Re: Solo Shawn -- The Fast Lane

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Date Posted: 16:31:08 05/25/03 Sun
Author: Greg
Author Host/IP: adsl-64-175-113-111.dsl.lsan03.pacbell.net / 64.175.113.111
Subject: Re: Solo Shawn
In reply to: E. S. Anderson 's message, "Re: Solo Shawn" on 18:36:36 05/18/03 Sun

>>>Has Shawn ever considered, and if not I do hope that
>>>he does, releasing a solo guitar recording;
>preferably
>>>cleantone electric or acoustic? Something along the
>>>lines of Ted Greene, Mick Goodrick, Tuck Andress, Joe
>>>Pass, Jack Grassel, et al. It would be great to
>hear
>>>his exquisite tone and lines solo; additionally, it
>>>would provide an avenue for him to showcase more of
>>>his chordal work which I would be interested in
>>>hearing. Oh well, probably wishful thinking . . .

_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/

>>Good God - I hope not!
>>Now, not to be too negative, I'm sure that if Shawn
>>decided to go 'no frills' or, God help us all,
>>"unplugged," he'd certainly make it well worth the
>>trip.
>>But every time I hear the dread "U" word, I go into
>>Emperor's New Clothes mode...
>>"Unplugged" is to me the most overhyped,
>>mind-numbingly boring step >>backward<< in musical
>>evolution ever conceived in human history. Let's just
>>let that dinosaur find its way into the nearest tar
>>pit - at long last.
>>The 90s are Dead - Long Live Electricity.

_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/

>Well, I see you feel rather strongly -- to say the
>least -- about it; however, if you notice I mentioned
>people along the lines of Jack Grassel and Ted Greene
>not Eric Clapton or Winger. Hence, "acoustic" or
>"clean-tone electric" rather than the Mtv-centric
>"unplugged." Of the two I would prefer to hear him
>"clean-tone electric," and I think that setting would
>not so much be backward as an avenue for illuminating
>hitherto unexplored/underexplored facets of Shawn's
>playing.
>
>And while you have some points and may be right,
>acoustic guitar/clean-tone does allow for greater
>control of timbre and dynamics -- additionally there
>is no masking of mistakes or nuance that distortion
>often provides. But as I said, you may be right . . .

_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/

I don't mean to overstate the case - I was just venting something I've wanted to vent for a long, long time.
Of course, clean tone is ironically one of the most expressive voicings available, and acoustic guitar can be mind-blowing - as in the cases of Adrian Legg and the Messrs Lams, Moriya and Richards. Michael Schenker has shown how vital the acoustic guitar can be even in the seemingly incongruous role of hard rock production (e.g. his timeless "Obsession" and "Walk on Water" discs with UFO.)

What annoys me is when people who have built their entire musical portfolio on pieces brewed from fascinating electronic palettes of sound, decide arbitrarily to jump on the trendy, "unplugged" bandwagon - for the sake of some quasi-religious asceticism or just fashionable nonconformity or whatever. The result is almost universally an even mix of disappointment and boredom. I think that would be a fairly accurate description of the entire "MTV Unplugged" series.
Example: Was there anything to be gained by hearing SRV play his blues masterpieces on an acoustic? His set was among the best of that lot, and all it really boiled down to was "Stevie Ray playing without sustain, feedback or fuzz." Oh, yay.

The problems arise when someone suggests "let's do this unplugged" - and attempts to force a song that lives and breathes electrons into the role of hobby-horse for someone's misguided desire to be trendy. I suspect that those "someones" have traditionally been agents and promoters, not the musicians themselves, and that the musicians - at least the better ones - look back at the whole "unplugged" thing and cringe...

Every voicing possibility - including clean and acoustic - is a tool in composition. The best compositions are those where voicings are picked and placed wisely - including the 'not at all' option - where they're needed as part of the overall creation. "The Tri-tone Fascination" disc is a showcase of that kind of mixture - as an example, I can't imagine "One Note At A Time" without the clean acoustic in the bridge section and thereafter.
The point is, it's one vital element in the overall composition. [To me the whole acoustic/"unplugged" trip has always seemed more of an "eliminate electric" fetish than a genuine interest in the tonal value of a particular voicing - but then, you indicated you weren't talking about the MTV/ascetic thing, so I believe you.]

Analogy time: Think of Michealangelo's reported attitude that his sculptures "already existed within the marble" and that all he did was clear away the nonessentials. If a given voicing is an essential part of a song, it should be there; if not, it should be axed (all puns inteneded...)
But to begin a piece with the idea that its entire basis should be the use of a particular voicing tool, is like a sculptor saying "I think it's time I did an artistic celebration of the nail file." The result may turn out the better for it, but odds are....

But again - I don't mean to overstate the case, I just like hashing out this stuff.

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