Could you identify the player?

[chaim]

There's a thread in the KISSFAQ forum where someone asked if people can tell Ace Frehley from Tommy Thayer if they don't know who's playing. I wanted to ask a similar question here...

My experience in the internet tells me that there are a lot more people who act like they can tell the difference between this and that guy than people who actually can tell the difference. "He can play the same notes as Mr. X, but he could never duplicate his style and tone" is the kind of comment the internet seems to be full of. There seem to be an awful lot of "Smith isn't Felder" people who can't even tell Don from Glenn. (ICTYW and Already Gone)

So...we have Bernie, Glenn, Don, Joe and Steuart. Could you always tell who's playing if you didn't know?

Let's ignore the fact that you can often tell who plays what if you know who's in the left, right or middle channel etc. Let's just think about the lead bits.

Let's say that you hear a live version of some country song, for example, and you know Bernie and Don were both on the stage that night. Can you tell whether it's Bernie or Don playing the solo?

You hear a rock song and there's an improvised 20-second slide guitar solo. You know that Joe, Don and Glenn were all there. Can you tell who does the slide bit?

Let's say that Don is back in the Eagles and they record a new song stylistically similar to ICTYW. Can you tell whether it's Glenn or Don playing the solo?

I know there are people on this forum who probably could always tell the difference, but I'm not one of them even though I play guitar myself.

Are you/would you always be able to tell who's playing lead?

[UndertheWire]

Good question. Sometimes I think I can tell the difference but I have no confidence. It gets even more difficult when it's accoustic.

I'd like to know who plays what on King of Hollywood. I know about the three solos and I think I can tell when it switches from Glenn to Don, but what about the other guitar parts?

[VAisForEagleLovers]

It is a good question, and you're right about people who claim they know it and then interviews by the guys prove them wrong.

The thing about people who stick together for any length of time, when they respect each other, they influence each other. Some times it's deliberate. I'm not just talking about our guys here, but I'm sure there's times, for whatever reason, someone in the band needs to have a sound like another in the band. Sometimes it's not deliberate, it just happens. A person might retain their signature 'sound' but occasionally explore someone else's.

I can't tell the difference, and to be honest, I have no wish to break it down into parts. If I was a guitar player, maybe I would, but I enjoy the sum of the parts.

[sodascouts]

I could make an educated guess, but definitively KNOW? Nope.

[chaim]

The thing about people who stick together for any length of time, when they respect each other, they influence each other. Some times it's deliberate. I'm not just talking about our guys here, but I'm sure there's times, for whatever reason, someone in the band needs to have a sound like another in the band. Sometimes it's not deliberate, it just happens. A person might retain their signature 'sound' but occasionally explore someone else's.


A VERY good point. I must admit this has never crossed my mind.

[UndertheWire]

Over the decades, different people have played the guitar parts and presumably have tried to sound much the same as the original - it's not just Steuart for Don - it's Joe for Bernie, Joe for Glenn, Don for Glenn, Don for Bernie...

[chaim]

Over the decades, different people have played the guitar parts and presumably have tried to sound much the same as the original - it's not just Steuart for Don - it's Joe for Bernie, Joe for Glenn, Don for Glenn, Don for Bernie...

IMO people who play other people's solos try to make it sound as different from the original as possible. Including the Eagles people. This has always irritated me. When it's a guitar solo a bend becomes a hammer-on, a hammer-on becomes a bend and so on. But it's just how I feel about it.

I could also ask this as part of my original question: If After The Thrill Is Gone was played live now, do you think you could tell whether it's Don or Steuart playing the solo, if it could be either one? Even Don would play it slightly differently today, but I'm sure there are people who would insist that they can still recognize Don anywhere. Personally I couldn't tell.

[Brooke]

I'm sure I probably couldn't tell for either one. I just don't have that 'ear' for such technicalities.

[thelastresort]

The only time I can distinguish between Felder and Smith is on the OOTN solo, when the difference in guitar (Les Paul v. Ernie Ball I think) is rather obvious. The only time I can think of where they play differently is that Smith doesn't run up the neck after Joe in the HC outro, Felder did.

[WalshFan88]

I can tell differences in style and technique that are associated with each player.

So while I could tell Walsh and Felder apart pretty easy, it'd be tougher distinguishing Smith and Felder in a blind test because they are both very smooth fluid technical players (although Stu's pinch harmonics on the HC solo give him away TBH), where as Joe is a bit more slapdash and has a real improv and loose sloppy-in-a-good-way element to him. Bernie is pretty identifiable IMO.

As far as Glenn vs Don on ICTYW - I'll be honest, it sounds like something Don would play. If I didn't know, I'd say Don played it. I associate Glenn's style more with his Already Gone and Witchy Woman solos, a bit more like Joe to be honest and not so smooth and horn like.

[Freypower]

No, I can't tell the difference except when I''m watching them live. I can't play guitar & I can't use the correct terms to describe anything except solos. There are parts on songs I am curious about. I did think of one recently. I probably won't be able to adequately describe it. In The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks, just before the line 'she was the pride & the passion of Dixie' there is a little riff (apologies if wrong word) which sounds a bit Chuck Berry/Beach Boys. Who plays that?

I need credits to tell me who is playing what. One reason I was disappointed with LROOE was the almost complete absence of credits so I didn't know who was playing which part. I had to try & work it out from the songwriting credits i.e. that Steuart was more likely to be playing solos on songs he co-wrote, even though he's not an official member of the band. The way Joe was underused on that album.... another topic, I would guess.

[Funk 50]

There are parts on songs I am curious about. I did think of one recently. I probably won't be able to adequately describe it. In The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks, just before the line 'she was the pride & the passion of Dixie' there is a little riff (apologies if wrong word) which sounds a bit Chuck Berry/Beach Boys. Who plays that?


According to Glenn, that lick was played by Joe. I can't remember exactly when and where he said it but I'm sure it was an audio interview. Joe played "Surf guitar" on The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks but they took it all off, except that lick that was just too good to leave off.


I need credits to tell me who is playing what. One reason I was disappointed with LROOE was the almost complete absence of credits so I didn't know who was playing which part. I had to try & work it out from the songwriting credits

Glenn says, as a general rule. if "x" is the singer/songwriter then "y" will play the guitar solo but there are many exceptions.

As a longtime Walsh fan I'm pretty sure I can detect Joe's guitar but probably only 80% sure without concrete proof. I'm sure there are tracks on Long Road Out Of Eden that Joe doesn't play a single note on.

I disagree that Felder could have come up with the I Can't Tell You Why solo. I think Felder's a pretty generic soloist. I haven't heard anything as tuneful and lyrical (ie. you can sing it) as ICTYW in his own work.

[UndertheWire]

According to Glenn, that lick was played by Joe. I can't remember exactly when and where he said it but I'm sure it was an audio interview. Joe played "Surf guitar" on The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks but they took it all off, except that lick that was just too good to leave off.

I believe it was the interview that Glenn and Don Henley did with Jim Ladd around the time of the album release. My recollection was that the riff was Joe's and originally longer but they thought it was too much.

ETA: In the same interview, they talk about the ICTYW solo. Glenn says something about its simplicity being because he's not quick enough to play a lot of notes but that he aimed to write melodic guitar solos that you could sing. Since hearing that, whenever I hear a guitar solo with lots of "frills", I assume it's not Glenn.

There's a bootleg from 1974 where Felder is quite in evidence. The person who made it available had been told Felder didn't play that show but I can hear him (and Glenn names him at one point). Imo, his playing wasn't that well integrated in the band's sound at the time and he played too many notes compared with earlier versions.

[Freypower]

Thanks for answering my question! I'm glad you knew what I meant! I have always liked that part of the song.

I honestly don't know if Felder could have written the ICTYW solo or not. The reality is that he hasn't written anything like that for any other song I can think of.

With multiple guitarists unless I am told who it is, I don't know. I really don't know who plays what in Rolling Stones songs, for example - I think Keith tends to do the riffs & Ronnie (previously Brian & Mick) the solos. With the Beatles you knew. George played lead & John played rhythm (most of the time). Sorry - this is just an aside.

[WalshFan88]

I disagree that Felder could have come up with the I Can't Tell You Why solo. I think Felder's a pretty generic soloist. I haven't heard anything as tuneful and lyrical (ie. you can sing it) as ICTYW in his own work.

Must strongly disagree.

Listen to OOTN solo. Easily one of the most soulful lyrical pieces of Eagles guitar work.

I find him to me a bit more fluid and smooth, and excellent phrasing.

[sad-cafe]

Pretty sure I could always pick out Joe. No one else plays like him

The rest...not sure

[Funk 50]

Must strongly disagree.

Listen to OOTN solo. Easily one of the most soulful lyrical pieces of Eagles guitar work.

I find him to me a bit more fluid and smooth, and excellent phrasing.

By his own admission, One Of These Nights is a sax solo played on guitar.

I'd love to hear Frail Grasp On The Big Picture without Steuart Smith's (I presume) over intrusive lead guitar. I just think it's over complicated and unnecessary. I'm surprised it made it through the Eagles quality control process.

Have any guitar players here, bothered to learn it?