zebra
Senior Member
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What are your favorite instrumental guitar albums?
There's a certain thing about a lot of instrumental albums put out by guitarists...I don't know how to describe it, but adjectives like "narcissistic" and "overbearing" come to mind. Even guitarists who have a good sense of texture and atmosphere when playing with their band slip into it when they do solo albums.
I'm not so much into "guitar albums" as I am just not hearing vocals. I'm tired of hearing vocals.
However, I've been having trouble finding stuff that fits my moods.
Incidentally, Modern Jazz is usually a dead end for me, because I really hate the tones most jazz guitarists have used since the 80s or so (think Mike Stern). It all just sounds like children's breakfast cereal (over-processed garbage). Wayne Krantz being a big exception. I do enjoy older guitar jazz, but it fails to go beyond a single "mood."
Please share some of your favorites, so I can get some new ideas!
Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Paul Gilbert: Fuzz Universe (favorite album for the last month or so)
- Eric Clapton: The Rush Soundtrack (searing, but still atmoshpheric; bluesy, but not cliched)
- Chet Atkins/Les Paul: Chester & Lester
- Wayne Krantz: Greenwich Mean (the spirit of improvisation)
- Mastadon: Crack the Skye (I've never listened to the version with vocals. I hate most metal vocals.)
- Martin Simpson: Cool & Unusual
- Jeff Beck: Blow by Blow (for whatever reason, this album clicked with me, but "Wired" didn't. Go figure.)
- The Smiths: Instruments (a "special mention" selection - not an actual album, but a collection that floats around youtube that was together by a fan)
There's a certain thing about a lot of instrumental albums put out by guitarists...I don't know how to describe it, but adjectives like "narcissistic" and "overbearing" come to mind. Even guitarists who have a good sense of texture and atmosphere when playing with their band slip into it when they do solo albums.
I'm not so much into "guitar albums" as I am just not hearing vocals. I'm tired of hearing vocals.
However, I've been having trouble finding stuff that fits my moods.
Incidentally, Modern Jazz is usually a dead end for me, because I really hate the tones most jazz guitarists have used since the 80s or so (think Mike Stern). It all just sounds like children's breakfast cereal (over-processed garbage). Wayne Krantz being a big exception. I do enjoy older guitar jazz, but it fails to go beyond a single "mood."
Please share some of your favorites, so I can get some new ideas!
Here are some of my personal favorites:
- Paul Gilbert: Fuzz Universe (favorite album for the last month or so)
- Eric Clapton: The Rush Soundtrack (searing, but still atmoshpheric; bluesy, but not cliched)
- Chet Atkins/Les Paul: Chester & Lester
- Wayne Krantz: Greenwich Mean (the spirit of improvisation)
- Mastadon: Crack the Skye (I've never listened to the version with vocals. I hate most metal vocals.)
- Martin Simpson: Cool & Unusual
- Jeff Beck: Blow by Blow (for whatever reason, this album clicked with me, but "Wired" didn't. Go figure.)
- The Smiths: Instruments (a "special mention" selection - not an actual album, but a collection that floats around youtube that was together by a fan)