Another Top 10 list

[Highlander]

Only saw Sykes with Tygers and never seen the other two...

Schenker plays (played?) with soul, so does RB... RB could solo totally originally on anything with no effort - I don't know about Morse, but what I've heard I've always liked... Lukather and Schon are very similar players but Schon so cuts the edge more... Ronnie M was always a player that I could listen to over and over again...
But the "lesser guitarist would play a dozen notes where (Billy) would play one" quote comes into that blues conversion I've been running into for some years... Clapton is not the guitarist Duane was if he played at it for a million years...

I'll second Kopter for excellence..

[westen44]

Pretty rough around the edges, but kind of an interesting Beatles cover.  Of course, from the Kapt. Kopter and the Fabulous Twirly Birds album. 

[uwe]

Ironically, I believe Clapton is underrated as a guitarist in many musician circles, including this one here. He has a very terse style, quite frankly like no other white or black blues guitarist. No, he doesn't sound like he came from the Delta. But then he's not, he's a Brit. Hey, and Glenn Tipton idolizes him, so he must be good!

And Duane Allman's contribution to Layla is shrouded in myth. He was apparently out of it much of the time in the studio and had so severe tuning issues that most of his parts were unuseable. That is at least what the Clapton musicians and the engineers say.

[clankenstein]

its natures way..

[Highlander]

... of telling you, the Deutschlander's information is wrong...

... And Duane Allman's contribution to Layla is shrouded in myth...

Uwe, you surprise me, truly... especially with you having an ear for tone probably second to none on this site...

Duane is (possibly) to Kenny as Ritchie is to Uwe - so, a little education, mein freund...

The chemical use is detailed and published and I won't post it here...

EC first met DA at a ABB gig in FL - post gig they sat up all night trading licks on acoustics and asking about all their respective repetoire (people tend to forget DA's wealth of session material kept ABB afloat) - a big regret for Dowd was that a tape was not rolling that night...

Duane did not appear on all the album and they kept the songs (mostly) in order - tour commitments kept him away and they left those tracks alone...

Duane was pushed in an interview about who played what and all he would say was that EC played a Fender and that he played a Gibson, then detailing the differences in the sounds... (big hint)

Who created the "chariot ride" intro riff...? Numerous sources have gone on record stating that this was Duane... like so much of his studio time he dropped in and played on whatever was happening that day so not all of his work is confirmable, but his sound was fairly recognisable, especially when on form - he recorded with an SG and an LP but a lot of the sessions were on Tele's and Strat's... the "Layla" sessions he played a 57 (iirc) gold-top...

It's common knowledge that it is not a "complete" work, not even recorded in the same key...

Primary lead is Duane on the first part...

Duane appeared live with them at least twice, possibly three times... this is not great quality (pretty poor really) but you can certainly here twin guitar interplay in a number of places...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOIW24-_jGY&feature=youtu.be

Anyone who has any doubts about who played what, and can tell the difference between a Stratocaster and a Les Paul could easily tell who is playing what...
Try listening anew to "At Fillmore East" and spot which channel is Duane and which is Dickie... both of them had their own distinctive sounds through almost identical - Duane's is "sweeter" and Dickie's is the "harsher" tone - easy to spot... then listen to the whole of Layla (aoals)

Here's what appears to be someone who has detailed pretty much everything about the recordings, right down to tabs and chords and players of them...

Layla for beginners

Oh, and yes, why should I disagree with this guy's opinion on who played what on Layla...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKPooc-ImiM&feature=youtu.be

[westen44]

I'd always heard that Duane's contribution was vital and he was actually the one who energized the endeavor.  On the other hand, you've got people like Bobby Whitlock who wish Duane had never been there at all, evidently. I probably have equal respect for Eric Clapton and Duane Allman.  In fact, in my book, it's Hendrix first with Eric and Duane right behind him.  Definitely my three favorite guitarists. 

[uwe]

I'm not knocking Duane, he was an artist no doubt, the musicality of the Allmans is beyond doubt, compared to them all other Southern Rock Bands are just that, Southern Rock Bands (nothing wrong with that). But just because Eric got lucky with his youtful irresponsibilities and Duane didn't, Herr Clapton is not a lesser guitarist. And I don't doubt that Duane is in that intro riff - it's too sloppy and slightly out of tune for Clapton, but that is part of its charm. You can also here a good deal of Clapton's George Harrison (another terse-playing guitarist) influence already in it.

I like all three guitarists, but if I had a blues to jam, I'd take Eric because - some statement now! - he's the Miles Davis of white blues guitar. A collected, concentrated and compressed tone, quite like no other, he thinks about every note (in a good way). That said, I don't think he's a great songwriter (though he has a dozen or half noteworthy songs, just spare me with Lay Down Sally!!!) nor a great singer, but to him songwriter/singer/lead guitarist is obviously the necessary package for artistic fulfillment.  

[nofi]

he's more like the shecky green of white blues guitarists.   imo his alleged concentration on every note is a bad thing. blues is supposed to be more spontaneous and heartfelt.the guy is too stiff and sincere in a white guy kind of way. i picture him in the two dementional southpark world. true he can ape just about any noteworthy blues guitarist but i have yet to discover a uniqe style of his own. i do enjoy lots of his stuff but to me it's blues for easy listening. i'm more in the hound dog taylor camp of electric blues.

[4stringer77]

I'm not knocking Duane, he was an artist no doubt, the musicality of the Allmans is beyond doubt, compared to them all other Southern Rock Bands are just that, Souther Rock Bands (nothing wrong with that).

Call me crazy, but I prefer Lynyrd Skynyrd to the Allmans. Ed King, Allen Collins and Gary Rossington (get better soon Gary!) were really cooking when they all had it going together. Their music had a harder edge compared to the Allmans who were more conducive to doing the hippy shake in a grassy field.
This guy on the other hand blew my socks off first time I heard him, even if he was slightly out of tune.

[Highlander]

Duane was possibly the "blackest" whiteman to have ever lived when it came to the blues and he worked hard at perfecting it, at playing it from the heart... hitting that note... which is why he had Dowd's respect in the session work... he'd swing by, see what was happening, pick up any guitar, and just play, often as not in one take...
All of the "Brothers" knew the meaning of hunger and hardship and anyone who knows their story and the mushroom logo will understand this, how Gregg stayed behind in "Hollywood" to release his brother, how Duane worked so hard to support the creation of his own band, and his tragic, pointless death, so rock and roll...
The drug use was pretty much part of the scene then and the stories about those "sessions" are monstrous - many other people went the path of alcohol and violence and destruction...
Duane just played and I've never heard a better player... just an opinion...

Uwe, I'd love to know where you read/heard those comments re his playing capabilities at that point in his short life; curiously the peak of his recording career...
Still like you to sit back and listen to both of those sets with fresh ears and headphones and a note book... Dowd recorded both sets...

Nofi... have you posted any HD Taylor stuff on the blues thread...?

I saw Schenker with them on the Obsession tour and loved it - stunning player...
Skynyrd I saw for GBMB and the last European tour supporting the live double - personallly preferred the six-piece - all round a crisper set - both stunning shows mind you - two good recording of the '76 shows are the OGWT DVD set with the GBMB set and the KB/Cardiff recordings (semi commercially available)
UFO and Skynyrd from this era were stunners but totally different...

Ten guys, in a room with a notebook each, listing their ten favourite acts, and why... forget it...

[4stringer77]

What's KB stand for? Is this the Cardiff set? http://www.amazon.com/Authorized-Bootleg-Cardiff-Capitol-Theater/dp/B001U0HBG0
Btw, I'm working on a transcription of Leon's line for "Am I Loosin'" off Nuthin' Fancy

[nofi]

hound dog is in the blues thread somewhere. i feel the videos are gone after such a long time being posted

[Highlander]

KBFH to be more precise - king biscuit... I had this as a vinyl in the 70's and first heard the (personal fave live) version played at the MArquee club - then a shortened version called "Cardiff Peaches" - that's why I noted the quasi-legal status as getting the lot is more fun...
Amazon reviews mention the "three missing track" - nothing like a bit of misinformation - there are 13 tracks in total but one track I've only found available on the box set released some years back, which is GBMB...
PM and maybe we can discuss more...

Cheers Nofi... that thread is more than an evening's (or ten!) listen...

[uwe]

he's more like the shecky green of white blues guitarists.   imo his alleged concentration on every note is a bad thing. blues is supposed to be more spontaneous and heartfelt.the guy is too stiff and sincere in a white guy kind of way. i picture him in the two dementional southpark world. true he can ape just about any noteworthy blues guitarist but i have yet to discover a uniqe style of his own. i do enjoy lots of his stuff but to me it's blues for easy listening. i'm more in the hound dog taylor camp of electric blues.

But then you are an original blues archivist, Nofi! That's an ok stance to take, but Miles Davis didn't sound like he came straight off the plantation either. Birth of the Cool!

[westen44]

I can remember back in the medieval period when they had something called magazines.  I still have the 2004 Rolling Stone with Hendrix on the cover that had the greatest guitarists of all time.  Jimi Hendrix was in first place with Duane Allman in second place.  2004 doesn't seem so long ago, but I suppose it was considering how much has changed since then.  It reminds me of the computer whiz who fixed my computer.  He said his boss who owned the computer business still tried to function on a technical level like it was 2004.  In my mind, there is something which still seems right and logical with Jimi at 1 and Duane at 2.  And I didn't need a poll to tell me that, because I already agreed with that anyway.  I just looked at the newest RS poll.  Hendrix is still at 1 with Eric Clapton at 2.  Duane Allman has moved down to 9.  I don't mind Clapton being at 2, although I might put him at 3.  It's hard to say.  But Duane Allman at number 9 is too far down, IMO. 

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-guitarists-20111123/duane-allman-20111122