UNDERRATED MUSICIANS

[Apache 51]

Originally Posted by Dcat

I saw him at Stony Brook in the 70's a couple of years before his tragic car accident on the LIE in Huntingdon. He called up volunteers from the audience to sing the segment of "Taxi" with the high notes.

He was a great Long Islander. He died when his Volkswagen beetle got crushed by an 18 wheeler on the LIE. Good person with a big heart. Wonderful songwriter.

Yeah, sad day. He was a guy trying to make a difference.

[Borgoguy]

April Wine, a Canadian band which would have been a monster act if they had been from California or New York.

[Beerfish]

I have the original albumn that 'Could have been a lady.' came from.

This is my fav April Wine song. (Or at least they are the ones that are most well known for the song.)



One of the 1st concerts I ever went to was April Wine with this little know chick band as the opener call Heart.

[32green]

Originally Posted by Borgoguy

April Wine, a Canadian band which would have been a monster act if they had been from California or New York.

Originally Posted by Beerfish

I have the original albumn that 'Could have been a lady.' came from.

This is my fav April Wine song. (Or at least they are the ones that are most well known for the song.)



One of the 1st concerts I ever went to was April Wine with this little know chick band as the opener call Heart.

Great stuff! I dont know how I never heard of them?!

[Hitman Harris]

Originally Posted by Warfish

The Greatful Dead.

Gets almost no mainstream respect (usually mocked actually), yet kept "Roots Rock" alive, and was directly responsible for their very own genre of popular music (Jam Bands).

David Gilmour.

Sure he gets alot od respect, but not nearly enough for his talent. When Jack White and Joni Mitchell (wtf?) routinely are listed as "better guitarist" than David Gilmour, there is something seriously wrong.

For example: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyl...-reveals-0528/

Iron & Wine (Sam Beam)

All the brilliance and talent of a Bob Dylan, in a era that has no time for Bob Dylan types.

Wow man...
I like that! What you say about The Dead is SPOT ON as is Iron And Wine, and Gilmour is one of the greatest soloists and he can get it done with three notes!


My first thought about underrated musicians is always Jerry Garcia.
There are about a billion more after him.......

People like James Jamerson, Cannonball Adderly, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Jeff Sipe, Jimmy Herring, Billy Martin, John Medeski, Chris Wood..................

[Hitman Harris]

Originally Posted by Hitman Harris

Wow man...
I like that! What you say about The Dead is SPOT ON as is Iron And Wine, and Gilmour is one of the greatest soloists and he can get it done with three notes!


My first thought about underrated musicians is always Jerry Garcia.
There are about a billion more after him.......

People like James Jamerson, Cannonball Adderly, Jeff Tweedy, Derek Trucks, Jeff Sipe, Jimmy Herring, Billy Martin, John Medeski, Chris Wood..................

Now I think of it though.... Not sure if many of these guys are underrated.
They are pretty well known, especially Garcia and Gilmour.
Thing with Garcia is, most people don't realize the impact he's had on keeping Roots/Americana/Bluegrass music alive and strong these days.

I saw some posts about Ryan Adams, who I think is VERY popular, but still underrated. ESPECIALLY his work with Whiskeytown on the album Pneumonia

[Hitman Harris]

[southparkcpa]

Originally Posted by Dcat

I saw him at Stony Brook in the 70's a couple of years before his tragic car accident on the LIE in Huntingdon. He called up volunteers from the audience to sing the segment of "Taxi" with the high notes.

He was a great Long Islander. He died when his Volkswagen beetle got crushed by an 18 wheeler on the LIE. Good person with a big heart. Wonderful songwriter.

The day he died, he was putting on a show in Eisenhower park , they announced his death to the crowd. The "black stain" from his car fire stayed on the street for over a year. Very sad indeed.

[Borgoguy]

Originally Posted by Beerfish

I have the original albumn that 'Could have been a lady.' came from.

This is my fav April Wine song. (Or at least they are the ones that are most well known for the song.)



One of the 1st concerts I ever went to was April Wine with this little know chick band as the opener call Heart.

I had all those albums back in college days. One of my suite-mates showed up one day with an April Wine album and we were like, "Who the hell are these guys?" I bet they were a tight band live.

How cute were Ann and Nancy in those days? I still have a crush on Nancy.

Originally Posted by 32green

Great stuff! I dont know how I never heard of them?!

Then I'm glad I brought them up. They have a ton of albums.

[Beerfish]

Originally Posted by Borgoguy

I had all those albums back in college days. One of my suite-mates showed up one day with an April Wine album and we were like, "Who the hell are these guys?" I bet they were a tight band live.

How cute were Ann and Nancy in those days? I still have a crush on Nancy.



Then I'm glad I brought them up. They have a ton of albums.

Are you kidding both of them were hot as can be. (One still is even at her age.)

Another Canadian band I favour: Blue Rodeo

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by southside

Whiskeytown - Pneumonia.

Best thing Ryan Adams ever did and one of my favorite CDs.

As far as underrated, I agree... some of you aren't using the word properly. Derek Trucks is under appreciated, but under rated? By who's standards? I consider him one of the best guitar players in the world and I'm a jazz aficionado.

Over appreciated - pretty much most of the artists named in here. Jack White? Seriously? Come on. Clapton? Did someone really suggest he's under rated? He's probably the most over rated blues guitar player ever and this is coming from a guy that learned to play blues guitar from playing Clapton solos. I will say that Derek and the Dominoes is one of my favorite CDs of all time, but that CD was great because of the greatly underrated Duane Allman. Santana and Jimmy Page... please they are HORRIBLY overrated and over appreciated. I give them credit for being pop icons but let's not give them praise for being decent. To even mention them as great guitar players and leave off people like Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Django... hell, there's a guy alive right now named Tuck Andress, he's prolific and all those players would wipe the floor with the "pop" icons mentioned. They aren't underrated musicians, if anything they are over appreciated musicians because they're skill isn't anywhere near their fame level.

RageATL I can tell is from the south because he has a good pulse on a lot of the music I like which is cool.

To me, a guy that is underrated is someone that isn't known for being the guy that makes things work. Case in point, the most underrated pop guitar player ever has to be Keith Richards. George Harrison is a good vote too. The reason is because these guys were so integral in what their bands did but they weren't the main focal point and really got no praise except amongst purists and die hards that know better. It's hard to say that they are underrated but in the truest sense of the word, they are.

Duane Allman is underrated and under appreciated because he created a completely original sound and was one of the most creative guitar players in his era. I mean, what he was doing with a slide had literally never been done before. Derek Trucks is borderline underrated because more people should know him and if you've ever seen him live you'd know his guitar playing can literally bring a tear to your eye. He's picked up where Duane was horribly cut short in life and he's carried on and grown as Duane most likely would have. I've never heard a solo guitar player that could sing with his instrument as well as Derek Trucks. However many people know how great DT is, really he's more under appreciated that under rated.

Anyway, that's my long winded opinion... some of it probably wont flow right or make much sense but whatevs.

Yeah, Whiskeytown is good stuff as well. Love the song "Bar Lights" off "Pneumonia" but actually dig the demo version better. The one that made the album is too slow to me:



OK, I hear ya, under-appreciated is a better description for Derek Trucks.

In the south now, but born and raised in NY. However, being down here for the past 14 years has really ratcheted up my appreciation for types of music that I previously wouldn't have reached for.

[ubrnostrum]

Originally Posted by southside

Whiskeytown - Pneumonia.

Best thing Ryan Adams ever did and one of my favorite CDs.

As far as underrated, I agree... some of you aren't using the word properly. Derek Trucks is under appreciated, but under rated? By who's standards? I consider him one of the best guitar players in the world and I'm a jazz aficionado.

Over appreciated - pretty much most of the artists named in here. Jack White? Seriously? Come on. Clapton? Did someone really suggest he's under rated? He's probably the most over rated blues guitar player ever and this is coming from a guy that learned to play blues guitar from playing Clapton solos. I will say that Derek and the Dominoes is one of my favorite CDs of all time, but that CD was great because of the greatly underrated Duane Allman. Santana and Jimmy Page... please they are HORRIBLY overrated and over appreciated. I give them credit for being pop icons but let's not give them praise for being decent. To even mention them as great guitar players and leave off people like Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Django... hell, there's a guy alive right now named Tuck Andress, he's prolific and all those players would wipe the floor with the "pop" icons mentioned. They aren't underrated musicians, if anything they are over appreciated musicians because they're skill isn't anywhere near their fame level.

RageATL I can tell is from the south because he has a good pulse on a lot of the music I like which is cool.

To me, a guy that is underrated is someone that isn't known for being the guy that makes things work. Case in point, the most underrated pop guitar player ever has to be Keith Richards. George Harrison is a good vote too. The reason is because these guys were so integral in what their bands did but they weren't the main focal point and really got no praise except amongst purists and die hards that know better. It's hard to say that they are underrated but in the truest sense of the word, they are.

Duane Allman is underrated and under appreciated because he created a completely original sound and was one of the most creative guitar players in his era. I mean, what he was doing with a slide had literally never been done before. Derek Trucks is borderline underrated because more people should know him and if you've ever seen him live you'd know his guitar playing can literally bring a tear to your eye. He's picked up where Duane was horribly cut short in life and he's carried on and grown as Duane most likely would have. I've never heard a solo guitar player that could sing with his instrument as well as Derek Trucks. However many people know how great DT is, really he's more under appreciated that under rated.

Anyway, that's my long winded opinion... some of it probably wont flow right or make much sense but whatevs.

You seem to know a lot about guitar players, and that kind of proves my point about Jack White. I'm not necessarily talking about skill and virtuosity. Obviously the White Stripes or the Raconteurs are not built to be the Allman brothers. What White does with a guitar is pure angst and emotion. Is he a great guitar player? Hell no. Is he underrated as a guitar player? Yes.

Duane Allman. Great guitar player. A creative guy who played very well, tastefully and originally. Underrated? No. I think people properly rate him as being a great guitar player.

Chet Atkins, Joe Pass, Wes montgomery, Django... these names should never have even shown up in this thread. They are among the best players of the past 100 years and are rated as such. (I don't much like Pass but I can't deny he's a tremendous player)

Boz Boorer from Morrisey's band is underrated. The way he played with Morrissey was unique, but over shadowed.

If you want to talk about Chet Atkins, then you have to mention his rhythm player, Paul Yandell. Just about the only guy I've ever heard who could play with Chet, and keep his job year after year. Prety amazing if you think about it.

Steven Hunter is another session guy who you've heard, but never heard of.

[nj2socaljetsfan]

Big Star
Built to Spill
Blitzen Trapper
Nada Surf
Creeper Lagoon

[AFCEastFan]

Originally Posted by ubrnostrum

You seem to know a lot about guitar players, and that kind of proves my point about Jack White. I'm not necessarily talking about skill and virtuosity. Obviously the White Stripes or the Raconteurs are not built to be the Allman brothers. What White does with a guitar is pure angst and emotion. Is he a great guitar player? Hell no. Is he underrated as a guitar player? Yes.

You're talking about the same Jack White that Rolling Stone magazine ranked as the 17th greatest guitar player of all time (over 60 spots ahead of Derek Trucks)? Not underrated.

[Monsterxman]

Thin White Rope

[Borgoguy]

I'm going to add Kerry Livgren of Kansas for his talent as a guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter. Kansas got a bad rap as a "corporate rock" band. But every person in that group was a very skillful player and/or singer.

Here's "Point of No Return". Talk about underrated vocals.

[Borgoguy]

Unless you are one of the drumming cognoscenti, or fans of their bands, the names Vinnie Colaiuta (Zappa/Jeff Beck/Chick Corea) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) don't mean a whole lot. That's a pity because these two--Colaiuta especially--are geniuses.

[AFCEastFan]

Originally Posted by Borgoguy

Unless you are one of the drumming cognoscenti, or fans of their bands, the names Vinnie Colaiuta (Zappa/Jeff Beck/Chick Corea) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) don't mean a whole lot. That's a pity because these two--Colaiuta especially--are geniuses.

Great call, Borgo. As a self-appointed member of the drumming cognoscenti, I will say that Vinnie probably has the best chops of any drummer I have ever heard. He also does the single nastiest fill I have ever heard inserted into a pop song. Check out the fill at 3:16-3:19 on Don't Ask Me by Nik Kershaw (not a bad little song in its own right, I might add). If anyone is interested, I've also attached a very nice (and detailed) break-down of the fill. It is just filthy . . . only Vinnie could make a fill like that work in a pop song.

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by Borgoguy

Unless you are one of the drumming cognoscenti, or fans of their bands, the names Vinnie Colaiuta (Zappa/Jeff Beck/Chick Corea) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) don't mean a whole lot. That's a pity because these two--Colaiuta especially--are geniuses.

Vinnie also played on Sting's "Ten Summoner's Tales" as well as the resulting tour.

Although I don't play myself, I'm a drum guy. I'll throw Manu Katche in the ring here speaking of drummers on Sting albums:

[Borgoguy]

Originally Posted by AFCEastFan

Great call, Borgo. As a self-appointed member of the drumming cognoscenti, I will say that Vinnie probably has the best chops of any drummer I have ever heard. He also does the single nastiest fill I have ever heard inserted into a pop song. Check out the fill at 3:16-3:19 on Don't Ask Me by Nik Kershaw (not a bad little song in its own right, I might add). If anyone is interested, I've also attached a very nice (and detailed) break-down of the fill. It is just filthy . . . only Vinnie could make a fill like that work in a pop song.

First, where the hell did you pull out Nik Kershaw? LOL. I haven't thought of that guy since the 80s.

More importantly, thanks for pointing out, and sharing, that deceptively insane fill. I must have listened to that "hi-hat flourish" 10 times and it gets more amazing each time. You're right that it's "filthy" in a very good way. How artists like Colaiuta think of that stuff is what makes them truly gifted. I think it was WCO a while back who said Zappa loved Colaiuta because of his complete understanding of, and ability to play,complex time signatures.

Great post, AFC. That made my day.