Ah, the mainstream

[www.cnn.com]

Hasn't someone in the music press run a story like this continuously since about 1985? "Richard Thompson: the best guitar you've never heard of, unless it's in stories about how he's the best guitar player you've never heard of."

Well, if anyone deserves the press coverage over his lack of coverage or mainstream success, it's Richard. That picture on the inside sleeve of Amnesia is worth a thousand headlines.

I think "the best guitarist you've never heard of" is permanent part of his name, much like "rock's other Bruce" is permanently attached to Bruce Cockburn, or at least it was back when anyone bothered to write articles about him at all.

It's an easy (arguably lazy) hook for those who haven't heard anything outside of Rumour & Sigh. I know Thompson thinks of himself as a songwriter first and a guitarist second, so I imagine he's annoyed at never having the "greatest songwriter you've never heard of" accolade attached to his name - I guess some former New Dylan has that sewn up. But he knows how to play the game to get press coverage.

I think the mainstream might finally be done with the "Women in Rock" thing.

I once looked up 30 articles on Graham parker and out of the 30 27 of them had the term underated in it. Up until those articles I had no idea anybody thought he sucked.

I have heard every single Thompon album thanks to my local library's wonderful CD collection. Overall, I generally admire his albums more in theory, then I actually yearn to hear them (my rock bias is just too ingrained) But I LOVE seeing him live, and admire his guitar playing immensely.

I am uncomfortable with the "best guitarist" label, however Really, what about the other genres? Classical, jazz, metal, bluegrass, world music? What about the hundreds of thousands of unknown virtuosos across the entire spectrum of music? I kind of believe, (along with John Darnelle of Mountain Goats who wrote something like this that stuck in my head) that we just cede the technical virtuosity award to the death metal guitarists, and qualify our "best guitarist" lists.

That being said, I really love Thompson's beautiful acoustic fingerpicking, and commitment to never playing a generic solo. I mean, he almost never falls back on typical rock cliches, and fills evey solo with exotic reverse bends and other neat tricks. He doesnt cut loose that frequently on record, but live he stretches it out a lot more, and it is a marvel to see. He fills more space with just his acoustic and powerful voice than many a full fledged band.



Post Edited (09-08-09 21:42)

Thompson's hits from the 11th Century. Heh! I always knew Playboy had no sense of humor. And their party jokes hardly make up for it.

I dunno. Attempting to pass off photoshopped, barely organic cyborgs as "the girl next door" seems pretty funny to me.

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It wouldn't be any flimsier a pretext than the morons from Killing Joke needed to try to make a case that Cobain ripped 'em off.

Eh, what? "Come As You Are" is a note-for-note rip off of the "Eighties" riff. Even in the same key:
[virb.com]

Well, I've always thought the riff on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" sounded like Boston's "More Than a Feeling" played backwards. I suspect this case has been mired in the Bizarro World U.S. Court System for years.

His greatest hits of the past 1000 years CD's are fantastic. Lots of fun. Too bad that first French, Frith, etc., album is out of print. More fun.

But now my questions run to:
Who is the least known greatest vocalist in the world?
The least known greatest songwriter?
The least known greatest trombone player? (Well, that's my friend David Gibson): [www.jazzbone.org]
The least known greatest rock critic?

> The least known greatest rock critic?

Who is Brad Reno?

I'll take "Barely Organic Cyborgs" for 200, Alex.

"I'll take "Barely Organic Cyborgs" for 200, Alex."

And, lo, another band name is born.

B.O.C.

Would Blue Oyster Cult try to sue? It wouldn't be any flimsier a pretext than the morons from Killing Joke needed to try to make a case that Cobain ripped 'em off. That "episode" is a low point in rock litigation. Only the Fantasy Records V. John Fogerty case is more ridiculous.

I thought the Nirvana/Killing Joke thing was one of the more credible cases of lifting (consciously or subconsciously) - that's a pretty distinctive riff for two bands to arrive at independently ten years apart. Plus with Cobain having been something of a scholar of all things punk & post-punk, it seems likely that Killing Joke crossed his path.

I'm not saying Cobain consciously ripped off Killing Joke, just that it's conceivable that that riff got stuck in his head and he forgot that he'd heard it somewhere.

It's not like the Coldplay/Joe Satriani thing, where there are indeed similarities but a) the disputed melody isn't exactly very distinctive or original to begin with and b) given the styles of the musicians in question, it doesn't really seem likely that anyone in Coldplay ever sat down and listened to a Joe Satriani album - no one does, except guys who work in guitar stores.

Oops! I forgot all about the Coldplay thing. However, it's not exactly what I'm talking about, as it is obviously a case of musical larceny and Coldplay owe Joe Satriani a toupee full of cash.

As far as the KJ Vs. Nirvana thing, I simply do not hear the riffs as being similar. Same key? If that is grounds for a lawsuit, then Jaz Coleman and Co. needed to sue and be sued ad infinitum.

"Eighties" goes: dum-dum-dum-dee-dah-dum-dee-dum-dum

"Come As You Are" goes: Dum-dum-dee-dum-dah-dah-dah-dah-de-dah-dah-da-da.

Totally different, as you can all clearly see.

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Your honor, the defense rests.

> ... Coldplay owe Joe Satriani a toupee full of cash.

And, lo, another band name is born.

You're not alone, Jermoe. Once, I sat in with some friends who were rehearsing their band, and persuaded them to play "Teen Spirit." They'd never played it before (at least not together) but they got into a groove quickly enough. I took the mic, and doing my best Cobain imitation, sang the lyrics to "More Than a Feeling." They laughed and really got into it.

A few years earlier, I had been in a car with these same guys, when Van Halen's "Best of Both Worlds" came on the radio. When I started singing, "Celebrate, good times, come on!" over the main riff, two of the guys laughed and started singing it too. The other two threatened to throw me out of the car ... and bellowed and hollered at the rest of us to stop, as the song went on.

I wonder if Kool & the Gang ever sued Van Halen.

Delvin wrote:

> I wonder if Kool & the Gang ever sued Van Halen.

Perhaps Johann Pachelbel could come back from the dead and sue Blues Traveler for copping the chord progression from his 'Canon in D' for the "hook" from their song "Hook."

Maybe in 100 years we'll just call it an "homage" and get over it.

My very very first thought when I heard Come As You Are was "That's Eighties" I actually thought someone from Nirvana fessed up. Maybe Grohl, in light of the Phooeys doing Requiem.