Do you remember when you first sat up and really, really took notice of the guitar – how it could talk? How it could cry? How it could be a little cheeky or dare I say it, give the impression of being a touch sarcastic or have the kind of comedic timing only ever found in Laurel and Hardy films?
Like so many others around my age, for me it was the The Eagles, Hotel California. I was a young player, single figures young, and had absolutely no idea about phrasing – real musical phrasing on the guitar… about feel, touch, expression… About 12 strings, compression, phasers, fuzz, overdrive, humbuckers, single coils, harmony or even the concept of multi track recording, I just knew what sounded amazing to my young and impressionable ears. And Hotel California sounded just that, amazing.
Now, many years on, after countless hours spent learning the various guitar tracks, and far too many times berating the radio stations and plastic sounding DJ’s who talked over the solos – someone has kindly taken the time to isolate the various guitar parts (if somewhat crudely) and put them on You Tube.
Aaaaahhh, the internet. How I love you!