Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 96
Location: Shah Alam
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10. The Wildhearts Earth Vs The Wildhearts (1993)
Guitarists: Ginger, CJ
If t weren’t for serious drug use and associated internal strife, this Geordie quartet could have become a huge Britrock band in the nineties. They boasted huge hooks, great playing and superb live shows – a shame they couldn’t keep it all together long enough to capitalise.
You say: “Ginger is a genius, surely one of the best rock songwriters of our time.” Adrian Millings
Download now: Suckerpunch, TV Tan
Did you know: Mick Ronson provided the guitar solo on My baby Is A Headf*u*c*k.
9. Pat Metheny Travels (1982)
Guitarist: Pat Metheny
A live album but with the the tracks entirely new, Travels showcases the jazz legend at the height of his early improvisational creativity. This is also one of the very few albums to have made guitar-synth sound palatable.
You say: “Stunning performances: the interplay is jaw-dropping.” Henry Olsen
Download now: Are You Going With Me?, The Sky The Fields
Did you know: AYGWM? Even snared clubland: it appears on ‘chillout’ compilation Sunset Ibiza.
8. Pride & Glory Pride & Glory (1994)
Guitarist: Zakk Wylde
After two albums with Ozzy Osbourne, Wylde delivered his manifesto with this record: sweat ‘n’ bear-stained rock with a country/blues trim. Like his Book Of Shadows album, Pride & Glory is surprisingly subtle if you only know Black Label Society or Ozzy.
You say: “Zakk shows a more sensitive side, and it’s a great success.” Richard Vanstone
Download now: Horse Called War, Cry Me A River
Did you know: Just to prove the man metal to the core, let it be known that Zakk Wylde’s first band was called Stone Henge.
7. Soundgarden Superunknown (1994)
Guitarists: Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell
Where Sabbath heaviness embraced Beatles psychedelia and one of Seattle’s finest made their masterpiece. With his inventive tunings and chops to match, Kim Thayil may well be Generation X’s great lost guitar hero.
You say: “Classic rock in the truest sense.” Anthony Hocking
Download now: Fell On Black Days, Black Hole Sun
Did you know: The song Flutter Girl was written for the album but eventually ended up on Cornell’s 1999 solo album Euphoria Morning.
6. UFO Strangers In The Night (1979)
Guitarists: Michael Schenker, Paul Raymond
Considered by many to be the greatest live rock album for two reasons: the melodic quality of UFO’s songs and the mesmeric performance of the-then 23-year-old Michael Schenker. It’s Slash’s favourite live album: one of yours?
You say: “Schenker at his best. The dawn of the shredder.” Paul Clark
Download now: Lights Out, Rock Bottom
Did you know: Schenker allegedly turned down two auditions mid-UFO: for both the Stones and Aerosmith.
5. Ozzy Osbourne Diary Of A Madman (1981)
Guitarist: Randy Rhoads
Often overshadowed by the Blizzard Of Ozz opus, Diary... features the late Randy Rhoads’ best work, making his untimely death that much more of a tragedy. The gothic intro in the title track is a spine-chilling wonder.
You say: “Forget the MTV buffoon Ozzy is today. This is pure genius.” Saz Fletcher
Download now: Over The Mountain, Fly High Again
Did you know: Rhoads was so talented, he was teaching guitar at California’s Musonia School Of Music when he was only 16 years old.
4. Free Tons Of Sobs (1968)
Guitarist: Paul Kossoff
The product of a bunch of precocious teenagers, Free’s raw, varied debut was perplexing ignored on release. That’s despite the monumental riffery of The Hunter and the vocal talents of Paul Rodgers.
You say: “One of the finest British blues albums, yet no-one ever talks about it.” Paul Bates
Download now: Walk In My Shadow, The Hunter
Did you know: Ex-Bluesbreakers bassist Andy Fraser was 16 years old when he recorded Tons Of Sobs.
3. Wishbone Ash Argus (1972)
Guitarists: Andy Powell, Ted Turner
Wishbone Ash’s meat ‘n’ potatoes blues-rock started to take flight on this folk/jazz inflected epic. Argus was always a must-spin at seventies student parties, and is still, it seems, popular today...
You say: The blueprint for twin guitar playing. Thin Lizzy? Pah!” Ray Faulder
Download now: The King Will Come, Blowin’ Free
Did you know: Steve Harris is a WA fan and their twin-guitar sound was a big influence on early Iron Maiden.
2. Television Marquee Moon (1978)
Guitarists: Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd
Were they punk? Were they jazz? Television were kinda both on this still-startling debut, filled with intricate guitar weaving, sharp tones and NYC new-wave cool. Hear its influence on The Strokes, Bloc Party...
You say: “The epitome of guitar interplay.” Phil Senior
Download now: Marquee Moon, See No Evil
Did you know: Tom Verlaine was hired by Jeff Buckley to produce his planned second album, My Sweetheart The Drunk.
1. Eric Johnson Ah Via Musicom (1990)
Guitarist: Eric Johnson
The archetypal ‘guitarist’s guitarist’, Johnson has a command of rock, blues, bluegrass, country... and proves it herein with a tone all of his own. For pure guitar ability, it’s a must hear.
You say: “Such great tones, such great guitar parts. Just buy it!” Geoff Penton
Download now: Cliffs Of Dover, East/West
Did you know: So thorough is Eric’s search for tone, he claims to be able to tell what brand of batteries are being used when listening to an effects pedal.
This is an honour,” says Eric Johnson when Guitarist tells him his Ah Via Musicom album has scooped first place in our Most Underrated Guitar Album Ever category. “I’m really glad other guitarists find some things that they dig in that record.”
Guitarist Issue 284 December 2006
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