The Mt. Rushmore Of New Wave Guitarists

[SuNomi]

Andy Gill (Gang Of Four)
Billy Zoom (X)
Tom Verlaine (Television)
Andy Summers (Police)

[Crocodiles]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>Boston's "More Than A Feeling". It was a direct rip and Cobain has admitted as much.
[/quote]
You know that is and has been debated by many a Nirvana fanatic. No doubt the chord progression is similar, and maybe Cobain has said it influenced "Smells Like Teen Spirit." But isn't it possible that Cobain was just pushing some buttons, having a sly go at people? I know for a fact Nirvana used to play "More Than A Feeling" in concert...and they did it in a vicious, mocking manner. It was essentially an "up yours" to those that thought "Teen Spirit" came from that.

"No New Tale To Tell" and its new music genre was definitely something more in Cobain's musical enviornment than "More Than A Feeling." After all, Cobain did steal Kiling Joke's "Eighties" for "Come As You Are," and he has said The Pixies were a major influence on his songwriting. Would not be surprising if he nicked the chord structure from "No New Tale To Tell."

[SallyLightfoot]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Crocodiles[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by q89747[/i]
<br>Ricky Wilson.
[/quote]
No doubt he was creative and got himself a real cool sound, but no one will ever consider him a great guitarist. The guy played guitar with two strings.
[/quote]Ricky was a sui generis guitarist. Although obviously not a technician, he had his own sound and a complete disregard for orthodox tuning. I think his lack of musicianship led to innovative guitar work and is reflected in his tone and the quality of the riffs/songs. Note that Ricky died in 1985. Whammy was his last album with the band, and the out-of-tune surf/peter-gunn guitar sound went with him to the grave.

[SallyLightfoot]

My fave NW-period guitarists:

Billy Zoom
Matthew Ashman
Marco Peronni
Ricky Wilson
Stuart Adamson
Hames Honeyman-Scott

[xymox970]

Jeremy "Jem" Kelly - The Wild Swans & The Lotus Eaters

[thegoldenyear]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Crocodiles[/i]

The criteria for this Mt. Rushmore really is:
- fall into the punk, post-punk, new wave genre
- talent
- influence
- ground-breaking
[/quote]

[b]Geordie Walker[/b]. Find a punk, thrash or metal guitarist not praying at that temple. He belongs in here for anyone who ever sought a riff that could demolish buildings or frame your Smells Like Teen Spirit followup single.

[b]Johnny Marr[/b] for anyone who ever jangled. Many still do.

[b]John McGeoch[/b], because his was a default new wave sound still aped today.

[b]Robert Fripp[/b], or is he too early? He sure as heck stuck his landing with the boundary-stretching, and post-punk/new wave benefitted more from that than any other genre.

Otherwise, whoever led the way for that clipped white-boy funk-soul sound copped by every chartbound new wave band. Alomar? Manzanera in second-phase Roxy?

[Crocodiles]

[quote][i]Originally posted by thegoldenyear[/i]
<br>[b]Geordie Walker[/b].[/quote]
Ahh, Geordie.

Geordie falls short in the technique department. Compare his stuff to Marr's or McGeoch's. You can play Geordie stuff after two weeks of lessons....Marr's and McGeoch's you can never play.

But Geordie does rate highly in the groundbreaking, influence, and signature sound categories. I went ape when I nailed his tone (big hollow body guitar, massive reverb, and the right touch of chorus). His sound is monumental, his riffs are monstrous.

But the really cool and greatest thing about Geordie was he got his Killing Joke sound by using the same model guitar that Scotty Moore played with Elvis back in the infant days of rock and roll. Now that's beyond cool. I wonder if Geordie knew when he started playing his Gibson 295 that it was the Scotty Moore guitar (pre-internet, pre-guitar gearhead days and not a lot of people knew which guitars were used by guitarists, especially the early pioneers). I always got a kick out of Geordie's guitar of choice.