The Best Guitar Solo of All Time Response: “Comfortably Numb” by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

19 Jan

Final Tally:

“Comfortably Numb”: 4 Votes

“Eruption”: 1 Vote

“Maggot Brain”: 1 Vote

Winner: “Comfortably Numb”

My Winner: “Comfortably Numb”

Wow, I am quite surprised that no one voted for the pre-poll shoe-in “Free Bird.” I am actually very surprised that my pick “Comfortably Numb” won and I am also glad that “Maggot Brain” got a vote because that is a very underrated song and guitar solo (Edie Hazel is the best guitarist no one has ever heard of). Since there were no resounding “Free Bird” requests from the crowd we can move on to the winner of the poll: the solo from “Comfortably Numb.” On the page of the poll I posted a video of a mind-blowing live version of the “Comfortably Numb” solo. I will post it below so you can all take another listen to it.

Let me premise this defense by admitting a slight bias. Pink Floyd is my favorite band. But, since this is just about guitar solos I will admit that Jimi Hendrix is my favorite guitarists and I am not defending “All Along the Watchtower” which no one voted for. So, the aboveboard nature of the post is kept in check. Let’s get to the reasoning behind why the majority of people, including myself, believe “Comfortably Numb” is an out of this world solo.

I believe that the most important part of music is feeling. The emotion one struggles to find words with in a lyric. The emotion of a straining vocal, or a soft grainy one. In this case, we have the emotion of a solo. A solo on the instrument that was practically made for extended note crunching, the guitar. While a blues solo encompasses this feeling more than any other type of rock solo, “Comfortably Numb” takes all solos to a new level of artistic prowess and blissful spacyness (Yes, we are going to call that a new word meaning having to do a stupor one is put into by a musical solo…not drugs!) I do admit that Clapton or Hendrix or Hazel (for that matter) putting feeling into a blues of funk guitar solo is remarkable. Yet, David Gilmour just takes the level of soloing to a new height in the hit off of Pink Floyd’s rock-opera The Wall. This 1979 song blows all other songs from The Wall out of the water and like “Hey Jude” or “Let it Be” it proves that sometimes the best songs by the greatest bands are released late in the height of the band’s production.

Put on the video for a second. Listen to the crying of the guitar. The easy moaning of the other instruments keeping the rhythm in the back. The solo continues with skilled runs by Gilmour. He has no fear of exploring the fret board and demonstrating his control over his guitar. Close your eyes and let the guitar seep through you. The solo bedraggles your clothes and soaks you in the straining sound of the electric guitar. Gilmour after 3:00 into the video lets his guitar howl in a revolutionary bend, while the capsule above the stage opens up and the wall comes crumbling down. The solo crescendos and then falls into a distant echo, a soft lull. Show me any other solo that does that.

Lyric of the Day #72: Top 100 Lyricists #75 Ani DiFranco

19 Jan

“If folk music has a future it’s Ani DiFranco.”

The next artist on our best lyricists countdown is Ani Difranco. A beacon in both the folk and alternative scene, Difranco rose to public consciousness in Buffalo, New York, in the early 1990’s. She boldly started her own record label Righteous Babe in 1989, and ever since has remained a trailblazer, redefining the image of the modern woman. Difranco’s lyrics are reputably potent with soul and are true expressions of emotion and heartache.

Difranco has managed to release 20 albums within her career, and in this time, proved herself to be a feminist icon. She has historically turned down lucrative record contracts and the spotlight of mainstream media, valuing the artistic freedom inherent within her own label. Such integrity and craft is unfortunately a rarity in this day and age.

While fishing around through her massive catalogue, one song of Difranco’s seemed to stand out. It was the Not a Pretty Girl, released back in 2002 (Difranco has since produced music more recently as well). The opening lyrics are biting yet funny at the same time:

I am not a pretty girl
that is not what I do
I ain’t no damsel in distess
and I don’t need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you’d prefer a maiden fair
isn’t there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

The song is pretty unconventional in the sense that she seems to “talk” out the lyrics.  Nonetheless, it is beaming with experience and a collective pain. She comes off jaded, dismissive of society’s popular approach towards women.

With a career based on manic touring and a college following, Difranco continues to be an unstoppable force.

Court Links: Support for Haiti and Are You Ready For Some Football?

18 Jan

Yesterday at the Golden Globes awards show, George Clooney announced to the Associated Press that more than 40 celebrities will attend the “Hope For Haiti” benefit scheduled for January 22. It is being hosted by Clooney and Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean. It will be broadcast on more than a dozen networks and will feature performances by Bono, Sting and Alicia Keys to name a few. It is certainly a big event for a necessary cause…so watch it and please donate whatever you can to help the struggling Haitians!

Article: http://www.billboard.com/#/news/bono-sting-timberlake-to-perform-on-haiti-1004059789.story

I am still rather shocked that the New York Jets pulled off a major upset last night. All can be said to celebrate the victory and to look forward to next week’s match-up, but to avoid many words, I will simply ask you. Are you ready for some football?

Don’t Stop Believing: Lets Go Jets

17 Jan

Greene saw green and made Jets green look great

I know this post may be lame but I cannot help it; Journey explains it well in their overplayed classic. I am beyond shocked with my J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets and because of their win I present to you “Don’t Stop Believing” by Steve Perry and Journey. Also, a special non-musical video (music to my ears though). The hilarious locker room speech (the censored version) by Tyrannosaurus Rex Ryan.

J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets

16 Jan

Tomorrow the New York Jets will be in San Diego, not for a team golfing trip, but for playoff football against the 13-3 San Diego Chargers (who have won 11 straight games). I don’t exactly know how they got this far, but the perseverance by my lowly football team has proven that they are certainly on the right track and, for this season, they have as good of a chance as anybody to make the Superbowl and I am PSYCHED! The Jets are hot and playing with house money which makes them a true force to be reckoned with. So, from The Music Court a hearty J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS and what is better than a song set in New York City in the mid 1950’s to help you celebrate.

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