Have Guitar…must learn how to play again
Announcing the greatest comeback since the reincarnation of Elvis in Croydon last week
In the summer of 1984 I blew my first two months wages on a Yamaha SG guitar, whilst my brother played rocket fuelled rock licks on the real deal Fender Strats I pretended to be Jimmy Page on a pretend Gibson.
Coming to terms with that awful two year wait before getting leathered in the local I decided to frit away my middle teens trying to be Carlos Santana. I wanted to be John McLaughlin but after seeing him on one of the first shows broadcast on Channel 4 I gave up for months. With guitarists like him around I knew my future lay elsewhere, swapping a possible five nights at Madisson Square Gardens for a hot kitchen seemed like a logical step (I was young)
Armed with a really nice guitar which I only really began to appreciate as I got older I learnt to play like a one armed Steve Howe (Yes) Steve Hackett (Genesis) with a bit of Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page and monster licks from Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) for when the neighbours were in the garden.
During my formative years as a chef I never took my guitar and flight case on my travels, usually because my room was so small it would have been me or the guitar and anyone who has done the Preston to Oxenholme part of the London-Glasgow train journey would sympathise.
My brother studied the guitar and played it properly, when I played the opening chords of a Van Halen number he would play the solo and now following his return to the fold I have decided to dust off the old six string and give all those die hard Led Zep fans what they’ve been waiting for-my version of Whole Lotta Love on out of tune strings which really should have been consigned to history many moons ago.
Here’s my old guitar, it stands quietly in a corner of the room collecting dust (until saturday which is dusting day) but every time I glance across at those machine heads I recall a happy, carefree time of my life when nothing else mattered other than building an LP collection, learning a new Thin Lizzy riff and playing snooker on a Friday night with the hope of a sneaky pint.
I still associate certain songs with certain times in my life; Thin Lizzy at the babysitters, skipping school to listen to Hendrix with my old school mate, drunken dances to George Benson with the boys at the Flamingo in ‘86, Motorhead played just for ‘der Englander’ at a local bar in a German town, Chris Rea with an old sous chef from Middlesborough to ‘Wives and Lovers’ on a january night in a one bedroomed flat in Lincoln, well, you know who you are.
What’s yours, I’d love to know.
Rock On Dude \m/
Glad to hear you’re plank spanking again !
I’m loving it myself - do yourself a favour and go to YouTube - search for your favourite guitarists and bands - it’s staggering.
I must be great learning today, when I think I used to site there lifting record needles back and back all the time. Waiting for Guitar Player Magazine to come from America etc etc.
Now you can go on the net, download songs, download the guitar tab for it - brilliant.
Yesterday I sat here and watched video clips on YouTube of Paul Gilbert then Yngwie Malmsteen giving guitar lessons !
Keep it Up and keep us updated as to how it’s going
Rod
Stunning photograph btw
August 21, 2007 @ 9:14 am
Rod,
I remeber waiting for Guitar Player to come out, I had one with an article on John McLaughlin’s warm up scale runs-rocket science would have been easier to digest.
You tube has got an amazing library of videos-just searching for McLaughlin/Shakti unearthed some real diamonds.
Miles
August 21, 2007 @ 12:57 pm
What’s yours, I’d love to know.
The ones that stick in my mind are:
First hearing eruption by Van Halen
First hearing Black Star by Yngwie Malmsteen
First hearing Attitude Song by Steve Vai
And one just an hour ago
Jason Becker Paganini’s 5th YouTube.
Tragically Jason was struck down with a paralyzing disease, he cannot move or speak now - a tragedy
August 21, 2007 @ 7:36 pm
Rod,
Can’t argue with those and I understand why. Didn’t Tommy Vance use ‘Eruption’ as a filler on his rock show? Three outstanding guitarists-they carried on where Hendrix left off and as good as Page/Iommi/Blackmore were back then I don’t believe they had the same impact.
Incidentally who is the new kid on the block?
Miles
August 21, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Miles
rock guitar history and growth went like this
Jimi Hendrix
Eddie Van Halen
Steve Vai
To a lesser extent Yngwie comes after EVH but they were the ones that actually shaped the sound and style of hard rock !
Not sure who the latest flavour of the month is - I suspect it’s still Steve Vai - I’ll look into it.
Best
Rod
August 22, 2007 @ 8:35 am