Joined: 04 Nov 2007
Posts: 96
Location: Shah Alam
|
10. Johnny Cash American Recordings ](1994)
Guitarist: Johnny Cash
Cash’s career was lost in the wilderness when producer Rick Rubin approached him with a plan to return to a stripped-down sound – the results sealed his legacy and brought him to a whole new audience.
You say: “Re-established Cash as the king of country – a warm and emotive album.” Richard Simon
Download now: Delia’s Gone, Down There By The Train
Did you know: Ex-Misfit Glen Danzig contributed his song Thirteen, and Tom Waits wrote Down There By The Train especially for the album.
9. John Martyn Solid Air (1973)
Guitarist: John Martyn
Martyn’s unique style and experimental Echoplex-driven leanings intertwine perfectly throughout Solid Air. Superb musicianship elevates his poignant, heart-on-sleeve songs to another plain, creating one of the all-time great chillout albums.
You say: “Solid Air varies so much from track-to-track... Martyn’s songs are sublime.” Carl Burton
Download now: Don’t Want To Know, May You Never
Did you know: Martyn first recorded a band version of May You Never, substituting it at the 11th hour.
8. Bob Dylan The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963)
Guitarists: Bob Dylan, Bruce Langhorne
Arguably the album that established Dylan as the greatest songwriter of his generation, Freewheelin’ shift gears from polemic to whimsy with effortless aplomb. He was just 21.
You say: “Where would Lennon have been without this album? Brian Macey
Download now: A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Blowin’ In The Wind
Did you know: The famous cover of this album sees Dylan trying to re-create a famous shot of James Dean with girlfriend Suze Rotoloe.
7. Neil Young Harvest (1972)
Guitarist: Neil Young
Far from an entirely acoustic affair, Harvest’s place here demonstrates the impact of its melancholic songs of longing, which live longer in memory than the explicitly electric numbers.
You say: “A brief collision between Young and the mainstream that served up a country gem.” Peter Gray
Download now: Heart Of Gold, The Needle And The Damage Done
Did you know: Eschewing any notion of a stripped down feel, A Man Needs A Maid and There’s A World feature the London Philharmonic!
6. Robert Johnson King Of The Delta Blues Singers (1966)
Guitarist: Robert Johnson
Johnson barely seems to have existed, except in myth and sound – making his plaintive, otherworldly voice and elegant, economical chordal and slide accompaniment all the more profound and experience for any guitarist.
You say: “For being the root of all guitar pop music.” TR Stiller
Download now: Cross Road Blues, Hell Hound On My Trail
Did you know: Johnson recorded his songs while facing the wall of the San Antonio recording studio.
5. Rodrigo Y Gabriela Rodrigo Y Gabriela (2006)
Guitarists: Rodrigo Sanchez, Gabriela Quintero
The Mexican duo’s lightning-fast, seat-of-the-pants rhythmic acoustic playing has garnered them a fanatical live following; and their trailblazing third album brings their trash metal band roots confidently to the fore in devastating style.
You say: “The playing is amazing. An absolutely stunning album.” David Simons
Download now: Orion, PPA
Did you know: Rodrigo Y Gabriela beat Artic Monkeys to Number 1 in the Irish album charts.
4. Nick Drake Pink Moon (1972)
Guitarist: Nick Drake
Drake’s third and final album is his least accessible, but thought by many to be his greatest work: this 28- minute mix of stark, melancholy acoustic and unsettling, hollow voice is like spending a night in a haunted house.
You say: “Pink moon is powerful stuff – a lyrical and musical trip.” Katie DeFries
Download now: Pink Moon, Things Behind The Sun
Did you know: Drake personally dropped off the album master tape to Island Records’ front desk where it lay unnoticed for days.
3. Nirvana MTV Unplugged In New York (1994)
Guitarists: Kurt Cobain, Pat Smear
Underpinned by stark acoustic arrangements and haunting cello lines, Cobain’s vocal performance takes centre stage on this poignant mix of covers and originals.
You say: “Stripping back the songs makes for a haunting listen.” Mark Herbert
Download now: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?, All Apologies
Did you know: ‘Unplugged’ Cobain used a BOSS DS-2, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone and Fender Twin with his modified Martin D-18E.
2. Eric Clapton MTV Unplugged (1992)
Guitarists: Eric Clapton, Andy Fairweather-Low
After EC delivered a heartbreaking rendition of Tears In Heaven, a slinker re-working of Layla, and a clutched of beautifully finessed standards, Eric the acoustic bluesman was born.
You say: “Clapton IS GOD on this – outstanding acoustic playing.” Ian Behan
Download now: Tears In Heaven, Layla
Did you know: MTV unplugged earned Clapton six Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year and Rock Male Vocal.
1. ‘The Trio’ One Night In San Francisco (1981)
Guitarists: Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco De Lucia
Loose and spontaneous, ONISF sees three world-class finger-wrigglers battling it out with ferocious intensity and a sense of fun. For many guitarists it remains the last word in acoustic virtuosity.
You say: “Who said metal players invented shredding?” Magnus Matthewson
Download now: Short Tales Of The Black Forest, Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho
Did you know: Paco De Lucia was a master flamenco player by the age of 11, when he made his stage debut.
Local artist:
Innuendo Belaian Jiwa (1996)
Guitarists: Taj, Pot, Sam and Reymee
Taj, Pot, Sam and Reymee scooped a record-winning six AIM awards in 1997, and made girls hearts everywhere swoon. But let’s face it if not for Belaian Jiwa, they wouldn’t have flown as far as they had. Sure, their R&B power house vocals set the stage for future R&B groups like V.E. and Ruffedge, but it was their remake of Carefree’s hit that gave Innuendo that instant rise to pop fame. It was the first semi-a cappella hit Malaysia’s ever seen, and no other R&B track has made as much of an impact on the Malaysian music scene. This is the perfect case of outdoing yourself to the point of killing your own career
You say: "Nice and sweet; an evergreen." Hussaini Abdul Karim
Download now: Belaian Jiwa
Did you know: What happened to them now?
Guitarist Issue 284 December 2006
_________________
PRS Singlecut Trem Artist Model. Nice! |
|
