Given we've seen, between us, bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Keith Emerson's The Nice and ELP, The Who, Santana, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, REM, Muse and the Red Hot Chili Peppers with many, many more besides I was very surprised this conversation was so short and lacking in contention. Indeed, it rapidly left us wondering what to talk about next!
I hasten to note that we were talking about groups of musicians playing as a band: if we were talking individual players then I'd have come up with a long list of names including Keith Emerson, Dave Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Robert Fripp, Dick Heckstall Smith, Rick Wakeman, Carlos Santana and John Frusciante for starters.
Mind, there's a lot more to being a good pop musician than good technique and performance. Now I like classical music and I'm very fond of going to see ballet. But in classical music technique is all. Yes that technique must include playing with feeling, not like a robot, but otherwise that's it, apart perhaps from things at the avant garde end of the spectrum. But creativity is king in pop music - and jazz - and people who know very little about music theory can make exciting new pieces of music. Maybe because they know so little and take risks or break the accepted rules of composition.
But it's still satisfying to watch musicians who are masters of their instruments.
Another post for another day: best gigs I've been to. I'll need to go and lie down and think on that one for a bit.
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