"Best guitarist ever" is a silly concept. With that in mind, how does one describe Chet Atkins? He is better than any guitarist I have ever heard (live or recorded). None are better than him. How does one describe that without saying something silly? My solution is to insert one word, avoiding the silliness. Chet Atkins is possibly the best guitarist, ever. So why do I have such trouble listening to his solo work? When I listen to his playing, its wonderful and amazing. When I pull back and listen to the song, its not a real good version of the song. Arkansas Traveler is a good illustration of what I'm talking about I love the playing on this. He starts out sparce, plays different variations, building until at the end he is playing multiple voices on one guitar. None play it better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCkYpK9z5U"]Chet Atkins "Arkansas Traveler" - YouTubeBut (IMO) its not a good version of Arkansas Traveler. I forget which artist recently said that current country had "taken all the back porch out of the music". Chet's smooth country style has almost no back porch. (It reminds me of Muzak®) Hence my dilemma. I love his playing. But when I widen my mental focus to include the song as a whole, I don't like it. When he plays with others, the song retains its back porch. I'll leave this post with these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEwYlsis6Ck"]Chet Atkins, Bela Fleck, & Jerry Douglas - Alabama Jubilee - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAR_lPylto4"]Chet Atkins - Black Mountain Rag (Country Style USA) - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7ybHxvLmG0"]Carter Sisters - Sweet Talking Man - YouTube(June is being a real brat. I'll bet Helen wants to smack her.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fXEzS64qJ4"]Merle Travis and Chet Atkins ~ I'll See You In My Dreams - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cyiq6lewgOk"]Chet Atkins - Stars And Stripes Forever - YouTube
I dunno what to say Mike. Take it for what it is. Just sit back and enjoy some damned good Gee-Tar playin.
That's the problem. To enjoy Chet solo, I have to "lean forward". And I enjoy him a lot. Its when I lean back that it sounds like elevator music. (Hmmm...how many years has it been since I've heard music provided by an elevator? )
I think it may have changed since we were youngsters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj0ChLVTpaA"]Elevator Music - YouTube
Blame it on production? I hear you. I get to work with great musicians, but sometimes the albums leave me cold.
"Blame it on production" :2thumbsup: Very dry, DM :2thumbsup: Nah, I'm blame on Chet's liking the smooth country sound. Or maybe its trying to pull bluegrass all the way over to jazz? Maybe bluegrass is bluegrass. I must study more on this. I just got his Certified Guitar Player CD. Its a live album of him playing with various stars. His playing is just as smooth, just as skilled, but the resulting music is more to my taste. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSdThfseSkQ&feature=related"]Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler - I'll See You In My Dreams - Walk Of Life - YouTube (on the CD, the first song, below, is titled Rose In Paradise)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8VdH_q9YNw&feature=channel&list=UL"]Chet Atkins , Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson - Fire In His Eyes - Good Hearted Woman - YouTube One things for sure, my working through "good music" vs. "musical skill" with Chet Atkins gets me listening to some fine pickin'.
Well, could it be you love his playing, but not the arrangement? That was often an issue with the dead, for me.
Chet is good. I prefer Waylon Jennings style https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZeYDBY4fw"]Waylon Jennings Luckenbach Texas - YouTube
