🎸 Roy Buchanan (1939–1988) was one of the greatest guitarists to ever pick up a Fender Telecaster, yet he remained largely unknown to the mainstream. He passed away at the age of 48, but his influence on guitar playing lives on.
Often called "The Best Unknown Guitarist in the World," Roy could pull sounds from his beloved 1953 Telecaster, "Nancy," that seemed impossible—pinch harmonics, violin-like swells, and haunting vocal tones, all created with his fingers and masterful control of the guitar's volume and tone knobs.
His playing inspired generations of guitarists, including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, David Gilmour, Robbie Robertson, and Joe Bonamassa. Some even say Jimi Hendrix was in awe of his talent.
Roy's career was marked by both brilliance and struggle. He reportedly turned down an opportunity to join The Rolling Stones after Brian Jones' death, choosing instead to follow his own path. Despite never achieving major commercial success, he became a true guitarist's guitarist and was later ranked among the greatest players of all time.
If you've never heard Roy Buchanan before, start with "The Messiah Will Come Again." One listen and you'll understand why so many musicians consider him a legend.
One of the few Pixies songs sung by bassist Kim Deal, "Gigantic" offered a different perspective from much of the band's catalogue. Performed live in 1988, the track appeared on Surfer Rosa and became an early fan favourite thanks to its memorable bassline and distinctive vocal.
When you realize the intro of the famous song "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple is the intro of Beethoven's 5th Symphony simply played backward.
Mind-blowing.
Malcolm McLaren's 1982 hit 'Buffalo Gals' pioneered the intro of hip-hop culture to the UK. Produced by Trevor Horn, the track featured the World's Famous Supreme Team and has since been sampled in over 400 songs.
@Ducnghia16 I was a feral Gen X kid who had no enforced bedtime. I saw this (and every) SNL episode as it happened. It is hard to explain how F-ING AMAZING this was to see. The next day I was throwing myself around the livingroom, learning to do cartwheels like Belushi.
@morphine_band When you post a video, I often reply that "there is a good chance I was at that show." - but this time, I'm 99.9% sure I was there for this one... unless this 'set within a set' thing was something Morphine did a bunch of times, I recall it pretty clearly.
Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer recorded a duet cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" during sessions for the American IV album. The track features Tom Morello on guitar and was officially released in 2003 on Cash's box set Unearthed.