television, Marquee Moon 

Billy Joe Shaver, Georgia On a Fast Train 

I was a bit nervous when I saw that we were having a guitar week theme. I love guitars, but I've never really worshiped at the altar of the acknowledged guitar gods. I enjoy Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton et al, but not as much as others do. For the most part guitar solos kind of bore me. Please don't take my rock n roll critic credentials away.

But I am pretty sure the theme includes guitar driven music and I can do that. Hell I love that!

I never seriously played any instrument so I have no idea if Tom Verlaine and Jack White are skilled guitarists or if they are playing the way I type (with two fingers). But I know they sound cool as hell. Television came out of the 70s New York punk scene with Talking Heads, Blondie, Ramones, etc. (for more read Love = Buildings On Fire, thank you Dave W), and Jack White came out of the seminary with his sister Meg (Get Behind Me Satan!). Or so he says. At any rate, these are somewhat traditional guitar driven songs, songs that get stuck in my craw for days at a time, but pleasantly so.

Georgia On A Fast Train is a different story. 

B J Shaver is a renowned songwriter, writing dozens of country tunes for Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and others among the stalwarts of traditional country music. But his son, Eddie, grew up in the 80's and found himself gravitating towards the guitar monsters of that time frame, particularly Eddie Van Halen (whom he was not named after).  Dad and son played together and the result was this perfect country song that rocks to high heaven.

Soon after this recording Eddie Shaver died of a heroin overdose.

Let's not let this happen to our children.

Dave Wallace

Richard Thompson, Can't Win

In what I'm sure will come as a relief to all of you, I'm taking a break from my Month of Trump theme to weigh in on this week's theme.  I can't swear that this is the best guitar solo ever, but it's a heck of a good one.  Richard Thompson is one of my favorite artists and an incredible triple-threat - amazing songwriter, terrific singer, incredible guitar player.  This live version of Can't Win shows off his guitar heroics at some of their best.  About 30 years ago, Gary Beatrice, my Dad, and I went and saw Thompson with his first solo band, following his break-up with his wife, Linda Thompson.  All of us walked out with our minds blown.  This version of Can't Win gives you a little taste of what we saw that night.

Jack Schultz

In my humble opinion, Gary Scudder chose the greatest guitar song of all time with his Week 24 selection of ‘In Memory of Elizabeth Reed’ by The Allman Brothers Band, as played on Live at the Fillmore East.  It features both Duane Allman and Dicky Betts jamming in an improvisational style inspired by Miles Davis and John Coltrane.  One can lose oneself in the epic riffs of this 10+ minute song.  It’s a masterpiece.  I can’t touch on The ABB this week without conveying the hope that Butch Trucks has found peace.

Since In Memory of Elizabeth Reed has previously been honored, I’ll go with one of my personal favorites—‘SmokingGun’ by Robert Cray.  The guitar solo herein may not be classic, but I find that I never grow tired of it.  There is a moderately controlled angst to the whole song.  I like the double meaning of the metaphoric smoking gun coupled with the literal smoking gun used by the jealous protagonist.  I saw Cray way back in 1989 and he delivered a no-nonsense, crisp performance. 

Prior to his successful solo career that got rolling in the mid-80s, a young Robert Cray can be seen in Animal House, as the bass player with Otis (that’s three straight weeks of Otis references) Day and the Knights.  Seriously. 

Phillip Seiler

Couldn't limit myself. Sorry:
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Because I like to cheat, I have three selections for this week. The first two are, I think, obvious choices. Simply the best guitar solo I have ever seen was when Prince shredded “While my Guitar GentlyWeeps” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2004. I’m not much of a Prince fan. I recognize his immense talent but, for whatever reason, his songs don’t speak to my soul. But this solo is the definition of pure effortlessness. He is one with that guitar in a way I have never seen another play. It is a thing of pure beauty and joy. And he knows it. And he knows you know it. 

Song two is also no huge surprise. Dire Straits “Sultans of Swing”  This is my nominee for best guitar song. It has that beautiful infectious hook and then Mark Knopfler just builds his own wall of guitar around it. One could argue that the song exists merely to provide a structure for the guitar solos rather than the reverse. This is the 10 minute live version so settle in and get those headphones cranked up. Finally, a special shout out to the red sport coat and white athletic headband. I know what my uniform to the next 4 sport triathlon will be.

And finally, as an admitted Todd Rundgren fan I would be remiss if I did not draw attention to his notable chops on the guitar. Utopia - Singring and The Glass Guitar.  This song is indefensible and probably the best example of 70s goofy fantasy/prog rock miss-mash you will ever find. (Skip in to just before the 8 minute mark for the guitar solo if you don’t want to watch the full 14 minutes.) “I’m going to climb a giant pyramid on stage and be the top of it while I play a 2+ minute guitar solo.” Spinal Tap couldn’t satire this if they tried. Self-indulgent, nerdy as hell, bombastic as all get out. I love every minute of this nonsense.

Dave Mills

"Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine (guitarist, Tom Morello)

This is one of those theme weeks that pulls in way too many directions. Do I go for the classics and choose a track from Clapton, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Roger Waters? Do I go for the blues with Stevie Ray Vaughn or B.B. King? Do I indulge my high school infatuation with hair metal and choose a track from Slash, Dave Mustaine, or Dimebag Darrell (sorry, just had to get the name of Pantera's guitarist in there -- it's just too good) Or? Or? Or?

In the end, the reign of the Orange Tyrant has once again swayed my choice, and I began to think of the guitar the way Woody Guthrie did: THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS. Once I remembered Woody's guitar, the choice was clear. We need some unambiguous fascist-killing music here. And Tom Morello, of the band Rage Against the Machine (and some really fantastic political protest projects like The Nightwatchman) is taking dead aim at today's fascists with his guitar. 

I could probably choose just about any Rage song here, but "Bulls on Parade" (from their 1996 Evil Empire album) captures my mood right now. This song calls out the hypocrisy of "family values" candidates and voters who "rally 'round the family" but do so with "a pocket full of (shotgun) shells. "Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes. Not need, just fed the war cannibal animal..." This is how we end up with bulls (cops in riot gear) on parade. Zach, the vocalist, also name-drops a Mexican revolutionary, Genovevo de la O, which I find very timely. The guitar work in this song is spot on for an angry political rant. It occupies this aggressive, angry, frenetic space between metal and hip-hop, with some rowdy funk flair thrown in for good measure. It gets me riled up every time, ready to march.

There's more great guitar work on "Killing in the Name" a song which also calls out hypocrisy and violence, focused this time on racist policing tactics. "Some of those who work forces (police officers) are those who burn crosses" is a repeated refrain. In the live version, they'll switch it up and sing "some of those who burn crosses are those who hold office." This was written in 1991, in response to the Rodney King beating, but sadly, it's still relevant, maybe even moreso, today, with the ascendency of Steve Bannon and his ilk. So here again, Rage channels my rage. The line repeated over and over at the end is "Fuck you! I won't do what you tell me!" Although the women's march in Montpelier last weekend wasn't anywhere near this rage-filled, it still feels like a first step to "Take the Power Back" (another Rage track I recommend). 

Dave Kelley

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Actual Week 41 Pick
Cream, Crossroads

"No further comment needed" DK
[editor's note: This sounds like a defiant statement of rock and roll purity, but mainly Dave forgot it was a thematic week (which means he gets to join Dave Wallace and myself in the Senior Moment Troika, because we also forgot and had to amend our posts)]
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Last weekend was a good one for the soul.  Not only did I attend a great, cathartic, restorative Frank Turner show, but it was also awesome to see the huge Women's Marches held around the country and the globe.  That has got me thinking about redemption, resilience, overcoming adversity, and refusing to surrender to dark forces.  At first I thought about using Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down" or "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley.  As much as I love those songs, I decided to go in a different direction with two other tunes.  Sometimes strength and resolve come from quiet contemplation.  At other times, they are reached communally in the presence of a lot of like minded people.  In the best of worlds, both take place. I would like to think my choices this week represent the two sides of that coin.

"This City"  Steve Earle

In the series Treme which is set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Steve Earle has a small recurring role as a busker and long time New Orleans resident.  The producers of the show asked him to write a song in the voice of his character, and he came up with this brilliant tune.  New Orleans was failed by its state, local, and national governments before, during, and after Katrina.  Yet it is still standing and remains my favorite American city to visit.  We are living in a post-Trump inauguration world and not New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, but the message is the same.  Especially if you want to view this country as that shining city on a hill.

"This city won't ever die

Just as long as her heart beats strong

Like a second line steppin' high

Raising hell as we roll along

Gentily to the Vieux Carre

Lower Nine, Central City, Uptown

Singing Jacamo Fee Nah Nay

This city won't ever drown

Doesn't matter cause there ain't no way

I'm ever gonna leave this town

This city won't wash away

This city won't ever drown."  

And the other side of the coin is:

"Get Better"  Frank Turner

DW has already mentioned the absolute awesomeness of the Frank Turner show that we saw last Saturday.  It would have been a tremendous concert regardless, but the fact that it came on the same day as the Women's marches and shortly after the inauguration of the lunatic whose name I need not mention, made it all the more special.  The crowd was raucous, and Turner made several comments from the stage in support of the marches and denouncing the president.  The show had a bit of a rally feel to it.  At the same time, the music and its performance were very positive and just a hell of a lot of fun.  As DW mentioned, I did not realize how much I needed a show like that until I experienced it.

"I got me a shovel

And I'm digging a ditch

And I'm going to fight for this four square feet of land

Like a mean old son of a bitch"

"We can do better

Because we're not dead yet."   

I feel like as our administration is showing the world the worst face possible, millions of people around the country are rallying around the better angels of our nature.  

Gary Scudder

Neil Young, Cowgirl in the Sand (live)

When we first started this project (now almost a year ago) I told myself that I was not going to overload on Neil Young songs, and, at least until recently, I did a pretty good job of that.  Maybe it's the trauma of the Trump presidency, but I've found myself dipping back into my memory of a happier, or at least more hopeful, age.  So, I guess not surprisingly, I'm promoting a NY song this week.  Beyond the deeply personal and purely subjective side of the issue, one of the reasons why I believe Young is the greatest of all time is that he is both a great song writer and a great musician.  There are better songwriters, but they either aren't transcendent musicians or ran out of things to say too quickly.  There are better guitarists, but they're not particularly inspired songwriters (a great example would be Eric Clapton - unless he's pushed he'll produce the worst dross imaginable).  Beyond that, I think Young is a very underrated guitarist (essentially he can bring it) with a very distinctive style; the first time you hear Warren Zevon's Sentimental Hygiene you know Young is playing lead guitar.  I was going to suggest Young's I've Been Waiting For You, which always finds its way onto my list of great songs no one has ever heard of (other than David Bowie he did a nice cover) but it's too short and, to use one of my favorite pretentious phrases when discussing film, not fully realized (I always secretly hoped that he would return to it and expand upon it, like Bill Evans did with Waltz for Debbie, but more on that later).  As I pointed out in the 110 Neil Young songs better than Heart of Gold, there is as much mythology as fact about Young, and one of them relates to the recording of his album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere.  According to legend he wrote Cowgirl in the Sand, Down by the River and Cinnamon Girl in the same afternoon as he suffered through a high fever from the flu.  I don't know if it's true, but I also don't know if I care - it is a good story.  There are some songs that you grow to love, and then there are others that hook you right away - and for me Cowgirl in the Sand falls into the latter category.  Over the years, instead of growing tired of it, I've found I love it more and more, maybe because experience has reaffirmed the truth of the line, "it's the woman in you that makes you want to play this game."  I'm including a link to the scorching version featuring the Danny Whitten golden age Crazy Horse from 1970 on the Fillmore East live album released a few years ago as part of the Neil Young Archives collection.  It's sad to think what might have been if Whitten hadn't, like so many others, had his talent ruined and his life taken by heroin; an event which, ironically, spun Young off to his "ditch trilogy," which I consider his best work.  The later Crazy Horse had its own strengths and formed a ugly/beautiful inspiration for grunge, but Whitten was a great counterbalance to Young and the band was much tighter, and, well, I would argue, more of a band.