If you have spent most of your adult life trashing Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, or any man with a guitar who was prettier than your girlfriend, then I don’t imagine the loss of John Sykes will make much of a difference to you, other than possibly a few new cheap hairspray jokes. But Sykes was an amazing guitar player and that Whitesnake record has at least six songs that I wish I had written or played on. And I'd bet that a number of you secretly wish you did, too.
Oddly enough, the one record Sykes made with Thin Lizzy is my least favorite Lizzy album. But that wasn't John Sykes' fault. Phil Lynott was not suited for heavy metal and "Thunder & Lightning" tried too hard to get on that early 80's, MTV bandwagon. Lynott needed the spotlight, and was ready to do anything, even if it meant producing cookie cutter metal, or at least the hardest music the band had recorded to date. "Thunder & Lightning" is not all terrible, and that's because of John Sykes playing. He had chops. He could shred. But he also had the ability to make his guitar sing sweetly. His solo single, "Please Don't Leave Me," a Thin Lizzy record in all but name, is a perfect example.
1 comment:
Sykes' playing on the two tracks is very good. I'm not far away from 66 so that makes me feel he passed way too early. I never cared for David Coverdale, so missed Whitesnake for the most part.
I enjoyed the ELO song of the day and, a first for me, the Roches cover of the day.
- Paul in DK
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