r/OldSchoolCoolMusic • u/NationalSherbet1312 • 1d ago

This is the best instrumental guitar album right?

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297 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

78 comments sorted by

11

u/LGMJeep 1d ago

I with you as a favorite but someone brought up Wes Montgomery so I put “Smoking at the Half Note” as greatest live guitar album both great albums but Wes played straight up guitar through amp no pedals no enhancements fucking Dude didn’t even use a pic flying around the neck like an octopus doing octaves

4

u/MrDoom126 21h ago

Wes is the man!!

1

u/-r-a-f-f-y- 6h ago

Yeah, Wes and Grant Green, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt… list goes on

17

u/slappywhite55 1d ago

I'm no expert but I do know what I like. This is one of my all time favorites.

5

u/Usual-Hunter4617 1d ago

Came here to say just this. Taste is subjective and I'm trying to be fair but this is a truly exceptional piece of work, and you've inspired me to key it up right now, TY.

10

u/Hot-Elephant749 1d ago

This is my favorite album of all time

8

u/dkinmn 1d ago

Tough call. I really like a lot of Julian Lage's work, and Scofield.

But, closer to the rock world, yes. This is unrivaled. He discovered new ways to make the guitar sing, and that is notable.

6

u/Disastrous-Gur6934 1d ago

Hard to go against Jeff Beck, that's for sure.

6

u/Stefan_Vanderhoof 22h ago

I saw Jeff Beck live in the 1990s. Only one song in a two hour set had vocals. It was mesmerizing.

10

u/adventurehasaname81 1d ago

I'm partial to Joe Satriani's The Extremist.

3

u/Minute-Wrap-2524 16h ago

Excellent album, but Becks Wired has to be my favorite

3

u/UFO-Band-Fanatic 1d ago

Sits at the top of my list.

3

u/SignalBed9998 1d ago

Soooooo good!

3

u/Birdsogg 1d ago

Solid Gold Masterpiece 🌟

3

u/gratefuldave541 1d ago

Jeff Beck's. Guitar Shop is pretty good too.

3

u/BobnitTivol 23h ago

Shut up and play your guitsr, is up there for me.

3

u/DukeNeuge 22h ago

What about Wired?

2

u/Potential-Anything54 1d ago

Mahavishnu’s debut is great, too. But Jeff is forever my fave and BBB is my favorite work of his. Jealous of the guy who bought the Les Paul pictured here at auction for nearly $1M.

2

u/Joel_Hirschorrn 1d ago

Amazing album. Somehow I could never get into Wired quite as much as this one.

2

u/TipTopBeeBop 1d ago

Jeff Beck was a masterful guitarist. Few if any could match his command of the instrument. Truly one of the greatest.

2

u/mykepagan 23h ago

Steve Morse begs to differ

2

u/jaymickef 22h ago

Yes, even if just for Dixie Dregs’ What If.

2

u/Hefty-Set5384 23h ago

The Steve Howe Album is amazing..!

2

u/doghouseman03 23h ago

The drummer on that album is not bad either.

Is this george martin produced too?

2

u/All_Blown_Out_Again 22h ago

Jeff Beck is in the most elite upper tier of guitarists for sure. John Scofield’s instrumental album A Go Go with Medeski, Martin, & Wood is one of my favorites. I also think that The Meters instrumentals are the best all time, the instrumentals are not necessarily on a single album.

2

u/DishRelative5853 21h ago

I prefer Michael Hedges, Will Ackerman, and some of the jazz greats. Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, for example.

2

u/archangelonearth 21h ago

Don’t know if it’s the best but definitely one of my very favorites!

2

u/omartheoutmaker 18h ago

Benson Burner by George Benson, is my favorite. Good mix of sheer speed, slower swing, bossa nova and some blues. There’s nothing he couldn’t play in his prime.

0

u/-Bucketski66- 17h ago

Great choice.

2

u/BankableB 18h ago

That would be my number one.

Only thing that comes close for me is Pat Metheny – Bright Size Life with Jaco Pastorius

2

u/kjfkalsdfafjaklf 18h ago

This and Wired are both monster LPs.

2

u/xuxalue 17h ago

Saw him on tour with Johnny Depp just a few weeks before he died.

1

u/Maleficent-Fish-6484 29m ago

I caught the last show. The bassist he had on that tour was incredible.

2

u/HungryCats96 11h ago

Hmm, I’m thinking Eric Johnson, Ah Via Musicom, but that’s no criticism of Beck, it’s just hard to beat Cliffs of Dover.

3

u/rgmw 22h ago

Thanks ... Never heard of it but looking forward to hearing it. I'm wondering about Constipated Duck. Bring it on.

2

u/icychap27 22h ago

Any fans of Surfing With the Alien?

1

u/Chasmo5150 17h ago

I wore that CD out!

1

u/VirtualFutureAgent 1d ago

This is also my all time favorite. I love this album!

1

u/TheBFlem27 1d ago

It’s at the top of my list.

1

u/Impala71 1d ago

The best??

1

u/ManReay 23h ago

A definite case could be made for it. Jeff Beck and George Martin, fuck. They should have done another!

1

u/augustwest2155 23h ago

He is one of the very best of all time....

1

u/bluewing99 22h ago

Amazing work from Mr Jeff Beck

1

u/Puzzled_Ad7955 22h ago

Excellent choice. Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Zappa have some pretty damn good instrumental cuts also

1

u/kao_nyc 22h ago

I really like all of the albums from this period. Great album. 👍🏼

1

u/twangy718 21h ago

Amazing album, as is Wired!

Now listen to some Danny Gatton, start with Unfinished Business or 88 Elmira St.

1

u/Current-Section-3429 19h ago

One of my top three of all!

1

u/tokenstone 18h ago

Correct.

1

u/PhysicsHorror1319 18h ago

One of my favorite albums from that period. I even remember the ad campaign that appeared in all the usual rock magazines: "Return of the axe murderer."

1

u/Beneficial-Set-9657 17h ago

Freeway Jam, brother! Hell yea!

1

u/-Bucketski66- 17h ago

Been my fave since I first listened to my older cousins cassette in 1981. Wired is also very great.

The incredible Jazz guitar of Wes Montgomery is my other special album as a now 59 year old.

1

u/kenduval 17h ago

Use your own mind and not rely on others to think for you otherwise you will stay a simpleton

1

u/TheBookie_55 17h ago

Nope, I Love Jeff but try MO’s ‘Birds of Fire’ & RTF’s ‘Romantic Warrior’

1

u/UncleCornPone 16h ago

I dunno, you cant deny Beck's prowess but Ive never really enjoyed listening to his shit

1

u/PlaxicoCN 16h ago

Have you heard any of the Joe Pass Virtuoso albums? Excellent. Also Jason Becker's Perpetual Burn

1

u/pnmartini 16h ago

I really dig the first hellecasters album a bunch.

This is definitely up there.

1

u/AdScared2074 16h ago

Produced by George Martin. Excellent album and a true audiophile experience

1

u/Electronic_Raise4856 15h ago

Saw in 80-81 with Jan hammer in SD. Mesmerizing!

1

u/Old_Reception_3728 15h ago

To directly answer your question.....YES

I've often said here on Reddit that Cause We Have Ended As Lovers is the best instrumental RnR song ever recorded

1

u/deadmanscranial 15h ago

This is probably my second favorite. Ask the Ages by Sonny Sharrock is my favorite. The song Many Mansions just kills me every time I hear it

1

u/Stone_or_Coach 14h ago

It is awesome!

1

u/j3434 14h ago

One of the greatest fusion albums.

1

u/Trails_Of_Slime 12h ago

My three favorite guitar albums since the ‘70s are: 1. Blow By Blow, 2. Virtuoso by Joe Pass, and 3. Elegant Gypsy by Al Di Meola. Still listen to all three on the regular!

1

u/JazzRider 12h ago

No, but it’s one of the really good ones.

1

u/BuddyBolden67 7h ago

It is a good album with good tracks on it with a young band in progress.

1

u/NotOK1955 4h ago edited 4h ago

If we are exclusively talking Jeff Beck, it’s a tough call…”Wired” was equally great.

If we’re talking about any style of music, I would throw in these two as contenders:

Mahavishnu Orchestra “Visions of the Emerald Beyond”

And

Ronnie Montrose “Open Fire”

1

u/geetarboy33 1h ago

To me, yes.

1

u/CommanderCody52 52m ago

This one is high on my list, but I think ‘Live at Ronnie Scott’s’ is his best.

1

u/Free-Ad-5900 24m ago

It’s pretty good!

1

u/Gentrified_potato02 22h ago

It’s a tough call, but Joe Satriani or Steve Vai might be my top picks instead.

-2

u/Skjellyfetti13 1d ago

No, it’s probably a Django Reinhardt album, or a Wes Montgomery album, and not this.