Eric is so precise. All of the different tones for all the different changes he plays behind his vocals, THEN his solos are so effing articulate! Even his use of feedback is surgically placed! Dude is the most in control player I've ever seen!
Actually he can play both crystal soothing slow phrases to articulate and blistering fast playing way better than those legends. Just stating the facts. But all of them are guitar legends in their own rights. 😎👍
I used to think that, but I wish he had something that can handle chords better than a Fuzz Face, and there are much better tube-based pedals than the old low V Chandler Tube Driver, which again falls apart with complex chords. His secondary lead tone now is smoother, but so dark.
4:43 into the riff at 4:46 has me absolutely on edge! I cannot figure out for the life of me HOW IS HE GETTING THAT SOUND,I NEED to figure out how he’s doing that it’s got me absolutely blown away that I’m just now noticing this!
@axeputz yeah his singing lacked a little here. But i think it's amazing in his recordings and younger concerts. His vocals work for the music he makes.
sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come, because everyone likes to listen to music and love peace and animals.. Mother's Friendship 5 X 5 Mother's Friendship 5 5 5 5 5 Fran Records Costa Rica, USA and Germany
we can admit it, right? that he's all over the place? to be honest I'd call it a compliment, that you're usually so incredibly precise that mistakes really stick out
Love Eric Johnson guys, BUT! I think this one is not the best performance of Desert Rose. I suppose I prefer EJ to play his songs and solos trying to look like the original studio one. You know, those pieces are the ones you sings from first to last! And I kinda get lost if he plays so different, so annoying for me... Anyways, dod I mention I really love EJohnson?!
He's notorious for perfecting takes in the studio, they are nearly impossible to do perfectly live. But he's good enough to improvise and slide into another vibe as a superb live musician which I have to appreciate
Seen Eric live up close a couple times. Truly amazing. Not popular opinion I'm sure, but I think the singing could be better and the drummer is not very imaginative.. feels hurried and busy for busy's sake, not working with the songs.
He was relegated to the 2nd stage - which was a crime - I can't imagine that he pissed anyone off to get demoted like that - his band should have been on the main stage - and still its not a bad performance - I saw him open for Steve Miller in 1991 - amazing show.
EJ and Bonamassa both do that double time descending shred stuff on their solos that makes me feel like they don't know what else to do. Like it's a fallback or something. Seems so "rehearsed" and practiced. I wanna hear something reckless from these guys but it's not gonna happen. That's the feeling I get watching them. i'm not bagging but maybe to some I might be. Anyone else feel this way?
+thriftdig I think playing guitar is (as many other aspects of life) a difficult skill that requires som sort of automatic artistic view. When improvising the same piece of music 1000 of times, the "rehearsed" is a gateway of individual originality to something new.
Nope, you have to hear the whole body of EJs work, then you'd know he is ANYTHING but stale. A song like Desert Rose however, has so much soul and technique baked into the song, he would want to play it close to the original. Listen to his numerous covers of Hendrix if you want to see fresh takes. EJ's the best. So you are wrong! ;-)
Spot on Kirk. I have listened to so much EJ and the original statement (AND lumping him in with Bonamamssa?) is just flat out wrong. EJ has his sound, but he can and does do whatever he wants on the fretboard......ANY TIME HE WANTS.
axeputz wrote: "not all about the 100 mph journey up and down the fretboard." What? The journey is the best part! Bonamassa does't have half of Johnson's talent! Johnson is a pioneer player with a lot of wannabes in his backseat. Bonamassa is good but not great, hence his mediocre improvisation skills.
If ever the idea that "lyrics are just wasted time between guitar solos", it would apply to Eric Johnson. Eric is a virtuoso guitar player, one of my faves, but unfortunately his voice is not on the same level. At least Joe Bonamassa has a little (not a lot) grit to his voice so his tunes are not all about the 100 mph journey up and down the fretboard. Derek Trucks has the good sense to leave the vocals to those that can sing while remaining the focus of his band.
