Best David Bowie Guitarist

mick

Wayne or Ronson?

Alomar.

Alomar, with Ronson and Bowie himself behind.

Dave Grohl.

Fripp

Alomar, with Ronson and Bowie himself behind.

Mick Ronson, for guitar, piano, string arrangements.

Alomar by a comfortable distance

More I find out about Mick Ronson, the impressed I am with the guy. I mean all of those string arrangements alone on Ziggy are worth something. And the bass line on Walk on the Wild side? Kind of wish Bowie would have kept him on the payroll through Diamond Dogs.

And the bass line on Walk on the Wild side?

What?

I listened to Diamond Dogs for the first time in 25 years yesterday, and was surprised at how well Bowie plays on it. I forget which song it is (and it's not the one Alan Parker plays on), but he does a solo and I realized, "oh right, that's Bowie! He's pretty good!"

/And the bass line on Walk on the Wild side?/

What?

Unless he wrote it.

According to Strange Fascination, Ronson attending those sessions with Reed and Bowie and came up with that line during the recording. There were some other funny bits about Lou complaining that he couldn't understand anything Mick said due to his thick accent.

I really like Ronson but he was a pretty basic guitarist.
so Alomar I guess (although not voting for Nile in a best guitarist poll is sacrilege !).

and yeah, I don't think he actually performed the bass line - he just wrote it.

Mick Ronson, for guitar, piano, string arrangements.

sure but the poll is only about the guitar, isn't it ?

and yeah, I don't think he actually performed the bass line - he just wrote it.

Flowers takes credit for it on the DVD doc about Transformer

...and elsewhere, and given other amazing and weird lines he's played and written (Jump Into the Fire for one) I tend to believe him.

Belew is going to get robbed here, but it's his own fault for everything he's done post-Thrak.

I generally like Belew with Bowie, but hearing him do the "Stay" riff in '78 makes me ia. He's trying to quirky-it-up -- an admirable impulse in general, but it really doesn't suit the "Stay" riff at all.

alomar >>>>>>

Non-Fripp answers not computing.

fripp sure is great at standing at precise distances away from his amp but alomar is an unparalleled rhythm guitarist and imo should win this just for inventing the "fame" riff

Definitely Alomar, I even forgive him for Glass Spider and the two-handed fretboard tapping craziness.

probably alomar for versitility and longevity.

fripp and belew for sheer inventiveness

earl slick for being a great mimic for all these parts other people wrote

david torn did nice work on heathen, instantly recognizable to me in "sunday", not sure if people are aware of or into his ECM record with Levin and Bruford but I loved it, it's like an alternate universe ECM Crimson.

Dunno why I didn't include Slick.

Definitely Alomar, I even forgive him for Glass Spider and the two-handed fretboard tapping craziness.

― Michael Jones,

Poor guy. He was sick of never getting credit and now he had to share it with Frampton.

Alomar. Didn't even have to think about it. Brilliant guitarist.

Earl Slick, because everyone else will vote for Ronno and Alomar, and I love how he plays

Earl Slick zing New Zealand style

Alomar, then Fripp, then Ronson.

The answer is Mick Ronson, you guys are overthinking this

did bowie or ronson write the riff for Ziggy Stardust? if it was ronson, i regret my vote

Saw this in a pub the other day, guess he did ok for having his arm amputated above the elbow.

http://i.imgur.com/BhmZqOc.jpg

I really hope that album was called Blood is Slicker Than Water

or maybe Slick to Your Stomach

Slick as a Brick

slick of the fwitch

Slick as a Dog

In Slickness and in Health

Slick up your ears

Slicking in the Seventies

Oil Slick

Down With the Slickness

Ugh...I Think I'm Gonna Be Slick

^^^winner

The Earl of Slick

Touch Me I'm Slick

This has to be ALOMAR!

Alomar, aside from being a wonderful guitarist and, from the sounds of it, a down-to-earth guy also has a wonderful surname which sounds like some kind of battle cry when shouted at loud volumes... ALOMAAAAAAAAAAR! You could shout it when chopping down trees as a replacement for the well-worn "TIMBEEEEEEER!", or even when you've teed off that seriously hot drive on the golf course... *sound of golf club hitting ball* "ALOMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!"

Like, um, Remember The Alomar?

https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mabdrqcdMo1qa2sgk.jpg

If this is the direction this thread is going, take a look at some of the names up there... we could be here until (Keith) Christmas.

No G.E. Smith?

Loved him on the Scary Monsters era stuff.

He nails Ronson's Life On Mars solo here on Carson (~2m25s):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkefglL9c4c

... but yeah that is a pretty amazing Ashes to Ashes too, he & Carlos have great interplay.

If this is the direction this thread is going, take a look at some of the names up there... we could be here until (Keith) Christmas.

― Michael Jones, Monday, February 1, 2016 11:00 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'd like to propose "Tony Viscunti", which is what you'd get if you crossed the world famous producer of several David Bowie records with mattresslessness.

or "Dave Grohl" bc you are the Dave Grohl of ilx

No G.E. Smith?

I couldn't find any info verifying that he played on any albums. I was under the impression he just toured with Bowie.

or "Dave Grohl" bc you are the Dave Grohl of ilx

― Toof Seteltha (Sufjan Grafton), Monday, February 1, 2016 11:14 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah, I'll accept that!

Fripp, for what could be the greatest guitar riff in history. It's certainly in the conversation.

I couldn't find any info verifying that he played on any albums

isn't that him on Dancing in the Streets?

Robert Fripp in a way was a specialist on Bowie records. He was brought in to be Fripp and while that worked genius on Heroes, it might not have worked on other tracks. Fripp did similar appearances with Peter Gabriel too.

For me, Scary Monsters is basically a Robert Fripp album with some guy on vocals.

part 4 of the M.O.R. trilogy

What else did Stacey Haydon play on? I only know him from the Nassau Coliseum '76 show (where he's hilariously introduced by Bowie as, "a Canadian, but a guitarist nonetheless").

Page Hamilton??

xp

I don't know, but he's on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyheydon

Says he recorded and toured with Bowie between 1975 and 1980, but no singles or albums mentioned.

Alomar in the Five Years saying he was kinda weirded out by the Happy Confident Bowie of the 80s is classic.

So is his guitar playing.

In the Five Years doc, that is.

I don't know, but he's on LinkedIn!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyheydon

Says he recorded and toured with Bowie between 1975 and 1980, but no singles or albums mentioned.

― Darin, Monday, February 1, 2016 7:23 PM (14 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Previous Ready Golf Centers, David Bowie Band

yeah...um...might wanna put Bowie first there.

If we did this for bass, would vote for George Murray.

Sund4r, this Saturday your man Prasanna will be doing a Bowie tribute.

Hell yeah, re: Murray

Alomar, Murray and Davis were a heckuva band.
Writing must've been fun, knowing you had that machine behind you.

Ha, you weren't joking, James Redd!

Perhaps I will attend and engage him in a discussion about that first "Starman" chord.

Pedantic, but Fripp was more than just a sci-fi specialist cameo with Gabriel. He toured with him and produced/played on his second record. With Bowie, it always seemed like he literally just sat down and ripped out a few solos over the course of a day and then left.

so, clearly it will be an Alomar/Ronson fight (with Fripp third on the podium).
and it seems Carlos will make it to the top !

Perhaps I will attend and engage him in a discussion about that first "Starman" chord.

isn't it Bb/A ?

Heydon's brief time with Bowie was amazing, at least from what can be heard from the Isolar bootlegs. The "Panic in detroit" version from that tour is probably my favorite. I'd totally go for him but he didn't contribute to any of the studio albums, though.

The sensible choice would be Alomar.

so, clearly it will be an Alomar/Ronson fight (with Fripp third on the podium).
and it seems Carlos will make it to the top !

_Perhaps I will attend and engage him in a discussion about that first "Starman" chord._

isn't it Bb/A ?
--AlXTC from Paris

I think that chord is when you make the F chord unbarred, then slide it up to to give it a B flat with the high E string ringing out. That's what I've been playing for years and it sounds right.

George Murray appears to have vanished from the face of the earth.

Almost a 3-way tie between Ronson, Alomar, and Fripp, but Alomar gets it for longevity and consistency, and for being vaguely rude about Brian Eno.

I suspect Eno would say the same thing actually.

Pedantic, but Fripp was more than just a sci-fi specialist cameo with Gabriel. He toured with him and produced/played on his second record. With Bowie, it always seemed like he literally just sat down and ripped out a few solos over the course of a day and then left.

OK so I'm the sole vote for Reeves?

If that is how Fripp worked on Bowie's records then that just makes it all the more impressive to me.

I couldn't believe the guitar playing on "Scary Monsters". At age 13 or whatever, it sounded like the most malevolent, demented thing ever

Absolutely the high water mark for Fripp's playing, and that's saying a LOT.

I was gonna say, his playing on Scary Monsters is as good as anything he's done in his entire career, Crim included.
One of these times I'm going to need to rank the top 10 Fripp performances...

Voted for Carlos but having second thoughts, was listening to Ronno this morning, need to listen to Scary Monsters properly.

What the...? Options are screwy on Zing, don't match when clicked through.

Fripp high water mark is Eno's "St. Elmo's Fire."

Greatest Fripp moments poll seeming like a pretty good idea all of a sudden

poll limit is 50, could be tough narrowing it down

Fripp high water mark is Eno's "St. Elmo's Fire." "Baby's on Fire"

Huh i thought that was manzanera all these years

Me too

OK so I'm the sole vote for Reeves?

Ha, iirc, that's not the first time that ilxors have mistaken Fripp for Manzanera on "Baby's on Fire"!

Huh i thought that was manzanera all these years

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, February 3, 2016 10:36 PM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Me too

― Glissendorfin' Machine (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, February 3, 2016 10:39 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Same. I was sternly corrected right here on ILM.

It should be put in the FAQ.

some people even claim paul rudolph from the pink faires is the main soloist on BoF. fuckers have no discerning ears, who else but fripp could've played something that idiosyncratic in 1973?

Sure, when you put it that way.

_Perhaps I will attend and engage him in a discussion about that first "Starman" chord._

isn't it Bb/A ?

Sund4r, I asked the guitarist in question and while he acknowledged the possibility of other notes he hadn't listened on headphones yet so was just playing a straight Bb chord.

xpost Love Fripp, love Eno, don't love the Baby's On Fire solo/song. But St. Elmo's Fire is so pretty, and so mysterious, and the solo so magical.

I think I like Fripp's solo on "Golden Hours" best of all of his Eno solos.

Copied cheekily by Fripp pal Andy Summers on "Mother."

Sund4r, I asked the guitarist in question and while he acknowledged the possibility of other notes he hadn't listened on headphones yet so was just playing a straight Bb chord.

I wasn't part of that discussion tbh but maybe I'll take a listen some time. Cool that you got to talk to him, though. I'm listening to Tirtha right now.

I've seen it (and it sounds like) Bb(#11)/A = x03330. So I guess like a B with the open A string ringing?

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Haven't heard that album, Sund4r. Prasanna said he had never paid much attention to Bowie but when Blackstar came out he knew some of the cats who played on it - he had once had Jason Lindner come out to that music school he used to run in Chennai- so he finally tuned in. His wife was already a fan so she helped him go through the catalogue. He had some good players in the band I was unfamiliar with, particularly Swiss-Indian keyboard player Manu Koch, but also an electric bass player named Steve Jenkins.

OK so I'm the sole vote for Reeves?

― got a long list of ilxors (fgti), Wednesday, February 3, 2016 4:49 PM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

nope

Hm. Assume that keyboard player is part Indian due to his name, but web only says Swiss. Anyway sorry for the derail, back to Fripp et al.

Saw the Five Years doc last night and Carlos walks it. Not just, it appears, a lovely human being but someone versatile enough to come on board for Young Americans and stick around until Scary Monsters, playing equally well alongside Earl Slick and Robert Fripp. The bit where he demonstrates how he wrote the guitar parts for Fame is a joy.

Fripp seemed like a very strange man. I've never seen him interviewed before. Like someone constantly enjoying a malevolent private joke.

Whoever said on the RIP thread that Fripp's speaking style had been greatly influenced by his sister is dead right (or perhaps it's mutual). Patricia Fripp is a professional speech coach and I'm sure some of those techniques (say something...stop...wait for it to sink in...don't elaborate...DO YOU SEE) are great for sales teams, pretty jarring for a docu talking head.

Yeah, Alomar is great in that doc. I also like the anecdote about how Bowie named the song following Lennon's groal.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Carlos Alomar - the non solo solo on Look Back In Anger is such a great moment.

Also LOL at Earl Slick Band's album titles.

"Copied cheekily by Fripp pal Andy Summers on "Mother.""

holy shit I never noticed this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFBZQXMAhek

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I can hang with that top 3 p. hard

lol @ Bowie outranking Gabrels, deservedly.

Alphabetically

Glad to see somebody voted for Stevie Ray. I despise him with the exception of Let's Dance, in which he's perfect.

It's early, but is that exactly 100 votes?

it is!

oh yes, Carlos !
sad for Nile... (and who voted for Lenny Kravitz ??)

true, Nile got robbed - maybe there's been a saturation in the public awareness or smth

Poor Adrian Belew too - he had to reproduce all those Fripperies live, y'know. No multi-tracks, no Eno processing. A pony-tail really does cost you about 10 votes around here, doesn't it?

entirely as it should be

Belew is the only Bowie guitarist I've seen live and he did all kinds of mad shreddy-shuddery things to "Stay" but otherwise mostly behaved himself ;)

For years I was convinced they'd played "Pretty Pink Rose" in what was supposed to be a greatest hits set (Sound and Vision Tour) but I'd conflated the Milton Keynes show (which I'd heard on radio) with the Manchester show (which I attended). Still, half-a-point off for that.

earl slick got robbed too

dave grohl as well

they did play pretty pink rose on the sound and vision tour.

Sorry, wasn't clear - they did play it in Milton Keynes, but not in Manchester. But, as the years have passed, I'd convinced myself they'd pissed away five minutes of a tight 90min Manchester set on PPR (the gig I actually went to).

Voted Gabrels because imo he's the most inventive guitarist of the bunch, and gets extra favour from me for not only being great on my favourite Bowie album "Outside" and being wonderful on "Earthling"-- the solo on "Dead Man Walking" is along with Fripp on "It's No Game" and Alomar on "Golden Years" my favourite guitar thing in Bowie's catalog-- but also being the only positive thing about so many of the worst albums

Voted Gabrels because imo he's the most inventive guitarist of the bunch

http://www.imagesbuddy.com/images/83/2013/08/lol-rainbow-graphic.gif

Apropos, my Discover Weekly playlist this week features Tin Machine's cover of "Working Class Hero" which is definitely a "go slow, rail damaged" section of the program.

which are the worst albums? tin machine ii?

I thought I'd give the Tin Machine albums a proper go because revisionism is fun but, boringly, I hated them. Even the alleged highlights are pretty rotten.

I understand that live Tim Machine album is particularly bad although I've never sat through any of them. I need a decent "best of" mix spanning from "Tonight" to "Reality".

I've made a Spotify playlist from Tonight to Blackstar.

http://open.spotify.com/user/dorianlynskey/playlist/1B8GjBVqemjDbJQuFqM6Yv

Interesting. Thanks!

I've made a Spotify playlist from Tonight to Blackstar.

http://open.spotify.com/user/dorianlynskey/playlist/1B8GjBVqemjDbJQuFqM6Yv

― impossible raver (Re-Make/Re-Model), Friday, February 19, 2016 4:13 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Awesome! Thanks!!