PLEASE READ!! Michael Brecker

[tris]

Well when I was 13 I heard Steve Via and went to Zappa to here more Steve.. but it was an organ grinder / monkey situation...LOL

I met the wife through a mutal love of Dweezil Zappa and F1.

If you have ever seen a cartoon called Duckman that is full of Zappa music and DZ voices one of the characters. It is a hugely important cartoon... it is a bit risky in 2007 in 1994.. wow... very very funny IMHO

 

[Linky Lee]

I can vouch for with all honesty that the paintings are fabulous! I saw them today and they really are great! The colours on my computer screen are pretty accurate, though they don't highlight the markings you get in paintings and the texture, shading and everything else that goes in to making a painting better than a picture or print.

Tris' Last painting went for a disappointing price, I really hope you raise some decent money with the Brecker.

 

[Bobby G]

Yes, tris, that whole 80's shredding thing has a lot to answer for 😉 although some of the players, like Vai, are much more 'musical' than some. I am firmly of the opinion that fret tapping, as well as thumb slapping on electric bass should be made illegal.

I do vaguely remember the Duckman cartoons, too.

Cheers, Bob

 

[greg_strange]

Regarding Frank Zappa, there is an album of his from the late '80's called "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life" which has a cover of "Stairway To Heaven" done in a reggae style with a 5 piece horn section in unison playing Jimmy Page's guitar solo. Interesting stuff, the horn section comprises Paul Carmen, Albert Wing, the Fowler Brothers and Kurt McGetrick (?), Chad Wackerman in drums, Ike Willis lead vocals.

Regards,
Greg Strange
From NZ.

 

[tris]

Yeah... that is a great Album.. I also have the 12" I have a lot of Zappa... nearly all of it. There is an amazing scene from the "Dub room special" where he projects this score on screen for the band to play. The polyrythms in it were immense. The band were perfect... it was depressing and amazing all at the same time. (I am deeply dyslexic and actual sight reading is very tricky for me... notes do jump around on teh stave.. which can be very interesting!)

There is a load of great horn work in Zappa's music.

I am not sure that Vai is that musical these days... I loved Flexible, Flexible Leftovers, Passion and Warefare and Sex and Religion but after that it is the same old same old. Going to see him these days is like going to see a tribute act.

Tapping... I got into that when I was 13... I amazed guitar shop assistants all over them place but I have never tapped during a gig. There are some amazing 8 fingered playes out there, Trey Gunn (King Crimson,) Charlie Hunter etc. Alto of them play Chapman sticks or 8-10 string guitars. Amazing cordal work. You probibally remeber Stanely Jordan playing Penny Lane on J' Holland's show? PLayed the melody, harmony and bass simultaneously along withe the brass parts!

 

[Dylan]

I loved Steve Vai's playing with Mr Rock n Roll himself Dave Lee Roth. He is on a couple of his albums - "Eat Em and Smile" and "Skyscraper", both deserving of shelf space in any collection.

I was lucky enough to see them live in about 1988 - what a show. However, I first heard Steve Vai with DLR whilst on a YHA walking holiday with some other urchins. My mate who was always one step ahead of us in the American rawk scene had got hold of a copy of "Eat Em and Smile". The guitar playing amazed us all - especially the talking guitar part at the start of "Yankee Rose". It got played again, again, again and again. I still pity the other inhabitants of the various Youth Hostels we terrorised with it.

I've got some of Steve Vai's solo stuff and it leaves me a bit cold. He was really cooking with Lee Roth though.

Fantastic painting again Tris 🙂

 

[disco_volante]

One of my favorite guitarists from the shred era was George Lynch from Dokken. He could certainly knock out some great guitar solos and he had more of an individual style than most.

Unfortunately most of the songs he played on were absolute pants. In fact the band looked pretty stoopid as well. But then again it was the eighties.

 

[tris]

Lynch.. what a player.. his vibrato... wow amazing!!! Such amazing feel.. better than the vast vast majority of rock players.

I have seen Vai live on a number of occasions. His chops are not what they used to be and he covers it up a bit with a very processed signal. For me he was at his peak with DRL. I rember hearing him for the first time... Skyscraper. I had to order the LP and it took 4 weeks to arrive and up until that point i had only heard Hendrix and Brain May. My 13 year old brain could not resist and I started coping the licks as soon as possible!!

:laugh:

Vai has some great tutorials on his site still. "Tempo Mental" is still the single best thing I have ever read about playing and transcribing polyrythms.. well worth a look.

I best mention now that I played shred and dressed shred... oh yes I wore spandex oh yes I did with cowboy boots with spurs!

 

[Dylan]

tris wrote:
I best mention now that I played shred and dressed shred... oh yes I wore spandex oh yes I did with cowboy boots with spurs!

Snap. But I was playing a sax - in a band doing ZZ Top covers (how could a lead sax - particularly mine - ever replace Billy Gibbons wonderful guitar playing!!). I particularly remember a vivid yellow and black number of a jacket complete with outrageous shoulder pads

I was also fully mulletted up - a fact about which I remain totally unrepentant about.

Happy days...mumble...mumble...old geezer type noises.

 

[disco_volante]

I used to alternate between purple skin tight trousers and a pair of leather britches - I used to need someone else to help me get them on.

I had so much metal stuff wrapped around my cowboy boots, that i had to take them off at the airport and walk through the metal detector in my socks.

Jesus, why am I admitting to this?

 

[tris]

I had black spandex and black leather pants

The tricky thing about all the chains, spurs and what not on my cowboy boots you had t funny walk going down stairs, a bit like Charlie Chaplin so you spurs did not snag the stairs.

I had metal seggs in the heals so if you slipped you would get a train of sparks!!

I still have the boots and I still wear them (minus the rubbish) 13 years loyal service and still plenty more life in them.

I am proud I dressed like that at one point. Glad i don't now., although i would be quite fashionable again :laugh: