Oh, that flanger sound takes me right back to my childhood. And then the synth guitar... Gosh... All spiced up with the sweet and warm degradation of the glorious VHS tape
I'm floored! I had no idea Andy could play blues like that. I wish he'd explore it, I'd love to hear a blues record by him. This video is sort of Spinal-Tap in the way he reveals a hidden songwriting talent.
Oh come on - not that impressive. Blues isn't difficult to play or learn , outright - what's difficult about playing Blues , is playing it "convincingly" .......night after night, putting feeling and heart/soul into it - like Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn and the other greats ........ Andy Summers' original music is more interesting , to me at least ....
Filmed at air studios in Montserrat...hurricane hugo wiped the place out in 1989 and its an abandoned wreck now. A real shame as a lot of well known artists recorded there.
u can tell that andy really likes to play with lots of effects cause he immediately started playing with the pedal again after playing on the clean sound
His sound along with stewart's unique style are what made sting's songs truly great. his solo stuff is painfully lacking without the two. sting's first solo album could of been a classic with the help of andy and stewart.
why the fuck is this guy not ranked up there with page and perry and clapton. maybe hes not as flashy but hes incredibly creative with his riffs and effects.
5:29 OMG! 😱 Jools jokingly pulled Andy’s guitar chord out when he played a funk guitar riff 30 years ago! Ohh, the controversy! I wish Jools did this to the Red Hot Chili Peppers back in 1981! 😂
5:34 if anybody ever unplugged my guitar like that, I'd punch them straight in the face. It'd be especially satisfying if they had a face as punchable as Jools here.
Amen! No kidding.... the prick asks to hear a style of rift - then unplugs his guitar? Fuck off!!! Andy's often too patient with these prima donas ...?
+Blueduck577, That was pretty ignorant. Someone was kind enough to give an interview and to play guitar for you and he does this to him?!?! I would be honored just to hear him play guitar. I would tell him play whatever you like and please keep playing! I would probably ask for a lesson on the guitar. LOL
While under normal circumstances I’d agree with you completely, Jools was a client of Miles Copeland, was friends with the band, and had already supported The Police at Madison Square Garden as a solo artist and previously in the UK as a member of Squeeze. I’m sure they were pretty tight and there was room for ribbing and silliness. Jools had nothing but respect for them. He’s a super talented musician and television personality.
Andy Summers is literally a guitar master. Read his book One Train Later. Andy paid his dues as a guitar player in many different kinds of bands and support of various types of artists so he can play anything : jazz blues rock and roll of course flamenco etc. He was the secret weapon of the Police to bridge Stewart Copeland's percussive brilliance and Stings formidable songs.
because a lot of old school players don't put as much stock in effect driven sound as opposed to just creation of interesting sounds with simply the guitar and amp alone.. but when andy was coming up the effects were really being revolutionized at this point so it was really interesting for him and many guitar players. It sounds ok but i still prefer listening to andy without all those effects. I've seen him live in a small club in chicago "Martyr's" and he is a great player.
hey thanx! how do u know that? :] Montserrat rang a bell to me..its a place in spain. but then again..seems its not this one :] do u mean this place is south of the U.S? a bunch of islands between Haiti, and Venezuela?
I loved the part where they jammed the blues. Sounded like JEremy Spencer. A shame the Police broke up. I think they could have delved into so many styles of music if Sting had let the other guys contribute more. As we know what Stewart Copeland went on to do. Opera.....Ballet...movies scores.....and Andy would have provided Sting with some brilliant jazz backing. HEy ....maybe they can get together and do an album now??!!!!!!
Interesting story: That guitar is no more. The Police were playing a show quite late in the Sync tour and when Andy came to plug it in for a pre gig jam it was dead. The pickups had de magnetised. He got Fender to make a replica but said it never felt the same. Hence the red Strat on the reunion tour!
That's not exactly true. The bridge pickup was demagnetized on their last tour, but Seymour Duncan came to the rescue with a replicated one. Andy did say it never felt quite the same, but he did continue to play it and he was using the Strat before that anyway. He bought the red Stratocaster back in their Regatta De Blanc days on their American tour when they finally started to make a little money. He played the Tele on the reunion tour as well.
does anyone knows where it was filmed at? doesnt seem like england to me :] seems like t'was filmed while the police were on their peak...but just before breaking up..thats the feeling i get :]
I was just waiting for Andy to say "No, this one goes up to 11". Nice to see an interview though where the interviewer actually knows what he's talking about and isn't just fluffing.
He's not under-rated. He was great and textures and colouring sounds etc and also voicings but his live solos were embarrassing I thought at times. Nice solos in the studio though I grant you. And..............a really nice bloke!
First of a great guitar need not be or have to be a great soloist. Andy is an extremely versatile and innovative guitarist and in the Police wasn't required to do standard issue guitar hero solo histrionics. Perhaps that impresses some fans but actual musicians etc are more discerning. I'm fairly certain Andy Summers could sit in with practically any style of contemporary popular music and thrive. Now that's impressive
Great clip. I always liked Andy's guitar playing. So what if he's not as good a musician as the others. Can you really imagine The Police without him? I sure can't.
