All-time favourite guitar lick

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Raptor
Date: 13 Nov 01 - 11:30 AM

Can't you hear me knockin Mick Taylor Private investigations Mark Knophler Find the cost of freedom C,S,N,Y I need a lover Mike Wacanak (John Cougar)

Raptor

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: 53
Date: 12 Nov 01 - 09:34 PM

another good lick is the opening to DAY TRIPPER BOB

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 12 Nov 01 - 04:35 AM

DOH! Do you wonder they're retiring me?
RtS

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 09 Nov 01 - 07:35 AM

Roger, check the date on Matt_R's posting ! But I know he is back and probably reads this thread, so I will welcome him back too.

Murray

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 03:01 PM

forgot Baghiti Khumalo, bass player; Demola Adepoju, pedal steel, same album!!!!! yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Peter T.
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 12:40 PM

Graceland. (Ray Phiri throughout).

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Tim
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 12:10 PM

Here are some of my favorite classic riffs to play that haven't been mentioned yet

neil young: cinnamon girl grateful dead: sugar magnolia the who: intros to pinball wizard and behind blue eyes hendrix: hey joe

Tim

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 09:09 AM

The Lightfoot thread reminded me of Willie Nelson's intro to his version of "Me and Bobby McGee". The solo is pretty darned good too. I have no idea how Trigger survived that session.

I a Chuck Berry compilation in my car CD changer right now. Where do you even start. I'm thinking the intro to Carol. But God bless Chuck, it's amazing to hear all of those licks on one CD. Yes, many are pretty similar, but they became the absolute backbone of Rock.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Alex Roan
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 08:54 AM

Looking for Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" , words and music. Got to this thread by an archives search.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 03:47 AM

I don't like to nominate "the best" or "favourite" things as they change for me so often and I have so many...BUT two opening licks stand out for personal reasons.
The Animals-style intro to House of the Rising Sun reminds me of my Greek friend Yorgos, as when he starts off with that it means he's finished serving for the night and its time for me to earn my free brandy. The other is one I mentioned here recently: the intro the Inkspots used on so many of their recordings. I hear it and launch into what I guess will come next. That means I'm usually doing Whispering Grass while the Inkspots are doing something else entirely, but then I'm often singing something completely diferent to everyone else!
RtS (What you say, Hoppy? You told those babbling trees?)
PS Hi, MattR, welcome back.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Terry K
Date: 08 Nov 01 - 02:27 AM

GUEST Alex Roan

OLGA has it - that's www.OLGA.net under P for Pink

Cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: 53
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 07:58 PM

the intro to i feel fine by the beatles. BOB

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 05:58 PM

Guest Steve - took me a day to learn it also - and I can still do it - the timing was a killer!! Takes a good rythm guitarist to hold the beat for it.

ddw - I saw Chet do this live and he was BSing with the audience while he did it. Talked about how he was bored one night and just kind of playing when he realized he was doing this double song. He preceeded the elaborate little deal with a "I'm a bit behind because I've been talking to much so I'll do two at once to get caught up."

Norman Blake's chorus picking on "Greycoat Soldiers."

And an obscure little rendition Blake did on "Under the Double Eagle" that I've been trying to learn for the last couple hundred years!! I can do it slow - but not at his speed.

Steve

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Midchuck
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 08:47 AM

Norman Blake's break before the last verse of Tom Ames'Prayer, on Steve Earle's Train a'Comin' album.

John Herald's intro to Four Rode By, on Ian and Sylvia's Northern Journey album back in '64 or '65.

Doc Watson's ending to Black Mountain Rag, on his first Vanguard album from '64.

Andrew Hardin's breaks to Tom Russell's Angel of Lyon.

More as I think of them.

Peter.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: mooman
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 08:32 AM

Very, very hard to decide as there are so many good ones to choose from but, after much deliberation, I think the one at the bottom of the page here takes some beating.

mooman

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,jonesey
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 05:41 AM

Besides the intro to J.B. Goode the 'only' licks still recognized worldwide are both from '64. The intro to the Temptin' Temptations' 'My Girl' and Roy Orbison's 'Oh, Pretty Woman'. No matter where you are or what kind of gig you're playing you break into either one of those licks and everybody in the room knows the song. The My Girl lick was played by a Motown session guy whose name escapes me, but I did read an interview w/him once and he said he always hated that lick. Said it was out of tune and corny, but Berry Gordy didn't want to do a retake so they left it as is. He's right, it is slightly out of tune, but who cares? The Pretty Woman lick was played by Bobby Goldsboro on 12 string. Speaking of 12 str. how about Eric Darling's lick on 'Walk Right In'? Hard to argue with any of the other choices, however. This is a killer thread...kudos

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 05:03 AM

Much of what went before...

PLUS...

Right at the end of "The Hen's March to the Midden/The Four-poster Bed" by Fairport Convention, someone - it might be Richard Thompson but also could be Jerry Donahue lets rip with an astounding country-style run at 400 mph.

That's the very business...

Cheers

Steven

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Alex Roan
Date: 07 Nov 01 - 04:35 AM

Pink floyd's "Wish You Were Here" was mentioned. Where on line can I get lyrics and if possible sheet music and/or abc and/or chords?

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Paul
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 05:10 PM

Don't have the recordings no more, but Blind Willie McTell's instrumental phrazings are unique. Likewise Skip James; poiniant and simple, like his vocals.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: fat B****rd
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 02:56 PM

davy graham better git hit in your soul, duane eddy on peter gunn

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 01:59 PM

Almost forgot Mick Taylor's soaring lead over Keith Richard's funky rhythm on the Stones "Can't You Hear Me Knockin?"

Taj Mahal's extremely subtle slide work on "East Bay Women"

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 01:42 PM

Joe Walsh's Raunchy intro to Funk #49.

Jeff Becks pretty little Run on She's a Woman.

Muddy Waters' slide on Nineteen Years Old.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: LR Mole
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 01:02 PM

Dave Edmunds' triple octave highdive in the live "Heart of the City". Yow!(And isn't that Lenon sliding on "For You Blue"?)

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: LR Mole
Date: 08 Jan 01 - 01:01 PM

Dave Edmunds' triple octave highdive in the live "Heart of the City". Yow!(And isn't that Lenon sliding on "For You Blue"?)

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Matt_R
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 11:26 PM

SAme here Lucius! I love Arty...his riffs on Dick Gaughan's "Sail On" (on of my favorite songs ever) brings tears to my eyes.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Lucius
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 11:19 PM

Can't claim that it's my all time favourite lick, but I melt when I hear Artie McGlynn's fills on "Cabbage and Kale".

Lucius

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 08:02 PM

Could never pick a favorite, but I sure like the Johnny Winter's Meantown Blues riff.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Justa Picker
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 02:22 PM

I too have checked out the tab for the Clap at a Renegade Olga site; some of it's accurate, other parts aren't. You're probably aware of this Matt, but Steve Howe now has his own website here. (Sorry for the bit of thread creep.)

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Matt_R
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 01:47 PM

Oh yeah, I LOVE "The Clap"!!! The tab for it is INSANE! How anyone can do that is pure mindblowing talent.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Plume
Date: 07 Jan 01 - 01:36 PM

Nothing astounds, perplexes and fills me with envy like Nic Jones' Canadee-i-o. If anyone could ever teach me to play that song that well I would ask no more of life. Another brillian bit of Jones fretwork is his accompaniment to June Tabor's singig of Bonny May from the Airs and Graces LP. I do also love yet another track from the Martin Simpson/June Tabor collaboration, that being Admiral Benbow. Martin Carthy's Siege of Delhi is pretty darn thrilling throughout, as is his work on The Bedmaking on Crown of Horn. I quite like Sultans of Swing as well as Mark Knopfler's end credits for Local Hero. How is it that no one has yet mentioned And Your Bird Can Sing? And for bass lines, what about the Beatles' Rain? And back to back briliance of Colin Moulding's bass lines on Mayor of Simpleton and King for a Day from the XTC album Oranges and Lemons.Actually it's diggicult to come up with a favorite bass line from the XTC catalog, so much of Moulding's work is so good. To my ears, Ry Cooder has never sounded better than on the Jazz and Get Rhythm albums - again, hard to single out a best riff or even track. And then there's Richard Thompson who I always enjoy most when he's not trying so damned hard. The opening riff on Hand of Kindness, the brief, chunky solo on Wall of Death, that's economy and clarity to me. Charlie Christian on Breakast Feud, Django on, well, anything. Man, the more I think about it the more I realize how many really wonderful guitar players there are and have been in the world. Thanks to all of them for enriching my life — but especially Nic and Martin.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Justa Picker
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 08:56 PM

Lest we forget Steve Howe's illustrious opener to the Yes hit "Roundabout" and just about anything he plays acoustically. Just give a listen to "The Clap" off of Yessongs, and see if you can even figure out half of what he's doing. The man's a genius and tastey.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Benjamin
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 08:51 PM

The lick in Bobby Womack's Think Your Lonely Now is quite good! Though you do hear it more than a few times through out the song.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: voyager
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 12:13 PM

John Fahey's version of LAYLA on "LET GO"

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Branwen23
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 11:17 AM

ooh, I just remembered one.... I don't know if it counts, but I think it's wicked: The bass line throughout "Spanish Moon" (Little Feat.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Matt_R
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 10:56 AM

Thanks Mooh, I hadn't thought of those Zep ones, but you're right! I love that little sliding Am7 thing at the beginning of Gallows Pole. But my favorite Zeppelin song is almost on big riff..."The Rain Song". Such aching...such beauty. It takes a lot of retuning your guitar to play it right, but it's worth it. When you finish playing it, it's one of the times when you stop and sigh and thank God or whoever you want, for letting such music be created. It makes you feel good to know that such musical tenderness can be harnessed by a collection of wood and steel. Amazing.

--Matt

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,Joe B
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 08:07 AM

One out of many shining guitar doodahs that comes to mind is a little four-note gem played by Don Felder on the last verse of the Eagles' New Kid in Town. It comes right after the second line of lyrics. He places the most tasteful little fill there, an oozing, yearning, perfect little electric masterpiece.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Mooh
Date: 06 Jan 01 - 06:34 AM

The little hickup in Leslie West's intro to Mountain's take on Roll Over Beethoven. This guy played with more raw spirit than all the rock pretenders and posers of his time.

Jimmy Page's main solo in Since I've Been Loving You. Electric blues purity. His Gallow's Pole riff is cool too. I always thought it was cool how Led Zeppelin was influenced by old blues and folk.

Mooh.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,CraigS
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 10:17 PM

Hey, don't pick your favourite guitar player and say I like THIS lick! My favourite guitarist might be Gary Moore, but the lick that makes me wet my underpants is six notes in the middle of "Nuages" (clouds) by Django Reinhardt - starts with a bend down, and carries on. Hendrix could make me weep - Castles made of sand is a good example. If you're into real "hit you between the eyes" licks, Chris Bond is another man who knows how - but there's a world of difference between what is premeditated in the modern-day recording studio and the live, inspired stage situation.Best live thang I've ever seen is Johnny Winter.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Benjamin
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 09:37 PM

The opening lick in Quincy Jones' (Brothers Johnson's) Is it love that we're missing?

If your into the wah peddal, the the tone in the opening licks on Quincy's Boogie Joe the Grinder is amazing!

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 09:29 PM

I can't believe that I haven't mentioned some of the dual lead stuff that Stephen Stills and Neil Young did in Buffalo Springfield, which happens to be my all time favorite damn band. Yep, the lead work on Bluebird and Rock n' Roll Woman was pretty spectacular shite. Neil on the lectric and Stills on the box. Mr. Soul, Kind Woman, Expecting to Fly, Broken Arrow, and the overexposed but still fantastic For What It's Worth. Those were marvelously crafted, arranged, harmonized, songs. But it is the guitar work between those two which made them brilliant.

Mick

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST,richlmo
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 08:08 PM

I don't know why I'm a Guest all at once. I'm the one who likes Clarence White on " Chestnut Mare". Maybe I haven't been participating lately.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Grab
Date: 05 Jan 01 - 09:23 AM

Add my vote for Sultans of Swing. And Telegraph Road - the driving rhythm as that winds up is great.

The "Chris Rea riff" (if you listen to CR, you know the one I mean). Simple but catchy.

Davey Graham's No Preacher Blues riff.

The solo out of Alannah Myles' Black Velvet.

Grab.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Benjamin
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 11:31 PM

The guitar during the last verse in David "Honeyboy" Edwards' Howling Wind Blues.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 11:17 PM

I love Clarence White's work on The Byrds, "Chestnut Mare" . I also have to agree with , "Sultans of Swing", some fine work.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: MarkS
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 10:31 PM

The instrumental break on Mr. Bojangles by Bromberg. Oooooooh yes!
markS

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Benjamin
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 05:17 PM

Alex,
I'm not sure how they get that tone in I know what I know. But I've been looking for the band that played the music on that song, General M.D. Shirinda and the Gaza Sisters. I've searched record stores and all over the Internet. All I found were a couple album tittles on some guy's web site who decided he'd list every recording he had. If anyone could help me find an album (CD would be the best) I'd be thankfull!

The guitarist on Hugh Masekela's Uptownship, John "Blackie" Selolwane, gets a tone in a couple parts that sounds like a steal drum.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Wesley S
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 05:01 PM

The rhythm riff is what I was refering to
But there are some nice slide riffs on it too.

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: mousethief
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 04:24 PM

Which part of Rocket Launcher? I'm trying to remember any memorable guitar licks.

alex

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 04:04 PM

I am NOT a guitar player, but I used to go to Winfield and hear the flat picking championships, and I have WATCHED Norman Blake (and others), and it is amazing what is done...Norman has this one song (it may BE Church Street)where he is into this pretty amazing run, and he ADDS a triplet without missing a beat!...and all the time he is making faces and interacting with the crowd....

and there was this young kid from California, Jeff Pearson, who played most of 'Black Mountain Rag' in the high register without a cutaway guitar...cant see how his hand made that reach!

Subject: RE: All-time favourite guitar lick
From: Wesley S
Date: 04 Jan 01 - 03:56 PM

How about: Doc Watson's intro to "Deep River Blues"

Geoff Muldaur's intro to "Devil Got My Woman"

Mississippi John Hurts "Creole Belle"

Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had A Rocketlauncher"

And Stevie Ray Vaughn's intro to "Cold Shot" and the bass intro to "Crossfire"

Or even The Chambers Bros "Time Has Come Today"