The Most Influential Song or Album

[Charvelguy]

Kiss Alive
I'm a little older ...I still have my 45's.

I agree with that and "DESTROYER" setteled the deal

totally dude, it was like dynomite (using some 70's terms .

Detroit Rock City & Shout it out Loud are timeless rockers that always want me to crank up the radio.

[scott]

Shameless plug

If y'all want to, "Shout It Out Loud", have a listen ...

It's 35 years since the first 'Alive' tour and they're over here in Europe from May but there are no UK dates!!

[redbaron]

Man, I can´t believe to see so many Kiss loyalists here! Kiss was always THE antithesis for me, not only because of the antics but because I thought the guitar playing was just not up to it. Kiss guitarists never appeared in the musicians magazines I read, and if they appeared, the article normally opened with an excuse, sth like: "Yes, we know he´s no Gilmore, Moore or even an Adrian Smith, but Kiss´ success is undeniable, so here comes an interview with Bruce Kulick".

Of course I know that my view was quite unbalanced back then, and a couple of years ago I happily played a cover of "I was made for loving you" on a gig

[JohnN]

Man, I can´t believe to see so many Kiss loyalists here! Kiss was always THE antithesis for me, not only because of the antics but because I thought the guitar playing was just not up to it. Kiss guitarists never appeared in the musicians magazines I read, and if they appeared, the article normally opened with an excuse, sth like: "Yes, we know he´s no Gilmore, Moore or even an Adrian Smith, but Kiss´ success is undeniable, so here comes an interview with Bruce Kulick".

Of course I know that my view was quite unbalanced back then, and a couple of years ago I happily played a cover of "I was made for loving you" on a gig

I used to take exception to the guitar (and overall rock) snobbery among many of my peers. Especially in high school. If it wasn't John McLaughlin or Carlos Santana or Yes or ELP, you must be a bottom-feeder who listened to drek.

I like all of the above a lot, but I am a HUGE Deep Purple fan, and I do like KISS (don't own any, not even downloaded but I like them), Slade, and Weird Al Yankovic.

So I am really pleased to read this thread here. Thanks redbaron.

John

[Charvelguy]

If it wasn't John McLaughlin or Carlos Santana or Yes or ELP, you must be a bottom-feeder who listened to drek.


John

That is definitely the truth right there. You must've been in school about the time as me. Clapton and Page too. Which often brought up the argument "is Page sloppy?" or "Is EC really slow?"

I remember the day Kiss first appeared in GP. Many many people wrote in to the editor to say "a sell out, a new low, can't even tune their instruments let alone play them type slag etc etc.."

They also used to slag the likes of Tom Hamilton for the something like the Sweet Emotion intro and Hamilton used to write in response, "yes, I wrote and played that entire bass part and I'm damn proud of it"

He wrote in a few times actually in defense of his playing.

Course, bands like AC/DC changed the face of three chord rock and that slag as well.

[JohnN]

Course, bands like AC/DC changed the face of three chord rock and that slag as well.

This will age me. When I was growing up in Oz, AC/DC was doing high school dances (I'm 50). They did the one for a school near mine, but our student council wanted a more progressive band. Now 'AC/DC' are famous and nobody has heard of 'Carson'. And I missed AC/DC. Bugger! Bugger! Bugger! Oh well, I saw them a few years back in Ottawa.

J

[redbaron]

That´s worth another discussion, I guess - "musicians you despised most for the right or wrong reasons". For me, that was definitely Bryan Adams. When, in the mid-80s, he was occasionally voted "best guitar player" in German youth magazines like "Bravo", I was sure that my generation would bring about the downfall of western civilization.

Of course, I realized that those dumb kids had voted him because he was the only guy scoring major chart hits back then and brandishing a guitar - most of the other stuff in the top 10 was Thompson Twins or The Cure. In any case, I had just started to play guitar back then and noticed that I could strum all his songs after a week - so he just COULDN´T be good!

Many years later, when I played in a cover band and we discussed new songs to add to our repertoire, it was me who fervently advocated "Run To You". And I got ecstatic every time we played it on a gig.

[cwight]

Yes, well this discussion could open up a can of worms. The guitar snobbery stuff came well to the fore when punk emerged. But I still think the opening chords or "Anarchy in the UK" are epoch defining and the opening riff to 'Pretty Vacant' is a killer as well. But I suspect most 'guitar players' would not include stuff like this in their top 100 or so lists.

The Cure as well Baron, actually had some great guitar parts in their songs, one of their very early singles, 'Killing an Arab' (couldn't get away with a title like that now), is basically all guitar and all simple stuff, but it just works, well at least for me. And one of the punk/new wave albums that really got me in terms of guitar is Television's Marquee Moon. I expect many guitarists haven't even listened to that, but the guitar playing on it is exceptional and very different. Took me ages to figure out how to play it. Highly recommended.

You'll also often see the Edge get dissed in terms of his guitar playing ability as well, and I've even heard people say Keith Richards isn't really a good guitar player (what, one of the best rhythm players in the world?) and even Townsend. Go figure...

[JohnN]

You'll also often see the Edge get dissed in terms of his guitar playing ability as well, and I've even heard people say Keith Richards isn't really a good guitar player (what, one of the best rhythm players in the world?) and even Townsend. Go figure...

I think you have hit the nail smack bang on the head. There is a reason why many people like pop music. I refuse to believe that it's *just* marketing. Some people want to be engrossed in the sophistication of their music. I happen to be one of these about 50% of the time. The rest of the time, I just want to tap my toes.

Some people just want to 'tap their toes' all of the time: so if Britney Spears makes them tap their toes, good for them - I refuse to judge. I happen to prefer other musicians for that.

Why am I stating the obvious? Because Pete Townsend and Keef may not have technical expertise compared to ... say... John Mclaughlin, but they sho' have the feel that people like. Most of us are technically better than many who record successfully but may lack that feel or originality have done it for them.

Case in point - and it's a band I don't own any of but I still stop and listen to if friends play them, or its on the radio - Oasis.

I'll stop being philosophical now...
J

[poguezilla]

The song that made me want to play the guitar was Paperback Writer by the Beatles. I love that riff! And then I heard KISS Rock-N-Roll all Nite the live version and that influenced my style as well.

[randy]

I'm more of a bass player, so I'd say Pink Floyd's Meddle got me going. Gary Numan's Telekon album was also bass-o-tastic as well. Fretless madness, but not in a prog rock sort of cheesy way.

[jefftx]

Mine would have to be the stones Sticky Fingers esp. the slide work done by Ry Cooder on Sister Morphine.

[Rotund]

The First Rolling Stones Album and the songs on there like Walk'n the Dog, Route 66, Carol, Can I Get a Witness. Then came the Rolling Stones Now- Little Red Rooster and Mona That Album they blew me away and hooked me into learning to play the guitar. I learned my first barre chords then. Soul Music from Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett

[skunkbud]

Randy Rhoads,Eddy,and Ace....Diary of a Madman was the album that really made me want it.

[sentinal6]

I guess for me. was when i heard that beautiful tritone riff by black sabbath.so dark and evil.loved it from the first listen.