I Love Feedback Guitar I Love Feed Back Guitar I Love Feedback

[mitchum]

Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, Jeff Beck, Robert Fripp, Sonny Sharrock, Pete Townshend, Harvey Mandel, William Reed, Jim Reid...

[ZoCrowes]

1. When you say Lou Reed

please dont be talking about Metal Machine Music

I had a customer request to put that on the other day because she wanted to hear it. I almost blew my fucking head off when the manager obliged

[jpgray]

2. I don't think even Lou Reed has listened to all of MMM. (nt)

[mitchum]

3. It's the only music my dad ever asked me to turn off

Intended to annoy. That's what happens when you take away the guitar and leave only the feedback. It needs both :)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. There's a story about this in the Reed bio "Transformer"...

...supposedly he plugged in his guitar and propped it up against a daisy-chain of Marshall amps, then left the room. He didn't actually "play" a note...it was this kind of "experimentation" with some mixing board craziness added.

"Metal Machine Music" was Reed's reaction to his fame. He became a star to the mainstream "arena rock" crowd with the battling Steve Hunter / Dick Wagner guitars on Rock & Roll Animal's "Sweet Jane." He returned to the studio and churned out "Sally Can't Dance"...an effort that Reed didn't feel was one of his best, and one that came at his most concentrated period of psychosis and substance abuse.

The record went gold and got good reviews and Reed went nuts. He went on record as saying "every new record is worse than the one before it, and they sell. If I didn't even appear on the next one at ALL it would probably STILL sell."

So, MMM was born. The box set "Between Thought and Expression" acknowledges it...in a one and a half minute excerpt. When MMM was originally shipped to radio stations, it carried a "suggested tracks for airplay" sticker and the notation "none."

:toast:

[mitchum]

21. MMM was also intended as a contract breaker with RCA...

I think that's the only level on which it succeeded

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

4. Neil Young's "Arc"

...one long feedback montage assembled from performances on the "Weld" tour. It was part of a 3 CD set upon its release (2 CDs of Weld plus Arc), now available separately.



And regarding Lou Reed, ANYTHING with Robert Quine, the man credited with (and justifiably so) inspiring Reed to pick up the guitar and play again.

Blue Mask:



and "Live In Italy"



...the two ESSENTIALS from the Red / Quine years. You like feedback? Listen to Reed's solo on "Kill Your Sons" and the 18 minute firestorm between Reed and Quine on "Some Kinda Love / Sister Ray," both from "Live."

:toast:

[driver8]

7. Robert Quine was one of my favorites...

I was very sad when he died. I thought Quine played most of the solos when he was with Lou Reed...is that not right? I saw him play with Lou on the "New Sensations" tour in 1984 and he was amazing. I think I watched him more than I did Lou.

Oh yeah, for feedback manipulation you have got to see what Joey Santiago of the Pixies can do! Amazing.

One other thing...I read an interview with Quine and he said at one point he and Lou Reed were very pissed off at each other. Quine said he hadn't seen or spoken to Reed in years and ran into him in a guitar shop. They were both so mad, that neither of them spoke to the other.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. Quine did most of the solos, BUT...

They also started the "left channel, right channel" bit that Reed latter carried on with Mike Rathke so you'd know who was playing what.

No such differentiation on "Live In Italy." Some critics have said that the album doesn't represent the best night on stage between Reed and Quine...and I don't doubt that for a minute...but anyone who wants to hear all hell breaking loose needs this CD. It's focused, it's filled with FOCUSED rage, and it rocks like a mother. That's the key to Reed...if he loses his focus (like on "Take No Prisoners"), you get a mess.

"Transformer" really is a good bio on Reed...it's not a trashy hack piece, it is well-written and well-documented. During the Rock & Roll Animal years, Reed played NO guitar...he just stood on the stage while Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner had their nightly duels. Reed said that the extended solo on "Oh Jim," which can be heard on "Lou Reed Live," was allowed because he "liked it." The challenge at this point was getting Reed to show up at all, and if he did, to make it all the way through a performance.

Quine challenged Reed. The solos between them were a fist fight, every one. Quine was like a wise and powerful boxing coach, and Reed was the washed-up, out of shape Rocky. Quine brought him back to glory, but that led to a bigger problem: Reed had no intention of giving the kind of credit that would cause him to share the spotlight.

Reed is very, very similar to Neil Young in a number of ways. First, both geniuses. Second, both emotional players who emanate from the gut, not technical precision churned out by institutions and instructors. Third, they both love guitar noise. Finally (if you want to believe the Neil Young bio "Shakey"), they have both thoroughly screwed over and abandoned people in their lives who loved them, who furthered their career, who were there for them when the chips were down...all without a single shred of remorse.

The "elder statesman" and "poet" status that Reed enjoys in modern times is largely due to Quine. After Reed gained that momentum, his career never back-slid again. The critics (any many of the fans) know Quine's place in the Reed chronology. The reason for the hatred was a combination of ambition, ego and testosterone gone sideways.

I didn't know that Quine had died. What a shame. I've been listening to "The Blue Mask" and "Live In Italy" in the car lately. That seems to be as fitting of a memorial as any. Rest in peace, Bob. You ROCKED.

:toast:

[driver8]

20. Robert Quine

The media reported that Quine died of an apparent heroin overdose. He was depressed over the recent death of his wife at the time. He died over the Memorial Day weekend last year.

[mitchum]

26. Those are very apt points of comparison between Reed and Young

Extremely talented self-serving pricks.
As Quine said, "How many people can say that they were a FRIEND of Lou Reed?"

Quine did salvage Reed's career, and Lou has been coasting on that resurgence ever since

[Schema Thing]

5. Southern Culture on the Skids

Intro to "Soul City". Best use of feedback a band has used in a long, long time.

[Floogeldy]

8. Gang Of Four did a cool feedback song, called "Anthrax."

[prof_science]

9. You apparently love reverb too.

(buh dum dum, crash)

[RandomKoolzip]

10. Keiji Haino, Bruce Anderson, Fred Frith, Jandek, John McLaughlin....

Greg Ginn, Joe Baiza, Nels Cline, Derek Bailey, Bob Mould, Glenn Branca, Frank Zappa, Zoot Horn Rollo, Geoff Farina, Dot Wiggin, Snakefinger, Roger McGuinn, Tom Smith, Eugene Chadbourne, Nathan Larson, Dylan Posa, John Cipollina.........

[chenGOD]

15. Great list...

how about adding Keith Rowe and Oren Ambarchi? Also Keith Fullerton Whitman when he's recording under his real name and not his Hrvatski alter ego (although I love his Hrvatski alter ego, it's not guitar based music really...)
Maybe also some Jim O'Rourke? Terminal Pharmacy and his work with Sonic Youth is excellent in the more sort of droney/feedbacky style....

[mitchum]

22. Nels Cline is (for me) the finest guitarist working today...

and it's nice to see him come into a nice payday as a Wilco hired gun.

A vintage geezer I work with turned me onto Cipollina. He was phenomenal, and a straight line to Verlaine. Now, If I could only EQ out Quicksilver's excruciatingly hippiecentric vocals/lyrics :)

[RandomKoolzip]

27. Totally! I remember hearing early Quicksilver for the first time.....

During my infatuiation with Sonic Youth; I thought they were a new band!

If you like Feedback, go straight to "Cavalry."


And may Dino Valenti rot in hell, along with anyone else who sang for Quicksilver.

[MirrorAshes]

11. Kevin Shields, Thurston Moore...

my favs...

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. Thurston Moore - what band did he play for/does play for?

I have been racking my brain for two weeks trying to remember.

He played a feedback/distortion improv concert in my seminary's chapel last spring. Fricking awesome! There were only about 60 of us there. It was him, another guitarist, and a woman on cello. Total wall of sound for 30 minutes. Louder than hell, and incredible! My worship and arts prof., a 63 year old catholic nun, thought it was great as well.

[chenGOD]

17. Sonic Youth...n/m

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. that's it - thanks! Here's the review I did from that show:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=790817

[chenGOD]

19. Sounds like a great show...

If you like that kind of stuff, you must check out Glenn Branca's guitar symphonies...simply amazing...

[Atlas Mugged]

13. Jesus & Mary Chain n/t

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. And leave us not forget Frank Zappa and David Gilmore

Frank, who could mold feedback into a melody; and Gilmore, who doesn't do so much with feedback per se but who has his amps turned up so that he is constantly riding the edge between regular guitar sound and a total feedback overload.

[mitchum]

23. There are some great additions here from fellow feedback freaks

Even ridiculous wingnut Ted Nugent has demonstrated masterful technique in the past. His point of view and riffs have always been Neanderthal, but his "Great White Buffalo" and "Stranglehold" both contain beautiful feedback work.

[cestpaspossible]

24. Chicago Transit Authority - 'Free Form Guitar'

check it out.

[warrens]

25. You might like Brian Jonestown Massacre

Lotsa swirling feedbacky guitars and psychedelic rambling. Very addictive, in a Rain Parade/Stones circa Child of the Moon and We Love You kinda way.

[dean_dem]

28. Kevin Shields is the undisputed master of feedback...

If you don't own MBV's Loveless, I really feel sorry for you.

[eyepaddle]

29. Man am I glad to see others sharing in my love

and damn if there aren't some fine names mentioned in this thread! He's got more going on than straight feedback but you can't leave out Adrian Belew.

While it isn't a guitar album per se NIN's "The Downward Spiral: has some great imploding feedback moments.

Also Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro. At the time I really couldn't stand alternative music but I always kinda liked Dave becasuse he didn't have the "I'm too cool to actually learn how to play" attitude.

Those lost two are fairly minor contributors--but if you are running out of other stuff I thought I'd throw it out there.

And my favorite for last KK Downing. (the blond guy from Judas Priest) While he's definitely the 2nd guitarist his feedback moments are awesome. Although they have REALLY gotten away from that stuff in their later albums, Sin After Sin is a treasure trove, as is Stained Class--even some stuff up to Screaming for Vengeance the song Devil's Child--whhooooooooo-weeeee! Damn it's short (about 16 bars) but it's an atom bomb of guitar!