Overrated as a guitarist?
I love The Who. I think Pete is a great songwriter and composer. But I can't get behind people saying he's one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He's not a bad one, I just don't feel he's one of the best.
shareDoes anyone really think he's on the same level as Blackmore, Hendrix, Gilmour, Clapton, etc?
shareRolling Stone ranked him #10. That's higher than Blackmore and Gilmour.
shareJust read that list. Insane does not even begin to describe it. Seems like it's more based on influence than quality.
shareYou're probably right.
shareHe's a popular figure from a huge group, so RS always rates him highly -- and "top whatever" lists are meant to stir things up. But people who know guitar know that he's mostly cringe worthy outside his rhythm playing. Listen to any live performance for examples.
shareHow about this live performance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvUWgFi8gmw
I would've used that one as an example.
shareThe Rolling Stone list is an absolute joke. If it was reversed, it would be more accurate.
shareThe whole concept of a "best ever" list is fun to think about, but impossible to construct. How do you compare guitar players? Is Jimi Hendrix better than Django Reinhardt? How could you tell? One was an innovator and powerhouse of classic rock, the other was a two-fingered Gypsy jazz player of incredible gift and skill. Some are difficult for me to rank on their own. Keith Richards is a great guitar player, and has a real knack for creating primal riffs, but is he one of the best? Debatable, but what if you said, "Keith Richards AND Mick Taylor"? The Rolling Stones' guitar players always "weave" together, so maybe it's not right to rank Keith by himself.
As for Townshend, he has pointed out in interviews that he doesn't use the guitar like a normal guitar player does, how Entwhistle used to play the bass like a lead instrument, Keith Moon was hitting drum fills where piano notes should go, and so on, so the whole way the Who arranged their songs was kinda messed-up. So, again, how do you compare somebody who isn't playing by the rules?
100 guitar players, ranked, will always have omissions that will hurt the list makers and ordering that won't make sense to readers.
I do like these lists, though, because they lead me to fun people I didn't know before. In Rolling Stone's original list was Roy Buchanan, who I hadn't heard of before. He's one of my favourites now. Ironically, there's a clip of him live where somebody shouts, "You're number one!" (or something like that), and Roy responds, "There's no such thing as number one. But thank you for thinking it."
The Rolling Stone list is an absolute joke
I remember one year they had ranked Lou Reed higher than Lindsey Buckingham..........LOU REED better than Lindsey Buckingham ??? WTF?
Plus, I don't think I've ever seen Terry Kath ranked on their lists, which is an absolute dis of epic proportions!!! Kath was one of the most innovative & original rock guitarists of all time. Even Hendrix said Kath was better than him!! share
Rolling Stone ranked him #10. That's higher than Blackmore and Gilmour.
That's ridiculous. share
The list was the result of the votes of actual guitarists. Maybe they're hearing something that you don't.
shareNot exclusively, and I doubt any guitarist would vote for him/herself.
shareWhen the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Angus Young and Slash sing your praises, you're probably a pretty good guitar player.
shareObviously you're a big Who fan, and, of course, a huge Pete fan. Your screen name and YouTube channel, that has only Who performances, will attest. That's fine. People like things for different reasons, and they prioritize one aspect over another. Like rhythm over lead, or influence over technique, or one genre over another. I'm sure there are many on that list that you disagree with, despite the rank those same voters arrived at. These lists are meant to elicit debate rather than lockstep agreement.
Also, if you think those voters sat down and spent time analyzing all aspects of playing -- and all players -- before making a comment or casting a vote, you're crazy. If Buddy Holly inspired you to pick up a guitar, you might regard him highly (like Clapton does), despite his extremely limited repertoire and short career.
That's fair.
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