Overlooked bands and guitarists

As you can see from the title there are two things the following videos will fall into. Either bands or guitarists that I feel are overlooked (some by me until recent years), some of the bands are BIG bands but have a guitarist I never hear anyone talk about by name, my first guitarist is one such as this;

Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance,

Many people dismiss them as a band only for little kids who shop at hot topic (I would say “kids that hang around at the corn exchange” in leeds but no one online would get that) but if you listen to any guitar solo there is a lot to discover. This is how I first found that there was some real talent going on in that band, I heard “I’m not okay (I Promise)” I had heard it before on TV but this time I didn’t flick over and I heard the solo and it is great. Lovely phrasing, harmonies and even a little bit of speed at the end to build up to its crescendo.

Things then progressed with the Black Parade – showing another really cool solo with “Dead!” and then a very tender guitar track “I don’t love you” with yet another fantastic solo. I really like Toro, I am sure I can play any of these solos but the creation is what I admire.

Dead!

I don’t love you

The next band is both a band and guitarist that are overlooked.

The band is Dinosaur Jr, that guitarist is J Mascis.

Pieces – by Dinosaur Jr – J Mascis is definately a very gifted improviser.  This is the first Dinosaur Jr album I have ever bought (farm) however I heard singles Feel the pain and start choppin’ in the 90s.

This one is for the guitarist, Billy Corgan, though they are an acclaimed band and you probably already know them I think people overlook how good Corgan is on the guitar and also how good James Iha is too. Iha also had a lovely little country album toward the end of the 90s which most pumpkins fans I have talked to don’t like half as much as me!

Soma by The Smashing Pumpkins

Jealousy – Jame Iha, lovely, it’s not how it was played but how you play and create it. The real art in music is how you lay it down track by track. 

The Lemonheads – Overlooked band and songrwriter in Evan Dando

Though most of what Dando does it simply strumming, I admire him for his numerous brilliant songs. When the Lemonheads returned a few years ago it was on of the few comebacks that I was actually impressed with. I really recommend the red self titled “The Lemonheads” album. If you haven’t listened to The Lemonheads yet you’re in for a treat. Unfortunately I couldn’t find tracks off the new album on youtube, so here is an oldie!

Teenage fanclub – Has anyone else listened to this fantastic band? This band are new to me, I found out about them through a festival in Norway called Slottsfjell. I looked at their name a few days before the festival, looked up the band on youtube and I decided I would see them. This is a track off their newest album machines, it’s not always true about later career albums being true and this proves it. I have an early album by them too, which is “Bandwagonesque” and have explored other albums on spotify.

Thats all for today, let me know what bands/guitarists you think I should have written about in my overlooked bands/guitarists post.

I would have liked to have included John Fruciante, but I don’t think he is overlooked anymore since the Chilis came to the mainstream.

A notable nod goes to another band I have seen at the festival and leeds festival and have known of since early 2000s, Belle and Sebastian.

Calculating bimbo – by Belle and Sebastian, the intro riff shows how simplicity can be magic.

I thought of one last band I don’t hear many people talking about (in the UK) – Here’s the counting crows with “Goodnight Elizabeth”