I see. I've never followed Lifeson much because his playing leaves me cold - much like Steve Howe's does in fact. Before all Rush fans now pounce on me: I'm not saying he's not a skillful guitarist, he is. But neither studio nor live I've never heard a solo by him that has given me goose bumps of the good kind, he never elicits anything above "
oh, that was interesting" with me. I don't have that with Peart's or Lee's playing, they can/could both grip me emotionally or at least draw a smile on my face.
I don't really have an explanation why that is except that there is probably too little Blues influence in Lifeson's playing for me - I find that lacking with Howe (another skillful guitarist, no doubt) too. Trevor Rabin rocks, Steve Howe doesn't.
Ok, enough alienating of the PROG audience for one day!