Brian - The World's Greatest Living Guitarist?

Hi Guys

Fintan here from dbTwang, just thought you might like to know that Brian is listed in a World’s Greatest Living Guitarist poll we are running on our blog, where you can vote for your top three guitarists. At the moment Joe Bonamassa is in the lead.

http://blog.dbtwang.com/worlds-greatest-living-guitarist-poll-opens/

Bests
--
Fintan

Brian Setzer, Tommy Emmanuel, Jack White. Voted, posted to Facebook. Thank you Fintan!

Andi wrote:

Brian Setzer, Tommy Emmanuel, Jack White. Voted, posted to Facebook. Thank you Fintan!

My first two were the same as yours, but I chose Jeff Beck as my third.

Jack White? Really?

Abso-frickin-lutely. His voice cracks when he's howlin' and growlin' and he does the nastiest, screamingest things I've ever heard to guitar tone, but that's all intentional. As White says about playing guitar in the movie, "It Might Get Loud," "Pick a fight with it, and win the fight." Raw passion is evident in every note Jack White plays, and that is more important to him than showcasing the talent he obviously has as a guitarist. That's what makes him a fascinating player, that's what makes me constantly listen.

Please. Watch.

Andi wrote:

Please. Watch.

I did. Of course I've heard the White Stripes before, and they just don't do anything for me, sorry... (why doesn't he find a decent drummer - and a bass player? I like the Raconteurs better!) I'm not saying he can't play, it's just that he's not on my top 10 - or 20 - or 50 - but it all boils down to personal taste, doesn't it? I like his voice and his guitar sound, though...

I hate contests like that. So many great guitarists not on the list, some over rated ones there for sure. Art is a subjective thing no doubt. Setzer certainly is my favorite rockabilly guitarist.

Man I gotta say that Tommy Emmanuel is numero uno with no doubt. Still dont know who Im a bigger fan of or whos music is more fun to play. Brians music gets the ladies and then once theyre home I finish 'em off with some Tommy. haha

gretschoholic wrote:

My first two were the same as yours.....

My third is Angus!
Rock on!

1.Brian Setzer 2. Angus Young.

a. Jimmy Hendrix
b. Stevie Ray Vaughn
c. Brian Setzer
d. Eric Sardinas


oops... L-i-v-i-n-g... oh shoot okay, okay then;

a. Jimmy Page
b. Mattias Eklund
c. Brian Setzer
d. Eric Sardinas

1 warner hodges
2 jimmy vaughan
3 brian setzer

unless you're talking the world of metal etc in which case I go

1 yngwie
2 zakk wylde
3 evh

Mine would probably be in no particular order...

Mike Campbell
Pete Townshend
Brian Setzer
Chris Cheney
Reverend Horton Heat
The Edge
John Davis (Superdrag)
Noel Gallagher
Johnny Marr
Paul Weller
Bernard Butler
Bob Mould
Ryan Adams
M. Ward
Dick Dale
Jeff Tweedy
Neil Young
Jack White
Doug Aurbach (The Black Keys)
Jimmy Page
Slash...

I probably said too many, but if it weren't for those guys I would have had less interest in playing the guitar, therefore I would have never picked one up, and if I did, I would have probably quit not too long after.

mjcodina wrote:

Brians music gets the ladies and then once theyre home I finish 'em off with some Tommy. haha

Have you every tried some Chris Isaak tunes for the "at home" part of the game!!?? specially the Forever Blue cd.... trust me, it works great too

Andi wrote:

Abso-frickin-lutely. His voice cracks when he's howlin' and growlin' and he does the nastiest, screamingest things I've ever heard to guitar tone, but that's all intentional. As White says about playing guitar in the movie, "It Might Get Loud," "Pick a fight with it, and win the fight." Raw passion is evident in every note Jack White plays, and that is more important to him than showcasing the talent he obviously has as a guitarist. That's what makes him a fascinating player, that's what makes me constantly listen.

Please. Watch.

dude is badass.. he just gets IT!! he gets it and he's taking it forward. My son just downloaded
Elephant from Itunes and I listened to it all afternoon workin on pedals.

Just posted in Other Artists- Jack is recording with Wanda Jackson! I mentioned ages ago that Jack should produce for Brian - c'mon now!!!! Let's get it done fellas!!!!

Andi wrote:

Just posted in Other Artists- Jack is recording with Wanda Jackson! I mentioned ages ago that Jack should produce for Brian - c'mon now!!!! Let's get it done fellas!!!!

sorry andy.. that idea is like the day glo Wham shirt.

hell hath no fury like Loretta Lynn's scornful eye

TV Rooles.

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

dude is badass.. he just gets IT!! he gets it and he's taking it forward. My son just downloaded
Elephant from Itunes and I listened to it all afternoon workin on pedals.

Elephant is one of my fav white stripes albums! my others would be Icky Thump and their s/t. I have Van Lear Rose, but I haven't given that a full and worthy spin all the way, yet. You should check out some Black Keys- Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory are great albums...heck they are all great. The EP of Junior Kimbrough covers they did called "Chulahoma" is awesome. The frontman, Dan Aurbach, put out a solo album last year called Keep it Hid, and it was one of my favorite albums of the year.

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

that idea is like the day glo Wham shirt.
hell hath no fury like Loretta Lynn's scornful eye

You're saying a Setzer/White collaboration is a bad idea? Just out of curiosity, why? Van Lear Rose was apparently excellent, very successful, well-received on all sides, scaled the charts, won awards... Setzer could use some of that.

Andi wrote:

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

that idea is like the day glo Wham shirt.
hell hath no fury like Loretta Lynn's scornful eye

You're saying a Setzer/White collaboration is a bad idea? Just out of curiosity, why? Van Lear Rose was apparently excellent, very successful, well-received on all sides, scaled the charts, won awards... Setzer could use some of that.

for one..Loretta Lynn is a living legend, she's part of the country godhead. Dont
mess with the Coal Miner's daughter

James Intveld or Junior Brown collaborating with Brian Setzer is great idea.. Like Whiskey and Beer with a pepperoni pizza.

Jack White collaborating with Setzer is like a Bowl of rocky road Icecream with Bacon and Blue cheese dressing.

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

Jack White collaborating with Setzer is like a Bowl of rocky road Icecream with Bacon and Blue cheese dressing.

Good one, Tavo!

gretschoholic wrote:

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

Jack White collaborating with Setzer is like a Bowl of rocky road Icecream with Bacon and Blue cheese dressing.

Good one, Tavo!

please pass the croutons

I'm gonna weigh in here as well against Jack White -surely the most over-rated guitarist of modern times. I've already posted a similar rant on the other artists page -but c'mon folks -as I said elsewhere -blues for people who've never heard a real blues record. All the indy kids reading NME thinking something new is happening - IT'S NOT!

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

James Intveld or Junior Brown collaborating with Brian Setzer...

...would be boring and completely expected and wouldn't do anything for any of their careers or the interestingness of their musical output. The whole point of Jack White collaborating with Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs, Wanda Jackson, etc is to bring something new and unexpected to the music. Not to mention exposing roots music to a crowd that otherwise may never have listened to it. Just like Setzer exposed a lot of us to music we may not have otherwise known about, White is showcasing the previously mentioned artists, as well as the Flat Duo Jets and Dex Romweber and a whole host of new, unknown bands, to a new generation of listeners, fans and music buyers. Again I say, Setzer could use some of that.

My prediction, Third Man Records is going to take the world by storm and will go down in history as one of those really important record labels, somewhere between Motown and SubPop. The volume of high quality output they're able to achieve from their little Nashville headquarters, and especially the immediacy of it (Jack agrees to work with someone one day and two weeks later has music to sell) means that they're going to be prolific for a very long time.

EDIT: "boring and completely expected" is a little harsh. I know that a lot of US would find those collaborations exciting. Hell, I swoon at the thought of Setzer/Intveld - but the fact remains it wouldn't be doing anything groundbreaking.

I wouldn't say that Jack White is the best guitarist in the world, but the man has "it" whatever mojo voodoo and hoodoo "it" may be. Plus, he gets praise from legendary musicians and guitarists...Bob Dylan, Pagey, Billy Gibbons, etc. His playing is just as nutty and eccentric as he is, I mean a copper bodied custom "triple jet" with an MXR micro amp in it? A modified 6118 jr with a built in bullet mic, micro amp and theramin?? Insane!! I have yet to check out "It Might Get Loud", but I may just have a "to do" for the weekend now. Doesn't it open with White making a slide guitar with one string and a 2x4? I really didn't appreciate what Jack White could do until I heard The Racontuers, I had White Blood Cells for years...and never got into it the same with the first Racontuers album, after I got Consolers of the Lonely (Racontuers second album), I "got it" and the domino effect happened. I think this spring and summer Jack White was listening music for a good 85% of the time.

Third Man records is going to be a good model for future record labels...I've read somewhere that they'll be doing vinyl records and singles as "tangible" music for the most part and digital releases for those who need msuic at their fingertips. Ofcourse I can only imagine they'll be releasing the occasional CD.