Your choice/shortlist for best "Guitar Album" ever...

[MoeFOH]

This kind of tacks onto the back of my post about Acoustic Guitars... very interested to hear what folks consider the best recordings in this realm... 🤔

I.e. Studio pieces or compilations that just standout to you as landmark or influential champions, personal or industry-wise...

Have you got a standout winner? A shortlist? A selection of tracks?... 

Across any music genre, too. 

Please post 'em up! 

[NSXCIGAR]

[Ford2112]

But seriously...

[MoeFOH]

9 minutes ago, Ford2112 said:

But seriously...

Oh, you were joking... I was 3 tracks deep on YouTube already... 

[BrightonCorgi]

[Corylax18]

Abraxas, Santana is pretty hard to beat. Although Van Halen is definitely up there too. 

 

[Ford2112]

Tough to beat Mountain. 

[Fireball]

[Glass Half Full]

 

This took about one second for me to answer, as I had to old school:  461 Ocean Boulevard and Duane Allman Anthology.  

I know there's plenty of technically better (and I feel bad for not listing BB King or Jimmy Hendrix specifically -- but there's a great cut of Duane doing a BB King medley at Muscle Shoals).  Plus, those two albums are just good from track 1 through to the finish.  (Granted some of incredible appeal is not just the guitar, it's the other musicians, the production, and just the feel -- but guitar is front and center throughout.)

 

 

[MossybackR]

Probably not “the best” example, but it’s what first piped to mind. I like the dual guitar theme running through this song. There’s another example on YT that has a great version of the California, jingle-jangle guitar sound of that era. Oh, yeah — and Johnson’s vocal and harmonica solo are standout.

 

[NSXCIGAR]

7 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

But seriously...

If it weren't acoustic we were talking about then yes, or this:

Acoustic, it all came from here: 

[Ford2112]

Fair warning is their best IMO. 

[MossybackR]

Oh, yikes! The album version. — released 50 years ago 😅

 

 

[loose_axle]

Album wise for guitars: 

- Dream Theater - Images and Words

- Jeff Beck - Guitar Shop

- Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood 

Fave jazz guitarist would be Wes Montgomery. Fusion wise Alan Holdwsworth and Frank Zappa (which ended up leading me to Steve Vai and Joe Satriani - with Satch more his earlier works). 

For tone anything by Dave Gilmour. 

Acoustically anything by Erik Mongrain, Tommy Emmanuel or Paco de Lucia. 

For heavier realms love Chris Broderick even though not a huge fan of the bands he's been in but whilst there In Flames for their Jester Race and Whoracle albums for the sheer melody they put into their guitar work in the death metal realm. 

[Chibearsv]

Quah is one of my favorites. I can’t give you a “best” since there are a LOT of albums with great guitars. Keeping with your idea of acoustic, I give you Jorma

 

[joeypots]

I don’t know much about “best” but these two are pretty dang good.

 

 

 

[hrs1]

Caught the electric guitar bug from Hendrix, so I have to give him the nod if you can only pick one ....

Elizabeth Cotten inspired me to poke around the acoustic side of things ....

 

[Puros Y Vino]

My kind of topic!!

If we're talking about a guitar laden album, then Michael Schenker's Adventures of the Imagination is a metal masterpiece.  Great riffs, melodies and compositions.  He started off in the Scorpions, moved to British  rock band UFO where he got most of his exposure and has been "solo" since the early 1980's.  Whenever I hunker down to work on something, I put this on.  This is all instrumental. He did two more fully instrumental albums of IMO equal greatness.

 

[Glass Half Full]

15 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

If it weren't acoustic we were talking about then yes, or this:

Acoustic, it all came from here: 

Two thumbs up on Robert Johnson.   

Honorable mentions too to Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lead Belly and (I believe) also to Rev. Gary Davis, though Rev. Davis was much later.  

IMO Rev. Davis makes it not just for his playing talent.  I believe it was he who taught all those young folks in the 60's and 70's how to play the blues guitar.  I believe both Leo Kottke and Jorma Kaukonen credit him.  Without Rev. Gary Davis' teaching, a lot of the old roots music might never have gotten mainstream attention.  Just a thought.  

[Under Pressure]

 

 

[Capn_Jackson]

Robert Johnson’s Complete Recordings

Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Led Zeppelin - I through IV

Metallica - …And Justice For All

[Islandboy]

I really don’t have favorite albums these days, in fact there’s usually just a song or 3 from any given artist that really strike a chord with me. And going further, it’s usually a certain recorded version of a song.

This one’s a good example - the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s song So Into You. Not really my favorite song, a bit too mainstream pop for me...unless it’s this particular version from their album Partly Plugged. Some of the original members reunited for this recording, most notably singer Ronnie Hammond, and Guitarist Barry Bailey. The impeccable flow and tone of the acoustic riffs in here by Barry make the hair stand up on my neck - this is the style I strive to be able to play. I can only manage to flow like this for about 5 seconds at a time, but I’ll take it, haha!

 

[Islandboy]

Here’s another favorite of mine, Tommy Shaw is a bit of an underrated guitarist who shines on the acoustic on this one.

 

[westg]

Joe Satriani Surfing with the alien . 

[Chas.Alpha]

https://youtu.be/9Y7xw2k6mH4?si=6kORtf8xIGb8lXyl