90s British Guitar Legends

stickyfiddle

english_bob said:

stickyfiddle said:

And I'm with @Skarloey on JDB. Mega smah hit songwriting has waned a little of late but his guitar playing has never faltered. Not just rock stuff, but stuff like Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky or My Little Empire are just spectacular bits of writing, guitar-wise.

Never liked the Manics but I had a girlfriend in the 90s who had a bit of a Manics phase and bought me "Everything Must Go" as a birthday present. Small Black Flowers was a definite highlight in terms of guitar playing, and I did at least have to grudgingly admit that JDB could play, even if I couldn't get with their political-essay-with-shouting lyrics.

Very true. I really like their recent low-key acoustic-ish Rewind The Film except for the final track which the most hilarious anti-Thatcher rant I just can't take it seriously...

ewal

+1 for Adam Franklin. In UK 90's terms, he really stands ahead of the rest.

GuyBoden

Jim Mullen?

Iamnobody

stickyfiddle;869116" said:

Has anyone said Richard Oakes from Suede. Much preferred his playing to BB tbh. Beautiful Ones in particular is 100% classic.

Good shout - wasn't he only 17/18 as well when he joined and then he co wrote Coming Up?

ICBM

Iamnobody said:

stickyfiddle said:

Has anyone said Richard Oakes from Suede. Much preferred his playing to BB tbh. Beautiful Ones in particular is 100% classic.

Good shout - wasn't he only 17/18 as well when he joined and then he co wrote Coming Up?

I prefer the post-Butler Suede as well, but also like Butler's post-Suede work. Somehow they were better apart than together - I'm not a big fan of Butler's early stuff in Suede really, although I do think Dog Man Star is good. If that all makes any kind of sense.

Nunogilberto

Myke Gray from Skin - great rock player.

english_bob

Iamnobody said:

Good shout - wasn't he only 17/18 as well when he joined and then he co wrote Coming Up?

Yep. He was a member of Suede's fan club- heard that Butler had left and sent the group a recording of himself playing Suede songs and his own material. Apparently the drummer thought his audition tape was an early band demo recording. Quite a tale.

Deijavoo

english_bob said:

Iamnobody said:

Good shout - wasn't he only 17/18 as well when he joined and then he co wrote Coming Up?

Yep. He was a member of Suede's fan club- heard that Butler had left and sent the group a recording of himself playing Suede songs and his own material. Apparently the drummer thought his audition tape was an early band demo recording. Quite a tale.

Great story!

Longtallronnie

All my faves have been mentioned already...
Craddock, Coxon, Mills, Gallagher, Hawley, Coombes.
Special mention for Skin from Cast, his solo on Sandstorm is fucking awesome.

Deijavoo

Kenwyn House has to feature. That first Reef record is superb, some of the Strat tones are my reference point for Strat tones.

richardhomer

Deijavoo;877925" said:

Kenwyn House has to feature. That first Reef record is superb, some of the Strat tones are my reference point for Strat tones.

Isn't he owned by the National Trust now?

I agree with you - the stuff I've heard by him always sounded great.

Heartfeltdawn

ICBM said:

I prefer the post-Butler Suede as well, but also like Butler's post-Suede work. Somehow they were better apart than together - I'm not a big fan of Butler's early stuff in Suede really, although I do think Dog Man Star is good. If that all makes any kind of sense.

Post-Butler Suede made half a good album in Coming Up. Head Music and A New Morning were dreadful and Blood Sports was very average. Dog Man Star is one of my favourite albums whilst simultaneously being one of the worst mixed albums I've heard. Ed Buller undoubtedly held Bernard back. 

Richard Oakes is a pretty good guitarist but in terms of ability he's miles behind t'Butler. It's like comparing Craig Gannon to Johnny Marr. 

randomhandclaps

Completely agree HFD.

Also with regards to Kenwyn House, Naked is one of the greatest riffs of the 90s.

english_bob

randomhandclaps said:

Completely agree HFD.

Also with regards to Kenwyn House, Naked is one of the greatest riffs of the 90s.

"It's Your Letters" is up there too IMO, albeit throughly overplayed.