My favorite underrated player is Greg Koch. A true master. If you don’t know, watch his YouTube channel.
Andy Summer was certainly a highly talented guitarist, but to my mind Jerry Garcia had a level of artistry that was so entirely sublime that he's in the very top tier of artists, up there with Jimi Hendrix. Where Nile Rodgers and Eddie Van Halen (and many more on the list) were simply not transformational.And there we enter a truly endless rabbit hole, Spy Car! But I would not let that discourage us! We can start with Andy Summer of the Police. at 250. A highly influential player!
I'm still in awe of his playing. I was a huge Dixie Dregs fan.Steve Morse, now that's a name... met him many years ago at a masterclass in a little hole in the wall guitar shop in Sioux Falls when I was just a kid. There's another guy who really could do anything.
I did not mean to dis Jerry Garcia, and I am certainly not saying that Andy Summers was better or more important than Garcia. I really like Garcia as a player, singer, songwriter (props to Robert Hunter, of course), and, I suppose, band leader. Definitely as a person. I think I like him most as the latter things. I think I know what you mean by transformational. Garcia did take from lots of different musical genres and blend them in a way no one had done before. I read that he influenced lots of other players but who exactly? John Mayer, I suppose, whom RS rated 61st, and whom I do not like much at all.Andy Summer was certainly a highly talented guitarist, but to my mind Jerry Garcia had a level of artistry that was so entirely sublime that he's in the very top tier of artists, up there with Jimi Hendrix. Where Nile Rodgers and Eddie Van Halen (and many more on the list) were simply not transformational.
Garcia took the guitar to another level.
Bill
Well-said. He seems to do things on an acoustic guitar that I do not hear anyone else doing.David Rawlings has been mentioned already and I find his playing really engaging. He's just so lyrical--so much so that you almost don't notice the "chances" he takes harmonically. He embraces non-chord tones in a way that a lot of jazz guys don't, or can't, and when you remember that he's working within a trad/folk framework it should be quite jarring. And yet it isn't. Masterful.
So true.Clarence White, even though he's on "The List" is criminally underrated. Such a loss.
I do not know that he is comfortable pigeonholing himself. He started off professionally as a metal guy, I think, and in concert he performs some non-blue grassy stuff, that I do not really like. To me, he has to be on the list for technical skill. I think I said before I do not consider him underrated. He gets a lot of "press."Billy Strings is great--he's quite comfortable pigeonholing himself into a very specific genre and yet his approach to the style is informed by far more than just that genre.
I did not mean to dis Jerry Garcia, and I am certainly not saying that Andy Summers was better or more important than Garcia. I really like Garcia as a player, singer, songwriter (props to Robert Hunter, of course), and, I suppose, band leader. Definitely as a person. I think I like him most as the latter things. I think I know what you mean by transformational. Garcia did take from lots of different musical genres and blend them in a way no one had done before. I read that he influenced lots of other players but who exactly? John Mayer, I suppose, whom RS rated 61st, and whom I do not like much at all.
Garcia did a lot of improv. From the videos I have seen, so days live he was transcendent, other days pretty bad, or at least lackluster. I think he took a lot from jazz, and that is going to be beyond my knowledge. I read that a lot of what he played was difficult to play. There is a lot that that the Dead put on albums that I do not love. He does not seem to speak to me as much as lots of other players.
Like some of the other players, Garcia seems kind of unique to me, and thus hard to rank.
Rankings are almost impossible, anyway. Do you go by technical skills, by financial success, by innovation, by influence on others, by longevity, by concert play, by studio work, by how much they speech to you personally? I guess 34 seems about right to me, but I would have different people ahead of him than RS does. I think I can defend Hendrix as no. 1.
I like Nile Rodgers, but I do not know that I could rank him as high as RS does. I think he builds on what a lot of other funk players did. I suppose he has done a lot of studio work with others. I guess I understand that EVH was very innovative and influential on players of a certain kind. I guess he is technically good. He is not a favorite of mine.
He's on a *lot* of tracks but "Drift Away," "Son of a Preacher Man," and the acoustic part on "In the Ghetto" are exemplary.I really do not know Reggie Young. Sounds good.
All great cuts and I agree, quality guitar work!He's on a *lot* of tracks but "Drift Away," "Son of a Preacher Man," and the acoustic part on "In the Ghetto" are exemplary.
No he is not underrated. Not by anyone who knows anything about guitar players. And yet another example of RS seeming to be willfully sloppy and/or ignorant! RS did manage to get Wah Wah Watson on there (Funk Brothers)! I am joking. I love the Funk Brothers, and probably everyone who played guitar for them. But Dr. Watson is clearly more important on every scale that WW!While not underrated, I don't think Doc Watson made the list. He probably should have.
I do not disagree, except that I would say that not every Grateful Dead set live jam was a "psychedelic live jam." I think some of the Dead Jams were more jazz than anything else. Calling everything they did psychedelic, as RS seems to imply, sells the Dead way short, I think. Believe it or not, you and I are really on the same page, Spy Car. I just to not think that every Dead jam stands up to endless listens. Many do. I do not think that RS is seriously saying that every Dead show was great or that every time Jerry picked up his SG he produced magic. Even when he was not strung out on heroin and/or nearly in a diabetic coma."Garcia made every Dead show a different trip, never playing the same lick twice, which is why his psychedelic live jams stand up to endless listens."
I do not disagree, except that I would say that not every Grateful Dead set live jam was a "psychedelic live jam." I think some of the Dead Jams were more jazz than anything else. Calling everything they did psychedelic, as RS seems to imply, sells the Dead way short, I think. Believe it or not, you and I are really on the same page, Spy Car. I just to not think that every Dead jam stands up to endless listens. Many do. I do not think that RS is seriously saying that every Dead show was great or that every time Jerry picked up his SG he produced magic. Even when he was not strung out on heroin and/or nearly in a diabetic coma.
That said, while there is a fair amount of criticism on-line of Garcia simply noodling on guitar live, and certain concerts are cited as bad, I just found it very hard, if not impossible, to find video examples of him playing poorly. So, I suppose that says something! And I do not think it was always Garcia to blame for the Dead being off.
Their collective body of live recorded work is monumental.
I love Garcia, do not misread me!
Again, I do not think these two are underrated among those you follow guitarists. I really like Gilmour across the years.David Gilmour
Mark Knopfler
You don't sound disagreeable. You sound passionate about something you care about. In any event, just a discussion among friends!
This is the essence. That quality can come through tapes and videos, but only so much. It came through much better in the 200 Dead shows I saw.There are artists and composers whose music make me feel like my mental synapsis are crackling, as the music also moves my soul.
For me, that's what made Jerry great. In rock, Hendrix had that quality as well. Transportational music. Not just great hooks or fast technique, but true artistic expression that takes place on another plane.
Bill
I am going to go by memory, so you may have to forgive me if I get things wrong. As I recall, Scholz basically was/is Boston, right? Kind of a one-man band in the studio, who gave up performing live earlier on. I think he is recognized as an excellent player, songwriter, producer. I think, again going by memory, I know Boston had other albums, that the issue is that Boston had that fantastic 1976 debut album, and that was about it from the public and the music presses' perceptions.Tom Scholz from Boston
Yeah, good point. Journey was/is a very successful band. A certain amount of drama around its lead singer, I guess, which may overshadow others in the group getting much attention. Perhaps perceived of as too commercial. I real do not know. I admit that I personally have not paid much attention to Neal Schon. He has a great resume.Neal Schon from Journey