The Most Influential and Innovative Rock Guitarist Since Hendrix?

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Has this been done to death? Apologies if so. Anyway, on the Police reunion thread it was stated that Andy Sommers had written in his memoir that it is he himself who wears that mantle. Eyebrows were raised. But then I got to wondering... Who truly deserves this distinction?

― Particlewave (particlewave), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 19:32 (eighteen years ago)

GOOD LUCK, AND GOD SPEED!

― John Justen goes to work like an architect (johnjusten), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 19:33 (eighteen years ago)

How influential was Hendrix? I see his style as kind of coming out of Jeff Beck-like psychedelic abstraction. I don't know if that aesthetic continued much beyond Hendrix.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:13 (eighteen years ago)

Kevin Shields or the Sonic Youth guys

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:16 (eighteen years ago)

My vote would go to Eddie Van Halen. His soloing style was copied endlessly, and had a huge impact on hard rock and heavy metal guitarists-- for better or for worse.

― richard wood johnson (rwj), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:17 (eighteen years ago)

return influential + innovative;

NAN

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:18 (eighteen years ago)

Hendrix is to the guitar what Art Tatum was to the piano: They were the best, but their influence was limited by the mere fact that no one could play like them.

As far as influence (not innnovation) goes, I would put in a word for Keith Richards. Chuck Berry came first and Richards stole all his riffs, but Keith is the one who's carried the torch all these years. More musicians have learned how to play rock and roll guitar by listening to the Rolling Stones than Berry.

― Jim M (jmcgaw), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:27 (eighteen years ago)

eddie absolutely!

(neither keef nor chuck qualifies as "since hendrix")

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:28 (eighteen years ago)

My vote would go to Eddie Van Halen.
And he single-handedly invented hair metal.

Actually, that's very true in terms of influence. I don't know if I'd use the superlative, but very influential across many genres...esp. if you think of the riff from, say, "Ain't talkin bout love."

Innovative is impossible to quantify though.

― William Selman (William Selman), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:36 (eighteen years ago)

two more massive influencers, one pre and one post, on behalf of the semi-talented masses like me:

roger mcguinn, patron saint of the open d/dsus2/dsus4 riff.

neil young, patron saint of self-taught solo troubadours everywhere.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 20:53 (eighteen years ago)

and of course the edge, patron saint of every guitarist in every "tasteful" "interesting" "alternative" rock band for the past two decades.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:00 (eighteen years ago)

Andy Gill

― Phil Knight (PhilK), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:00 (eighteen years ago)

Doesn't The Edge cop a lot from John McGeoch tho? Who I'd argue has been ridiculously influential.

― It's Tough to Beat Illious (noodle vague), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:02 (eighteen years ago)

Doesn't The Edge cop a lot from John McGeoch tho? Who I'd argue has been ridiculously influential.

He's admitted as such (along with copping from Verlaine/Lloyd)

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:04 (eighteen years ago)

so, arguably, they get the innovation points but he gets the influence points, since i'm reasonably sure the average guitarist for the average crap alt-rock band is a lot more likely to be familiar with u2 than with, say, magazine.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Wednesday, 7 February 2007 21:23 (eighteen years ago)

yeah, Eddie's got a very high score. Probably the one to beat.

xpost -> Point of clarification: any material released after Jimi's main output is eligible as long as the rock guitarist in question is still evolving along the influence/innovation axis.

So Keef is not automatically disqualified.

I'm thinking Jimmy Page, Duane Allman and perhaps even Adrian Belew have high scores, also. And Jerry Garcia could top all of these three.

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:17 (eighteen years ago)

Garcia seconded, Verlaine sure did copy him and if the Edge admits copping Verlaine then...

note that I do not particularly like Garcia's playing.

I think Eddie still wins.

― sleeve (sleeve), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:25 (eighteen years ago)

Jimmy Page easily. No contest. EVH is nowhere close.

LZ forever bros.

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 8 February 2007 00:26 (eighteen years ago)

another thought re: the lineage of post Hendrix influence -> Page+Howe=Van Halen

xxpost (2nd answer) There are currently at least two vibrant branches of active Hendrixian influence: 1) the bluesier stuff via SRV and his many wannabe's and 2) the rockier stuff prominently put out by Prince and John Mayer of late.

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:05 (eighteen years ago)

I've never heard a Prince guitar solo that sounded much like Hendrix. Maybe there are some...

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:08 (eighteen years ago)

WHAT IS TEH PLANET

seriously, the Edge? are you fuckin nuts?

― the table is the table (treesessplode), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:10 (eighteen years ago)

Tim, did you not see the Super Bowl halftime show?

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:14 (eighteen years ago)

Eric Clapton

― tk (tk), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:15 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, I did. Loud fast riffing with hammer-ons and string bending does not necessarily mean that it has much in common with Hendrix.

x-post

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:17 (eighteen years ago)

I'd also go for Eddie Van Halen. Nile Rodgers may be a contender, unless everything he did had already been done by Jimmy Nolen.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:22 (eighteen years ago)

Tom Scholz?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:23 (eighteen years ago)

Also, Peter Hook may be a bass player, but his playing style sort of makes him an innovative guitar player too. For instance, Robert Smith's guitar playing is heavily influenced by Hook's bass work.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:27 (eighteen years ago)

xpost - Wholesale channeling of the classic Hendrix archetype is what I almost always see and hear when Prince pulls off a rock solo. The half-time thing was no exception to me. But, you know, eye of the beholder and all that. I don't mean straight emulation, but the influence seems hyper-evident.

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:31 (eighteen years ago)

Glenn Branca, anyone?

― to scour or to pop? (Haberdager), Thursday, 8 February 2007 02:32 (eighteen years ago)

three votes...

Television's gemini twin-guitar mindfuck, Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd: guitar of the mind, not the fingers.

George Harrison, his sense of melody makes me feel retarded.

Anyone who ignored whatever Eddie Van Halen did.

― Geoff Smith (radiojesus), Thursday, 8 February 2007 03:21 (eighteen years ago)

" anyone who ignored what EVH did"

Now we're back to Andy Sommers......

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 03:27 (eighteen years ago)

the term "influential" really mucks things up here

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Thursday, 8 February 2007 04:12 (eighteen years ago)

ben gibbard

― mr. bribsly (drich), Thursday, 8 February 2007 04:22 (eighteen years ago)

There are currently at least two vibrant branches of active Hendrixian influence: 1) the bluesier stuff via SRV and his many wannabe's and 2) the rockier stuff prominently put out by Prince and John Mayer of late.

John Mayer has an SRV tattoo. I'm not sure what does to this theory.

Influential and innovative do seem like two mutually exclusive, impossible to quantify qualities... popularizers have rarely been innovators, for better or worse.

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 8 February 2007 04:25 (eighteen years ago)

Do we have consensus that Hendrix managed to pull it off?

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 04:34 (eighteen years ago)

who are the big punky guitarists? who played with richard hell on, say, 'blank generation'?

― shudder redduhs (shudder), Thursday, 8 February 2007 07:34 (eighteen years ago)

My vote: John Mclaughlin and Keiji Haino (tie)

― Spine Swine (Roger Fidelity), Thursday, 8 February 2007 10:06 (eighteen years ago)

tony iommi. haino. agata. branca. EVH. east bay ray. dylan carlson.

― m the g (mister the guanoman), Thursday, 8 February 2007 10:13 (eighteen years ago)

who are the big punky guitarists? who played with richard hell on, say, 'blank generation'?

Robert Quine and Ivan Julien

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 10:15 (eighteen years ago)

Johnny Marr ? (although he was himself heavily influenced by keef. yet I find his guitar playing pretty different and quite unique).

― AleXTC (AleXTC), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:06 (eighteen years ago)

What about Lou Reed? Guess the VU era is a little close to Hendrix' time to qualify as "post-Jimi", but thinking The Blue Mask/ New Sensation... I'd say his sound has had a noticable following. Or maybe I'm missing some serious influence backtracking here.

― the Dirt (FunkDirt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:40 (eighteen years ago)

His influence on indie rock rhythm guitar playing is pretty large

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:41 (eighteen years ago)

Have we had whoever played guitar for Michael Brecker yet?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:46 (eighteen years ago)

you thinking Pat Metheny?

― the Dirt (FunkDirt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 11:54 (eighteen years ago)

I can't recall whether it was Rod or Jane or Freddy.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 8 February 2007 12:25 (eighteen years ago)

metheny is a good candidate in some respects. Great guitarist, original, but don't have a clue as to if he's been very influential

― the Dirt (FunkDirt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:12 (eighteen years ago)

Radiohead seem to like his chord changes.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 8 February 2007 13:43 (eighteen years ago)

Eddie Hazel.

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:06 (eighteen years ago)

Whatever did happen to Stanley Jordan and his "revolutionary" technique (nb ilmers plz remind me what his revolutionary technique was kthnx)?

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

Kind of... oh how do you describe it? A sort of "hammering on" technique...

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:11 (eighteen years ago)

... with the right hand

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:11 (eighteen years ago)

Tapping?

― strom (strom), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:12 (eighteen years ago)

It's coming back to me now...Keith Rowe for Desmond Carrington fans.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:12 (eighteen years ago)

Ah yes, that's it! Tapping!

― Tom D. (Dada), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:12 (eighteen years ago)

Well, that is still hot among the 12 year old crowd.

― strom (strom), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

Is that what Kaki King does? cue avalanche of protesting Leo Kottke fanatics...

― about:coffee (fandango), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

As well as Ani Defranco...

― Particlewave (particlewave), Thursday, 8 February 2007 14:59 (eighteen years ago)

jeff mironov

― dave q (listerine), Thursday, 8 February 2007 17:12 (eighteen years ago)

james bla pahuini

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 8 February 2007 17:16 (eighteen years ago)

Bill Frisell, but maybe this is wishful thinking on my part...

― yours fondly, harshaw. (mrgn), Thursday, 8 February 2007 17:34 (eighteen years ago)

I think the whole mistake here is equating "influential" with "having a bunch of later dudes who cop your style."

Hendrix does have plenty of those, btw, they're just mostly lame. But I think the "psychedelic abstraction" that Hendrix brought, mentioned above, is pretty influential. He was a major pioneer in terms of using effects as part of the music instead of just dressing for it, and a lot of players whose playing doesn't immediately call to mind Hendrix were probably influenced by this.

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 8 February 2007 17:57 (eighteen years ago)

agreed. i think blue cheer would be the first to acknowledge the huge influence of Hendrix and that opens up everything from psych to punk to garage to metal to grunge...

― QuantumNoise (Justin Farrar), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:06 (eighteen years ago)

And btw I think a huge part of why most guitarists sound lame playing "Hendrix style" is that they lack his mastery of effects and sonics

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:09 (eighteen years ago)

Kurt Cobain's influence on the 90's is equal to EVH's influence on the 80's, and Page's Influence on the 70's.

Cobain was the dude who crystalized the idea that spandex and floyd rose locking tremeloes were for assholes. It isn't about who had the best technical licks, it is about who embodies the ideal for young guitarists to copy. Cobain was that dude.

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:24 (eighteen years ago)

I thought of Cobain too, which led me to thinking about power chords, which led me to wondering if there's been anyone more influential on the "all-power-chord" school of guitar playing than Tony Iommi (obviously not strictly an all-power-chord player himself, but was known to build entire songs around them)

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:29 (eighteen years ago)

A-rom is OTM

― Disco Nihilist (mjt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:37 (eighteen years ago)

xpost

I suspect that modern-day wah-wahs and Univibes and whatnot haven't got the "bite" of the old ones that Hendrix used. (Not that I have any kind of technical knowledge to back that up, y'understand.)

― M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:50 (eighteen years ago)

John Darnielle

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Thursday, 8 February 2007 18:52 (eighteen years ago)

the ghost of Robert Johnson

― the Dirt (FunkDirt), Thursday, 8 February 2007 19:42 (eighteen years ago)

yeah actually the answer here is probably johnny ramone

― whatever i do, it's right (teenagequiet), Thursday, 8 February 2007 19:49 (eighteen years ago)

WTF this thread is so friendly and respectful in tone, it's like I don't even know you anymore, ILM.

― blotter Budweiser Hackeysadk (nickalicious), Thursday, 8 February 2007 20:03 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.kolumbus.fi/janne.toivoniemi/kuvat/mtvbuckethead.jpg
Dear MTV News,

BRAAAAAAIIIIIIINNS.

― blotter Budweiser Hackeysadk (nickalicious), Thursday, 8 February 2007 20:04 (eighteen years ago)

I must say I welcome the return of "influential" to ILM discussion - I understand the critical reaction to its past overuse and inflated importance as a concept, but to completely discard it just seems silly

― A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Thursday, 8 February 2007 22:36 (eighteen years ago)

I think this thread seriously needs some thrash/metal input, so I'll stick in my vote for Dr. Know of the Bad Brains. There's probably an argument to be made for the axemen from Discharge and Celtic Frost, but I'll leave that to others.

― Soukesian (Soukesian), Thursday, 8 February 2007 23:44 (eighteen years ago)

. . oh, and nobody's mentioned Thurston or Lee yet.

― Soukesian (Soukesian), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:00 (eighteen years ago)

yeah actually the answer here is probably johnny ramone

that's a damn good answer. and though johnny was an extremely gifted rhythm guitarist (way underrated in my opinion), i'd add him to my list way upthread of mega influences on the semi-talented masses.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:22 (eighteen years ago)

I think the whole mistake here is equating "influential" with "having a bunch of later dudes who cop your style."
Hendrix does have plenty of those, btw, they're just mostly lame.

So James Brown wasn't influential after all, then? :)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 9 February 2007 00:40 (eighteen years ago)

I drank Mark S's delish koolaid and think the whole concept must be kicked to the curb

― Thomas Tallis (Tommy), Friday, 9 February 2007 01:11 (eighteen years ago)

Ok - I'll go a little left field here - but honestly - where would hard rock and thrash/black/many-subgenres of Metal be without the fine tremolo picking of Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman of the immortal SLAYER!

― M T (BlackIronPrison), Friday, 9 February 2007 04:16 (eighteen years ago)

Cobain was oh-so the return of Greg Sage

― factcheckr (factcheckr), Friday, 9 February 2007 04:32 (eighteen years ago)

Lenny Kravitz Obviously.

― Michael Marolda (FirstBass), Friday, 9 February 2007 04:47 (eighteen years ago)

The key here, I guess, is grunge wasn't about guitar gods, it was more about tearing down the guitar god. And this even transcended to the Britpop scene, where Bernard Butler was sort of the only guitar hero (plus John Squire, but Stone Roses predated Britpop and grunge)

So it will have to be some heavy metal guitarist, and obviously Eddie Van Halen is the one who more or less created the style.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 9 February 2007 12:24 (eighteen years ago)

The guitarists from Iron Maiden, Slayer and Metallica have been fairly influential on several dozen metal sub-genres.

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Friday, 9 February 2007 13:13 (eighteen years ago)

and those from metallica were influenced by those from maiden who were influenced by those from judas priest who were influenced by those from thin lizzy who were influenced by...

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Friday, 9 February 2007 15:37 (eighteen years ago)

I would say Metallica were more influenced by Slayer than by the ones you mention.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 10 February 2007 01:27 (eighteen years ago)

You probably would say that, but you would also be wrong.

― John Justen hai gotha ah c'fhalma jungian hamster geb uaaah (johnjusten), Saturday, 10 February 2007 01:29 (eighteen years ago)

Phil Manzanara. For everything--everything--except metal, he's the point man.

The Ramones? Listen to Virginia Plain.

Self-concious 'art' guitar of the Belew mold? Right here.

Wall-of-noise of the Shields variety? Manzanara was doing it in '74.

Orchestral guitar that isn't literal ala Brian May--Phil.

Surf guitar repuposed as weird power assualt? Man's the man. In a way, Peter Hook--who surely knew Roxy by heart--took his style from this, although I'd agree that Hook was a refiner of the melodic, one-string melodic thing.

For metal--yes, Eddie.

Texture-wise, the only person doing almost startling things is Matt Bellamy and the guy from Secret Machines.

― Grey, Ian (IanBrooklyn), Saturday, 10 February 2007 06:52 (eighteen years ago)

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