There were lots of arguments about music back in the day, most of them really important and crucial to the future happiness of the world. Stones or Beatles was the classic example, and, if I’m not mistaken, it still has some potency today.
But there were others. Who was the better keyboard player, Rick Wakeman or Keith Emerson? Best guitarist: Page, Clapton, Beck, Blackmore, Howe? Someone else? There was someone else!? Was Robert Plant a better rock vocalist than Ian Gillan or Paul Rodgers? And on and on and on. And on.
The other big issue revolved around guitars, those ultimate symbols of cock rock and all the preening masculinity that went with it. And the quintessential argument of this type was simply, which was better, the Gibson Les Paul or the Fender Stratocaster?
If that means nothing to you, think in terms of Mac versus PC. That about gets the tenor of the debate right, in all its world-important geekery, except that I don’t think either a Strat or a Les Paul was considered by either side of the debate to be as uncool as a PC.
Anyway, all of this is by way of a tribute to Les Paul, the designer of the aforementioned guitar, a great guitarist in his own right, and one of the seminal figures of rock n’ history. He has died at aged 94:
Les Paul, a virtuoso guitarist and inventor who shaped the sound of rock ‘n roll, died Thursday in New York state, Gibson Guitar company said. He was 94.
Paul “passed away today from complications of severe pneumonia at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York, surrounded by family and loved ones,” said Gibson, producer of the renowned Les Paul guitar.
Gibson called Paul “one of the foremost influences on 20th century sound.”
Very sad, though as he wasn’t Australian, it is unlikely Kevin Rudd will want to say anything about his passing in parliament today.
Personally, I was always a Les Paul guy, preferring its chunkier, heavier sound to the more trebley Strat. (But hey, if someone had given me a Strat….)
The classic combination was the Les Paul and the Marshall (valve) amp. Nothing quite said rock music in the same way.
Of course, once you had settled on the Les Paul side of the debate, the argument then became, which Les Paul? For me, and I think for most of us wannabes, it was pretty straightforward. Despite the beauty of the sunburst or the elegance of the goldtop, it was always the basic black Gibson Les Paul that ruled supreme. A thing of beauty.
Unfortunately, I’ve never owned the real thing, though I’ve played a few of them. The closest I ever came was an Ibanez copy that I picked up secondhand when I was about eighteen. Regrets, I’ve had a few.
When we lived in the US, one of the highlights was doing the factory tour at the Gibson plant in Nashville. It was like being present at the creation. You get the basic idea from this cute little YouTube:
Even during a recent trip to the US, in July this year, we nearly had a Les Paul moment.
The photo at the head of the post is one I snapped outside Iridium, a jazz club right in the heart of Times Square, so surrounded by other bigger, shinier places that you could easily miss it.
The reasons I took the photo, the reason I even noticed the joint, was that the electronic sign above the door was advertising that the Les Paul Trio played there (from memory) every second Tuesday. Just seeing his name scrolling along on that cheap sign was a thrill, and in light of his passing, it makes you think. This is only a month or so ago, which suggests the guy was pretty healthy up until the end, doing what he obviously loved doing (I think we can safely assume he wasn’t doing it for the money).
Good for him. Ninety-four years old and still with a regular gig.
We considered going to one of the shows, but in the way of these things, talked ourselves out of it. There were more pressing things to do. Needless to say, I can add that to the list of my few regrets. Ah, well…
Les Paul RIP
14 Comments
I *love* my black Ibanez Les Paul. No regrets.
Don’t forget his involvement with inventing multitrack recording. Another great gift to us all.
I’ve always been a Fender person (Strats are quite a versatile axe and the Tele just a great workhorse guitar). But my dream axe (one of them anyway) is a gold top Les Paul.
My favourite gigging guitar is my black Les Paul Standard. I’ll turn it up to 11 tonight to pay homage to him. (Horror of horrors, Madonna has been known to prance around the stage with one of these slung around her neck as well. Don’t know if she knows how to play it or not…)
Here is me: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3108759&id=620138486
Here is Madonna: http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrities/hollywood/madonna-rocks-vienna-207920/
I think I totally kick arse, and she looks like Slash’s older brother playing girly dres ups…
Well, JD, she can play girly dress ups round my place in that outfit. (But I’m only after the Les Paul.)
John Grey: Know people who feel the same. And the Ibanez did kind of establish itself as a decent guitar in its own right. King of the knock offs?
Curses.. Noted.
(Slinks off back to dress up cupboard to look for a top hat and dress for tonights gig…)
Put me down as a Gibson Les Paul man too although the quality control of today’s models leave a lot to be desired.
I think my next guitar purchase will be a Tokai LP with Aussie-made Brierley pups.
RIP Les Paul.
YouTube part 1 of 5 documentary on Les Paul:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vomuse9tok
Shaun
My favourite Les Paul story was when Tom Dowd got to stax and saw they were multitracking he asked(i think it was Jim Dickinson) where they had learnt it.
The reply came “same place as you, Les Paul”
A great mind lost
Heathdon, I’m presuming you’ve seen Language of Music, the Tom Dowd doco? (That’s where the story comes from, from memory?) Great show if by chance you haven’t seen it.
Long live Les Paul.
Les Paul Sunburst or Black beauty, things of beauty indeed. Great action, magnificent fretboard. Have played, do not own one. Working axe Tele Standard USA, Black.
(btw Tim, in relation to Strat’s trebly sound, from memory, film clip of Ry Cooder doing Get Rhythm in F key, Bflat in play as sax in band, shows Cooder with sunburst Strat, capo in place, playing slide, one single coil pick-up, one humbucking pick-up).
Tim,
Yes great flick, another is the atlantic tribute to Ahmet Ertegun which answers why Jimmy Page doesn’t speak much on vocal record. He is another Mike Tyson or David Beckham. Giant men with squeaky voices.
Also recommend the mayor of the sunset strip.