Artist	Song
Lou Reed	Sweet Jane Intro
from Rock & Roll Animal (1974) Magnificent guitar interplay between Steve Hunter (formerly of Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and "Detroit" band), and Dick Wagner, from another Detroit area band The Frost. Killer stuff.
Deep Purple	Wring That Neck
from The Book of Taliesyn (1968) In 1968, nobody played like Richie Blackmore. Those outrageous bends, the completely unorthodox phrasing and harmonic connections, with a tone like a bizarre, mutated violin.
Paul Kossoff	Time Away
from Back Street Crawler (1973) This spontaneous jam at five and a half minutes, part of a longer 40 minute exploration, displays Paul Kossoff at his crying, yearning best. The passion and anguish is so thick you can slice it. Formerly the guitarist of the band Free, his was a tragic short life. He would be remembered for this track alone if he had done nothing else.
Mountain	Travelin' in the Dark
from Nantucket Sleighride (1971) Leslie West has always been a favorite, but the solo on this song beginning around the 2:00 minute mark is the most beautifully constructed guitar solo I've ever heard - it is just brimming with interesting turns of the phrase. Unfortunately, it is over too soon.
John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers	Hideaway
from John Mayall's Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton (1966) THIS. When graffiti showed up in London saying "Clapton is God" in 1967, this balls-to-the-wall track is arguably why.
Al Kooper/Mike Bloomfield/Stephen Stills	Albert's Shuffle
from Super Session (1968) Utterly soaked in blues, Mike Bloomfield never again played so sweet-n-salty as this (although he came close on other occasions). Props to Al Kooper for the brilliant concept of the "Super Session".
Camel	Unevensong
from Rain Dances (1977) First, about Andy Latimer. Anything he plays, has played, or is going to play could end up in this mix. That is how blindingly good he is. He has the finest "tone" of any other - hands down. What to choose? But, since this is my mix, and I get to decide, it's this track "Unevensong". Why? Because of just the last minute and a half. The guitars layer themselves in an uplifting, weaving tapestry of polyphonic joy. Yeah.
Love Sculpture	Sabre Dance
from Forms and Feelings (1968) And you thought Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, etc., were the *real* guitar shredders? Dave Edmunds was doing it in 1968. This will come out of your speakers like a screaming freight train.
Be Bop Deluxe	Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape
from Axe Victim (1974) Bill Nelson: Sweet tone, melodic, fluid and harmonically sophisticated. What's not to like?
The Allman Brothers	Blue Sky
from Eat a Peach (1972) I know some may think this is a "cliched" and maybe even an uninspired choice. We've all heard it umpteen times. But wait. Listen to it again. I mean, really listen. Dickie Betts soloing is nearly as well constructed - that is , put together - as Leslie West's in "Travelin' In the Dark". And, this is my wife's favorite too - she says it sounds like a pretty sine wave to her. No, I don't understand that either.
Quicksilver Messenger Service	Gold & Silver
from Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968) Of all of the San Francisco bands in 1967-68, Quicksilver Messenger Service were highly respected for their high level of musicianship, mostly due to the guitar duo Gary Duncan and John Cipollina whose superb instrumental compositions showcased their incredible guitar prowess.
Roy Buchanan	Sweet Dreams
from Roy Buchanan (1972) A guitar savant. Was celebrated by Guitar Magazine as having one the greatest tones of all time. This jaw dropping performance is of Don Gibson's country hit "Sweet Dreams". Buchanan could do it all; chicken pickin', pedal steel effects, wah-wah with tone control alone, incredible speed and tone.
Santana	All the Love of the Universe
from Caravanserai (1972) For me the standout track from an utterly outstanding record. It's difficult to tell where Carlos Santana ends and Neal Schon begins and vice versa, but this is beautiful, gorgeous guitar playing - especially around the 4 minute mark, and then again at the 5:51 mark. And, my goodness! Listen to the rhythm section just propelling them along. Wow.
Joan Armatrading	Tall in the Saddle
from Joan Armatrading (1974) There's no doubt that this is a wonderful record. There's a treasure trove of great songs; it is this album that brought Joan Armatrading her reputation and fame. But for only 34 seconds beginning at 2:21, there is a guitar solo for all time. When I first heard it, the hairs on my neck stood straight up and for those 34 seconds I was transfixed. I later found out that it was Jerry Donahue, formerly of Fairport Convention, Fotheringay (with Sandy Denny) and then later of The Hellecasters who was responsible.

Comment:

The guitar has been generally the primary musical instrument of much of popular music. From rock to rock & roll, blues, it is the guitar that has typically dominated. I am a guitar player and throughout my nearly 50 years of listening to music and collecting records, there have always been a number of guitar performances that stand out, head and shoulders above. This, the first volume of a 2CD mix is a celebration of those performances by guitarists I dub "The Old Masters".

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