December 13, 2015koreaguitar2014

Readers Top Ten Guitar Albums Part 2

We’re back with Part 2 of Korea Guitar Readers Top Ten Guitar Albums.  This week Bill Heffernan, Stuart Grant, Brett Caldwell, Jude Falcon, Dylan Furr and Karl Mischler have submitted their lists.  Don’t forget to send in your list to koreaguitar1@gmail.com.  Enjoy these selections.  Hopefully you will discover some new music!!

Bill Heffernan

Bill is a native of Ontario, Canada, but currently resides in Osaka, Japan.

1: AC DC– high voltage

2: Guns n Roses -appetite for destruction

3: Green Day– Dookie

4: AC DC -back in black

5: Pearl Jam- 10

6: Pixies-Surfer Rosa

7: Van Halen– Van Halen

8: Metallica– and justice for all

9: Def Leppard– pyromania

10: Mötley Crüe– Dr. Feelgood

Stuart Grant

Stu is from Scotland but currently lives in Daejeon, South Korea.  He plays drums with Like A Fox.

1. Soundgarden – Superunknown220px-Superunknown

A SG album with strange tunings and great time signatures. Limo Wreck sums up the guitar sound for me

2. John Martyn – Solid Air220px-Solid_air

Kind of like Bob Dylan, in that he started of with a lot of folk stuff then went on to electric. His earlier stuff is my favourite as it’s a lot more daring on guitar. He was the first guitarist to use a loop effect while playing. His tribute to Nick Drake ‘Solid Air‘ is the stand out track for me.

3. Mastodon – Crack the Skye220px-Cracktheskye

Heavy, heavy riffage afoot but balanced with a ridiculous prog story and also Brann Dailor… I listen to this album a lot because of the drums but the more I listen the more I pick up on the guitar tones..it was produced by Brendan O’Brien too. ‘Divinations‘ for the mandolin intro is brilliant

4. Rory Gallagher – Tattoo220px-Tattoo6xi

I don’t listen to a lot of blues guitar but I grew up listening to this guy so he makes the list. The guy had acidic sweat which stripped his guitar paintwork, that should be a baseline for greatness…your not good enough unless you can destroy your instrument with body odor.

5. Paul Simon – GracelandGraceland_cover_-_Paul_Simon

Love this album and the guitar sound is just great. So clean

 

6. Porcupine Tree – Fear of A Blank Planet

220px-Fear_of_a_blank_planet

 

I like a really heavy band where the guitar is the lightest or most subtle sound. Similar to Tool or Karnivool

 

7. Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland220px-Jimi_Hendrix_-_Electric_Ladyland

Probably the best guitarist’s guitar album ever. `1983… `is my favourite track

8. The Mars Volta -Amputechture220px-GSL126_cover_temp_461

I watched this band about 10 years ago and it made me want to learn the guitar. The vocals kinda get to you after a while though..

9. Prince – Purple RainPrincepurplerain

Because funk. That’s why.

 

 

10. Budgie – Never Turn Your Back on a Friend220px-NeverTurnYourBackonaFriend

The song ‘Parents’ has that great guitar tone that so many 70s and 80s guitarists used after them.

 

Brett Caldwell

Brett plays guitar with Daejeon band The Man Wons.  He is from Hamilton, Ontario.

  1. Tool – Lateralus220px-Tool_-_Lateralus

This is my desert island album. This album takes time. I’ve been listening to this album for over 10 years, and I’m still discovering it.  Adam Jones is a genius in his approach to guitar playing, and his tone is fantastic.

Key Tracks: The Grudge, Lateralus

  1. Bruce Cockburn – Speechless: The Instrumentalalbum-speechless

To tell you the truth, this is the only Cockburn album I’ve listened to, and it is beautiful.  It’s one of those albums that makes you feel terrible, in that it forces you to realize how limited your playing is.

Key Tracks: The End of All Rivers, Mistress Of Storms

  1. Jimi Hendrix – The Ultimate ExperienceThe_Ultimate_Experience

I listened to this a lot when I first started playing guitar.  I remember being a teenager and trying to learn Hendrix songs, and being so proud when I could play some of his stuff.

Key Tracks: Anything

  1. John Mayer Trio – Try!220px-TRy!

This album is a recording of a live performance, where he really shows off his playing.  And don’t worry, he doesn’t sing that stupid Body is a Wonderland.  Straight blues.

Key Tracks: Out of My Mind, Vultures

  1. Muse –Absolution220px-Muse_-_Absolution_Cover_UK

Bellamy is a force to be reckoned with.  Such a brilliant musician.   This is just a solid album by them.  Classic Muse.

Key Tracks: Stockholm Syndrome, Hysteria

  1. Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine220px-RageAgainsttheMachineRageAgainsttheMachine

Tom Morello once said, “A good song should make you want to tap your foot and get with your girl, a great song should destroy cops and set fire to the suburbs.  I’m only interested in writing great songs.”   This album is full of great songs.

Key Tracks: Everything

  1. Royal Blood – Royal BloodRoyal_Blood_-_Royal_Blood_(Artwork)

As a power duo, these guys make other power duos want to add more players.   Man is their sound huge!  Fantastic rock album.

Key Tracks: Little Monster, Out of the Black

  1. Silverchair – Frogstomp220px-SilverchairFrogstompAlbumcover

This is another album I listened to a lot when I first started playing guitar.  These guys were 15 years old when they released this album.   I wasn’t doing shit when I was in high school.

Key Tracks: Israel’s Son, Tomorrow

  1. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – Greatest Hitssrv

When I was a kid, my dad used to play all kinds of SRV as we would ride to hockey practice.  I remember thinking, “The weird singer man, is really good on the guitar.”  When I finally started playing guitar myself, my father said he’d only teach me blues and none of “that Nirvana crap.”  I learned a bunch of Nirvana crap on my own, but I also fell in love with blues because of SRV.  Thanks dad.

Key Tracks: Pride and Joy, Texas Flood, Little Wing (Blows away Hendrix)

10. Chevelle – Wonder What’s Next220px-ChevelleWonderWhatsNext

Tone.  Tone.  Tone.  Oh my god, the tone!

Key Tracks: Family System, The Red

 

Jude Falcon

Jude is the drummer with The Man wons and The Bump City Band in Daejeon, South Korea.  He’s originally from Louisiana.

Dire Straits – Dire Straits

Metallica – Master of Puppets

U2 – Joshua Tree

The White Stripes – Elephant

Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine

Royal Blood – Out Of The Black

Robert Johnson – The Complete Recordings

Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced?

Slayer – Raining Blood

Avenged Sevenfold – City Of Evil

 

Dylan Furr

Dylan is a guitar virtuoso who was featured on Korea Guitar (Click here to read the interview).  Check out his most recent album, Juxtoposition.  You can get all the info on his website, http://dylanfurr.webs.com/

Opeth – Ghost of perdition

Guthrie Govan – Erotic cakes

Kamelot – Black halo

Pink Floyd – The wall

Dream Theater – Scenes of memory

Katatonia – The great cold distance

Katatonia – Night is the new day

Muse – Absolution

Muse – Black holes and revelations

Joe Satriani – Is there love in space

Karl Mischler

Karl is from Ohio but lives in Daejeon, South Korea.  He was the lead guitarist in Buzzard Luck and is currently rocking with Fake The future.

Sitting down to make this list, I realized several things.  First, in some ways this list simply reflects the access I had to information about music back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, as well as the ability to find and purchase these albums.  These days, I almost feel fortunate to remember what things were like in the pre internet age, when there was more mystery to music and musicians, and you had to actively seek out obscure gems, and find things for yourself.  What’s now become commonplace, indeed, wearisome, was once exotic and extraordinary.  For example, it may seem hard to imagine, but I’m fairly certain I was the only person who had ever heard of a group called Led Zeppelin in my entire high school. It’s clear to me how my tastes in music do reflect the both the era and manner in which I was exposed to it.
          The other point that’s become apparent, is that there is no freakin’ way on earth for me to make a top 10 list of guitar albums that feels fair or inclusive for me personally.  For starters, I spent many years actively seeking out and devouring new music.  I wanted to become educated about not only about music, but also how the electric guitar has been utilized as a musical tool, and all the musicians and innovaters who have contributed to the craft and art of guitar playing.  It’s been a long journey, with a rich and varied soundtrack for me.  Ultimately, it was and remains the kerrang, the crunch, the wail, the majesty and the fury of electric guitar based rock music that gives me the greatest joy.  So here’s an unfinished, imperfect, and abbreviated list~
1. Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced? Are_You_Experienced_-_US_cover-edit
While there would be no Hendrix without a Clapton, there would not be rock guitar music as we know it without the many contributions of this genius.
2. Led Zeppelin: 4 (Zoso)Led_Zeppelin_-_Led_Zeppelin_IV
The light and the shade.   Songs, Concepts, Chops, Performances.
3. Ozzy Osbourne/Randy Rhoads: Diary of a Madman220px-Ozzy_Osbourne_Diary_of_a_Madman
Wore out several eight track cartridges of this one.  Electrifying. At the same time, Ozzy’s ex-bandmates were also making some the best records of their careers with Black Sabbaths Heaven and Hell and Mobs Rules.
4. Accept: Balls to the Wall220px-Accept_-_Balls_to_the_Wall
Still one of the best guitar tones ever.  My friends were horrified by Udo’s “singing”!  Sucks there isn’t enough room to add in a few Scorpion albums like Blackout in this slot.  Or Loudness, or Saxon, or…
5. Yngwie Malmsteen: Rising ForceYngwieJMalmsteen-RisingForce
The beginning of a new era of modern rock guitar.   As a historian, it’s important to mention the vital precursors such as Uli Roth, Michael Schenker, and Ritchie  Blackmore, all who have created much stronger and meaningful work.  But before he became a maligned caricature, Yngwie influenced a whole generation or two of players to actually learn some scales and arpeggios, and drop the hackneyed pentatonics.
6. Allan Holdworth: Road Games220px-Allan_Holdsworth_-_1983_-_Road_Games
If there was any fairness in the world, this genius of the guitar would be more famous than 99% of players the media dawdles about with.  Stretched ears, stretched fingers.  He truly reaches for the uncommon chord.  Incredible.
7. Strunz and Farah: Guitarrasguitarras
Beautiful and exotic. Even more nifty minor scales and hot licks than a Marty Friedman solo from Rust in Piece.
8. Shawn Lane: Powers of Ten220px-Powers_of_ten
Wasn’t called perhaps the greatest unknown and obscure guitarist in the world without a good reason.  Too good for this world.
9. Animals as Leaders: Self-titledAnimals_as_Leaders_-_Animals_as_Leaders_(2009)
While I haven’t listened to this very many times, it was immediately apparent that this is a brilliant and  powerful  work, and the new standard for modern electric guitar playing and production styles, courtesy of Misha Mansoor.  This is a wave that will continue to expand – imagine if all the bright and talented kids freaking out to Eruption 30 years ago on VH1 could have sat down at their computer and pulled up a dozen close up videos and instructional lessons you tube, then made their own album with garage band.  With 1 or 2 more strings on their guitar.
10. Ihsahn: After220px-Ihsahn_After
Just great tunes.  Excellent  heavy riffs.   There is something about it  that speaks to me.  All his albums are excellent.  So much great heavy guitar music from the Scandinavian area.   Opeth, Soilwork, In Flames, Enslaved.

 

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s