[...]George has some great stuff out there, but I just cant say that he was one of the greatest guitarists ever.
Nobody is asking you that ... and don't take one album to ... it's like saying that all the Indian music sounds alike ... at first listening it could seem so but it deserves more that one ...
These lists are all guitarists who have great virtuoso technical skills ... "what a solo!".
But I think a better way to answer this question is to realize that how good the guitarist makes their band sound counts LOTS. Can you imagine the Beatles being as good with another guitarist in George's place? No way, IMHO - George knew that it wasn't all flash that made a song .... sometimes just a tiny phrase here or there could make a difference.
So, that's why I think George is one of the best guitarists ever, because without him the Beatles would not be the best band ever!
Just my two cents/pence.
And I agree with alexis in this^ whole post! That's the spearit! ... anyway, the solo it's not everything ... the four of them added things to the songs and ideas in the studio and influences and much more ... not just a solo or a harmony ... talking only about his importance in the growup ... John knew that George was not just sitting waiting for his solo to be recorded ...
Yes I quoted that, but you bold faced the part I wasnt trying to get at. Look right below it. Here, i'll boldface it for you.
Quoted Text
These lists are all guitarists who have great virtuoso technical skills ... "what a solo!".
But I think a better way to answer this question is to realize that how good the guitarist makes their band sound counts LOTS. Can you imagine the Beatles being as good with another guitarist in George's place? No way, IMHO - George knew that it wasn't all flash that made a song .... sometimes just a tiny phrase here or there could make a difference.
So, that's why I think George is one of the best guitarists ever, because without him the Beatles would not be the best band ever!
Nobody is asking you that ... and don't take one album to ... it's like saying that all the Indian music sounds alike ... at first listening it could seem so but it deserves more that one ...
What are you talking about? I just gave an example with 33 1/3. Take another one if you'd like. My point would still hold. George's guitar sound sounds the same to me on a lot of his solo stuff.
And doesnt all that Indian rubbish sound the same? It does to me anyways.
And doesnt all that Indian rubbish sound the same? It does to me anyways.
I guess that's why there's a variety in music; we hear and are attracted to different things. For me, all of George's Indian-music compositions in the Beatles sound unique and are among the highlights of the album. Other people can't stand them. The thing I lament about George's solo career is that he didn't do more of these East-meets-West compositions. I love the mood and the orchestration of it.
So if the slide sounds the same to you in all George's songs, I understand why you wouldn't want to rate him very highly. I remember putting on a special collection of my REM songs in the car, and my friend traveling with me interrupts and says, "All REM's songs sound the same." I was just floored. I agree, there's a similarity of sound and style, but for whatever reason I was hearing distinctions my friend wasn't.
All you've got to do is choose love. That's how I live it now. I learned a long time ago, I can feed the birds in my garden. I can't feed them all. -- Ringo Starr, Rolling Stone magazine, May 2007
For all I know, Ringo might be a yogi disguised as a drummer! - George Harrison
Here's another list of all genres. George,,,,not on the list. (I'm half drunk and hope i didnt over see him, but i'm pretty confident)
1. Andres Segovia 2. Django Reinhardt 3. Jimi Hendrix 4. Chet Atkins 5. Wes Montgomery 6. T-Bone Walker 7. Charlie Christian 8. B.B. King 9. Robert Johnson 10. Joe Pass 11. John Williams 12. Julian Bream 13. John McLaughlin 14. Merle Travis 15. Phil Keaggy 16. Sabicas 17. Jeff Beck 18. Pat Metheny 19. Lenny Breau 20. Micheal Hedges 21. Paco De Lucia 22. Les Paul 23. Sol Hoopii 24. Ry Cooder 25. Eric Clapton 26. Leo Kottke 27. George Van Eps 28. John Fahey 29. Jimmy Page 30. King Bennie Nawahi 31. Danny Gatton 32. Jim Hall 33. Christopher Parkening 34. Al DiMeola 35. Buddy Emmons 36. Eddie Van Halen 37. Speedy West 38. Allan Holdsworth 39. Chuck Berry 40. Eddie Lang 41. Lonnie Johnson 42. Joe Maphis 43. Derek Bailey 44. Adrian Legg 45. Albert King 46. Carlos Montoya 47. Buddy Guy 48. Duane Allman 49. Narciso Yepes 50. Stevie Ray Vaughan 51. Bill Frisell 52. Davy Graham 53. Elmore James 54. Doc Watson 55. Stanley Jordan 56. John Scofeild 57. Larry Coryell 58. Robert Fripp 59. George Benson 60. Albert Lee 61. Steve Vai 62. Steve Morse 63. Jerry Byrd 64. Bola Sete 65. Tommy Emmanuel 66. Steve Cropper 67. Laurindo Almeida 68. Ramon Montoya 69. Tal Farlow 70. Eric Johnson 71. Koo Nimo 72. Raymond Kane 73. Yngwie Malmsteen 74. John Renbourn 75. Freddie Green 76. Bert Jansch 77. Baden Powell 78. John Abercrombie 79. Randy Rhoads 80. Sandy Bull 81. David Gilmour 82. Noel Boggs 83. Gabby Pahinui 84. Ledward Kaapana 85. Manuel Barrueco 86. Shawn Lane 87. Blind Willie Johnson 88. Sonny Sharrok 89. Freddie King 90. Fred Frith 91. Maybelle Carter 92. Muddy Waters 93. Sonny Greenwich 94. Larry Carlton 95. David Russell 96. Joe Satriani 97. Tony Rice 98. Charley Patton 99. Paco Pena 100. Kenny Burrell 101. Keola Beamer 102. Big Bill Broonzy 103. Barney Kessel 104. Paul Gilbert 105. EK Nyame 106. Blind Willie McTell 107. Charlie Byrd 108. Bob Brozman 109. Red Rhodes 110. Link Wray 111. Steve Howe 112. Norman Blake 113. Alirio Diaz 114. Johnny Smith 115. Alex Konadu 116. Peter Green 117. Otis Rush 118. Blind Lemon Jefferson 119. Melchor de Marchena 120. Frank Zappa 121. Richard Thompson 122. Nino Ricardo 123. James Blood Ulmer 124. Nick Webb 125. Grant Green 126. Hank Garland 127. Mike Bloomfield 128. Ali Farka Toure 129. Son House 130. Rev. Gary Davis 131. Ronnie Earl 132. Robert Cray 133. Sharon Isbin 134. Earl Hooker 135. Herb Ellis 136. Norbert Kraft 137. Lester Flatt 138. Johnny Winter 139. Mike Stern 140. Carlos Santana 141. Dick Dale 142. Richie Blackmore 143. Brian May 144. Juanjo Dominguez 145. Carlos Barbosa-Lima 146. Martin Carthy 147. Alexandre Lagoya 148. Clarence White 149. Liona Boyd 150. Pat Martino
Opinions are like ... bellybuttons, everybody's got one.
But I can't put a whole lot of stock in a list that has Chet Atkins in the top 5 but Jimmy Page at only 29! And Chuck Berry only at 39!
And Brian May isn't on the list at all!
So, I don't worry too much that George isn't on this list. The author had their own criteria, that I don't entirely share ... that's OK!
On to whether the Beatles would have made it without George ...
Remember, they were called the BEATles. One of the things that distinguished them from other raw bands in the early days (1961-62, roughly) was their ability to play songs that had complex rhythms and beats, often changing within one song ("Lend Me Your Comb", for example). George, in my opinion, was a key part of the Beatles developing that skill. Remember, Pete Best was NOT ... they let him go because of that. So, I'm not as sure as some posters that if they had swapped George out for someone else available then that they would have made it. I think it was the ability to PLAY these complex rhythms that gave John and Paul the musical support to develop their SONGWRITING skills. Hard to write if you don't have a way to express your musical ideas!
Just my two cents/pence again (that makes 4!).
I love John, I love Paul, And George and Ringo, I love them all!
On to whether the Beatles would have made it without George ...
Remember, they were called the BEATles. One of the things that distinguished them from other raw bands in the early days (1961-62, roughly) was their ability to play songs that had complex rhythms and beats, often changing within one song ("Lend Me Your Comb", for example).
You mean when they played almost nothing but covers?
Quoted Text
George, in my opinion, was a key part of the Beatles developing that skill. Remember, Pete Best was NOT ... they let him go because of that.
They let him go because they were going in the studio to record and they didnt feel he was tight enough for that. Pete Best WAS a key part to the Beatles early development and i'm not sure how your denying that. Pete put his time in too when they were playing hourless nights in Germany.
Quoted Text
So, I'm not as sure as some posters that if they had swapped George out for someone else available then that they would have made it. I think it was the ability to PLAY these complex rhythms that gave John and Paul the musical support to develop their SONGWRITING skills. Hard to write if you don't have a way to express your musical ideas!
So George was the only guitar player able to play these complex (in your opinion,,,it wasnt exactly prog) rhythms? I dont think so. They were mostly copying other peoples music at the time and if you think about it,,,,,other players created and played that music before George and the others ever tried. I'm betting none of us probably has ever heard of the guitar players from those original bands back then either, but they were capable of playing that music and i'm also betting they never made a 'Greatest of all time' list either. See how that works?
By the way, how many times over the Beatles career has Paul told George how to play something when they were writing songs? Watch 'Let It Be' again for a refresher, but i'm guessing countless.
They let him go because they were going in the studio to record and they didnt feel he was tight enough for that. Pete Best WAS a key part to the Beatles early development and i'm not sure how your denying that. Pete put his time in too when they were playing hourless nights in Germany.
That is pretty much my point - George could contribute to the complex rhythms they were trying to play, Pete Best couldn't.
So George was the only guitar player able to play these complex (in your opinion,,,it wasnt exactly prog) rhythms? I dont think so.
Neither do I, and I didn't say that. I do find it easy to believe that John and Paul kept him around because his playing was at a level that the other guitarists they could have chosen wasn't ... otherwise they would have bounced him like they did Pete Best.
They were mostly copying other peoples music at the time and if you think about it,,,,,other players created and played that music before George and the others ever tried. I'm betting none of us probably has ever heard of the guitar players from those original bands back then either, but they were capable of playing that music and i'm also betting they never made a 'Greatest of all time' list either. See how that works?
These other guitarists that they were copying were professional musicians with years of experience and recording cotnracts (obviously). The Beatles were barely out of their teens (George wasn't), but George could do those guitar bits. I'm guessing there weren't many, if any, other Mersey-based guitarists that could do that.
I love John, I love Paul, And George and Ringo, I love them all!
By the way, how many times over the Beatles career has Paul told George how to play something when they were writing songs? Watch 'Let It Be' again for a refresher, but i'm guessing countless.
I think Paul would have told Segovia himself how to play a classical bit in his song if he were in the studio. Not much to do with George per say, in my opinion.
I love John, I love Paul, And George and Ringo, I love them all!
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... and don't take one album to ... it's like saying that all the Indian music sounds alike ... at first listening it could seem so but it deserves m
DM's Beatles forums › Beatles forums › The Beatles › Where do Beatles rank among All-Time Guitarists?