FROM THE RIDICULOUS TO THE SUBLIME

We’re ready for argument. Below are The Guitar Heroes Of Rock ’n’ Roll as we see them — at least in late 1981 —and it hasn’t been easy. Hero criteria? Well, let ’em play guitar, but let ’em play it good: Ray Dauies plays guitar but isn’t one; Dave Dauies plays guitar and is. The distinctions are fine. Keep in mind our purposeful limits —it's got to be rock ’n’ roll, not blues, not jazz, not folk. For euery B.B. King. John McLaughlin and Bert Jansch, there’s a Luther Allison, John Abercrombie and Dauy Graham until, eventually, there’s a GUITAR HEROES special edition that’s 500 pages long and costs 10 bucks. We had to trim it down. Tacked on the end of each entry are the guitar models each subject uses; those entries debatable or unknown are left blank. —Ed.

MICK ABRAHAMS: Mick played on the first-and-only good Jethro Tull album before departing to form Blodwyn Pig. Latter band, aside from designing an album jacket that would soil underground media for 12 years running, put out two hot discs for A&M before calling it quits. Abrahams, meanwhile, still existed long enough to release one solo disc for the same company before fading to import-only status (Chrysalis’ At Last) and, the final degradation, releasing British guitar instruction albums. Look for the The Mick Abrahams/Stefan Grossman Battle Of The Bands on Takoma in a matter of weeks. D.D.

•Les Paul Special, SG

JAN AKKERMAN: Aside from the fact that maybe three record collectors want Brainbox, the Dutch LP that features this guy and was released on Capitol, let’s admit this: his best moments are on Focus’s “Hokus Pokus,” and All entries by Billy Altman, Michael Davis. Dave DiMartino, Bill Holdship. Iman Lababedi. and Jeffrey Morgan, unless otherwise noted.

those due mainly to the fact that he sounds like Ritchie Blackmore plus two million volts. Has classical inclinations, put out a few OK-but-sorta boring solo LPs, and will ultimately bear the same relationship to rock that A1 Caiola does to Kiss, which must, however slight, exist—or there would be no point in even mentioning it.

D.D.

•Les Paul Professional

DAEVID ALLEN: The first Soft Machine guitarist; catch producer Giorgio Gomelski’s imports that feature Allen with the band. Due to visa problems, Australian Allen was “detained” in France long enough to miss S. Machine’s first “real” album for Probe. First solo disc was Magick Brother, done with Gilli Smyth for BYG/Actuel and reissued on Charly. A real cult figure, Allen started a pot-headed pixie mythology that continues even today among the shunned few who follow him. Real music fans would be well advised to pick up Gong’s You, Allen’s best album, which features guitarist Steve Hillage and is the best thing either’s been involved with. D.D.

DUANE ALLMAN: Gibson Les Paul. SG (See page 11)

CARLOS ALOMAR: Rhythm guitarist for David Bowie since the Young Americans sessions of 1974. Appears to have been on most of Bowie’s songs on all of his albums since then, but always manages to get drowned out by the likes of Slick, Belew, Eno, Fripp, and all the others in the final mix. Even though you can’t hear him, Carlos has the last laugh by being the longest-lasting guitarist to work with Bowie. CAREER HIGH: “Fame” (the first and last time Carlos was audibly heard on a Bowie song).

J.M.

•ES 335 Gibson

MILLER ANDERSON: A guitar hero? Well, there he was on lots of albums that should have had guitar heroes: Keef Hartley Band, Hemlock, Dog Soldier, Broken Glass, T. Rex, the Dukes.. .Makes no dif; good-but-not-great guitarist, with a small but diligent cult following, surfaces now and again and nobody seems to •notice. Put him in a room with Stan Webb, Kim Simmonds, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Jeremy Spencer, etc... D.D.

RON ASHETON: As the Stooges’ original guitarist, Ron Asheton just about singlehandedly created the school of nihilistic guitar playing, whose objective is the destruction of civilization as we know it utilizing its very own, tools— atonality, feedback, distortion, etc. Only one

real cardinal rule in Asheton’s playing, according to the first Stooges’ album—namely, when in doubt, go for blood. Currently the main hatchet man of the all-too-appropriately named Destroy All Monsters. B.A.

RANDY BACHMAN He may very well be in reality a smart businessman with a guitar instead of an attache case, but the simple truth is that the Guess Who’s lead guitarist and founder of everybody’s fave fatso band, BTO, has always had a talent for pulling off memorable lead lines in just about any contextual setting. To wit: the wrenchtones of “American Woman" ("Whole Lotta Love’’ hits a sandbar), the sinewy “No Time,” and the neat stuttersteps of both “Takin’ Care Of Business” and “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet.” B.A.

•Les Paul, Stratocaster

RUSS BALLARD: He makes his living mainly by the pen these days—that and loss leader solo LPs for CBS—but his sword often turned up in the oddest of places, starting with the frayed jazzbo acoustic guitar gone haywire on the immortal “Concrete And-Clay” by the Unit Four Plus Two. Best known for his stint in Argent— he sang “Hold Your Head Up”—he gets bonus points for looking like a cross between Question Mark and John Kay. B.A.

•Stratocaster

PETER BANKS: Hot stuff in the early days of Yes, working volume pedal wonders on debut disc and Time And A Word, Banks left when Yes got famous and formed Flash. Trouble was, Flash sounded just like Yes but not as good. After running out of girls’ private parts to put on their album jackets, they finally let Pete prove he was losing all his hair on his one-and-only solo LP cover, which also featured Focus-boy Jan Akkerman on it too, and how come when I just went and looked for it for the first time since 1973 it’s gone?... D.D.

SYD BARRETT: Truly this maniac belongs here: “Interstellar Overdrive,” “See Emily Play” and more place SickSyd in the pantheon of hot rock influences. As founding member of Pink Floyd, Barrett crested with the band’s debut LP—and parts of Number Two—and his own solo sets, which featured lots more than the poor guy’s guitar work. Give credit where it’s due.

D.D.

•Fender Stratocaster

JEFF BECK: Telecaster, Stratocaster. Les Paul (See page 44)

ADRIAN BELEW: Belew has lent his strange-o slash and burn guitar to Bowie, Zappa, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club over the past few years but now he’s stepping into the spotlight with King Crimson and a solo LP. Could be to the 80’s what Manzanera was to the 70’s. M.D.

CHUCK BERRY: Plainly and simply, the father, grandfather, great-grandfather and father of the rock ’n’ roll guitar. Created the vocabulary of rock—intros, fills and solos that Berry thought up still echo down whenever anyone straps on a guitar and wails. Ingeniously combined blues, jazz, C&W and western swing into the original sound of rock ’n’ roll, and showed over and over again that three chords was all it took to really reel and rock. Impossible to pick even five classic tracks—“Maybelline,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “You Can’t Catch Me,” “No Particular Place To Go”...it goes on forever. B.A.

•Gibson Birdland, ES335 ELVIN BISHOP: The Pigboy Crabshaw hayseed disguise donned by Bishop when he finally emerged from the shadow of Mike Bloomfield in the old Butterfield Blues Band never fully hid the fact that Bishop has always been a real thinking man’s guitarist (joined Butterfield after kissing off a Merit Scholarship to the U. of Chicago—symbol of hope to bookworms everywhere). Able to extract the unUkeliest note sequences from the oddest of surroundings,, as evidenced by his dum-dum shutdown of Bloomfield on “Shake Your Moneymaker” and the Venutian crawl through ’One More Heartache,” “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” was a sneaky revealing of his rarely used tasteful side. B.A.

*ES 335 Gibson

RITCHIE BLACKMORE The riffmaster’s riffmaster. The only thing really noteworthy about Deep Purple’s early work was Blackmore (“Hush,” “Kentucky Woman”), ancf the best thing about their glory period from Fireball through Made In Japan was Blackmore pushing the band well beyond their limitations with such

Marshallmania as “Space Truckin’.” “Smoke On The Water” and the always divine “Highway Star,” which was to early 70’s metal guitarists what “Wipeout” had been to early 60’s drummers. B.A.

•Stratocaster

MIKE BLOOMFIELD: Few really noticed it, but Bloomfield was probably the key link between blues and psychedelia in the mid 60’s; it was primarily his.extended, raga-like riffing on such classic Butterfield tracks as “Work Song” and “East West” that set up the entire west coast improvisational seminars. A top notch supporting playfer— it was him on guitar on “Like A Rolling Stone”—it was the failure of Electric Flag that forced him to set his sights lower, leading to the off-the-cuff razzmatazz of Super Sessions. Died earlier this year, just as he was settling into a satisfied mind as a blues purist reborn. B.A. •Les Paul Gibson

MARC BOLAN: If T. Rex began as Donovan for the pre-pubescent set and wound up as Chuck Berry for the prenatals, well, that’s show biz. Making something special out of the ordinary is never as easy as it looks, and the late Bolam proved, especially on Electric Warrior, that energy, drive and passion need no more than three trusty chords to work their magic. Coolest fade-out of all time—the eternal “Bang A Gong.” B.A.

•Les Paul Stratocaster

TOMMY BOLIN: Brilliantly inventive guitarist who sliced his way through many bands, including the James Gang, where he made his first big impression. Split the Gang after two albums to release Teaser, his first solo album, which showcased Bolin’s ability as a mojpe-thancompetent songwriter. Around this time he linked up with Deep Purple, revitalizing them on their Come Taste The Band LP. Second solo album, Private Liues, was released shortly before Bolin’s death. Needless to say, it was an untimely one, and we can only speculate on what he might’ve done and where he might’ve gone had he lived on. J.M.

•Stratocaster

GARY BOYLE: First occurred with Brian Auger’s Trinity, then random sessions with the Keith Tippett Group, then joined Brit fusion group Isotope, gigged with Stomu Yamash’ta, recorded by himself, then changed first name to “Lance” and formed the Vibrators. Nah, skip the last one. D.D.

CHRIS BRITTON: The Troggs’ original guitarist, his thunderthud chording and sledgehammer solos taught Tony Iommi all he needed to know to attain mass success. “1 Want You,” from the Troggs’ first album, is a masterpiece of unavoidable terror and the first 70’s guitar break, recorded in 1966. Indeed, almost all of his playing with the Troggs exudes the magnum force of metal. An authentic unsung hero of rock V roll. B.A.

JAMES BURTON One can still see him on those Ozzie And Harriet reruns, camped just to the left of Ricky’s long lashes, piling spoonfuls of authenticity into Nelson’s baby Sun sounds. He's been in more places that count than just about any session player in the business outside of drummer Hal Blaine. From the Shindogs to Elvis Presley to Gram Parsons, he’s done about as much great work as you can shake a union card at. Prime cuts: “Believe What You Say,” “Hello. Mary Lou,” “Las Vegas," and Presley’s last hurrah, “Burnin’ Love.” B.A.

•Telecaster

J.J. CALE: The laconic, retreating author of “After Midnight” has found his smooth and easy tone and style nicked by both Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. Look back at “Changes,” off his third LP, Rea//y, and you’ll find just about everything that got to you about “Sultans Of Swing,” and in about one fourth as much time. Elusive, slippery, underrated and underappreciated, like, any card-carrying eccentric should be. B.A.

•J.J. Cale Special Kitchensink Guitar RANDY CALIFORNIA With Spirit. California loomed as the great white hope of lead guitarists on the horizon at the end of the 60's, mixing knuckle sandwich blues and soul power (“Got A Line On You”) with jazzy progressivism (“Dark-Eyed Woman,” “Ice"). Then he became Kapt. Kopter, sank into a Marino-like Hendrix fixatibn, reverted to lost halcyon days with Son Of Spirit and has popped back up recently with Ed Cassidy for an all-too hippieized Spirit redux run. Dig up Spirit’s Clear and find out why we all thought so much of him way back when. B.A. •Les Paul, Stratocaster

ALEX CHILTON: Chilton’s movement from the Box Tops’ vocalist to the prime force behind the early 70's pop classicists Big Star was revelatory in many ways, one of which was the discovery of his deft and passionate guitar playing. 1974’s masterpiece. Radio City, was his greatest accomplishment, where cuts like “September Gurls” and “You Get What You Deserve” revealed not only A+ songs and singing, but alsoChilton’s keen understanding of guitar pop power, as he balanced chorded solos and tense riffing as well as anyone since Buddy Holly. Resurfaced during the punk/new wave revival in New York a few years back, and still wandering around out there somewhere, although much of the magic is gone. B.A.

•Stratocaster

JOHN CIPOLLINA & GARY DUNCAN

From Quicksilver Messenger Service, one of the top late 60’s Bay Area psychedelic jam bands. The muscular melting of Duncan’s straightforward, post-Bloomfield style with Cipollina’s vibrato bar bends and effects/feedback mastery led the band into a fluid, flexible double lead approach unrivaled at the time. Often, they favored the pre-Allman Brothers blues extensions found on Happy Trails but they were also capable of doing tight tunes and putting together eclectic constructions like “The Fool.” Cipollina later went on to do some worthy work with Copperhead. M.D.

•Gibson SG

ERIC CLAPTON: Les Paul, Stratocaster (See page 50)

FAST EDDIE CLARKE: The rip-snorting, riff-roaring axe handler for Motorhead. Enough said? No? Well, everything they’ve done since Overkill has been dedicated to harder/faster— including the 10-inch EP they share with hot honeys Girlschool and their current live LP— and if you don’t know who Motorhead is by now, your local radio programmer is a pestiferous pussy. M.D.

•Stratocaster

EDDIE COCHRAN: One of England’s most beloved 50’s heroes, along with Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly, and one of the biggest influences on all British guitarists from the ’64 invasion troops. A studio whiz, Cochran was equally adept at both electric shock therapy (“Nervous Breakdown”) and acoustic strum crunch (“C’Mon Everybody,” “Summertime Blues,” “Cut Across Shorty”), for which he will collect much in dues from Peter Townshend come judgement day. Inspirational left field recording—“Eddie’s Blues.” B.A.

•Gretsch

RY COODER: Possibly the most academic of noteworthy guitarists, Cooder majored in slide guitar, with field work for the Seeds (!), the Raiders (!!), and Captain Beefheart, then set out for graduate studies in everything from swing jazz to Hawaiian music and Tex-Mex. Still, the slide remains his best area of concentration, and anyone who hasn’t heard him on Randy Newman’s “Let’s Burn Down The Cornfield” has no conception of the ominous possibilities of electric bottleneck playing. B.A.

•Martin

PETE COSEY: The guitar soloist (with Reggie Lucas on rhythm) in Miles Davis’ mid-70’s group. Essentially unknown before and after his stint with Miles, Cosey would take off from the dark funk of Agharta and Pangaea, heading straight into the stratosphere, using only Hendrix’s sky kisses as signposts. Smears and screeches of breathtaking intensity were his speciality; where is he now? M.D.

STEVE CROPPER: Forget the Blues Brothers blotto blooze, and forget his beard, too— Cropper, along with Motown’s Marv Tarplin, wrote the book on soul guitar accompaniment. He’s been a lot of things to a lot of people: the bridge between singer and band for Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding; the gritty foundation of Booker T. and the MGs; the space between Sam and Dave, and on and on. Triple pick hit— Pickett’s “99V2,” with the only heavy metal soul guitar solo ever, the harmonic counterpoint on Redding’s “Dock Of The Bay,” the clawhold rhythm on “Hip Hug Her”—all vital Cropperisms. B.A.

•Gretsch, Telecaster

DICK DALE: His claim of being “King Of The Surf Guitars” was no idle boast; wailing away wronghanded on his custom Fenders with the reverb revved up, he could shut down any other early 60’s six-string slinger. His original SoCal smashes like “Surf Beat” and “Misirlou” are out of print—WHY???—but his remake Hits package on Crescendo is a pretty reasonable substitute. M.D.

•Fender. Stratocaster left-handed DAVE DAVIES: Introduced on the latest Kinks tour by brother Ray as “the raging bull of the Les Paul.” No argument here—Davies has kept the Kinks viable and fashionably up to date with his wayward, explosive guitar work. An original prince of the noise and chaos roundtable (“You Really Got Me,” “I Need You,” “All Day And All Of The Night”—hell, name it), Davies can be melodic if he absolutely has to, but he’d much rather be looking for fuses to blow and dynamite to throw (“Top Of The Pops,” "One Of The Survivors”). “Feel those vibrations running through my brain” indeed, and an inspiration to those everywhere whose talents lie more in the attitude vein than in the technical areas of guitar playing. B.A.

•Les Paul

RICK DERRINGER: Over halfway through his second decade as a dedicated rocker, Derringer learned the ropes as a teen with the McCoys, where he went Trom prototypical flash (“Hang On Sloopy”) to Hendrix-inspired progressive touches (“Daybreak”). A player’s player throughout the 70’s, with primo session work for Alice Cooper and Steely Dan, among others. Prime cut: the dizzy, daffy “Rock ’n’ Roll Hootchie Koo,” from the Johnny Winter And... live album. B.A.

•ES 335 Gibson, Les Paul, B.C. Rich BUCK DHARMA: The greatest guitarist in the world? Well, maybe. The greatest short guitarist in the world? You bet. The ubiquitous Donald Roeser has, for well over a decade, enabled Blue Oyster Cult to steamroll along in any style, from sweet (“Last Days Of May”) and sour (“Godzilla”) to tough (“Transmaniacon MC”) and obnoxious (“This Ain’t The Summer Of Love”), or all of the above (“Don’t Fear The Reaper”). When pressed for facts, just toss “Buck’s Boogie,” from the Guitars That Destroyed The World compilation, onto the turntable and roast marshmallows over the melting ears of your friends. B.A.

•Gibson SG Standard

BO DIDDLEY: Originator of one of the few original rock ’n’ roll rhythms, master of distortion before it was even thought to be a topic worth studying, god of the tremolo, and co-ruler, with Chuck Berry, of the 50’s rock ’n’ roll guitar kingdom. From the liner notes to his very first album: “When he wanted to, Bo Diddley created a guitar sound that sounded B11IIGGGG as a express train. . .and when the mood needed the sensitive background. Bo Diddley waves his magic pick and the sultriest kind of intimate sound results...Don’t put down his beat.” Suffice to say that without “Who Do You Love" and “Mona," there’d be no Stones or Yardbirds.

B.A.

•Gretsch Customs, Custom built Gibson JAY DONELLAN Known today by real name Jay Lewis, this guy produces records by Gary Wright’s sister and Attitudes (who?) but was once hot stuff himself. Don’t know the exact chronology, but under the name Donellan he popped up on Love’s Four Sail and Out Here albums His guitar solo on "August” expressed emotional turmoil succinctly, and “I Still Wonder,” written with Love's Arthur Lee, out-CSN&Yed the originals with bonus guitar screeching. Showed up as Jay Lewis with Morning, did two LPs (one on Vault, other on Fantasy), and now makes a practice of playing on records that only stay in print for three weeks. D.D.

DUANE EDDY: The grand totem of twang, Eddy’s country raunch has been often imitated and still is imitated—see Adam and the Ants for the gory details. Had surf music not intruded, Eddy’s guitar instrumentals might have carried through the 60’s as the soundtrack to the dragstrip riots of the windmills of our minds. What titles! “Rebel Rouser.” “Forty Miles Of Bad Road," “Pepe”! Like he said, “Have Guitar, Will Travel.” B.A.

•Gretsch, Gibson

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

DAVE EDMUNDS: ES335 (1959) Gibson (See page 12)

MARK FARNER: The all-time, undisputed King Of The White Noise. Hails from Michigan, held sway over the universe between 1970-73 as one third of Grand Funk Railroad, the ultimate primate power trio of the 20th Century. Early recordings brilliantly flaunted musical minimality to the point of nothingness (ref: “Paranoid" on the Grand Funk “red” album).

while later material actually contained moments of high-powered pop music (ref: the We’re An American Band album). Will go down in history as the originator of the “splatter” lead guitar solo. Still has people wondering what t.n.u.c. means. Successful comeback with Grand Funk seconds away. Maybe this time they’ll get to make a movie. J.M.

•ES 125 Gibson

JOHN FOGERTY: Creedence’s one man hit making machine plays guitar like he writes songs—no runs, no drips, no errors. Probably more capable than any other guitarist at getting the most mileage out of the least notes, as demonstrated by “Commotion," “Green River,” “Bom On The Bayou" or just about any other Creedence hit you can think of. Tough and biting, like his vocals, Fogerty’s guitar also rang forth with country whittles that ultimately paved the way for Southern rock’s slide into the mainstream. B.A.

•Rickenbacker Semi-Acoustic PETER FRAMPTON: His gutless, sterile, and soddenly (un)commercial guitar picking is like something outta 1984. And through non-stop touring, his ghastly hybrid popmetal muzak managed a monster double album, Frampton Comes Alive (which drove all right-thinking people to suicide or worse). Frumpy Frampy (don’t the girls love him!) cut his teeth with a surprisingly teeny-bopper band the Herd, but soon became serious when he formed soul/HM conglom Humble Pie with Steve Marriott (Who can forget their cover of “That’s How Deep My Love Is,” ugh—it makes me feel ill just thinking about it.). Still, there’s a happy ending to all this: since his screen debut in Sgt. Pepper's, Pete’s had flop after flop. Nyah Nyah. I.L.

•Gibson Les Paul

ROBERT FRIPP: Gibson Les Paul (See page 18)

FRED FRITH: Made Henry Cow’s first album their most listenable, but, unfortunately, his tendency to politicize/Kurt Weillicize with Slapp Happy vocalist Dagmar occasionally makes his work “difficult” to listen to. A great guitarist, Fred—brother of Simon, literature fans-Hs occasionally too self-consciously avant-garde, but that’s not our problem, is it? Most recent Ralph Records aren’t quite satisfying—that due mainly, 1 fear, to Frith’s all-consuming literacy. He may be too intelligent for his own good. D.D.

•Gibson. Omston Burns Black Bison

RORY GALLAGHER: Stratocaster (See page 26)

CLIFF GALLUP: Gallup put the bare wire lunacy into Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps’ music, and if you don’t know much about him, just ask Jeff Beck, who borrowed heavily from the Gallopin’ Gallup’s riff storehouse for much of his early flash; “Jeffs Boogie” has entire passages lifted right from Vincent’s “Cruisin’ (Yep, “for a bruisin’ ”). As if that weren’t enough, Gallup accidentally discovered heavy metal on “Cat Man," on which he gets too near his amp, unearthing a tone and mode of attack that predated Black Sabbath by a good decade.

B.A.

JERRY GARCIA Scales, scales, and more scales. Gotta keep exercising those four and a half fingers to keep those dippy hippies sated. So much yawndom has emanated from Captain Trips during the last decade that you tend to forget the searing focus of his early work, like “Cream Fuff War," or that whole side of wonder on Anthem Of The Sun, or the only good live Dead record, the double LP first one, on which “Dark Star” moved more of us than we’d care to now admit.to selected higher levels of carpet ride consciousness. B.A.

•Alembic Customs

LOWELL GEORGE: His exit from the planet last year robbed rock V roll not only of a great songwriter and singer, but also one of the more eclectic guitarists around. As Little Feat’s guiding light. George used his guitar to reflect that America-gone-adrift vision of his songs. A crisp slide sound here (“Tripe Face Boogie”), some raunch-ridden blues there (“Apolitical Blues”), a ^few pinches of country everywhere (“Willin’,” “Strawberry Flats"). His peak performance was on the eternally relevant “Easy To Slip,” one of the truly great guitar recordings ever made. B.A. •Les Paul Sunburst '59

BILLY GIBBONS: Standard rap for Gibbons at this point includes Jimi Hendrix mentioning him as one of his fave guitarists on TV; for record collectors it involves some run-in they’ve had with the Moving Sidewalks LP on Tantara. Mumbo-jumbo for the most part, if only because the only available documentation of pre-ZZ Top Gibbons exists on Pebbles Volume 2, soon to be as rare as the original. To these ears, the best Top LP remains Tres Hombres, but not-a-one is less than excellent. Gibbons will be playing ’til he’s 60 and we’ll be richer for it. D.D.

•Fender Strat-Telecaster. 1959 Les Paul Standard

ANDY GILL: He doesn’t play many single note leads with Gang of 4, but his manic, multidirectional machine gun chording style fits with the factured funk bottoms to create a sound like no other. And check out his feedback attack on “Anthrax.” M.D.

•Stratocaster

DAVID GILMOUR: Taking over for Sick Syd Barrett, Gilmour helped make Pink Floyd viable household commodities—not to mention spacemusic pioneers, thanks to Ummagummas live sides. Stylized enough for Chris Spedding to parodize on “Guitar Jamboree,” Gilmour is a little lazier than he should be—he’s only had one solo album ever—but nonetheless, he’s imaginative. He’s produced Kate Bush and nonwonders Unicorn, not to mention absent Syd himself, and his solo album of 1978 beat Pink Floyd’s own competition. Too bad he’s so rich he doesn’t have to try. D.D.

•Stratocaster

PETER GREEN: 1958 Les Paul Standard (See page 15)

LUTHER GROSVENOR: A true Jekyll and Hyde of rock V roll, Grosvenor found a wide audience first as a member of Spooky Tooth and then Mott The Hoople in the mid-70’s where, as Ariel Bender, he jack:knifed out some of the most rude sounding lead guitar solos imaginable (ref: “Walking With A Mountain” from Mott The Hoople Live). Went from Mott to Widowmaker in 1976 where his Bender persona was tempered somewhat by the lighter Grosvenor side of his character. Nobody’s fool and long overdue for a solo comeback, he shouldn’t be underestimated by anyone. CAREER HIGH: Under Open Skies (first solo album). J.M. JAMES GURLEY: It’s generally acknowledged that Janis Joplin’s decline began when she was talked into splitting from Big Brother and the Holding Company and indeed, the Big Brother team was really the only appropriate backup she ever had; they played it as raw and straight from the heart as Janis sang it. Gurley, the co-lead guitarist with Sam Andrew, scorched his way through Big Brother’s best tunes, from the banshee screeches of “Summertime” to the exposed nerves of shrieks of “Piece Of My Heart." One of the best examples of sheer willpower winning over the flesh despite all odds. B.A.

ADRIAN GURVITZ: Somehow, this guy continues—even though he once, in a fit of ethnic shame, changed his last name to Curtiss. Played with cult HMers Gun (2 LPs), then popped up with even-lesser-known Three Man Army, who called their third album Three Man Army Two to help record collectors everywhere.

To make things exactly the way we wanted them, he joined forces with Ginger Baker as part of the Baker-Gurvitz Army, of which he was the latter half. Pretty good guitarist, though you’d never know it by hearing the album he recorded with Toto in 1979. Next year: Steely Dan meets Leigh Stephens! D.D.

STEVE HACKETT: He joined Genesis and they got interesting; he left and they became predictable. His playing was more thematic than frenetic, was perennially under-mixed and became more refined over time; his wonderfully clumsy noises on the first live Genesis LP are gone forever. His solo stuff proves him an undeniably talented, though often distressingly tasteful, musician. M.D.

•Les Paul’s Stratocasters OLLY HALSALL: He’s 'always been in demand on the British weirdo-rock circuit but he’s never broken beyond it, in part because normals have never known what to make of him. When he cuts loose—like on Patto’s “Loud Green Song” from Roll ’em, Smoke ’em and Tempest’s ‘Dance To My Tune” from Living In Fear— he can make minds bleed at 50 yards.

M.D.

•Gibson SG Custom

GEORGE HARRISON: Perhaps Harrison’s greatest strength as the Beatles’ guitarist was his chameleon-like use of sound for song’s sake; in addition to absorbing well the lessons taught by Berry, Holly and Perkins, Harrison could texture any song with just the right tone, from the bellringing lead on “Nowhere Man” all the way across to the almost Carlos Montoya-ish acoustic of “And I Love Her.” Stopped dead as a creative guitarist when he found his personal “voice” through that bassy slide sound, and thereby ceased to be a vital influence on those around him—outside of Badfinger and America, of course. B.A.

•Les Paul, Stratocaster, Gretsch, Rickenbacker JIMI HENDRIX: Fender Stratocaster (See page 20)

TOM HERMAN: Herman’s spikey, postpsychedelic slide work was probably what he was best known for during his years with Pere Ubu (which ended in late 79), but his lead on “Street Waves” is as rocky as you could ever want. Where’s the solo album, Tom? M.D.

STEVE HILLAGE: First surfaced under the name of Simeon Saparella on an obscure LP called Arzachel on Roulette Records, see, but their real name was Uriel and later “Simeon” left and the other guys formed unknown art-rock greats Egg and “Simeon” was really Steve Hillage, who played with Kevin Ayers, Khan, Gong, and other bands that would really excite you if you had a beard, smoked a pipe and read science fiction. Signed to Virgin Records, he still puts out records, Todd Rundgren produced him, and he wears one of those little wool hats that signifies things many of us would prefer not to think of. The Geddy Lee role model. But good. D.D.

• Gibson S6

ALLEN HOLDSWORTH: Holdsworth played on both sides of the jazz fusion/prog rock fence, bouncing from Soft Machine to Tony Williams to Gong to U.K. to Bruford to wherever. His solos on “Red Alert” (from Williams’ Believe It) and “Shadows Of” (from Gong’s Expresso) show off both his tremendous speed and his unique, melancholy tone. M.D. •Custom Stratocaster

BUDDY HOLLY: Buddy Holly’s inventive style, a cross pollination of Chuck Berry with Tex-Mex, freshly updated the original thrust of rock ’n’ roll guitar and pushed it into the 60’s. An authentic eclectic before the word became operative, his playing stretched from the sheer chord power of “Peggy Sue” to the madhouse mania of “Rock Me My Baby” and “Rock Around With Ollie Vee.” His Fender style became the basis of the British Invasion’s entire pop sound, and you can still hear his influence everywhere, most noticably in the playing of Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham. Right up there, after Chuck and Bo, in the great lineup of all-time guitar heroes. B.A.

•Stratocaster

STEVE HOWE: Yes-man to the end. Whether weaving yearlong epics of terminal boredom (Tales From Topo Gigio Oceans) or hurling concise metallic spitballs (“Yours Is No Disgrace”), Howe displays a distincitve style and craftsmanship—aided in no small part by his ear for rapidly changing key signatures. He faulted on his solo career but, then again, who hasn’t? Vastly underrated considering the complexity of the material he has to work with. CAREER HIGH: Yessongs (for a concise overview of hit styles). J.M.

•ES 175 Gibson

STEVE HUNTER/DICK WAGNER A real oddity, these guys strike out when they’re apart from each other (witness their solo albums) but, together they’re the greatest guitar tag-team rock ’n’ roll ever produced. Both came into international prominence for their work with Lou Reed, and contributed stunning, stellar work on Berlin, Lou Reed Live and Rock ’n Roll Animal. Both were then spirited away to the Alice Cooper entourage for work on the Welcome To My Nightmare album, tour, and film of the tour. Subsequent Coop albums followed, as well as lots of session work, most notably adding bombast for the first Peter Gabriel solo album; Wagner also went on to spearhead (via guitars, production and songwriting) Fearless, Tim Curry’s hard rock opus of 1979. CAREER HIGH: Any of the abovementioned albums. J.M.

•Various Guitars

TONY IOMMI: One of the few ranking southpaws in guitar hero history, Iommi perfected the low string rhinoceros roar that was

as intrinsic to Black Sabbath’s early success as Ozzy’s tattooed knuckles. Only good at two speeds—gorilla stoop slow and gnu blur fast— but he gets cool points for that acoustic MOR instrumental “Laguna Sunrise” and the eternal “Superstar,” in which he artfully re-creates the sound of the entire Russian army trudging across Siberia during a two month blizzard. B.A.

•G/bson SG, John Birch Custom SG

WILKO JOHNSON: Dr. Feelgood will go on forever, but they’ll never be as good as when Wilko was leading them. Wilko had the manic gleam on his eye, that wary underside, that shocking Telecaster unloading dangerous R&B rhythms. Dr. Feelgood are (disputably) the best band to come out of the pub-rock scene. Wilko left them in 77 after their greatest moment of all. “Stupidity,” and formed his very own band, Solid Senders. Solid Senders were great but not as great, and had little commercial success. Wilko, after moaning in the press about how sick he was of being the leader, joined Ian Dury’s Blockheads. And still brings out the occasional Solid Senders album. I.L.

•Telecaster

MICK JONES: There would be no Clash high energy were it not for Jonesy’s exploding guitar, a relentless bevy of power chords (“White Riot”), roughhouse riffs (“London Calling”) and psychedelic strains (“Clash City Rockers"). That touch of soul, as displayed on "Train In Vain," doesn’t hurt none, either. Some neat unexpected sources pop up now and then, too, most notably in the underrated rockabilly, “The Prisoner,” where Jones proves that the greasy kid stuff ain’t just there for show. B.A.

•Les Paul

STEVE JONES: As guitarist for the indisputably most important band of the 70s, the Sex Pistols, Steve was never as terrible as people made out. He sounded like a one-man insane asylum, battering and scratching at twice the speed of sound through Rotten’s howling, indignant vocals. Hear him at his best on their cover of Iggy’s “No Fun.” After the Pistols broke up, he took a brief holiday in the sun with one Ronald Biggs. Since then, Steve and erstwhile partner-in-crime Paul Cook have been blowing it on birds, booze, and their bloodless rock band, the Professionals. I.L.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

•Les Paul. SG

DANNY KALB: One listen to the Blues Projects’ amphetamine version of Chuck Berry’s “You Can’t Catch Me” and you’ve found Kalb’s claim to rock ’n’ roll immortality.blistering speed stoked by intensity great enough to forgive the occasional bum notes along the way. Actually, his acoustic playing, to be found on a host of early 60’s Elektra LP (in particular, the sampler that the Project took their name from) is perhaps the more remarkable of his work, but then again, the movement from folk blues to rock blues helped shape psychedelia, and Kalb was at the forefront during rock’s most extraordinary transition period. B.A.

•ES 330 Gibson

MICHAEL KAROLL Michael Karoli always did have an original approach; all the members of Germany’s Can did. After proving his rock chops on “Mother Sky,” he developed an arsenal of unique noises to make himself heard in seething sound stews like “Unfinished” from Landed. Watch for his next move. M.D.

STEVE KATZ: Well, at least give him credit for never overestimating his own meager talents. Servicable rhythm guitarist for the Blues Project, Katz made it into Blood, Sweat and Tears as rhythm/lead player mainly to keep the roster total under ten. Three seconds of worth—the backwards solo on “1 Can’t Quit Her.” B.A. •ES 335 Gibson

JORMA KAUKONEN: A dynamic, unpredictably exciting player, Kaukonen’s Easterninfluenced solos brought out the best the Jefferson Airplane had to offer on songs like “Somebody To Love” and “3/5s Of A Mile In Ten Seconds,” not to mention the great lost Airplane album, After Bathing At Baxter's. Began to lose vital signs in the early 70s, formed the non-inducing Hot Tuna, and the rest, alas, is history. B.A.

•Martin D-18

PETER KAUKONEN: Brother of you-knowwho, Petey first showed up on the hilarious Blows Against The Empire manifesto by Paul Kantner, seemingly an unwitting victim of nepotism. But when Black Kangaroo hit the streets, thousands of people just like me were forced to scratch their heads in wonder. Said LP, which must have sold in the dozens, is not only utterly psychedelic and jam-packed with bleeding-kangaroo-corpse-pix—it’s filled with happy songs about war veterans with no arms and is probably the most profound album Grunt Records has ever been involved with. Johnny Winter meets Jimi Hendrix while somehow, somewhere, Robert De Niro takes his first acting lesson. Yow. D.D.

DANNY KIRWAN: Gold top Les Paul. Strato-

caster (See page 15)

MARK KNOPFLER: Sure, a Clapton clone but also, as previously mentioned influenced greatly by J.J. Cale, knows how to build solos, a feat which has become something of a lost art. and fills with a real sense of purpose. Only one song really necessary to flesh out all his stock moves, but there’s no denying that “Sultans Of Swing” was one of those songs in the right place at precisely the right time. B.A.

•Stratocaster-Schecten

WAYNE KRAMER: With the MC5, Kramer and co-conspirator “Sonic” Smith formed the most devastating one-two punch in rock history. Although he usually rocketed the rhythm section, his few solos were awesome—“Looking At You” finds Kramer playing what is, arguably, the greatest solo ever executed. Back on the scene thanks to punk and new wave, and if he never plays another worthwhile note in his lifetime, his place in the hall of fame is still secure. B.A.

•SG Gibson

ROBBIE KRIEGER: It was generally up to Krieger to supply the necessary colors to the dark landscapes painted by Jim Morrison, and the Doors' guitarist was not only equal to the challenge every time,out, but he often surpassed expectations by tossing off the most amazing solos in the unlikeliest of places. The ocean between his intelligent, thoughtful solos on “Light My Fire” or “You’re Lost Little Girl” and the chugging raunch of the live “Who Do You Love” and “Roadhouse Blues” is testament to Krieger's uncanny sense of propriety. And dig, one of his biggest assets was his knowledge that you don’t have to be a speed merchant to get to the goal line. B.A.

•Gibson SG

ALBERT LEE This guy’s been around, old British Blues days to day-gigs with the obscure (Poet And The One Man Band) to the lesser known (Heads, Hands & Feet) to the prominent (Emmylou Harris) to the famous (Eric Clapton). Best work? Heads., Hands & Feet’s three albums; if you’ve got the Band and Little Feat in column A, stick McGuiness Flint and HH&F in the other Lee’s solo A&M L.P is fair, check out his gigs with Clapton on Just One Night and Andy Roberts on the Brit import Hank Wangford. Good stuff. D.D.

•Telecaster

ALVIN LEE Taste was never exactly Ten Years After’s strong suit but Alvin Lee was always so busy establishing new NPS—notes per second—records that few seemed to mind just how awful a band they were. It’s been all downhill since "Goin’ Home” (Woodstock version, of course), but for the ten requisite minutes of stardom that everyone’s entitled to, that tune stands as living proof that sometimes, quantity is quality. B.A.

•ES 345 Gibson

JOHN LENNON Mainly remembered as a rhythm guitarist (and a great one he was!), Lennon played his fair share of leads. His best solo may have been when he and Harrison traded those classic riffs back and forth at the conclusion of the medley on Abbey Road, but there are numerous others that would rate a close second. He was a terrific riff composer, both rock ("Day Tripper,” “Birthday," etc.) and blues (“Yer Blues"), while the raw minimalism of his Plastic Ono Band LP was a major inspiration to punk rockers everywhere. Along with Elvis Presley (who only knew three chords!), Lennon was probably the one man most responsible for generation-after-generation of kids picking up guitars and learning to play. That alone would classify him as a guitar hero, although he was much, much more to most of us. He is sorely missed. B.H.

KEITH LEVENE First of all. let’s hear it for guys who spell their last name the right way; second of all, let’s hear it for guys who were smart enough to not get kicked ouj of the Clash; third of all, let’s hear it for guys who don’t make Public Image Ltd. sound like third-rate Can; fourth of all. hasn’t all this been done before? Just asking. D.D.

ALEX LIFESON: Stringbender in Rush. His power-bruising on the first Rush album still qualifies him for free induction to any Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame in existence and automatically redeems him for all the Sci-Fi bullshit he’s had to play in the years since that great debut LP (although I have no doubt that he’s played said bullshit with great technical proficiency). Way to go, eh?

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CAREER HIGH: Rush. J.M.

• Custom Fender Stratocaster DAVID LINDLEY: The life-saving connection between Jackson Browne and the world of electric music, Lindley’s lap steel whine is one of the most easily recognized guitar sounds around. A multi-instrumentalist who is actually above average on any number of stringed axes, he made his name as secret weapon co-ordinator for the grossly underheard Kaleidoscope. And don’t let the straggly long hair fool ya— Lindley once wrote an entire song based solely on Richard Widmark’s performance in Kiss Of Death. B.A.

•National, Stratocaster

JAMES LITHERLAND: Only an idiot would call this guy a guitar hero, but if you were editing this mess, and this guy played with Colosseum, Long John Baldry and Mogul Thrash (w/John Wetton), wouldn’t you stick him in, too? Besides, he sings great on The Grass Is Greener and I’m getting older every minute. D.D.

NILS LOFGREN: Why is this man not a star? The guiding light behind Grin, the guy who cut the quintessential mid-70’s rock album, Cry Tough, the bloke who could out-chop the choppiest, whose live performances were as long and exhilarating as the Boss’s, the one who told us years ago that he only came to dance, now seems practically ignored. Oh well, his last coupla albums have been real rank, but don’t count him out yet, I bet the next generation of young Americans will get the message. I.L. •Stratocaster

PHIL MANZANERA: Absolutely the only guitarist who could have followed Brian Eno’s “apres moi, le deluge” synthesizer solo on “Editions Of You,” Roxy Music’s Manzanera has worked so unobtrusively as the bridge between Bryan Ferry’s melancholy romanticism and the world of progressivism that he tends to be taken for granted. But his Krieger-like dexterity and range aren’t underrated by those in the know, as anyone who owns a copy of Nico’s The End can attest. B.A.

•Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Firebird STEVE MARRIOT: Rock ’n’ roll’s version of Jimmy Cagney, the former biggest Small Face (“Itchycoo Park”) is a mug who just hangs in and hangs in until the job gets done. With Humble Pie’s Rockin’ The Fillmore, he and up-and-

coming teen dream Petey Frampton invented soccer match rock with their horn-rimmed boyswill-be-boys approach. Still chuggin’ along today, pushing grapefruits into audiences’ faces.

B.A.

•Fender Esquire, Stratocaster, Les Paul, Gibson, Gretsch

VINNIE MARTELL: Wasn’t he the one that read from the Bible at the end of The Beat Goes On? No, that was keyboard player Mark Stein. Well, was he the one with the toupee? No, that was also Stein. Wait...he was the one that got sick the day Vanilla Fudge recorded their Great Shakes commercial, thus leading to the historical first meeting between Beck, Bogert and Appice, right? Yep, that’s him. Able to demolish previously known melodies with a single flick of the wah-wah pedal (“You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Bang, Bang”), and one hadn’t really lived until they’ve heard his solo on the side-long Fudge jam on Near The Beginning. If one can live through a whole side of Vanilla Fudge, that is. B.A.

JOHN MARTYN: A guitar hero because of his skill as a guitarist, not his chosen role. Martyn’s been putting out the best British music since the Fab Four, but its “folk” label, like Richard Thompson’s, places him in company he doesn’t really deserve. Best albums are Solid Air and Bless The Weather, best guitar album is probably the live one, only available through mail order. Years ago he opened one of Yes’s American tours and was booed offstage; is he doing something right? New LP produced by Phil Collins and you will check it out. D.D.

HANK B. MARVIN: This cat is sooo cool he’s the original English axe hero! In the late 50’s, as part of Cliff Richards back-up band the Shadows (nee Drifters), Marvin put the rockmad riffs behind such subliminal early rockers as “Move It,” and “Teacher And The Bookworn.” Concurrently the Shadows had a solo No. 1 in 1960 with the brilliant “Apache.” Through the past two decades they’ve broken-up and reformed (with different personnel) continuously, Hank for a time working with his own group, Marvin, Welch, and Farrar. Though they still work today as the Shadows, they make a horrid brand of muzak for old age pensioners. Still, the Shadows walk (a neat little dance they used to do), and Marvin’s emotionless clickety-clack melody lines reserve them a place in rock history as one of the seminal instrumental bands. I.L. •Stratocaster

DAVE MASON: C’mon, let’s admit it. Who’s the most embarrassing guy in rock? Steve Stills ? Alice Cooper? How ’bout the guy who’s had more greatest hits albums than real ones? Yep, ol’ Dave did OK with Traffic and Alone Together, but let’s face it—since he teamed up with Mama Cass, he hasn’t done anything worth sniffing about, let alone play any worthy guitar parts, and—if this isn’t enough—he still has funny eyebrows. He can still exist, but let’s be realistic about it. D.D.

•Firebird V [Reverse] 1963 BRIAN MAY: Love him or leave him, you gotta hand it to the guy for having what it takes to go blow-for-blow with the big noise-makers of the business. Probably best known for his work with delay devices and the ability to multitrack himself into a coma for that shimmering choral effect. Brian’s work with Queen also showcases some bone-cruching riffing and soloing (“Tie Your Mother Down,” “We Will Rock You”) as well as sheer outrageous bombast (“Brighton Rock,” with its three-hour lead break in the middle; pretty heady stuff for the lead-off song on an album). No slouch around a telescope,

either. CAREER HIGH; Sheer Heart Attack and Night At The Opera. J.M.

•Self-built custom

JIMMY McCULLOCH: The wee Scotch lad who looked like a cherub was discovered by Pete Townshend when only 16 and recruited for Thunderclap Newman, enjoying a massive hit with their debut single, “Something In The Air.” A hit they couldn’t follow, leaving Jimmy free to joing the dying hard soul band Stone The Crows, with great song stylist Maggie Bell. After a brief sojourn with Blue and John Mayall McCulloch joined Wings in 1974, and remained ’til 1979. He left to work in his own group, the Dukes, but it wasn’t to happen, and Jimmy was found dead in his London apartment in 1980.

I.L.

•Les Paul

JOHN McGEOCH His crash chording on tunes like “Shot By Both Sides” helped put Magazine on the map; when he left, they floundered. Currently a Banshee, with time off for side projects like Visage, he remains primarily a team player but is capable of going nuts, as “Voodoo Dolly" aptly demonstrates.

M.D.

ROGER McGUINN: You can call him Roger, or you can call him Jimmy, or you can call him one of the few modern era guitarists to actually discover something new—twice. As the Byrds’ chief architect, his twelve-string Rickenbacker sound brought new meaning to the word treble, and his solo on “Eight Miles High," a combination of Coltrane-like wall of sound random riffing with Shankarian circular note sequencing, broke wide open the sonic possibilities of the electric guitar. Wimped out after his unexpectedly vigorous cameo on the Rolling Thunder Revue but hey, he always was a folkie at heart. B.A.

•Rickenbaker 12 string

BARRY MELTON: Seated in the shotgun position on the wayward stagecoach ridden by Country Joe and the Fish, Melton’s dizzy riffing can best be described as one of the less seriously minded aspects of the psychedelic guitar era. Never trapped by the grand-egoid vibes given off by his contemporaries, Melton would just pop in, shoot his venerable load, and spreadeagle back into the mix. Prime cuts: “Superbird,” “Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine,” and the rollicking hodge-podgy “Rock ’n’ Soul Music.”

B.A.

•SG

JERRY MILLER: As lead guitarist for Moby Grape—the only three guitar band that ever really functioned as a unit—Miller, older brother of Steve, was continually faced with the problem on not only fitting in amongst all the guitars, but making his spare solo passages count; that he did so was testament to his thoughtfulness (the jazzy coda to “Someday”), his dexterity (The sonic blasts of “Hey Grandma” and “Omaha”) and his taste (“8:05”). Vastly underappreciated — he was really the only West Coast guitarist in ’67 not bitten by the psychedelic bug—and sorely missed. B.A.

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STEVE MILLER: Proficient and requisitely flashy in the early Frisco days with Boz Scaggs in the original Steve Miller Band (“Junior Saw It Happen,” “Steppin’ Stone”), Miller used the “Space Cowboy” rodeo style as transition to the more spare, honed style that took him into mainstream consciousness (“The Joker”) and, ultimately, megastardom with Fly Like An Eagle. That album neatly displays Miller’s crafty use of sturdy, straight ahead rockin’ ryhthms, especially on “Take The Money And Run” and the Free-based “Rockin’ Me Baby.” B.A.

•Ibanez Artist

RONNIE MONTROSE: Technically superadept, R.M. first gigged prominently with Boz Scaggs, then joined Van Morrison in time to do Tupelo Honey and St. Dominic’s Preview with the likes of John McFee and Ron Elliot. Soon after, Edgar Winter’s They Only Come Out At Night brought the guitarist to the public eye in time for him to form Montrose, thus introducing Sammy Hagar to a world he should have ignored. Since then, a hot instrumental LP (Open Fire) that sounded Beckish and featured a hot “Town Without Pity"; next has come Gamma and massive acclaim for album covers, i.e. not much else going on of interest. D.D. •Custom Stratocaster. Gibson Les Paul GARY MOORE: Great guitarist who somehow lost touch; early albums with Irish boys Skid Row (scarce-but-on-Epic cutouts) were superhot, but when he met up with Thin Lizzy he lost a little. Solo career for awhile, then the pursuit of jazz-fusion w/Colossuem II, then Thin Lizzy again (I think) and a solo career on Jet records. The guy’s good, but’ll probably end up in a band with Miller Anderson and Adrian Gurvitz and never record again. D.D.

•Les Paul

SCOTTY MOORE: Moore was the guitarist who, along with Elvis Presley and Bill Black, merged country with R&B at Sam Phillips’ Sun Studios in 1954, and if they didn’t “invent” rock ’n’ roll (the point is debatable), there is no question that they originated what would come to be known as rockabilly. Moore played lead on all of Presley’s Sun sessions (only three of which included any sort of drums), as well as adding a lot of the fire to most of the King’s early RCA hits. It has often been argued that he was a country guitarist, but anyone who listens to the stunning solos on “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “Good Rockin’ Tonight” or “Jailhouse Rock” and still says that Moore wasn’t a rock ’n’ roll guitarist has got their definitions confused! Jimmy Page, Dave Edmunds and a score of others learned to imitate his leads note-for-note, and he remains probably the main influence on guitarists of the current rockabilly revival. Interestingly, it was not Moore but Hank Garland who contributed the leads to perhaps Elvis’hottest recording session (June 10, 1958), which produced “1 Need Your Love Tonight,” “Ain’t That Lovin’ You, Baby,” “A Fool Such As I" and “A Big Hunk ’O Love,” the latter of which featured what may be the first example of “punk” guitar riffs. Moore appeared on Elvis’ first post-army sessions in 1960, playing everything from hot blues to what was a predecessor of Merseybeat guitar on “The Girl Of My Best Friend.” He disappeared during the Hollywood years, but joined Elvis again for the 1968 “comeback” TV special. It turned out to be the greatest artistic triumph of Presley’s post-army career. B.H.

•Telecaster, ES 350 Gibson STERLING MORRISON Neatly counter pointed Lou Reed’s exploratory, off the edge guitar shorts with sensitive, reverential solos that dignified the Velvets’ quieter side, with “Pale Blue Eyes” being the most representative show of Morrison’s understatedly effective style. Not that he couldn’t work out—just check out the live Mercury album or Sterl’s whammy lead on the great bootleg EP track “Foggy Notion.” B.A.

BILL NELSON: Of Be Bop Deluxe/Red Noise fame, broke through with a dazzling technique—he could space out (“Crying To The Sky”) or wail (“Between The Worlds,” “Blazing Apostles”) equally well. But eventually finding flashy fretwork banal, he elbowed his band, shelved his eareer, and even E-bowed his speed away to oblivion. M.D.

•ES-345 Gibson, Vilette-Citron

RICK NIELSEN: One in a million, thank goodness. Cheap Trick’s main prankster holds a host of records-^only guitar hero to provide his own pedestal most guitar straps ever used simultaneously, and a look only Mugs McGuiness would want to know better. No one before him had ever thought of combining Jimmy Page blowhardness with George Harrison economy as a thematic conceit. The last word seems the right one to stop on. B.A.

•Hamer Standard, Hamer Sunburst, Hamer Prototype. Gibson V. Les Pauls. Telecasters. Stratocasters.

TED NUGENT The loincloth lunatic sure blabs a lot, but he’s been backing up the talk with action for so long that he’s entitled to swing from the grapevine and howl. Nugent guitar solos are guaranteed to do two things: l)Not stop till they’re good and ready to and 2)cause some brain damage along the way, and it’s been that way since the early Amboy Dukes days—the blues-till-they-bleed "Baby, Please Don’t Go’’ and the synapse-snapping "Journey To The Center Of Your Mind’’—right through the recent Wango Tango delirium dances. As Ted’s guitar knows only too well, it’s dog eat dog out there and, like any good animal, it goes straight for the jugular. B.A.

•Gibson. Byrdland & Les Paul

MIKE OLDFIELD His tastefully overdubbed opuses will be forever linked in most of our minds with green bile and epileptic bedroomsfond memories, for sure But back when he was a teenager and didn’t know any better. Mike uncorked a couple of solos for Kevin Ayers that can still blow you away. Find “Lunatic’s Lamenf and “Song From The Bottom Of A Well." turn them up full blast, and disturb somebody. M.D. •Gibson SC Special

SHUGGIE OTIS: Famous for not only being Johnny’s son, but for making you doubt the wisdom of Al Kooper when such things were significant. Where is Shuggie today? D.D.

JIMMY PAGE: 1959 Les Paul Standard. 1960 Les Paul Standard (See page 28)

CARL PERKINS: An early giant, Perkins’ clean, snappy, country pickin’ influenced hordes of guitarists, most noticeably George Harrison. “Honey Don’t." "Matchbox," “Blue Suede Shoes." “Boppin’ The Blues" and “Everybody's Tryin’ To Be My Baby" all nicely showcased Perkins’ boogie woogie guitar rave-up style and form. And how about “Dixie Fried," a real white trash bad boy anthem of good natured malicious intent?B.A.

•Stratocaster. Music Man JOE PERRY Recorded seven albums (one live) as lead guitarist with Aerosmith before the boredom set in. Now fronts the Joe Perry Project (two albums to date). Hails from the Yardbirds school of powerchording and phrasing and is heir to the Jeff Beck throne. Refuses to mess around with his rock ’n’ roll, preferring straight-to-the-gut approach. Not inventive unless the situation calls for it, Joe tastefully fills in all the blanks in an intelligent manner. Gets song from A to B with a minimum of fuss and maximum of sound. Quite simply, the best at what he does. CAREER HIGH: Rocks. J.M. •B C. Rich. Les Paul. Stratocaster. Trauis Bean MIKE PINERA Must mention this guy, whose “Can You Believe In Forever" single with the Blues Image I bought many years ago, in Miami, where I used to watch Pinera play rock hero every weekend at Thee Image. Figures that he’d eventually cop the club’s name for his own—had a band on Manticore called that—but, busy as he is now, was a time when local radio touted him as one of the world's “ten best guitarists.” Since then: the great Blues Image Atlantic debut (out of print), crummy follow-ups. joining Iron Butterfly, Cactus, other wrong moves and /or record companies. Still around, occasionally great, not very often—who can be playing with Alice Cooper in 1981? Wish he’d redo “Can You Believe.” though. D.D.

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•SG Three pick up

MARTIN PUGH Great technique, great taste for excess. Pugh—as far as I can see—first showed up playing with unsung heroes Steamhammer. After their mini-cult faves, two albums on Epic. Steamhammer’s two guitarist Martins— Pugh and Quittenton —guested on the first Rod Stewart LP. Steamhammer went on to release a few import-onlies, and a few years after Keith Relf left Renaissance, Armageddon was formed — which lasted for one album, then Relf died. Pugh’s probably still great, but where is he?D.D.

ROBERT QUINE: Not too many roving air pockets in this former Voidoid’s noggin. The instrumental voice of Richard Hell’s tortured vision. Doctor Bob’s thinking man’s fury, as torn off at the roots on songs like “Blank Generation” and “Love Comes In Spurts,” is a good primer of methodical madness. Futhermore, gut wrenches on Lester Bangs’ “Let It Blurt” prove conclusively that formal training need not be a hindrance to playing rock V roll. Is that album with Jody Harris ever gonna see the light of day? Oh yeah, a real snappy dresser, too. B.A. •Stratocaster

MICK RALPHS: Went into the arena rock business when he hooked up with Paul Rodgers and formed Bad Company, but that doesn’t eclipse his years of sinewy, rough-edged work with lan Hunter in Mott the Hoople. Sure, most of Brain Capers, but one supposes it was Bowief who really gave him the go ahead to take off on All The Young Dudes album, and Ralphs responded with such gems as “One Of The Boys' and the arched twists of “Ready For Love." a real classic. B.A.

•Stratocaster. Les Paul 1959 ELLIOTT RANDALL: Do you remember Randall’s Island? Do you remember “incomparable session work”? Do you remember that album on Kirschner Records? Hey, how do you think the guy who writes this guy’s bio feels?"

D.D.

LOU REED: With the Velvet Underground, Reed’s feedback laced atonal bursts of angst helped re-define the role of the guitar in a rock ’n’ roll band with far ranging work on songs like “I Heard Her Call My Name,” “White Light/ White Heat and the Chuck Berry-on-Mars “Sister Ray.’ Influenced to some degree by McGuinn’s “Eight Miles High” experiments, and also in part by Buddy Holly as extrapolated by the Bobby Fuller Four, as showcased on the rhythmically charged “What Goes On.” One of the best, when and if the spirit now moves him.

•Epiphone, Gibson ES330 B.A.

KEITH RICHARDS: Telecaster, Trauis Bean, Les Paul (See page 36)

ROBBIE ROBERTSON: After breaking in with noted wildman Ronnie Hawkins (you’ve never heard Robertson on Hawkins’ “Who Do You Love”? Shame on you), Robertson and the rest of the Hawks became Dylan’s road team, and Robertson started to really blossom, so much so that he was the first player to get a bona fide solo on a Dylan record with “Obviously Five Believers.” The Band almost prided themselves on the lack of solos in their songs, but Robertson’s incisive, snakey fills (“Chest Fever”) were always on the mark, with many hints of a Steve Cropper influence. You want taut, tense guitar? Find someone with John Hammond’s I Can Tell, and hear Robertson rake “Spoonful” over the coals. B.A.

•Telecaster

MICK RONSON: He’s done a lot of things. He’s played with Dylan and he’s produced Cardiff Rose (Roger McGuinn’s best post-Byrds dropping), but he’s best known as the right hand band man for Bowie’s breakthrough—remember those bizarre, Beckoid growlings on “Panic In Detroit”—and more recently, for his solid, stolid stuff with lan Hunter. M.D.

•Gibson Les Paul

ROSS THE BOSS: The Minister of Offense in the Dictators’ cabinet of storm troopers, it was chiefly Ross’s ability to turn eardrums into mush that enabled the ‘Tators to entitle songs like “Faster and Louder” and “Young, Fast and Scientific” without flinching. Raised the slashand-burn techniques of guitaring to new heights on tracks like “Master Race Rock” and “Science Gone Too Far.” Let’s put it this wav—I wouldn’t bet against him in a battle royale. B.A.

TODD RUNDGREN: He may be a slut, but he looks good to us. Whores it>ip with those retro-progresso Utopia upchucks of fluff, pushes the automatic pilot for time wastes like Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell, but a backlog of great and generally underappreciated work to his credit to still give hope to the faithful. Such as: the Nazz juggernaut “Open My Eyes,” The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren’s “Parole,” and Something/Anything's treacherous “Black Maria.” And, among other things, use of double lead solos before they became fashionable, as on the “what do you have to do to buy a hit around here?” “Couldn’t I Just Tell You.” B.A. •Gibson SG (once owned by Clapton), Fender Mustang

CARLOS SANTANA: First time he showed up on vinyl was on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper. Last time will probably be 20 years after he dies, since ol’ Carlos has been popping out records like a hippie Percy Faith and who can blame him? Problem is, he hasn’t been able to break out of the Devadip/blando. jazzo mode: If he’s “technically great” how come he can’t cut it with J. McLaughlin? If he’s “emotionally great,” how come all his records poop out less than a yawn? Nice guy; good to see his band having hits. And I hope Russ Ballard’s around in 1990. D.D. •Yamaha Solid, Reed Smith Custom

TOM SCHOLZ: Catchy hooks on the first Boston LP. Lotsa sludge on the second. Digitally adept (“Foreplay”) and shows slight solo riff ability via catchy hooks (“More Than A Feeling”), but if I were a lead guitarist with a recording contract, you can bet that I’d be issuing albums more often than every three years. Light beer of rock ’n’ roll guitarists: “Everything you always wanted in a lead guitarist. And less.” CAREER HIGH: “More Than A Feeling.” J.M.

•Gibson Les Paul

NEAL SCHON: Schon popped on the scene with Santana’s third LP, leaving when the Deva Dipped to play hot guitar w/Journey ’til Steve Perry popped up and pooped out. Duo set with Jan Hammer, just out, is Schon’s best showcasing in years. He calls it “80’s Band Of Gypsies” music and he’s not lying. D.D.

•Gibson Les Paul, Explorer. Stratocaster BRINSLEY SCHWARZ: It can safely be said that Brinsley Schwarz—both man and band— were ahead of their time. The band came out of London’s start of the ’70’s pub-rock scene, and their pleasant form of country-rock brought them some fame (albeit no fortune). Seven albums later they disbanded. Nick Lowe went on to Rockpile, manager Dave Robinson formed Stiff Records. And Brinsley’s sneaky guitar lines have remained in demand. As part of Graham Parker’s back-up band the Rumour, he’s even recorded some of his own songs. And the last I heard, he was playing with Garland Jeffreys.

I.L.

•Hamer Standard, Hamer Special, Hamer Sunburst

KIM SIMMONDS: Simmonds, who’s played British blues for many, many years, both sweats and plays lead guitar. D.D.

EARL SLICK: Replaced Mick Ronson for Diamond Dogs tour of 1974 with Bowie. Appeared on David Live. Young Americans and Station To Station. Formed the Earl Slick Band and recorded several LPs, the best of which, Razor Sharp, revealed Slick to be a good, all-purpose guitarist and songwriter—if nothing out of the ordinary. Recently shared quitar chores with John Lennon on the Double Fantasy album. All in all, a dependable and tasteful rock ’n’ roller . CAREER HIGH: Despite his work with Lennon, he’s still best known for his magnificent solo at the end of “Station To Station.” J.M.

•Stratocaster. SG. Les Paul FRED SMITH: The lord high sheriff of Shakin’ Street, “Sonic" Smith was the main reason for the MC5 proving that anyone could be the Rolling Stones if they wanted it bad enough. Author of one of the ultimate riffs in guitar history (“Sister Anne”), his greatest single moment—besides that incredible vocal on "Ramblin’ Rose”—is that on “The American Ruse," probably the most eloquently statement of rock ’n’ roll as politics ever recorded. Currently clarinet guru to his lawful wedded, Patti Smith. B.A.

•Mosrite. Telecaster. Rickenbacker JEREMY SPENCER Gibson ES175 (See page 15)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Springsteen has always been first and foremost one of rock 'n' roll biggest fans. Just as he uses rock’s glorious past as the muse for his compositions, one can hear numerous influences of the past—everything from Duane Eddy to Stax soul to heavy metal—in his guitar technique. Since his most popular LPs have employed a Phil Spector type production in which the instruments blend together, Springsteen’s dynamic guitar abilities have never been fully showcased on vinyl. It is in a live environment that his guitar talent really shines, and those who have witnessed the heavy intro to “Prove It All Night," the hot jazzy solo on “Kitty’s Back,” the passionate guitar interlude on “Badlands,” or the guitar duel between Springsteen and Miami Steve Van Zandt on “Saint In The City” will testify that they are truly breathtaking. Hopefully, he will soon release the longawaited live album, so the uninitiated can discover the all-around rock ’n’ roll hero he really is. Springsteen uses his guitar as a symbol of compassion and hope. B.H.

•Telecaster

LEIGH STEPHENS: Heavy metal's first reigning monarch, no tremolo bar on earth was safe when Blue Cheer’s Stephens was around. The first guitarist in rock to get people seriously contemplating the use of earplugs, Stephens was always only too happy to demonstrate, over and oyer, the superiority of no taste playing over bad taste playing. Blue Cheer’s lip-synching of “Summertime Blues” on Upbeat ranks as the supreme moments of rock ’n’ roll video in our lifetime. B.A.

•Les Paul SG

STEPHEN STILLS: This guy is a damned good guitarist; takes the same approach to playing that, say, Dave Mason did w/Alone Together, i.e. tight, prolonged and emotional. Unfortunately, as he himself has been wont to do, his playing took on the shades of excess that have never totally been obliterated. End result: Stills “used to be in Crosby, Stills & Nash” and didn’t they sing good? • Despite sappy sentiments, Crosby, Stills & Nash, debut disc, is almost entirely the work of Stills and 10 times better than most people remember. And anybody who doesn’t remember “Bluebird” and the Buffalo Springfield probably would if Steve Stills was dead or something. D.D.

•Too many to name

MICK TAYLOR: Not yet 18 when he replaced Peter Green in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers band, Taylor meant more to both Mayall and the Stones (where he had the thankless task of trying to “replace” Brian Jones) than most folks ever gave him credit for. Kept Mayall viably modern in terms of state of the art guitar playing (“Snowy Wood” from Diari) Of A Band LP and all of Blues From Laurel Canyon,) and, when given the chance with the Stones, capable of true ferocity (“All Down The Line,” “Love In Vain”) as he kept them from straying too far from their blues roots. B.A.

•Gibson Les Paul

RICHARD THOMPSON: Vastly underrated guitarist for Fairport Convention, his solo work (with wife Linda) brought his amazingly tasteful and taut playing more to the forefront, as shown on songs like the riveting “Fool For You Again” and the modally majestic “Calvary Cross.” Torrid and surprisingly witty when the mood calls for it (“Hokey Pokey”) as well. A bigger influence on Jimmy Page than Page would care to admit, if you ain’t heard him, it’s your loss. B.A.

•Martin

GEORGE THOROGOOD Good but not necessarily great guitarist; his main asset is his enthusiasm, his main deficit his lack of any clinging persona. Thorogood seems a perfect J. Geils for the 80’s: spunky, lazy enough to play ball instead of tour, busy enough to quibble with former record companies. Current exposure with the Stones and his own 50 City/State/Day tour will attract countless thousands of college students, as will his current record label. The more you drink, the better he sounds. D.D. PAT TRAVERS: This guy has three things going against him: One, he plays the blues in a whitewashed era; two, the blues he plays are whitewashed themselves; three, he combines the best of G. Thorogood and the worst (not much) of Rory Gallagher and comes out lacking personality. Certainly seems to try, but when the material’s not up to snuff what’s the point? Won’t mention that he’s Canadian. D.D.

JOHNNY THUNDERS: Good example of noise as art. The New York Dolls’ baddest bad boy, one wishes that he’d continued to sound more like Keith Richards rather than just living the same enormously wasted lifestyle. Still, an influential figure in terms of attitude and appearance, and a punk legend in his own time. And mind. B.A.

•Les Paul Special

ROBIN TROWER: Trower first surfaced with Procol Harum, fitting his fuzzy fretwork between the keyboards on tunes like “Cerdes” and “The Devil Came From Kansas.” Then a jet-lagged Jimi caught his ear and pushed him across the Bridge Of Sighs before you could say “Purple Haze” (slowly). A two album funk interlude proved his versatility, but lately he seems a bit rut-bound, despite a few good moments on Victims Of The Fury. M.D.

•Stratocaster

LEE UNDERWOOD: Underwood was Tim Buckley’s lean, liquid lead guitarist before becoming a jazz journalist, partly responsible for guiding Buckley beyond the folk-rock of Goodbye & Hello into headier realms of jazz balladry and powerful polyrhythmic workouts, beginning with Happy /Sad and culminating in the legendary Starsailor. M.D.

TOM VERLAINE: The ultimate in white man’s burden guitar playing. A genuine stylist, Verlaine’s screams of sound build and flow instinctively, which gives his playing the kind of spontaneous spark generally lacking among post-’75 guitarists. Flirts with the psychedelic every now and then (see the second side of both Television albums), but now, into two solo albums, has become careful not to lose sight of the ends as he wanders through the means. An up-and-comer. B.A.

•Fender Jazzmaster

HENRY VESTINE: Canned Heat’s lead guitarist, he could play it short and sweet (almost every track on the band’s debut album sported sublimely compact solos), but once the endless boogieathons took over, he had to keep plugging away until he all but burned up and out. In the record books for playing a solo so long that it had to be stretched over two sides of an album (Living The Blues). B.A.

JOE WALSH: Walsh was already a star in his own right when he replaced Bernie Leadon as the Eagles’ lead guitarist in 1975. He first rose to fame as leader of the James Gang, scoring such FM hits as “Walk Away” and “Funk 49” before he left the group in 1971. He next recorded three solo LPs with Barnstorm, the second of which gave him his first hit single, “Rocky Mountain Way.” The song featured a predominant talkbox special effect two years before Peter Frampton made the device a household word with Comes Alive. Walsh maintains a solo career apart from the Eagles (“Life's Been

Good” was a major hit), and he generally overshadows the rest of that band in concert Pete Townshend once called Walsh his favorite guitarist, so the guy’s gotta be doing something right. B.H.

•Telecaster. Stratocaster. Hamer Sunburst. Les Paul

STAN WEBB If ever a man deserved credit, Stan does. Made the term "chicken shack” stick with a flood of discs that featured every secondrate permutation of British Blues People possible. Competency was no problem, and, besides, we got to hear Christine Perfect before she McVied. If nothing else, give Stan credit for using the world’s longest guitar cord, ’cause he did. And after the hugely-ignored Broken Glass debut disc, he’s now possibly tending bar and if only we’d listened, etc... D.D.

•Les Paul

JOHN WEIDER Real nobody, here mainly due to his contribution to Eric Burdon & the Animals’ Every One Of Us, 'specially instrumental “Serenade To A Sweet Lady.” Later showed up in Family, in Moonrider with Tomorrow’s Keith West and with his own solo import LP and massive CBS smash Gulliver. John probably sculpts things now D.D. BOB WELCH: Les Paul, Ibanez (See page 15) PAUL WELLER: Brilliant composer and lead singer for the Jam, Weller is probably the best guitarist to come out of the British new wave explosion. He uses his guitar as a weapon—an instrument of rage and frustration, which highlights the socio-political thrust of his lyrics. Heavy on the power chords, Weller was obviously influenced by the early Who and Kinks. In The City, the Jam’s debut LP (recorded when Weller was 18), was a thrashrock spectacular, fitting right in with the spirit of England in 1977. Following a disappointing second release, the band reached its greatest and most melodic peak thus far with All Mod Cons. “Down In The Tube Station At Midnight” is a rock classic. The band has failed to make a dent in America, often accused of being “too British," although the same criticism failed to stop the young Townshend and Davies. When he’s at his best, Weller is in their league. B.H. LESLIE WEST: Besides being the only rock star ever to have a band named after what his profile reminded one of, this heavyweight (alright enough already) neatly grafted King .(that’s B.B., Freddie and Albert) dexterity onto Claptonesque precision and power to motor Cream-like bands of Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing. An electric executioner of excessive proportions (c’mon, knock it off. huh?), the intro to “Mississippi Queen” remains one of the most indentifiable marks of behemoth guitar bites ever inflicted. B.A.

•Gibson Les Paul Jr., Me C Electro

CLARENCE WHITE: His untimely death at the hands of a drunken driver deprived the world of one of the finest finger and flatpicking specialists ever associated with pop music. Never all that at home in the rock format. White nonetheless fueled the sound of the last few Byrds albums with flawless, clean and tasteful lead playing, evident on songs like “Tulsa County Blues” and “One Hundred Years From Now.” With his first band, the Kentucky Colonels, White brought to new heights the level of acoustic bluegrass flatpicking, and for one exemplary electric track, try Gene Clark’s first solo album, wherein you’ll find “Tried Too Hard,” a Clarence White mind-boggling fingerpick special. B.A.

•Telecaster with string bender DANNY WHITTEN: Crazy Horse’s leader, heroin victim of the rock ’n’ roll wars, and, quite simply, one of the finest second guitarists ever. Most of his finer moments were on tour, behind Neil Young, but the one real Crazy Horse album (’71) gave him a brief spotlight in which he shone mightily on songs like “Downtown” and the heartrending “I Don’t Want To Talk About

It.” B.A.

JAMES WILLIAMSON: Ron Asheton’s replacement in the Stooges and an instant hero by virtue of his demolition derby work on Raw Power. “Search And Destroy’”s guitar lines do just that, seeking out pockets of resistance and mercilessly mowing them down. Or how about the left-right combinations of “I Got A Right”? Inspirational clue: Williamson’s fracturing of the original solo from the Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie” on the infamous Metallic K.O. album. If guitars could kill... B.A.

•Les Paul

CARL WILSON: He was little more than a Beach Baby when brother Brian started things back in ’61, but his surf echo by way of Chuck Berry leads propelled the band from day one. His growth and maturity revealed in later tracks like “Feel Flows” and “Forever,” and his recent solo work has brought out that funky side hinted at on Beach Boys albums like Wild Honey. One of the real troupers of rock V roll, and a nice guy to boot. B.A.

JOHNNY WINTER: Perhaps the only authentic blues guitarist ever, they’ll probably lay Winter to rest with his fingers still flying across the fretboard. Rock’s first bona fide bonus baby, his Johnny Winter And... with Rick Derringer, was one of the finest live rock ’n’ roll bands to boogie down, and besides, he’s the only person on earth who should be allowed to cover Rolling Stones songs. You’d think it impossible to play guitar tastefully at the speed he plays, and you’d be wrong. B.A.

•Gibson, National Standard Steel RONNIE WOOD: I’ll use my dictionary for this one! Woody: 1) adj. Fun loving, one of the lads. 2) n. Popular rock guitarist, a) Worked with excellent white blues band the Jeff Beck Group in late 60s. (see under Y—for Yardbirds, L—for Led Zeppelin.) b) Took over the reigns of the (Small) Faces after Marriot left to form Humble Pie. Played on three of the sloppiest good time rock albums ever, (see under S—for Stewart, N—for narcissism) c) Disappeared into the ranks of “greatest rock band in the world,” the Rolling Stones, in 1976. Still believed to be there, (see under D—for dead and buried. Also mentioned various solo albums.) LL.

•Zematis; Stratocaster: Telecaster ROY WOOD: Utilized a catalogue of bizarroworld guitar effects while at the helm of the Move, which fit right in with that band’s generally warped view of modern music. “Cherry Blossom Clinic,” “Until Your Mama’s Gone,” and the appropriately titled “Brontosaurus” gave new meaning to the word heavy, and Wood could also reconstruct 50’s finger-inthe-socket mania on tracks like “Fire Brigade" and “Tonight.” Best hair in rock, at least outside of Arthur Brown. B.A.

•Stratocaster: Fender Jazz Bass LINK WRAY: Really the first guitarist in rock ’n’ roll history to realize the instrument’s potential as deadly weapon and the power chord as the great equalizer. His brief comeback with Robert Gordon brought the legend up to date, and his sound still retains its disdain for decorum and disrespect for law and order that’s been a Wray trademark since the early days of rock. “Rumble” remains the only instrumental ever banned by AM radio, which is saying quite a lot. B.A.

•Gibson SG Standard

ZAL YANOVSKY: The resident goofball of the Lovin’ Spoonful, Zally’s country spiced leads preceded the country rock trend by a good few years. Though his straight rock playing usually headed for the lunatic fringes (“Big Noise From Speonk,” “Four Eyes”), his country maneuvers were both skilled (“Butchie’s Tune,” “Darlin’ Companion”) and majestic, as on the anthemic “Do You Believe In Magic. And, for grand esoterica, there’s always his oh-so-faithful nod to his roots, that bang-up rendition of Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date,” on the otherwise twisted Alive And Well In Argentina. B.A.

•Guilds

ANGUS YOUNG: What to say? Knows his noise, knows his limits, and probably solely responsibly for AC/DC’s international rise to fame. Not exactly super-skilled, Young’ll probably make the Rock Book Of Lists Vol. 33 only by being related to the^ Aussie Vanda & Young team, not totally his fault, since the guitar solo on the Easybeats’ “Friday On My Mind” is 10 times more memorable than AC/DC’s entire output. But he wears nice clothes, has the right idea, and probably drinks loads, too. Tie him down, sport. D.D.

•Gibson SG

FRANK ZAPPA: Genius or asshole? A little bit of both at times but. you gotta hand it to the guy, he sure knows his popular culture and his way

around a guitar. Perhaps the thinking cretin’s rock guitarist when he cuts out the excess crapola and gets down to straight-ahead playing. Because he doesn't that often, he’s probably more underrated as a guitarist than he ought to be. Recently released three guitar-only albums via the direct-mail route which should go a long way to pleasing the Zappa-as-guitaristand-not-as-buffoon fans around the sphere. Would be the Orson Welles of rock ’n’ roll if it weren’t for Meat Loaf. CAREER HIGH: Hot Rats J.M.

•Gibson SG

ZOOT HORN ROLLO Along with bass player Rockette Morton, the blood ’n’ guts of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band from the dada masterpiece Trout Mask Replica through the dancin’ feet Clear Spot LP. Innovative and inscrutable, Rollo’s jagged, razor sharp lead lines circled around Beefheart's vocals like kamikaze jet fighters, as bursts of freeform phrasing (“Veteran's Day Poppy), searing slide (“Crazy Little Thing”), metallic menace (“Big Eyed Beans From Venus”), and even classical tones (“One Red Rose That I Mean”), invaded enemy airspace. Not to go unmentioned is the fact that he was the tallest lead guitarist in rock ’n’ roll history. B.A.

•Danelectro

We'd like to take a moment, or in this instance, about an inch, to thank those quiet individuals whose vast knowledge of who-plays-what allowed us to make Guitar Heroes more informative than the likes of our editorial staff. Geoff Richardson. Seymour Duncan Pick-Ups

Jol Dantzig. Hammer Guitar

Allen Hester. Strings & Things in Memphis

Peter Holsapple of the dB s

Harvey Zuppke, A Regular Guy 9f—“

CREEM SPECIAL EDITION

GUITAR HEROES

TED NUGENT

He may not have his loincloth, but who needs it in this company? Nugent's bombastic screeching is produced by all of these guitars—and probably lots more he left at home.