9. Randy Rhoads – Was an American heavy metal guitarist who is best known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne. Rhoads was perfect and precise in every note, but did so with a great depth of feeling. Not only could he play the music, but he could write it also.
10. Joe Satriani – Satriani may well be the next stage in the evolution of guitarists. He has the ability to play music when he is goofing off that many guitar players will never be able match, even after years of practice.
While this is by no means the definitive list of the greatest guitar players, and some would disagree with the names on the list, it is an excellent starting point. By listening to accomplished players, those who are learning to play guitar can find their inspiration.
First of all, John Bonham was the best rock and roll drummer ever to walk the face of this planet, and that’s an informed opinion coming from a former professional drummer. John played drums unlike anyone else ever did, still does, or ever will, and that fact is continually demonstrated in the astounding breadth and depth of his recorded work. He had complete independence in all four limbs, he slammed his drums harder than anyone else, and he did it with speed and total precision, never once dropping the beat. His beats were innovative and creative, and John was never stuck in simple grooves. His fills were innovative, creative, complex, and technically brilliant, he knew when to keep it relatively simple (i.e. Kashmir), but he was always in the stratosphere of drumming. And to top that all off, John created a giant drum sound which is unique. It inspired a host of imitators who were able to imitate the sound of his snare drum, but only with a simple backbeat. At the time that Led Zep was formed, Jimmy Page could have gotten any drummer in the world to play with him, and he chose John. There’s not one single drummer alive or dead who can begin to touch John’s power, creativity, speed, precision, and technical brilliance. I’ve heard that Jimmy still feels the same way about John as I do.
Secondly, Jimmy Page has always been one of the best rock guitarists ever, right from his earliest days as a session player and the beginning of his real public stardom in the Yardbirds. I believe that Jimmy is the most brilliantly prolific of all the great rock and roll guitarists. I suspect that Jimmy would agree with me that Jimi Hendrix was the one true genius of guitar because he came from another galaxy in terms of his sound and his use of feedback. But unfortunately, Jimi died and we will never know how much further he would have progressed. When I listen to Jimmy’s solos using the violin bow, I get the urge to put him on the same pedestal as Hendrix and wonder which galaxy they both came from. As a songwriter, Jimmy used his superior ability to play lead guitar to create actual song structure. Led Zep’s songs use not one or two of Jimmy’s incredibly powerful, complicated and unbelievably SEXY riffs in each song, but there are four, five or more riffs in some songs. Jimmy’s riffs differ from each other within each song, and also from song to song. His lead guitar playing can be HARD and sexy, he can be sensitive and beautiful, and he can be technically brilliant, all in the very same song.
Thirdly, John Paul Jones is a bass player who attained a level of brilliance comparable to Paul McCartney. Just like McCartney, John could play beautiful “melodic” bass (i.e. “Ramble On”), he could play as fast as it gets, but he also knew when to keep it simple and just hold down the bottom although I think he was incapable of doing that without utter sophistication. No one at all can touch those two on bass, and John also played consistently brilliant keyboards – piano, organ and synthesizer. The intricate way in which he wove his bass guitar playing into, through, and underneath Jimmy’s guitar playing is nothing short of perfection itself.
And last but not at all least, Robert Plant had an incredibly high vocal range, emotionally as well as in terms of octaves. Just like Dylan was for his own music, Robert’s voice was perfect for Led Zep’s music and there’s no other singer who could possibly have fit in. As a professional singer, I’m knocked out by Robert’s vocals on both a technical and an emotional level. Robert understood the concept of using his voice like a musical instrument, creating fascinating sounds without using lyrics. And Robert co-wrote with Jimmy too. A lot of the time you can’t understand his lyrics and I’ve heard that was Robert’s intent because just like Mick Jagger, all he cared about at that time was that you connect with the emotion and the energy in the totality of the music. But when you can get the lyrics (like in Stairway to Heaven, their tribute to Janis Joplin), you find a great piece of poetry. And on top of all that, Robert had the best “oooh yeahs” in the business!
Into The Wild is the latest release from Rock Artist Eddie Vedder, and is another winner from this talented musician.
It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn’t a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.
Rock music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Vedder on several of the tracks. Artists like Adam Kasper and Others just to name a couple.
Into The Wild is a nicely varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written songs by this clearly superb artist. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are him own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions like love, heartbreak, pain, failed relationships and unattainable romance. They’re all here.
If you’re a Eddie Vedder fan this is a CD your collection flat cannot be without. In fact, this is one of those CDs that you don’t even have to be a fan of Vedder, or even Rock to know is good. It’s just good music. Period.
Almost Famous (2000): Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous was just that – almost famous – when it came to its less than block bluster performance at the box office. Critically, however, it received high acclaim including four Academy Award nominations. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert called it the “best movie of the year.”
Following the journey of William Miller, Almost Famous tells the tale of a young man caught in a whirlwind of madness, excitement, and lust when he tours with a rock band. A semi-autobiographical story, this movie is based on Crowe’s experience as a young writer touring with Led Zeppelin.
Musically, Almost Famous won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. The film featured songs from Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel, Thunderclap Newman, Peter Frampton, and Nancy Wilson.
Dreamgirls (2006): Released nationally on Christmas Day 2006, Dreamgirls became a hit, winning three Golden Globes and two Oscars. Adapted from the 1981 Broadway musical, Dreamgirls is set in the 1960’s and 1970’s; it follows the careers of The Dreamettes, a Detroit group with a strong resemblance to The Supremes. Dreamgirls takes us into the world of R&B and the Motown movement that changed our nation.
Dreamgirls may be best remembered as launching the film career of Jennifer Hudson, a former American Idol contestant. But, it is likely it will also be remembered for its music. The soundtrack is filled with music that is more present day than the score of the 1981 Broadway play, but still pays homage to R&B roots. Among the singers featured are Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, and Jamie Foxx.
That Thing You Do (1996): Any film that is written by, directed by, and stars Tom Hanks has got to be good: this film was just that. Taking place in the 1960’s, this film features Hanks as a manager of the Wonders, a one-hit wonder with Beatles-like undertones. As the Wonders climb their way to fame, getting on the radio and eventually gaining a record contract and touring nationally, the foundations within the band begin to unravel. The band soon follows.
Made up of an all-star cast, including Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn, Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron, Rita Wilson, and Giovanni Ribisi, That Thing You Do also features all-star music with a soundtrack that includes music by Rick Elias, Scott Rogness, and Howard Shore. The movie’s most memorable song, “That Thing you Do,” mirrored fiction when it became a hit and helped launch the career of Fountains of Wayne.
This is Spinal Tap (1984): A Rob Reiner directed mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap features a heavy metal rock band and its wild behavior. A film that pokes fun at the music industry, certain scenes offended some musicians, at least initially, hitting rather close to home. However, once people realized they shouldn’t take themselves so seriously, the intention of the movie – to be satirical and make fun of pretentiousness – was made more obvious.
Many of the scenes were improvised and ad-libbed, leaving the outcome very funny to many viewers. This is Spinal Tap was listed as 64 on Bravo’s 100 Funniest Movies and climbed to 29 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs. It was also quickly made into a cult classic and deemed, in 2002, as culturally significant by the Library of Congress. From here, it was chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry.
There have been some bad movies about those in the music industry (Glitter suddenly comes to mind). But, there have also been some worth not only watching, but listening to, over and over again. The following is our list of best band-related movies. Sit back, relax, and, for goodness sake, turn up the volume.
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983): This early 1980’s film told the tale of a 1960’s rock band who becomes famous after playing gigs throughout New Jersey. After this band, aptly named Eddie and the Cruisers, makes an album that is everything Eddie hoped it would be, the album is rejected by the head of the record company. Devastated, Eddie drives his car off a bridge and Eddie, as well as his reject album, disappears. Twenty years later, a television producer decides to do a documentary on Eddie and the Cruisers and reconnects with many of the band mates, all of whom have moved on. It is during this time that an older looking Eddie resurfaces, thus setting up the sequel: Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives.
Not only did this movie touch on the frustration and sacrifices of the music industry, but it also put an unknown band on the map: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. Performing the soundtrack to the original and the sequel, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown band released the theme song of the movie, “On the Dark Side;” it was a hit single and can still be heard on present-day radio stations.
Now it is time to put some frosting on your cake. Frosting for this project is exemplified with a video share site like MusicTV Video Share. A shared video website designed with a specific focus on music. This is the oldest site streaming on the Internet. Even before Real or Microsoft had streaming software MusicTV.com was broadcasting live bands from New York City and London using its own software. Every week over 20 concerts of independent bands were broadcast live and then archived on the Internet. Amazing! Even Keane played for MusicTV! While they no longer stream live they have put up a new video-sharing site that offers almost all the features of Youtube as well as the name and heritage (page ranking!) of MusicTV. The video share site is now only weeks old so you have an opportunity to rule the front page and the search engine results!
You can download your YouTube flv file using Vixy website saving time to upload with the smaller flv file, or simply upload your original (under 100meg) right onto the MusicTV servers. The service handles the conversion of most formats if you do not have an flv file. You will end up with an embeddable flv video as well as a URL for places that do not let you embed or email! The page is a perma-link home for the song that can be attached to your “group” at MusicTV Video Share. The offered code works in MySpace, Blogger and just about all the web sites that allow embed code. MusicTV Video Share has community resources that include; your own personal profile, messaging, friends, favorites, play lists, groups and other tools to help you expand your fan base. You can use the community by populating your profile with your music videos, pictures, and information while you form a group using your band name to gather new fans. It works. You can then send email to your friends directly from your account at MusicTV. It is all simple