These are the people who make your favorite bands sound like your favorite bands.
These are the players who either sidestep the spotlight or get ignored or pushed out by a frontperson drowning in talent, ego, or having perfectly high and sometimes sucked- in cheekbones. They may have faces for radio, but you cannot imagine the band you love without them. It is their talent that, at the least is the back bone of their band's greatest hit and deep cuts.
These guys are usually on the cover of Fanboy Illustrated or Modern Strummer. Not Rolling Stone or Spin...
These are not session men...
These are the Top Secret Weapons in Rock
1) Larry Graham-Sly and the Family Stone
2) Maceo Parker-James Brown
3) John Paul Jones-Led Zeppelin
4) Nels Kline-Wilco
5) Steve Jones-Sex Pistols
6) Eric Avery-Janes Addiction
7) Phil Selway-Radiohead
8) Steve Nieve-Elvis Costello
9) Berry Oakley-Allman Bros.
10) Mitch Mitchell-Jimi Hendrix Experience
11) Jon Theodore-Mars Volta
12) Benmont Tench-Tom Petty
13) Mike Johnson-Mark Lanegan
14) Davey Johnstone-Elton John
15) Richard Wright- Pink Floyd
16) Nils Lofgren -Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen
17) Derek St. Holmes-Ted Nugent
18) Malcolm Young-AC DC
19) Brad Whitford-Aerosmith
20) Alain Johannes- Queens of the Stone Age
21) Garth Hudson-The Band
22) Smokey Hormel-Beck
23) Marc Ford- Black Crowes
24) Ian Paice-Deep Purple
25) Animal-Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem
Whatcha got? Who are some other secret weapons I may have forgotten?
Replace number one with Mick Taylor and you are golden.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I should have mentioned they are in no particular order, and I did forget Mick Taylor.
ReplyDeletegreat list
ReplyDeleteNels totally changed the sound and feel of Wilco... Not to mention that Mike Watt's Contemplating the Engine Room wouldn't be what it was without him.
ReplyDeleteHave you heard his solo stuff? Been meaning to check it out for a while...
Also, ANIMAL! Good call.
Personally I would have put Brian May on there, not that he gets NO recognition, but people always assume Freddie is Queen, but May wrote shit like The Prophet's Song! And his guitar work kicks fucking ass.
Benmont shows up on almost anything Rubin produces. He did great work on the Rubin produced Neil Diamond stuff as well, not to mention on International Noise Conspiracy records...
Awesome post.
I don't know his name, but the dude who played bass for Stevie Wonder on Songs in the Key of Life was phenomenal.
Great to see Alain Johannes on the list. He may also be considered the "luckiest current secret weapon" on the list.
ReplyDelete