Johnson is only well-known amongst blues guitarists. Few others have heard of him. Have you ever heard of Joe Pass, Johnny Marr, Billy Duffy, Martin Taylor, Buckethead, Jeff Healey? They are some of my favourites. So I don't only listen to very famous guitarists.
You really think Buckethead is unknown? He played with Guns N Roses, and loads of people discovered him in that timeframe, plus, he's been on GW magazine's front cover numerous times. I'd be surprised if anyone who listens to blues hasn't heard of Robert Johnson. Infact, the whole list is made up of highly noted guitarists. I don't see why you seem to be thinking that favoring a famous guitarist is a bad thing. Oh well. Try Miland Petrozza, Eric Hoffman, Mike Amott, Marty Friedman or Jason Becker.
Buckethead isn't obscure, but he's certainly not famous. Some are 'highly noted' as you put it, but guys like Joe Pass, Martin Taylor, Paco De Lucia etc are well-known only amongst guitarists, and even then only amonst jazz/flamenco fans. I don't think that favouring famous guitarists is a bad thing, but I'm pointing out that I'm not only into commercially successful stuff. 'I'd be surprised if anyone who listens to blues hasn't heard of Robert Johnson.' That's what I said. Johnson is a legendary figure amonst blues guitarists, but if you walked down a street and asked people if they'd heard of him, most people wouldn't have. He is only famous in certain circles.
Wtf? clapton left the yardbirds for mayall's group THEN beck was recruited. Beck is a better guitarist, but Clapton's name was already well known by the time beck's was being heard. This is a whole argument outside of cream, but, hendrix is not overrated. People are still trying to imitate him today and he tore it up on what most people would consider 'shitty' gear. On top of that, he created one of the greatest rock and roll masterpieces of all time, if not the greatest, electric ladyland.
I don't see how ANYONE can possibly feel that hendrix isn't over-rated. The man is revered as a god to many, and if you think that there isn't some guy playing hendrix'esque music on shitty gear in a bar as you read this, you're quite likely mistaken. Hendrix created some of the best guitar licks known, but not all of them, theres too many fanboys of this man, its sickening.
Guy, I'm not going to dispute that in some cases, people are like OMFG hendrix lyke is g0d!!!11 without actually knowing much, but look at when he did what he did man... 1967 68 or so, are you kidding man even genius like miles at the time was amazed by hendrix. Impressing miles is a feat per se! No doubt there is someone playing hendrixesque stuff in a pub somewhere, but it's 2007. Hendrix has been dead for 37 years, I'd say at least a handful of people have learned to imitate him lol. EL came out in 68 if my memory serves, play it from front to back, it is truly one of the greatest pieces of music ever created. If he had lived his talents would have progressed. He probably would have veered off into the jazz scene more; I've read he was scheduled to jam with miles a week after he died. That would have been some hot shit dude, imagine him on jack johnson instead of mclaughlin.
Sorry to double quote but I agree 100% with this. There are fanboys of him who own like one of those shitty "the best of jimi hendrix" compilations and think they know all his material well enough to assert a well formed opinion.
Did I say Beck was better, or more influential? I forget. Clapton was certainly more influential pre-Hendrix, but Jeff Beck's 'Truth' showed the first real signs of heavy metal, and 'Blow By Blow' popularized instrumental rock and paved the way for the likes of Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Plus, Beck's influence ranges from the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani to blues guitarists such as SRV. He has dabbled in many different types of music, and I personally feel that he has a greater influence than Eric Clapton.
