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Best acoustic recording?


blindboygrunt

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I like most of his stuff - usually just a simple voice with a single guitar, resonator or banjo. Best example of recording a guy with a guitar? I dunno about that, there are plenty of reasons some of the big stars got to be big stars.

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I'm curious to see what people list. For me, it's nearly impossible for me to identify superior guitar tones. If the acoustic guitar sounds OK on a recording and is then a major part of why the song succeeds that's all that I can think about. For example, I don't think the production or guitar tones on Vic Chesnutt's "Sad Peter Pan" are particularly good

but the performance captivates me beyond comprehension.

 

Early Donovan -- "To Try For the Sun," "Catch the Wind," "The Ballad of the Tin Soldier" -- qualify. But so Leo Kottke, John Martyn and Nick Drake albums...

 

Classical guitar in modern music: Mark Kozelek "Alesund"

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There has to be Neil in there somewhere, or Bob? They do like a bit of backing to ruin the acoustic only thing though...

 

Neil Young live at the Ryman for Prairie Wind was a great live recording and DVD, mostly with band but some Neil solo. He is very pedantic about his sound.

 

 

Learning solo country blues is a way to hear the worst recording! Try to hear the guitar far, far away in the scratches. Amazing thing about recent Stefan Grossman lessons is they are recorded to dvd beautifully and then include the original recording as a bonus track, and some of those oldies...well....I don't know how they transcribe them really - some are pretty bad. Some of the 60s rediscovery blues recordings are pretty good, well better than the 78s.

 

I saw Steve Howe from Yes many years ago - he played a solo tune or two live - (the Vintage Mariner???? or something) - I bet he has some out there.

 

John McLaughlin with that acoustic trio....

 

Thinking, thinking..BBG, must be more.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I think its the finest example of recording a guy with a guitar I ever heard.

Any arguments ?

This could get some debate going. My favorite Martins would beTony Rice (Blake andR, Skaggs and R, Church St) and Martin Carthy (silly sisters). Gibson? Ernie Hawkins (blues advice on J200) and Frank Fotusky (teasing the frets on a J35). Jackson Browne solo acoustic is also good--all kinds of guitars.
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There are many, but "Step Into This House" by Lyle Lovett is one of my favorites. Great production.

 

About 30-35 (?) years earlier I really liked the first side of "My Goals Beyond" by John McLaughlin, and I still like it. Nice solo guitar on an Ovation.

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Am listening to Kelly Joe Phelps 'brother sinner and the whale'

Fantastic album , but that aside I think its the finest example of recording a guy with a guitar I ever heard.

 

Any arguments ?

 

No argument from me. Sounds fantastic.

 

For me personally, I prefer a little more guitar and a little less voice than this. That's just because I'm annoying though. The kids are even worse--you can't even hear their voice or what they're singing. And if you go back to the old-time kinda stuff, you can barely hear the guitars (even when the recording is decent).

 

I am easy to please though. Just set up a mic or two, sit down with a guitar, and go at it. I don't even care if it clips a little bit once in a while.

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Oh yeah, I thought of one. I really like Steve Earle's album, Townes. I know; you'll say, "But those are overdubbed." True, many are. However, some editions of the album came with a bonus solo CD where the tracks are always just one instrument and one voice (Steve playing and singing at the same time), usually his Martin M-21 or a tiny old Martin.

 

He's back to Gibsons for his recent blues album (which got bad reviews but personally I think is fantastic).

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPttLYUHz4&feature=youtu.be

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These are all great recordings mentioned.

I still often play Leonard Cohen's " Songs of" and "Songs from a Room".His first two albums?

Nylon string in this case, with the odd other embellishment. But the hypnotic picking on the nylon string is always to the fore.

Atmospheric recordings of timeless songs.

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I was always impressed with the production values on Gordon Lightfoot's compilation album Gord's Gold. Had it as a kid on vinyl and added it to my collection as a big kid on digital.

 

Also the album An Evening with John Denver had guitar work on it that made me realize I'd never be a real guitarist. Steve Weisberg and John Sommers are credited as the guitarists on the album (in addition to John Denver).

 

Kelly Joe Phelps? Never heard of him. But this YouTube vid makes me want to hear more.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MujqxMoH0iI

 

 

FMA

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I was always impressed with the production values on Gordon Lightfoot's compilation album Gord's Gold. Had it as a kid on vinyl and added it to my collection as a big kid on digital.

 

Also the album An Evening with John Denver had guitar work on it that made me realize I'd never be a real guitarist. Steve Weisberg and John Sommers are credited as the guitarists on the album (in addition to John Denver).

 

Kelly Joe Phelps? Never heard of him. But this YouTube vid makes me want to hear more.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MujqxMoH0iI

 

 

FMA

 

Really enjoy seeing him play instead of just listening.

 

How come when I do that Media tag thing it never works for me? Swear I've tried everything.

 

And hey--FMA, you are a real guitarist! You don't have to be a studio whizz. Heck, by that measure, apparently even John Denver wasn't a real guitarist if he needed studio noodlers to help him out.

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Yes, Neil Young! Of course. Any idea what acoustic he is playing on the soft version of "Hey Hey, My My" and "Thrasher" on Rust Never Sleeps? Those are two great examples of an acoustic guitar sound that captured my imagination. As a kid, I swore it had to be an Ovation, but knowing now what I know about Neil, I'd think it's a Martin of some sort.

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Grunt - I'll have a listen. I can say that whoever produces Ray LaMontagne is worth their weight in gold. Excellent production. M. Ward has neat production as well.

 

Single solo recording? I'll have to think.

 

 

 

 

 

Ethan Johns did the first 3 of Ray albums.

 

 

Ray tried working with a band on the first album, but it didn't work out well. Ethan had Ray come in and play the songs solo and all the other instruments were added later on.

 

Ray might have not even been in the building when the rest of the album was recorded,and just went back to his home in Maine. He now lives in Ashfield Mass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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