Name: Vini Reilly
Associated Bands: The Durutti Column
Delicate and ethereal, Vini Reilly, the mastermind behind the Durutti Column, represents qualities usually shunned by electric guitarists. After all, electric guitar is usually seen as a powerful instrument, a monumental force of nature that sounds best when soaked in feedback, distortion or intense amplifier buzz. Reilly happily sits at the other end of this spectrum, however, where his intricate, skipping riffs and winding finger-picking can showcase their beauty and grace.
Required Listening: “Sketch For Summer”, “Sketch For Winter”, “In ‘D’”
#7
Name: Ricky Wilson
Associated Bands: The B-52s
I already gushed plenty about Ricky Wilson in this month’s Who’s Simon Defending Now? segment, but I simply cannot write about my favorite guitarists without acknowledging him. Cooking surf guitar down to its basic essentials, Wilson’s guitar twanged through all of the B-52s best work (sorry, “Love Shack”, you’re not included). Few guitarists have mastered Ricky’s ability to get a party started with a single riff, all while underlining the edginess of the B-52s New Wave classics. Although his style was rarely flashy, it was insanely enjoyable and the world lost a great talent when he died in the mid-80s from AIDS complications.
Required Listening: “Rock Lobster”, “Private Idaho”, “Mesopotamia”
No comments:
Post a Comment