Hi all,

Sort of in my "Lesser Known..." series, I thought I'd put out a call for favorite guitar songs that are the opposite of flash (not to say "Flash", the great band of Peter Banks, who was/is a tremendous player ;-). You know, the anti-"Stairway to Heaven" songs that you listen to and when they're over all you can say is "yeah." My two candidate are "I walk on gilded splinters" by Steve Marriot/Humble Pie (we miss ya Stevie, why'd ya have to smoke in bed?!?) and "Phoenix" by Wishbone Ash. Both are long, drawn out meditations with plenty of soulful playing, which the older I get the more I appreciate.

Submit your faves. No Ted Nugent songs allowed (although I do love the middle section of "Stranglehold"!).

Cheers,

d

--------------------
"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

Alquin's 'Soft Eyed Woman' from the Mountain Queen. Underplayed, understated but with a tone to die for.

DM

--------------------
Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

There can only be one for me. 'On the Beach' by Neil Young. Beautiful, delicate, out of his mind.

One of Steve Hackett's finest moments is the simple pattern of descending quarter-notes at the end of 'Deja Vu' from the 'Genesis Revisited' album.

The whole song is about simplicity and gentle support of the message. But that closing passage is the killer.

Absolutely anyone could play those notes - nobody but Steve could play them in a way that tears out your soul like that...

--------------------
An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

I can't think of the song titles in particular, but David Crosby's "If only I could remember my name" has some nice stuff on it, including some non-guitar based work.

--------------------
http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Don Henley - "Boys of summer"
Chris Rea - "Road to hell"
Dire Straits - "Your latest trick" (wonderfully tasteful backing guitar from Knopfler on that)

My favourite blues song ever

Lightnin Hopkins - cotton

Duane Allman & Dickie Betts on the Fillmore live double.

--------------------
http://www.kevadams.co.uk

I was thinking Allman Brothers myself, specifically 'Midnight Rider' although some may say the middle eight is too fussy to qualify. I don't think so. Love that song for its simplicity. Also 'There She Goes' by The La's. They could easily have ruined a very classy pop song by showing off (I believe they spent more time wrapping huge chains around the bass drum)! And I reckon if I went digging into my Sergio Mendes/Brazil 66 I'd find some good examples there too, those guys and girls never played a note that wasn't needed.

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Quote Jumpeyspyder:

---

My favourite blues song ever

Lightnin Hopkins - cotton

---

beautiful

my cats have been batty all afternoon, they're suddenly all chilled, very weird!

--------------------
Original artwork and unique devices inspired by vintage technology http://www.thisisobsolete.com

The Wind Cries Mary.

Quote djangodeadman:

---

The Wind Cries Mary.

---

yes, i was going to suggest some of hendrix's subtler outings

--------------------
Original artwork and unique devices inspired by vintage technology http://www.thisisobsolete.com

Quote jellyjim:

---

Quote djangodeadman:

---

The Wind Cries Mary.

---

yes, i was going to suggest some of hendrix's subtler outings

---

And there was every reason to think he was going more towards that direction before he was taken away. Imagine the music we were denied. I was trying to think of a Prince song that met the criteria, being as Hendrix was such an infulence on him and he is actually a very much better guitarist than most people give him credit for. But I failed! He doesn't really do subtle. I expect you've all seen what he did to this mildly understated song by George Harrison At least it used to be mildly understated. If you haven't seen it before give it until four minutes for the full effect to kick in. Or is there a Prince song that is worthy of being called great and understated?

And whilst we're on Hendrix can I propose 'Castles made of Sand".

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Quote Frisonic:

---

Quote jellyjim:

---

Quote djangodeadman:

---

The Wind Cries Mary.

---

yes, i was going to suggest some of hendrix's subtler outings

---

And there was every reason to think he was going more towards that direction before he was taken away. Imagine the music we were denied. I was trying to think of a Prince song that met the criteria, being as Hendrix was such an infulence on him and he is actually a very much better guitarist than most people give him credit for. But I failed! He doesn't really do subtle. I expect you've all seen what he did to this mildly understated song by George Harrison At least it used to be mildly understated. If you haven't seen it before give it until four minutes for the full effect to kick in. Or is there a Prince song that is worthy of being called great and understated?

And whilst we're on Hendrix can I propose 'Castles made of Sand".

---

Well done! That was what I had in mind just couldn't quite bring it to short term memory!

Wasn't Hendrix supposed to be working with Miles Davis around the time of his death?

--------------------
Original artwork and unique devices inspired by vintage technology http://www.thisisobsolete.com

excellent choices as expected, chaps! btw, after checking out the alquin (superb!) on youtube, i couldn't escape a nagging suspicion that i'd heard them before. went to the CD collection and found an alquin double cd reissue that i'd bought in my days of splurging on a dozen (used) CDs at a pop, and must never have gotten round to listening to again. makes me doubly glad i whacked up this thread. keep 'em coming!

cheers

d

--------------------
"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

Did we do Steve Winwood yet? Or Nick Drake? I'll have to have a think... They must both have worthy candidates.

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Quote dubbmann:

---

excellent choices as expected, chaps! btw, after checking out the alquin (superb!) on youtube, i couldn't escape a nagging suspicion that i'd heard them before. went to the CD collection and found an alquin double cd reissue that i'd bought in my days of splurging on a dozen (used) CDs at a pop, and must never have gotten round to listening to again. makes me doubly glad i whacked up this thread. keep 'em coming!

cheers

d

---

I bought the Mountain Queen/Marks reissue too. I bought the LP many years ago after seeing them live supporting (I think) Golden Earring. This thread made me revisit Axis Bold As love & I've had Castles Made of Sand pretty much on repeat since! I'm considering resurrecting a record deck to re-investigate Snowy White's White Flames LP which tbh I didn't really rate at the time, but suspect I'll appreciate more now. I saw Snowy live with Thin Lizzy however & he was awesome. I seem to recall they re-scheduled the Lizzy dates to allow him to finish touring The Wall with Floyd, but I might have imagined it.

--------------------
Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Quote Frisonic:

---

Or is there a Prince song that is worthy of being called great and understated?

---

Sign O The Times?

--------------------
Not much in life worth running for. Or from.

Quote Dynamic Mike:

---

Quote Frisonic:

---

Or is there a Prince song that is worthy of being called great and understated?

---

Sign O The Times?

---

There had to be one! There are more I suspect but I always liked that song, and its certainly understated for Prince. So does that make Earl Slick's work on Bowie's 'Stay' eligible? Its loud but economical. I love that song. Its my favorite Bowie song.

And if 'loud but economical' qualifies then Keith Richards and Carlos Santana must both have offerings. They're both lazy and prolific enough, if that isn't a contradiction in terms. Or maybe by definition they're both overstated?

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

More Hendrix...."Drifting". Absolutely beautiful guitar treatments on this lesser-known track...

gotta say i love earl slick w/ bowie and his solo stuff. picked up two of his solo cds cheap a while back and they were on the player for ages.

as for mr winwood, i tend to think of him as a keyboard player despite being an excellent gtrist (i like him more than post-layla clapton, for example). and the great thing with little stevie w. is that almost everything he does is understated. he's a right proper british rocker. i'd have to pick "low spark of high heel boys" for being in the long understated vibe i was thinking of when i slung up this thread. not too much gtr there, though, so i'd add either "dear mr. fantasy", "pearly queen", or "john barleycorn must die" for examples of his gtr-oriented songs. and "sometimes i feel (so uninspired)" deserves a shout out for just being one of the all-time great songs to play when life has drop-kicked you one time too many and you're at a low ebb.

and keef. yes indeed, i was thinking that 'can't you hear me knocking' deserved mention despite the flashy opening chords, since it then goes on for almost ten minutes of very cool wandering jam, most unusual for mick and the boys. one problem was that ian stewart hated minor chords ("sound too 'chinese-ian', mate") and it's hard to do a long understated song in just major chords. sort of like being on a long flight sitting next to a chatty speed freak. btw, just wanted to add a plug for keef's book ("life"?). funny, interesting, it'll make ya laugh, it'll make ya cry (part about losing his son Tara is pretty intense), it's heavy enough to kill the biggest roaches or hold open large doors. big dubbmann shout out on this one.

cheers, y'all...

d

--------------------
"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

I was thinking exactly 'Low Spark of the High Heeled Boys' when I mentioned Winwood, but also decided not enough guitar to qualify. 'Mr Fantasy' does though. Spot on!

I bought Mr Richards book on the day it was published last autumn and had finished it 36 hours later, richer for the experience. I must admit I haven't tried his banger and mash or shepherds pie recipes yet...

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

I like Mike Campbell's 'touches'. On the Henley solo albums and other session work, his choice of notes are sublime. Would also suggest Robbie Robertson in the same category.

So for songs it has to be 'Boys of Summer' by Don Henley, 'Sixth Avenue Heartbreak' by the Wallflowers - (both Mike Campbell) and 'Somewhere down that Crazy River' by Robbie Robertson

Probably THE best understated guitar song is " Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac.

Also "Samba pa ti" by Santana is a fave of mine.

Dan

--------------------
Two interesting facts about me: 1)My Knob is the length of two Argos pens 2)I'm banned from Argos

Just heard another one on the radio today. Cyndi Lauper, "Time after time".

And a left-field nomination - Iron Maiden, "Can I play with madness". Fast, hard prog-metal song, sure. But does it have an epic twin-guitar solo? Nope. It has a cheeky little riff, a monster slide-with-delays, and straight back into the chorus. No flash, but *precisely* what that kind of tight song needs.

These qualify? simple but beautiful
Sunny road-Emiliana Torrini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyuL1z2tejs

Emiliana Torrini - Today has been ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_87o0UWUg

--------------------
www.myspace.com/shambolic-charm

Although people know him as a talented player, and he certainly features heavily in guitar magazines, John Mayer would be my first choice for understated guitar songs.

Even though you're expecting guitar greatness on his albums the level of playing still comes as a suprise, generally by being song-led and melodic, two things you don't expect for a "guitarist solo album"

I like the tip of the hat with the cover versions he adds, though I admit his cover of Crossroads took a few listens to appreciate, but I get it now.

Top understated song has to be Soul Man (or actually really anything Steve Cropper plays). Understated, song perfect playing but you try and play it right - it's not as easy as you think!

Hewesy

Speaking of Prince - Money Don't Matter Tonight, is a favourite of mine.

--------------------
http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

SRV and double trouble. Tin Pan alley.
literally blows me away every time I hear it.

Quote Richie Royale:

---

Speaking of Prince - Money Don't Matter Tonight, is a favourite of mine.

---

+1

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Quote dubbmann:

---

as for mr winwood, i tend to think of him as a keyboard player despite being an excellent gtrist (i like him more than post-layla clapton, for example). and the great thing with little stevie w. is that almost everything he does is understated. he's a right proper british rocker. i'd have to pick "low spark of high heel boys" for being in the long understated vibe i was thinking of when i slung up this thread. not too much gtr there, though, so i'd add either "dear mr. fantasy", "pearly queen", or "john barleycorn must die" for examples of his gtr-oriented songs. and "sometimes i feel (so uninspired)" deserves a shout out for just being one of the all-time great songs to play when life has drop-kicked you one time too many and you're at a low ebb.

d

---

Used to love 'Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired' on the 'Traffic on the Road' album. Great guitar tone.
Every so often I think I should buy a CD of that but the reviews are very disparaging. Make it sound far worse than I remember. Maybe I wasn't very discriminating at age 19?
Anyway, now off to see whether i can download a few select tracks off that album just to check!

--------------------
http://www.kevadams.co.uk

Quote Kev Adams:

---

Used to love 'Sometimes I Feel So Uninspired' on the 'Traffic on the Road' album. Great guitar tone.
Every so often I think I should buy a CD of that but the reviews are very disparaging. Make it sound far worse than I remember. Maybe I wasn't very discriminating at age 19?
Anyway, now off to see whether i can download a few select tracks off that album just to check!

---

dagnabbit- 'Sometimes I Feel so Uninspired' is an album only download. Now I look at the track list, it was a very patchy offering for a double live album.

--------------------
http://www.kevadams.co.uk

Steve Miller Band - Fly like an eagle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1f7eZ8cHpM

KC and the Sunshine Band - I get lifted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfagzIDsIR8

--------------------
http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Steve Hackett, 'How Can I'.

Vocals by Richie Havens. Electric & acoustic guitars, and guitar synth, by Steve Hackett. I only mentioned it as that's what I'm listening to right now.

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

And as I mentioned him in another thread, and was also listening to him just now, check out Peter Bruntnell's "Ghost in a Spitfire". Beautiful song. In terms of understated he gets a throbbing great V12 engine in a victory roll through a Les Paul (I believe) about as understated as it can be done.

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Quote Dan Bo:

---

Probably THE best understated guitar song is " Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac.

---

Yes, 'Albatross' is a lovely track, if a bit overplayed on TV in my youth! I love 'Without You' by Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac too.

I'll second Hendrix 'Castles Made Of Sand' and 'The Wind Cries Mary', and... well there are plenty of his you could add...

CSN's 'Guinevere' deserves a mention.

Ry Cooder's Paris Texas album has loads of understated guitar work on it that's worth hearing.

Did anyone mention Joe Pass yet? Half his work would probably fit in this list...

A more recent ('90s... God I'm getting old!) offering would be Blur's 'No Distance Left To Run', which I find achingly beautiful. I also really like their 'You're So Great' both for the acoustic and electric bits.

For acoustic, there are many to choose from - but for me Iron & Wine's 'Sodom, South Georgia' is brilliant, even if it owes as much to the vox as it does to the guitar. Simple and unfussy, but always engaging. Another Fleetwood Mac offering, 'The World Keep On Turning' would be on my list. And some Neil Young, and CSN, and Nick Drake...

I'm sure I've missed off a million things I'd like to add, but am getting bored of typing out lists now... I wanna go and play something

hi all,

some of the suggestions have been inspired. albatross is near the top of my list - as is anything peter green touched. two follow-ups on that: first, snowy white (mentioned in one response) played lead on one of my all-time favorite albums, a peter green solo effort called "in the skies". mix of instrumental and vocal cuts, one of the best albums i've ever heard. took me years to track down on cd, spent top bucks, now it's on youtube. to quote peter, 'oh well.' ;-) also, the opposite of an understated song is a peter green's fleetwood mac number called "world in harmony". as far as i know, it's only ever been recorded on disc two of the 3 cd set "fleetwood mac" at the boston tea part. starts out and ends understated, great peter 9th chords, but the middle section is a lick-for-lick escalation between peter and danny kirwan that you can blow your speakers on and feel it was a sacrifice well spent.

neil young: 'down by the river'. the interplay between neil and danny whitten is just cosmic. not quite understated but my all-time favorite neil song. dark, dark, dark. whitten was fighting heroin at the time, a battle he lost (see 'needle and the damage done' by neil's take on it).

speaking of great anti-heroin songs, understated on not, the other day i checked out the original version of 'the pusher' and 'snowblind child' by hoyt axton. everyone knows the steppenwolf covers, which truly rock (great underappreciated band, steppenwolf) but the hoyt versions are every bit as good. his version of 'pusher' has some absolutely phenomenal production qualities, a killer electric guitar tone (i'm guessing les paul into a fender head w/ lots of reverb and presence) as well as an organ into a guitar amp that blows my mind. his 'snowblind child' will break your heart, almost all acoustic, as poignant as the 'needle and damage'. both are on youtube.

btw, the reason i sling up these threads on 'lesser known' stuff is that i love to learn from all of y'all stuff i might have missed and to pass on a few tidbits i've stumbled across. this thread has amply lived up to my hopes!

btw2, as with andy's suggestion, i was listening to 'i walk on gilded splinters' when the idea for the post came to me. i hadn't heard it in 20+ years and thought, man, i've got to turn some folks on to this. one of the great things about great music is how it can just seize you like that ....


d

cheers

--------------------
"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

All good. We're all benefiting from this. And if its not too late can I trow in Sly Stone's 'Running Away'.

--------------------
Strictly project and just for fun

Of course, I ought to add 'absolutely everything' Richard Thompson has ever recorded. Even Morris On

Andy

--------------------
When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

Quote zenguitar:

---

Of course, I ought to add 'absolutely everything' Richard Thompson has ever recorded. Even Morris On

Andy

---

Absolutely!

Reading Rob Young's 'Electric Eden' recently, he put me onto the last two Talk Talk albums. Some great undersated electric guitar on both, brilliantly recorded.

The book is highly recomended by the way.

--------------------
http://www.kevadams.co.uk