Missionaria Protectiva

     Richard Thompson has spent 50 years straddling the boundary between acoustic and electric,and it's impossible to decide which style he's best at.He creates entire atmospheres with one,un-overdubbed Lowden acoustic.He slashes through rock solos that create tension through attack and unsuspected melodies.He channels the entire history of popular music (literally) through whatever six-strings happen to be lying around.Hearing his guitar for the first time is like discovering fire. Rumor And Sigh Capitol,1991 https://www.sendspace.com/file/i4ey41

     Ian Underwood,born 1939 in New York,was the multi-instrumentalists Zappa had been seeking in the late '60s to more fully present his musical ideas.Ian's story of meeting and joining Zappa is chronicled in the track 'Ian Underwood Whips It Out' on the 'Uncle Meat' release.      Ian recorded and performed with the Mothers Of Invention from late 1967 until late 1973,including Zappa's 'Hot Rats' and 'Grand Wazoo' tours.      He graduated from Yale with a BA in composition in 1961 and completed a Masters degree in composition at UC Berkeley in 1966.He was a concert pianist specializing in Mozart.      Apart from his work with Zappa he has contributed to many recordings by artists ranging from Gabor Szabo to Barbra Streisand.      Since the 1980s he has worked on many film soundtracks including 'Blade Runner','Aliens','Honey,I Shrunk The Kids' and 'Titanic'.  FRANK ZAPPA   Hot Rats ...

     The Ox was the Who's grounding element in more than just the four-stringed way.As the other three members seemingly acted out as a matter of heredity,Entwistle was known for standing apart from the fray and cultivating as much disinterest as his stance could spare.But Entwistle's actual playing (and,for that matter,singing) kept up with his bandmate's immoderation,pushing the beat as feverishly as Moon's drums,and doubling Pete's economic lead guitar in both melody and grace.Entwistle seemed to relish his role of being the one member of UK rock aristocracy that almost nobody could identify by sight,but on record his magnitude can't be argued. Smash Your Head Against The Wall Track,1971 https://www.sendspace.com/file/6ib7vs

     In their prime,Slayer operated almost like an inverse Metallica.Speed and aggression reigned over more drawn-out melodic thrash epics,while drummer Dave Lombardo,in contrast to the steadier Lars Ulrich,did a lot of the heavy lifting via ultra-fast breaks and a double bass style that earned him the title of 'godfather of the double bass'.The very concept of Slayer pretty much falls apart without a wicked percussive defensive line to hold it all together,so it sort of goes without saying that Lombardo is a necessary part of the equation,It's no coincidence that the band underwent a marked dip in quality for a solid decade after 'Seasons In The Abyss',and that their most acclaimed album since then,'Christ Illusion',also happened to be the one on which Lombardo returned. SLAYER Seasons In The Abyss DEF American,1990 https://www.sendspace.com/file/a0zujv

     As the former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers,John Frusciante may not seem like the first choice for this list.But look harder and you'll find a wide breadth of solo work.His talents,however,shine most brightly on the first Ataxia record,a collaboration with Joe Lally (Fugazi) and Josh Kinghoffer (Warpaint,the Bicycle Thief).Just listen to the twin solos on 'The Sides',or the extended drone of 'Montreal',and it should be clear.'Automatic Writing' is,at its heart,a guitar record,moody and contemplative.   ATAXIA   Automatic Writing   Record Collection,2004   https://www.sendspace.com/file/6xr6t4

     Ray Manzarek was the cofounder and keyboardist of the Doors,which pushed the boundaries of rock composition,both musically and lyrically.Manzarek and Jim Morrison met when they were film students at the University Of California.      Manzarek infused his playing with elements of boogie-woogie,blues,jazz,R&B,cabaret and ragtime.Though the Vox Continental organ was his primary instrument,he also used the piano,the harpsichord and the tack piano to help give the band its distinctive sound.He provided the quasi-baroque introduction to the group's breakthrough hit 'Light My Fire',1967.      After the quartet's sixth studio release,'LA Woman'(1971),Morrison,intent on pursuing a literary career,retreated to Paris,where he died that year of heart failure.      Thereafter,the Doors produced two albums before breaking up in 1973.They reunited briefly in 1978 to record 'An Amercan Prayer',providing backing music for poetry...

     If it wasn't for Squire mighty gallop Yes might have sounded like a bunch of elves having a circle jerk.Sure the synths and drumming are epic,but if you listen closely you can hear his thunder gluing the rest of the band's angular indulgences together.Even when Yes cheesed out and became owners of lonely hearts,he still got the job done.Jimmy Page approached Chris to form a band called XYZ,after Bonham's death.So if Page wants to work with you,that says a lot even if your album never sees the light of day. Fish Out Of Water Atlantic,1975 https://www.sendspace.com/file/s9n7nl

     Metronomic,funky,jazzy and abstract,Can's Jaki Liebezeit is one of the few drummers of the prog rock era to find a happy medium between the avant-garde and the groove.One can point to other krautrock percussionists,Klaus Dinger,for instance,is essentially the man responsible for the oft-cited 'motorik' rhythm.Yet while his style frequently emphasized steady,pulsing progressions,Liebezeit had a fair amount of tricks in his repertoire.The 18-minute funk-jam 'Halleluwah',for instance,found him carrying the band's psychedelic funk through various permutations of his head-nodding rhythms,only to escalate into a rapidly increasing stomp toward the end.'Vitamin C',meanwhile,showed just how much subtle differences can make in a beat,each measure bringing about a mesmerizing climax. CAN Ege Bamyasi United Artists,1972 https://www.sendspace.com/file/mu1mx5

     On the Mt.Rushmore of Heavy Metal guitarists sits Pantera and Damageplan's 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott,creator of some of heavy metal's most electrifying and recognizable guitar riffs.From their early glam metal days (when he was Diamond Darrell) to his tragically brief time in Damageplan,Abbott built a catalogue of incendiary solos that stand second to almost no one.A lot of his guitar influences stem from Tony Iommy of Black Sabbath and Ace Frehley's work in Kiss. PANTERA The Great Southern Trendkill EastWest,1996 https://www.sendspace.com/file/rubjza

     Steve Winwood is an English singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose work in a number of genres has been broadly influential and highly regarded.      Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group when he was only 14 years old.His powerful high tenor vocal were highly praised and reminded music critics of Ray Charles.      After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in 1967,he formed Traffic with Jim Capaldi,Dave Mason and Chris Wood.      Winwood formed the supergroup Blind Faith in 1969,with Clapton,Ginger Baker and Ric Grech.      He launched his self-titled debut album with Island Records in 1977.Winwood's next album,'Arc Of A Diver'(1980) was certified platinum in the USA.The single,'While You See A Chance',turned out to be a huge hit in the USA.With the release of his fourth studio album,'Back In The High Life'(1986),Winwood moved in a pop direction.      Winwood also did a l...

     There's constant debate about the provenance of Roger Waters' bass lines-did Gilmour play them,and if so,when?-and we're normally blinded by the light of Waters' songwriting and storytelling anyway.Yet Pink Floyd would not sound like Pink Floyd without Waters' compositional skill and solid performance.Some of music's best rhythm parts only need to define and drive songs,and how can we not think about 'Money' without his opening part matching the sound of change and cash registers?And let's not forget the crazed psychedelic landscape from which Waters and the band sprouted.Acerbic,aloof,and relentlessly intellectual,you may not picture him randomly jamming with anyone,but Waters may be the sharpest avatar for the right player for the right band at the right time. ROGER WATERS The Pros And Cons Of Hitch-hiking Harvest,1984 https://www.sendspace.com/file/15n04r

     Bring up the subject of drummers who sing,and nine times out of ten,someone's going to bring up Don Henley.Not that I'm about to start slagging on the Eagles-the flak they receive is overkill at this point-but Levon Helm deserves at least as much credit.Aside from being the voice of many of the Band's most well-known songs,his drumming style gave their folky rock sound more authority and groove.Take 'Up On Cripple Creek',which contains very little in the way of showing off,but is missing absolutely nothing.Or 'This Wheel's On Fire',which manages to be heavy without bludgeoning.Helm had a rare,restrained command over his instrument that shined through,even at its most straightforward. Levon Helm ABC,1978 https://www.sendspace.com/file/k8ugng

     Death metal started before Morbid Angel,but it didn't have its shape until Trey Azagthoth & Co.showed up on the scene.Similar to how Judas Priest crystallized what Black Sabbath started,Morbid Angel developed the sounds started by Death and Possessed.Trey Azagthoth is proof positive that the term 'technical death metal' is often redundant,with demanding mad virtuosity in riffs and solos alike,wielding atonality and shred in solos like a version of Kerry King (Slayer) that knew what he was doing.  MORBID ANGEL   Altars Of Madness   Earache,1989 https://www.sendspace.com/file/aakrgq

     Alan Price first found fame as part of the group The Animals.Their first big worldwide hit being 'House Of The Rising Sun',followed by the memorable 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood',plus many more.When Alan decided to go solo he had huge success with many hit albums and singles such as 'I Put A Spell On You' and 'Don't Stop The Carnival',to name just a few.      Price was born in Fatfield,and,from the age of eight,taught himself piano,guitar and bass.His first group,formed at Jarrow Grammar School,was a skiffie band called The Black Diamonds.      Playing bass guitar with The Frankie Hedley Trio,he met and sat-in on piano with The Pagans,a group that contained chanter Eric Burdon and drummer John Steel.      As the band prepared to infiltrate the London R&B scene in 1963,the name was changed to The Animals.      Citing fear of flying,at the height of their success,Price left the band.This was seen...

     It's true that,as the bottom end of Sly & The Family Stone,Larry Graham invented the slap-bass technique that became the downfall of nu-metal bassists who do too many wide squats.But in its context,Graham's playing was indispensable to his leader's heavy soul,nimble when he needed the song to move,anchoring when he needed to drive home his point. SLY & The FAMILY STONE There's A Riot Goin' On Epic,1971 https://www.sendspace.com/file/qnogxr

     Mick Fleetwood deserves inclusion on this list for no other reason than being the inspiration for the lovably insane Muppet Animal but he's obviously got a lot more going for him than that.The wide-eyed British drummer lent his name to one of the best-selling and most legendary rock bands of all time,which says a lot,notably that he was one of only of two members that lasted from the bluesy Peter Green days up through the more synth pop '80s days.Most of what's worth remembering is his tense,restrained contributions,from the foreboding bass drum thump  in 'The Chain',up to the soft shocks of 'Dreams',but he could go wild when necessary.   MICK FLEETWOOD  The Visitor   RCA,1981   https://www.sendspace.com/file/9ey743