Now I know a thing or two about guitar. For one, I'm the guitarist in a band. So I think its fair enough for me to declare Alvin Lee a guitar god. The most important attribute for a guitarist to have is soul. They need to feel the music. That is one of the reason Hendrix was so good. He truly could feel the music and control it. So could Alvin. Today I see so many guitarists "shredding" furiously up and down the neck. Some find this impressive. I do not. They stand there, emotionless, playing as fast as they can. They don't feel the music. Alvin could play fast and feel the music at the same time.
Alvin was made famous as being the guitarist of a classic rock/blues rock band named Ten Years After. You may have seen their Woodstock performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNPX-9QXgGM
Amazing work.
Oh, and he could sing too. Here is another video containing more amazing Alvin Lee guitar work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUokMbJC3P8&feature=related
Alvin and Ten Years After have some much more astounding work that they created during the late 1960's and early 1970's. Unfortunately its hard to find. You can find some good stuff at last.fm.
Every guitarist should try to emulate Alvin Lee.
Luv the guitar!
ReplyDelete-Gibson?
Yep, it was a Gibson ES-335 Custom "Big Red". It was a VERY expensive guitar:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guitarcenter.com/Gibson-Custom-Alvin-Lee--Big-Red--ES-335-Electric-Guitar-517310-i1149282.gc
$3,700! But his original was priceless of course because he built it himself.
Sweet
ReplyDeleteplease start blogging again!
ReplyDeleteTenley and I miss you!
-Samantha.
I miss your blog posts! You were like the rock guru!!! So come back and start blogging, because I need to learn more about music history, and the rock legends that walked this very earth.
ReplyDeleteYou must empower us with your words of musical wisdom!!!
Sorry for the melodramatic preacher speak, but if this doesn't get you to blog again, I don't know what will.
-Tenley