Joined: November 21 2006
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Posted: April 20 2009 at 08:08
"People that don't play guitar seem to have this thing were shredders are an evil force or something and are worse than other kind of guitarist."
Not just people who don't play guitar. I've played for 40 years, designed, built and repaired guitars for 20 years and I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. It has nothing to do with playing or not playing, and everything to do with music one enjoys or does not enjoy. Alex is a fine player and one I can almost always find something to enjoy in his work.
Joined: December 24 2007
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Posted: April 20 2009 at 02:41
Raff wrote:
someone_else wrote:
Alex Lifeson is a great guitar player indeed, Not my favourite, but definitely in my top 5.
But I don't think that any guitar player or anybody else with extraordinary skills should be worshipped or even looked upon as a god or half-god.
Quoted for truth.
Anyway, Lifeson may not be as technically gifted as other guitarists mentioned in this thread, but his contribution to the Rush sound as part of a whole (as opposed to a self-centred soloist) is invaluable. He puts his skills at the service of his band, and not the other way round - as too many shredders are prone to doing.
And as too many blues guitarists, rock guitarists and jazz guitarists are prone to doing as well. It's not exclusive to shred, I'm sorry, but I've heard blues guitarists w**king away with the some mediocre pentatonic box shape and bend-up-the-same-note licks for way too long when they should have realized they have said everything they can say with the guitar in about 30 seconds, but they feel the need to drag on for 10 minute solos. There are jazz guitarists that have no idea when to stop and let other members show their potential. Jimi Hendrix himself was even prone to just mindless pentatonic w**king away when clearly he should have just stopped and gave the song a chance to breath. I can't sit through the whole performance of Voodoo Child (Slight Return) because he just keeps going and going and going and going and going for ages jamming away and he seems to forget he's even playing a song, and my god, it's just goddamn boring. People that don't play guitar seem to have this thing were shredders are an evil force or something and are worse than other kind of guitarist. Hell, the only people that always know when to stop are classical guitarists because they have a set piece which means they aren't going to endlessly jam out with streams of boring licks. It doesn't matter what genre of music you play, you can suck ass at it, or you can kick ass at it.
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Posted: April 19 2009 at 15:03
MisterProg2112 wrote:
He simply isn't as good as others. Neither is Slash, Jimmy Page, Randy Roads, etc. they're all looked upon as "gods" in the mainstream music world. Listen to Jason Becker, sure you might say I'm just saying he's a god because of his speed, but his music is very...musical too, it's not just random playing.
Becker is a "shredder", like many others who signed on Mike Varney's Shrapnel label. He is of course a very talented guitarist (well, was because now he can't move a single finger of his hands) but one cannot expect some excessive originality in his music.
To be excellent at guitar is a thing, to be original is another one. Unfortunately, Mr Becker possesses only one of those two qualities.
"Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood)
Joined: July 29 2005
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Posted: April 19 2009 at 14:59
someone_else wrote:
Alex Lifeson is a great guitar player indeed, Not my favourite, but definitely in my top 5.
But I don't think that any guitar player or anybody else with extraordinary skills should be worshipped or even looked upon as a god or half-god.
Quoted for truth.
Anyway, Lifeson may not be as technically gifted as other guitarists mentioned in this thread, but his contribution to the Rush sound as part of a whole (as opposed to a self-centred soloist) is invaluable. He puts his skills at the service of his band, and not the other way round - as too many shredders are prone to doing.
Joined: April 05 2006
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Posted: April 19 2009 at 13:51
Because he isn't Robert Fripp.
I'm not saying Fripp is the best, I usually have voted for John McLaughlin in polls, but in Prog circles, Fripp is more likely to be given godlike status. Outside of Prog, in rock circles, Jimi Hendrix, or Eddie Van Halen etc. In classical guitar, Andres Segovia, John WIlliams, Julian Bream etc. Anyway, Alex Lifeson is pretty much a household name amongst my generation where I live, in my experience, unlike Aleksandar Živojinović. People like David Glmour, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, and David Glilmour are better-known still.
Lifeson makes many best lists (especially Prog lists, along with Hackett etc.), and though he has the reputation as a very good guitarist, he doesn't seem to have the reputation as a very innovative/ groundbreaking guitarist.
Joined: July 24 2008
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Posted: April 19 2009 at 07:44
As perhaps the biggest guitar nerd on this board not named Hughes, Lifeson is much more respected than Slash in the guitarist community. His solo on "Limelight" is so simple and so perfect. He had many great bits. I've seen him live twice in the 90's and he's never been sloppy. The part of Spirit of Radio is not hard at all for anyone who has any kind of chops. The problem is I've heard lots of version where they're really rushing the song. People think that part should be faster than it is. It's just straight sixteenths....well anyway.
There are guitarists out there who just blow everyone away in terms of talent and the general public knows none of them. Shawn Lane, John McLaughlin, Tommy Emmanuel.
IMO the guy who combines unbelievable tone, expression, and chops that are as good as anyone besides the top tier of shredders is Chris Poland. And his expressive ability is pretty much unsurpassed ever. The first Ohm: album is a must have for guitar lovers. I'll be reviewing it soon.
Rhoads was probably the best for his time on the big stage. He was not a savant like Lane but worked and worked and kept working to where he probably was the best rock guitarist out there at the time of his death. Eddie was ahead of him in the 70's but Randy understood music so much more.
Lane is the only one who deserves demigod status, IMO. He was just wired different than other men.
You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all.
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Alex Lifeson...why is he not looked upon as a god?
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Raff wrote:
. 
True, and his friend, erm, Mr. N. Ellwood P. who was well respected despite not having snazzed his name up for living in the limelight.
