Being the good great husband that I am I have been sanding and staining all of our kitchen cabinets… so of course I can not do anything paint related without music…. I’ve got the speakers and iPod on shuffle set up in the garage so I can annoy my neighbors with the eclectic nature of my musical tastes (my Dad’s fault — what can I say when I grew up in a home with classical, Horslips, Boney M, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, and a host of others playing all the time on the 8-Track or reel to reel?) Anyway… my iPod was feeling the Fleetwood Mac especially today and it really struck me how great a guitarist Lindsey Buckingham is (and he has annoying vocal tics that mar his work sometimes) and how un or under appreciated he is. He’s never listed in Rolling Stones lists (for example)… he ain’t Eddie Van Halen, but he’s got a great track record…. He’s more than just a lead singer in Fleetwood Mac. Anyway… I don’t know if this is official “Top 5″, but who are the under appreciated geniuses or talents out there???
I’ve got Lindsey Buckingham on guitar. I’d say Sting was under appreciated as a bassist, perhaps Larry Mullen, Jr on drums… he’s not rock, but I’d say Harry Connick, Jr. as a pianist…. people focus on his voice, but the man can play the piano — a virtuoso….
Watching and listening to the reunion stuff in the late 90s (‘97, ‘98? I know I was temping at Warner Records) made me realize how underappreciated Buckingham’s guitar talents are. Just, wow.
GoodGreat call, Floyd!Here are some selections of my favorites:
LOVE STORY meets VIVA LA VIDA
Jason Mraz – You and I Both (acoustic)
The Remedy by Jason Mraz (acoustic)
John Butler Trio – Ocean
Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved
Sounds as if your dad had a great music library and taste to go with.
Buckingham is definitely a strange man, but very talented. One of my alltime favorites…this song. He’s also done no less than 5 different versions of this song, all good.
Horslips newer stuff isn’t that great. Pretty much what I’d call Eurotrash, but their album “Drive the Cold Winter Away” is a piece of fine art!
+JMJ+
I’d say John Taylor was (and still is) underappreciated as a bassist . . . but I guess that’s what happens when your most enduring work was with Duran Duran!
Always have and always will consider John Taylor one of the best bassists, but still trying to figure out why playing with DD should be considered a bad thing.
The 80s was chock-full of underappreciated bass work, from INXS’ Garry Gary Beers to Los Lobos’ Conrad Lozano to Level 42’s Mark King.
Underappreciated musicians?
Alex Lifeson. Nobody seems to appreciate the effort he goes through just keeping up with Geddy Lee and Neil Fucking Peart — one has to remember that he writes about half the band’s music, although he and Geddy generally leave the lyrics to Neil. The man has written and performed some of the best guitar work of the last several decades.
Any jazz musician. Since no one listens to jazz anymore.
no one listens to jazz?
my jazz collection includes Stan Getz, Don Ellis, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington….
:-p
Don’t forget your Kenny G and Dave Koz and Spyro Gyra collections.
ugh, I had the displeasure to see Spyro Gyra in concert once. not my cup o’ tea.
Do you have a massive collection of Pan Flute solos? I’m guessing the answer is, “yes!”
Your dad must’ve been a dork!
“Your dad must’ve been a dork!”
quoted for truth.
sorry, no Zamfir over here.
Buckingham has definitely got chops. I guess when your band has two hot babes, the guitar player gets shoved into the background.
Speaking of Fleetwood Mac, “Bare Trees” is a great guitar rock album. Play it loud. Danny Kirwan was the main guitar player and songwriter for the Mac before Buckingham/Nicks joined, and he was a genius, too.
Others on my list of guitar players:
- Dickey Betts
- Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen
- probably more that I’ll remember as soon as I hit submit