Who are your favorite accompanists without which a famous musician might not have sounded nearly as good? These can also be famous musicians in their own right but can also be rather obscure figures who might have greatly influenced but not even appeared on any known recording.
I am going to start with some of the obvious and hope I learn something from what you guys add to the thread:
John Paul Jones:
Let's face it, Jimmy Page is a masterful guitar player, song writer and all around rock and roll icon (in the true sense of the word) but can you imagine some of his songs with some other bass/keyboard/mandolin/etc player? I find it very difficult to imagine some of these songs without the rock solid but also very innovative approach of one of the finest musicians to ever be in such a huge shadow.
John Entwhistle:
The glue that holds any Who song together. 'The Ox' is such an apt name for a guy who provided just about all the structure to such a chaotic proto punk band. Forgive that description of The Who because I mean it in a positive way. His dynamic playing not only anchored all songs in a solid rhythm but provided lead fills in the most unexpected places thus adding to the excitement of each song John appeared on.
Maury Muehleisen:
This lead guitarist was the perfect match for Croce's down to earth delivery. Without his fills Jim's songs would have still been nice to listen to but Maury added that special something that pushed Croce's music passed the coffee house circuit and into the national spotlight.
Dennis Stratton:
The counterpoint to Dave Murray's punk sensibilities. This guy was an absolute gem for this band who's departure can be heard in everything that came after the first album. I've heard he left because he wanted the band to go in a more spacey melodic direction and most of the members (and fans alike) did not at all want that. This takes nothing away from his actual contributions to the songs which are clearly indicitive of what could have been the premier guitar duo of the 80s.
Ha, lipsynch!
I am going to start with some of the obvious and hope I learn something from what you guys add to the thread:
John Paul Jones:
Let's face it, Jimmy Page is a masterful guitar player, song writer and all around rock and roll icon (in the true sense of the word) but can you imagine some of his songs with some other bass/keyboard/mandolin/etc player? I find it very difficult to imagine some of these songs without the rock solid but also very innovative approach of one of the finest musicians to ever be in such a huge shadow.
John Entwhistle:
The glue that holds any Who song together. 'The Ox' is such an apt name for a guy who provided just about all the structure to such a chaotic proto punk band. Forgive that description of The Who because I mean it in a positive way. His dynamic playing not only anchored all songs in a solid rhythm but provided lead fills in the most unexpected places thus adding to the excitement of each song John appeared on.
Maury Muehleisen:
This lead guitarist was the perfect match for Croce's down to earth delivery. Without his fills Jim's songs would have still been nice to listen to but Maury added that special something that pushed Croce's music passed the coffee house circuit and into the national spotlight.
Dennis Stratton:
The counterpoint to Dave Murray's punk sensibilities. This guy was an absolute gem for this band who's departure can be heard in everything that came after the first album. I've heard he left because he wanted the band to go in a more spacey melodic direction and most of the members (and fans alike) did not at all want that. This takes nothing away from his actual contributions to the songs which are clearly indicitive of what could have been the premier guitar duo of the 80s.
Ha, lipsynch!
