Underrated Guitarists

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by MrHunters

Kurt Cobain absolutly deserves a spot if you take into account what he did during his time in music history.

Not trying to be a wise-ass or stir up trouble, this is a serious question but....just WHAT did he do. I have always felt that he was one of THE Most Overrated people in Music.

I've had this argument with my brother-in-law and am interested in another take on it.

[BigFish]

He died tragically at a time when he had a cult following which thrust him into a group of greats who died too young as their star was rising!

Not a huge Cobain fan but from what I understand there was some genius there!

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by BigFish

He died tragically at a time when he had a cult following which thrust him into a group of greats who died too young as their star was rising!

Not a huge Cobain fan but from what I understand there was some genius there!

That I understand but it seems that he is set at a much higher plateau than what his actual accomplishments really were.

Think about it does he deserve the 12th Spot on the greatest guitarist list ahead of people like Bo Diddley or Carlos Santana.....and would he have been placed that high if he was actually still alive and not tagged with the "Tragic Genius" moniker.

I do like Nirvana's Music so I'm not saying this for any specific reason

[Rockport24]

I'm sure Mr. Hunters has a lot to say about Kobain, but really, he started the whole "grunge" music scene which totally took over the industry for a long time and is still very influential today. At the time Nirvana came out, rock music was dominated by the "hair bands" whose focus was on sex, drugs, and rock and roll, then Kobain comes along with this new, raw sound and starts whining about reality and all of a sudden rock turned around and came back to it's roots. No more glam, just the music was important all of a sudden.

I am not a huge Nirvana fan but I do like the music and appreciate for what it is. I always thought rock should have an element of "glam" in it, I'm not talking about big hair and all that, but it's gotta have a swagger about it that says "listen to me", Kobain just kind of got by on sheer anger and some great songs to showcase it.

[MrHunters]

as rockport said the late 80's early 90's where filled with sex drugs and rock and roll.. unfortuneatly in that order... You can say but Kurt was a heroin addict.... but the difference is, it wasnt glorified. The music was. Cobains genius lies in the simplicity of the songs he wrote.. He's not the first to make simple songs sound amazing. A little band called the Beatles built their empire on I IV V.

Great guitarist, probably not in my top 10. Greatest creative mind... number 1. He, Nirvana, single handedly put rock music back on track killing the hair band scene.(we should all be thankful for that) By definition they left the alternative genre when Nevermind hit. But that's what music needed at the time. He tapped into that teenage angst and ran with it.

Basically Im just thankful rock and roll was pure again for quite a while. If nirvana popped up anywhere else in time i doubt they would have been as huge.


Right now I think e-mo might kill me.

[The Dad Fisherman]

Originally Posted by MrHunters

He, Nirvana, single handedly put rock music back on track killing the hair band scene.(we should all be thankful for that) .

And Believe me I am Very Thankful of that.......When hair bands were the norm is when I embraced ZLX and all of the older music like never before. But I also don't think they Single-handedly did it. I think that Groups like Sound-Garden and Alice in Chains had a big hand in turning rock back into something worth listening to at the same time.

Originally Posted by MrHunters

But that's what music needed at the time. He tapped into that teenage angst and ran with it. .

Its funny you mention this because this is always one of the Dis-agreements I have with my Bro-in-law. This is the one we become Really Heated about. He always say that Cobain was a genius because he tapped into what the youth were all about, especially in regards to Smells like teen spirit.

I used to say Gee, Teen Angst and a Disregard for the older generation.....like that hasn't been done before....I mean do we label Dee Snyder a genius because "We're Not Gonna Take It" or the Beatie Boys because they want us to "Fight For Our Right to Party"...its not genius to know that Kids are Pissed at thier parents

Originally Posted by MrHunters

Basically Im just thankful rock and roll was pure again for quite a while. If nirvana popped up anywhere else in time i doubt they would have been as huge.

When Grunge came on the scene is when I started to listen and appreciate the newer bands again, Music was raw and actually Meant something again instead of Over-indulgence and Self-Serving BS that the hair bands were all about. and I believe that a lot of his success came from the fact that people were tired of that and wanted something with Substance again.

I guess its just me but I always feel like he gets elevated a lot higher than he really should be because of the Tragedy of his life.

[RIJIMMY]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

Not trying to be a wise-ass or stir up trouble, this is a serious question but....just WHAT did he do. I have always felt that he was one of THE Most Overrated people in Music.

I've had this argument with my brother-in-law and am interested in another take on it.

DF - Im not a Nirvana fan at all, but can appreciate Kurts impact. Sometimes you have to focus on the world of music before and after someone plays. Look at Jazz before Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker, once they recorded, it changed all the other artists. I think Cobain had a similar impact on "modern" rock. Nirvana hit like and ateroid and suddenly popular rock bands of the late 80s disappeared. Alternative music became mainstream. His songwriting is unique and his guitar playing different. Its not my thing, but I can appreciate its impact.