Conference napalm::guitar

    Is that sky t.v. or what - could be good.

    Pay-for-view is a service offered by your local cable company(if you
    have one).  It is a channel dedicated to showing newly released movies
    and special sports/entertainment events.
    
    The way it works is you call your cable office and "order" what ever
    movie or event it is you want to see.  The cable company will then
    send a signal to your cable converter box which will allow you to see
    whatever show you've ordered when it's scheduled to be shown.  They
    will charge you a fee for this service which is put on your monthly
    bill.  Movies usually are around $4 and sports(ex. boxing matches)
    or concerts, etc. can cost considerably more.  For instance it cost
    about $20 to watch the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels concert that was
    broadcast live from Atlantic City.
    
    The choice is yours and you only pay for what you want to watch.
    
    fyi,
    Alan

    
    reprinted w/o permission from USA Today Oct 9
    
    SIX STRINGS FROM SEVILLE:  Bob Dylan and Keith Richards will perform
    together at the 5 day Guitar Legends festival, opening Oct 15 in
    Seville, Spain.  Among nearly 30 participating guitarists: Robbie
    Robertson, Roger Waters, Steve Vai, Joe Walsh, Richard Thompson,
    George Benson, BB King, Bo Diddley, Les Paul, Stanley Clarke, and
    Robert Cray.  It'll be televised to the US on a 3 hour pay-per-view
    show Oct 19 at 9 pm EDT.  Sugg price $19.95-$24.95.
    
    

    
    Some replies have been lost (deleted) here.
    
    This string (hahahahaaaa, well I think it's funny) of concerts is now
    being shown on BBC 1 on Saturday nights. A bit too late for the first
    one (29-Mar-1992) blues and soul. Next week its Jazz.
    
    Chris
    

    
    Well I saw the blues night over here on English T.V. on Saturday and
    believe it or not it did me a power of good....lemme think who did they
    have on...
    
    
    Robert Cray....he was good, soulfull, clean and made very few (if any)
                   errors.
    
    Dave Edmunds....in the backing band, he was pretty good, he did some	
    	            burning lead.....and made the occaisional balls up.
    
    B.B. King.......really tasteful and no bum notes although I think the
    		    rythm he uses when soloing is sometimes a little odd
    	            to my ears.
    
    Albert Lee......some excellent stuff indispersed with a lick which goes
    	            bend up a tone, pick the note, pick the note, pick the
    		    note...etc,etc (for upto 30 seconds....boring)
    
    Bo Diddley......Guitar legend??? For what being the only person to have
    		    a guitar for that long and still be unable to play it?
    		    Seriously, he was bad, played in the wrong key, played
    		    non-existant chords...the best bit was the end,
    		    everyone came on stage and played together, everyone	
    		    took a solo and then it came to Bo's turn, I know
    		    people who have taken up the guitar only a few months
    	  	    ago....he sounded like them soloing......
    
    
    To sum up, well I had expected more out of 'Guitar Legends' I don't
    know if they had all had a toot of something before they played but
    I wasn't that impressed, I think the best bit of the evening was either
    Robert Cray's or BB Kings voice.....
    
    
    

    
    Re: .5
    
    Total agreement. My original reply to this topic which was lost said
    exactly the same thing.
    
    I got the channel wrong, should have said BBC 2.
        
    Chris

	Bo did just as good soloing as BB King did playing rhythm....

	I woudn't slag either of them....

	Dave Edmunds was great in that show.

    
    Re: .7
    
    I don't doubt what you say is true.
    
    However, the difference was BB King didn't play any rythm and therefore
    didn't mess up an otherwise decent show.
    
    The reply is a bit delayed because I wanted to watch the tape again
    just to make sure what I was thinking yesterday was true. BB King did
    not play one single chord.
    
    Chris
    

    On a PBS show I watched recently, BB said `I don't do too many chords'.
    I believe him.  But then again, he doesn't need to play chords ....
    
    Jerry

    I saw BB a couple of years ago (with SRV, great show!) and he
    definately played chords on most of the songs.  I didn't notice him
    screwing 'em up...
    
    Greg

    I saw BB on the Bill Cosby show, fooling around with some delta
    blues-type stuff on an unamplified electric, and I thought he was a
    *dynamite* rhythm guitarist. Just goes to show there are even myths
    about the myths.
    
    - Ram

     Next concert - Saturday night BBC 2 Jazz Night.

     Chris

    
    Well I saw the same program but don't recall seeing Albert Lee. Did I
    doze off or something?
    
    I have to admire Dave Edmunds as being the ultimate rounded 'working'
    guitarist. Superb anchor man.
    
    BB King? Well, I have never REALLY seen what all the fuss is about BB.
    Still can't.
    
    Bo Diddley? Agree with previous comments, however, you have to give the
    man credit for that distinctive rhythm that was copied by so many (not
    least Beatles/Stones). Good guitarist? Probably not. Influential? Most
    definitely. Incidentally, I don't think he was playing in the wrong
    key. Guitar sounded a bit flat to me.
    
    
    	Richard

    If we're talking about the Guitar Legends concert from Sevilla Spain,..
    then it was Albert Collins,.. I don't remember seeing Alber Lee
    and I just watched it this past weekend. OK ,.. comments on the
    reliability of my memory in mail only please :-)
    
    FWIW,.. Bo did screw up his lead there,.. it was pretty pitiful.
    He played a little rythm at first before he realized it was his turn
    to play lead,.. then he played a little more rythm anyway :-),.. then
    he started polaying a lead and actually managed to stay on key for
    a couple measure (I agree ,.. the guitar sounded a bit out of tune
    with everyone else),.. and then HE BLEW IT,.  I mean he hit a couple
    of notes that wer BAD and LOUD and then, things went downhill,.. he
    stopped playing before his "break" was up. He was a great sport about
    it though,.. he threw his hands up in the air and made this big face
    that looked like "Hey,. what do you want from me? I don't do that sh*t
    anyway ya know!" on his face,.. he laughed,.. everybody snickered
    and then he went back to playing that hard drivin' rythmic style that
    he is well known and loved for. He is definitely a rythm man,. and a
    great one,.. but,.. well,.. enough said.
    
    I have to sak why Roger Waters was at a Guitar Legends concert. Yeah,
    Comfortably Numb is a great tune with a kickin' guitar solo,.. but
    it was David Gilmour who was the Guitar Legend in that band,. not
    Roger.
    
    I got a real kick out of Les Paul runnin around when tehre was like
    Steve Vai and Joe Satriani on stage ,... Less was going nuts hammering
    this one chord,.. sort of pumping up the jam,.. then he would break
    into some lead that was a great beginning,.. except halfway through you
    could see that his hands got a head of his brain,.. and so Satch or Vai
    would have to finish the lick for him. Was great fun!
    
    Thanks Sandy
    
    								/Bill
    

    
    	Has anybody figured out who the kid was that soloed on Comfortably
    	Numb?  A show stealer IMO.
    
    	-pat (aka Odie, Patman, Blair Unit, ...)

	Oh yeah, Roger Waters - I had to run and HURL, man. If I never
	have to hear from that guy again in my life it'll be too soon.

	But I did sit and listen for the guitar in Comfortably Numb and
	I agree it was tasty.

    
    re: Les Paul - you should also keep in mind he's been recovering from
    a fairly severe stroke.  Still not happy that he can't keep his hand
    and brain in sync as much as he'd like.  Nonetheless, not too shabby
    for a geezer in his 80's.

    
    	re Les paul...
    
    		Didn't mean to slight him (Did it come off that way?)
    Hell,.. for a g uy of his age to still be able to play at all is
    amazing,.. and he did one of the nocer moments with his own band..
    
    	re Comfortably Numb,..
    
    		Yeah,, the kid did OK,. whoever he was,. but I'd still
    have to give a (significant) nod to Gilmour as far as doing that solo
    goes...
    
    	IMHO and all that
    
    								/Bill
    
    

    A bit of Les Paul trivia...
    
    Les was in an auto accident in the late 40's or early 50's.  If I
    remember the story correctly, it was cold and snowy, and the accident
    was not discovered for several hours.  After someone spotted the
    car, Les was rushed to the hospital.  His right arm was literally
    crushed, and one doctor wanted to amputate.  A second doctor was 
    a fan, and persuaded the first doctor to try save the arm.  They
    eventually set it in a bent, guitar-picking position.
    
    The guy is certainly something.  An influential guitarist, and one
    heck of an inventor.
    
    
    Jim

    
    re: back a few - no, you didn't slag him.  He is amazing, the prototype
    guitar hero, ego and all.  But then again, he has earned his crowing
    rights...
    	bob

    
    I think also that there is some room for confusion here. We are
    discussing the same concerts but it appears there are two versions
    currently doing the rounds.
    
    The one on BBC2 (English TV) Saturday nights is the full unedited
    version of the concerts. These are being shown weekly. The original
    concerts were performed nightly with each night being dedicated to a
    different style of playing.
    
    So far in the UK we have had the "Blues and Soul" and "Jazz" nights.
    Still to come are the "Rock 'n' Roll" (coming Saturday), "Heavy Metal",
    "Flamenco" and "Classical" nights.
    
    Having read the previous replies I assume that in America you are being
    shown the concerts in one lump. Your talking about Les Paul and Albert
    Collins as if there were shown on the same show. This was not the case.
    I saw these concerts broadcast live in a small village not far from
    Sevilla and if they had been advertised I would have tried to get there.
    
    Anyway is this true? What are you lot over the pond (in the USA) being
    shown?
    
    Chris
    

    Aaah,..
    
    yes,.. the versio wsaw over here was a composite of all the nights
    then. I was wondering about this too,.. because the things is
    obviously broken up (broken at bad times in a couple cases IMHO)
    
    We must be seeing different things. 
    
    Did/will the unedited version air over here?
    
    							/Bill
    

    I saw EC on MTV's "Uplugged" wednesday night....I enjoyed it.  My fav
    was the laid back swinging version of "Layla".  Our local classic rock
    station played a tape of that performance this morning.  Eric was
    "cool"......
    
    IMHO,
    
    Steve

I recorded the concert and have been playing this acoustic Layla in the car.
Very interesting, very jazzy, sung an octave down from the original without
the long instrumental part (coda?) at the end.

Jim

Saw the latest instalment on BBC from Sevilla on Saturday.

Question: What has Phil Manzanera been doing the last twenty-odd years
he's been a pro musician? He certainly hasn't been getting to know his
instrument. He was fumbling for notes on the simplest of sequences.

Truly uninspired.

Every week I see better amateur players than this playing in the local pubs
round here.

    I thought he was crap too!
    
    
    
                                 Staynz

AGGGGGGGGRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Recorded the Rock night (last saturday)....missed it, look at it later......
...Wife went out last night..........put the kids to bed early........
....comfy chair up against the TV......poured four fingers of Jack Daniels....
...turned up the volume....................
............................!!!!????????

My heros' just died, Big Time.

Bob Dylan.......miserable, five foot nothing, hunching over mike, croaky voice
sounding crap, disorganised chaos, a handful of chords....slouched off

Goodbye to our greatest poet.

Phil Manzan(whatsisname)

Embarrasing or what?

Could not solo over a simple sequence, out of tune, hack licks, "clasical crap
with dancers", Fast Forward.  White Room average covered up with wah wah. 
Under developed finger vibrato. Second hand, fourth class Clapton.

Jack Bruce, bless him, trooper, sounded as good as with Cream, has not moved on
much further (fine by me), marred by Phil pub band level playing.

Keith Richard, I felt sorry for him, average vocals, hack guitar licks, no 
funky rhythm, guitar mental age of 1 year. At least HE tried to entertain.

Dave Edmonds. Saw his face for six seconds, didn't hear his guitar.

Robert Cray. Sang a verse for 30 seconds. The highlight spot. In tune soulful
vocals. 

Joe Cocker. What's he doing on a guitar vid?  Bloody **ll Phil again.
Fast forward.

Was that Richard Thompson (sp?) ? Too low in the mix, looked impressive.

Stand out brass/percission section.

Oh yes, Ray thingy (ex Elton John), worked hard making a living out of
playing the tamborine with flair!  He easily came first against the guitar
competition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, the above is all frustration, but these guys have been professional for 
years. What were they doing all that time? Don't answer that !

God, I felt embarrased, how do I explain to my kids that these were the 
mainstay of my musical upbringing?

Phil Whatsisname got credits for Musical Director!!!!!He could not direct me
to the nearest music store.

Yeah yeah, I know these guys have made some GREAT records in their time, but
when you see them displaying their talents in the raw it kind of makes you 
think how much of it was their contribution.

It reminded me of the "The Kings new clothes" story, did anybody really notice
how little they were offering....the audience seemed oblivious.

They are the Chief Executive Officers of the Rock Establishment.

Thank God they have new talented Entrepreneurs working for the same business.

Dave Litten 

>Oh yes, Ray thingy (ex Elton John), worked hard making a living out of
>playing the tamborine with flair!  He easily came first against the guitar
>competition.
    
    Ray Cooper, and yes I agree he's pretty good.

    re: Dave
    
    I've wondered about this kind of thing for awhile.  Sure there are lots
    of good musicians out there that can write a good song and play their
    own material well (given enough time to work it out), but I wonder how
    many of them are also truly great improvisers.  It would seem from your
    comments that not many of those people were.  Does this make them
    lesser musicians?
    
    BTW, what has Robert Cray been doing lately anyway?  It seems like it's
    been two or three years since I heard of a new album from him.  I
    really liked his first album, but never ended up getting the second
    one.
    
    Greg

Midnight Stroll was the last album, released about 18 months ago? Good
album, some of the singing is really superb.

    Huh, it didn't seem to get much press.  I didn't even know he had one
    that new.  That's his third, right?
    
    Greg

    Actually, his sixth, one for Tomato and two for Hightone preceded his
    three Mercury releases.
    
    						Brian

RE: -1

>    but I wonder how many of them are also truly great improvisers.  

>    Does this make them lesser musicians?
    
    
Greg,

	Interesting point you made.

No, I guess they have contributed by making a product that the general public
liked enough to buy, so the end-product is their art-form and the world would
be a lesser place without them, and should judge them on that contribution.

I guess, taking your point this would apply to Phil Man(whatsisname) since 
Roxy Music were certainly a singles/album band.

However, 

1. If you are a studio musician, then don't go playing live billed as a
   "Guitar Legend", because you are asking to be judged as a live act.

2. The Stones are billed as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band In The World".
   They play live regularly and always have done. Keith Richard is therefore
   a working regular live guitarist, so my criticism is justified IMHO.
   He has been playing for over a quarter of a century........
   ...........did I expect too much ?

Dave

    Actually I've seen Phil Manzanara(sp) on a show a couple of years ago
    and I liked his playing.  Perhaps he just had a bad night or something?
    
    Keef?  The man's been dead for at least 12 years, what do you expect??
    
    Greg

    
    I think what's lacking in many such events is spontaneity. This is
    where the really great moments come from. Most memorable guitar
    performance I've ever seen was the middle to the Eagles's Hotel
    California done live (presumably outside Hotel California?). Brilliant
    and I suspect almost spontaneous. That is they were not doing the song
    to demo how good on guitar they were.
    
    Richard

    I've watched and recorded all three shows as broadcast by the BBC so
    far. I agree with a lot of the comments about the Blues show and the
    Rock 'n Roll show but what about the Jazz night? Some of the playing in
    that was brilliant. Stanley Clarke and Larry Coryell really impressed
    me. Was this included in the US version of the show? If not you missed
    the best. BTW the best vocals so far was Robert Cray's 'All she left me
    was the Dream' from the blues night with Albert Collins backing him.
    
    Richard Bell

    I bought a compilation CD on Alligator records yesterday that includes
    a studio version on that Robert Cray/Albert Collins song ... very
    tasty.
    
    Jerry

    I watched the guitar legends last night and at the age of 70 something
    Les Paul was superb.I also thought the guy who played rythm guitar was
    great too.I would have watched more but I fell asleep.
    
    
                                                     Staynz

re .15 and others


>>Has anybody figured out who the kid was that soloed on Comfortably
>>Numb?  A show stealer IMO.
    
That concert was shown here in the UK on Saturday. I'm pretty sure that
was Snowy White. I believe he used to play with Thin Lizzy, and now has
his own blues band.

(I wish I looked that good at his age)
*DC

    Yup,Snowy White played with Thin Lizzy for a few years.I know this
    because I was listening to China town the other day and he was on it.He
    also played on a few other albums but I'm not sure what.
    
    
    
                                                              Staynz

    Snowy White was the guy with the ponytail who was backing most of the
    other acts on the show the other night (I Think),but the guitarist
    with Roger Waters was Jay Stapley,part of the Bleeding Heart Band.
    I also thought he stole the show that evening,but didn't get his name
    on the credits.Roger mentioned his name at the end of "Comfortably
    Numb"
    	The rythm guitarist was Andy Fairweather Low,and he *DID* get a 
    credit !?!
    
         

    I MISSED JAY STAPLEY? Rats!! He's a great player (and a nice guy too).
    
    For those of you in the UK, he's Roland's guitar demonstrator, so
    you'll see him at shows. He also works for the Guitar Institute.
    
    Nick

    
    Anybody See Vai, Satch, Nuno and Brian may on Saturday ? (I won't
    *bother* to mention Joe Walsh).

    AARRGGGHHHHH!!! Not you again!!!!

    
    This didn't really strike me as being a metal night. Yes, there were a
    few harsh guitar sounds but on the whole I found the music pleasant to
    the ear. I was so impressed with Satriani and Vai that I've just put in
    an order for transcriptions of Always With Me Always With You
    (Satriani), Perect Timing and Ladies Night In Buffalo (Vai) from back
    issues of Guitarist. So Tony you if want copies you'll have to be nice
    to me and withdraw any threats of using a baseball bat, this cork is
    getting uncomfortable, especially going over Brussel's cobbled streets.
    
    Joe Walsh didn't strike me as being fresh and I don't remember him from
    first time round so he didn't get my nostalgia vote neither.
    
    Brian May didn't shine. I've heard him play a lot better.
    
    Personal opinion was that Satriani should have done the whole show.
    This is the first time I'd heard him play and now I can't wait till the
    weekend so I can go into town and buy his CDs. I've been told that he's
    only done three. Maybe I'll get one of Vai's as well.
    
    Chris (a convert)
                     

    ... definitely would have been nice to see Satch shine a little
    longer...
    
    	Vai kind of took over there a bit,. but hes no slouch anyway so
    I can't say I'm unhappy about it,....
    
    	hey,. you must be seeing the full night deal,. the "composite"
    we got here has only a few songs by that lineup (maybe three or four)
    How many songs did you see?
    
    							/Bill
    

    
    There was one and a half hours of playing. Off the top of my head (I'll
    watch the video again and confirm it on Monday with titles)
    
    3 each from Satriani and Vai, a couple from Brian May one from Nuno and
    the rest I can't remember.
    
    Not really that helpful, but I'll post the full details on Monday
    unless somebody beats me to it.
    
    Chris
    

    Satriani did "surfing with the alien","Satch boogie","always with
    me,always with you"and "big bad moon".
    Vai did "greasey kids stuff" and "for the love of god"
    Nuno and Cherone did "more than words"
    Brian May did "tie your mother done" and "driven by you"
    
    I felt Vai's choice of songs were a bit lame.He maybe should've done
    "the audience is listening" instead of "for the love of god".
    Gary Cherone knackered up the begining of "now I'm here" but when they
    got it together,it went well
    Joe Walsh,how the hell did he get there?He looked like a refugee from
    the Christian Aid shop,while his playing was a bit unispiring.
    Joe Satriani was intense.He blew everyone away.
    
                                                 Staynz

    
    Yup, just like wot he said plus everybody mucking in for the finale.
    
       Hey Joe
    
    Chris
    

    ......with a glass slide on the underside for the slidey bit in "big
    bad moon"...........what a clever chappy.
    
    
                                                   Staynz