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Background (The Hype)
The battle for greatest guitarist of all time is one that is ever-raging and constantly being discussed. Every so often, a magazine like Rolling Stone will come along and rate the top 100 guitar virtuosos, and we are all invariably disappointed because none of us can agree on the top 10, let alone #1. Some people go for soul (Eric Clapton), some for speed (Yngwie Malmsteen), some for technical skill (Joe Satriani), some for versatility (Jimmy Page), and some for originality (Eddie Van Halen). But the top spot is almost always Jimi Hendrix. And Stevie is almost always in the top 10 at least. I don't have to tell you that these guys were both amazing. And though I suspect most of you will see the obvious outcome of this match, I also know some of you are chomping at the bit to dispute me. So let the battle begin!
What's Been Said
"Like my brother Jimmie says, I play like I'm breaking out of jail."
"I'm the one who's got to die when it's time to die, so let me live my life the way I want to."
"I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie missed on both counts, but I never noticed it." -[B.B. King]
"Drugs. It's a very bad scene. Especially when you get caught with it, you know."
"I don't think anyone has commanded my respect more, to this day." -[Eric Clapton]
"If the cards were down, in reality, I would have to admit, even then, that what I was doing was just nowhere with what he was doing." -[Eric Clapton]
"Stevie Ray was magic. It's funny, because people always want to know about his guitars and his amps. But what I want to tell you is that it was in his fingers. It had nothing to do with his guitar and amp." -[Brian Setzer]
"Absolutely the best guitar player that ever lived; there was no one even in the same building as that guy." -[Neil Young]
In This Corner: Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan was basically responsible for the blues becoming relevant again after a couple decades of dormancy. With a style that was unique in its own right, some big names in the music industry, including David Bowie, began to take notice. Bowie's hit "Let's Dance" featured Stevie on lead guitar. Riding the wave of attention he was receiving from his work there, SRV began touring with his band, Double Trouble, and the rest is history. Donning a southwestern look (complete with cowboy hat, poncho, and facial scruff), he had his own style to be sure. And while it never struck me as the most masculine of looks, it was unique at least. Perhaps if I were more into Texas blues, I'd understand. His guitar playing was top-notch in anyone's book. He was technically gifted and yet could still put feeling into his playing in a way you might not expect from a white blues guitarist. He was also very troubled, so of course his words came from the heart. And though they aren't exactly earth-moving, they do come across as very sincere, which counts for a lot in my book.
And In This Corner: Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix took rock and roll guitar to a new level. And that's a big understatement. His innovative playing style and groundbreaking distortion and wah-wah effects combinations set the standard to which all future rock bands would aspire and compare themselves. Find me a guitarrist since Jimi that can claim not to be influenced by him at all. The things we all accept as standard in today's rock music... well, Jimi was the first to do a lot of that. Who else has created so many of rock and roll history's most memorable moments ("The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, burning his guitar at the Monterey Pop Festival, playing behind his head, behind his back, with his teeth, etc.)? There's no need to discuss his playing anymore... you all have heard it. How about his lyrics? Well, Jimi wasn't exactly writing the most awe-inspiring ballads, but he might be responsible for the most famous misheard lyric ("'Scuse me while I kiss this guy?"). His singing was sincere-sounding, and a handful of clever and comical tunes that he wrote were also punctuated by that candid voice. His first release, Are You Experienced?, is practically a greatest hits album by itself, filled with a dozen instant classics. And if all that wasn't enough, he was one of the first artists to, for lack of a better term, break stuff on stage. He was lighting his gear on fire in front of thousands! Charismatic and inovative to the Nth degree, Jimi is a rock deity.
The Tale Of The Tape
|
 |
 |
| Artistic Integrity |
19 / 20 |
19 / 20 |
| Lyrics |
15 / 20 |
15 / 20 |
| Instrumentation |
18 / 20 |
20 / 20 |
| Consistency |
16 / 20 |
18 / 20 |
| Stage Presence |
17 / 20 |
20 / 20 |
|
85% |
92% |
Who'd Win In An Actual Fight?
These two would make for a pretty lame fight. First off, they were both supposedly really nice guys. And on top of that, Jimi was one of SRV's idols! My guess is they wouldn't fight at all. They'd probably just get high together and jam for a while. Jimi would hump his guitar, etc. A better fight would be Jimi and Stevie together versus like... a tiger. Hell yeah!
For The History Books
Jimi Hendrix is more or less untouchable, Folks. I'm sorry. These days, it's like the chic thing to do to pretend that Jimi isn't the greatest guitar player ever. I don't know exactly why that is. People claim he's overrated. Yeah? Point to a more influential guitarist ever. An important thing to note though... I'm not saying he's the most technically skilled guitarrist that ever lived. No one would say that. And incidentally, Stevie probably wasn't the most technically skilled either, though he was excellent. Jimi simply meant more to music's history. He innovated, influenced, challenged, changed, and expanded rock and roll more than maybe anyone. But I'm not knocking SRV. There's no shame in losing to Jimi in a contest like this. Stevie was phenomenal in his own right. He just wasn't the most phenomenal.
Disputes From The Insolent
Here is what some of my readers have had to say about what they've seen here. Keep in mind that their opinions do not necessarily reflect mine and, in that respect, are probably wrong.
Meljun
Consultant |
"Oh, no no no. Jimi can only battle himself. He's a demigod. Puhlease. Tsk tsk... a travesty. I have respect for Stevie, but you can lump him in with the Steve Vai's. Or maybe Eddie Van Halen in his prime. Come on. Jimi did not have the benefit of the computer. Jimi. As in JI-freakin-MI. The only one. The unmistakable thumping of the wah-wah pedal on Voodoo Child is unparalleled. Like a transcendence that only JI-freakin-MI could bring." |
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