I used to think Jesse could have given Stevie a run for the money. Been listening to live SRV all day and I dont know. I have 3 or 4 Jesse concerts and they are amazing - especially those from the 90s. But Stevie had to be one of the top 5 greatest eve. He is up there with Hendrix and Santana as far as I am concerned. Jesse could be - I think - if he was more productive. He borrows so heavily from Hendrix - even in concert - that it is hard to know.

Apples and Oranges.

I always liked SRV. I first got hipped to him when he did some work on Bowie's "Let's Dance" album. The solo on the cut "Let's Dance" is Stevie. Many used to and still may think that it was Bowie playing it. Because Bowie did such a good job of playing along with it in the video with those white gloves on! Also the killer Hendrixian solo on Teena Marie's "U So Heavy" from her Emerald City album, is Stevie. Like Jesse, I actually prefered Stevie live. Both cats could/can blaze and both were/are HEAVILY influenced by Hendrix. As lead guitarists though, I think it's going to come down to tastes. Their both very bluesy rock based players and in the studio, they have shown that they both acquire a subtle touch in their phrasing and tone. In that sense, as lead guitarists, and all of the other things mentioned, they are similar to each other. Again, I was the most impressed by them when they played live. I've seen Jesse in a live setting more being that I seen him twice when he was an o.g. member of The Time. And I've seen him 3 times live as a solo artist. Of course, it's there as a solo artist where Jesse really unleashed his playing, being that he had the freedom to do so. I have footage of Stevie live as well as his albums and live, Stevie took it to another level. Both are very passionate players live. Stevie especially. I dig them both because they wore their Hendrix influence for all to see. It was no shame in their game regarding that. It was NO denying their Hendrix influence or saying shit like "Hendrix?...He's dead isn't he?"like P did. Nah, they were proud of it. No trying to ride and capitalize on it and then when asked about it, try to play it down and deny it. So in this case, as lead guitarists, I respect them both.
[Edited 6/19/09 10:42am]

Both are fantastic guitarist and part of the reason I like both is like blackguitaristz said. They both wore that Hendrix influence on their sleeves, not only in their actual style, but also in numerous covers of Jimi's material in concert and in Stevie's case on wax. His cover of Voodoo Child(slight return) is probably the best non Hendrix version of this song and his little Wing cover is just beautiful.

That being said I prefer Jesse. As we all know, Jesse was held back as far as putting his playing on wax. Just look at the progression of his albums from the guitar back in the mix(part of the times) to Bare my Naked Soul when we finally got a full fledged rock album with the guitar in your face. Now I love that old stuff, but damn it wouldn't have been great to have that solo on the long version of "Can you help me" more up front. Jesse just cuts loose live. Check out his live versions of "I want my Girl". A nice pretty ballad turned into a guitar fest. If you listen to or watch any of the old Time Live shows or his solo shows, especially the 90's when he was doing just straight up rock its incredible. He's always throwing in tons of Hendrix covers and I heard this version of Red House that just NAILED it. Like Stevie with Voodoo Child, it was the best non- Hendrix version I've ever heard.

What capped it off for me was when I went to Vegas last year and finally got to see Jesse perform live in person. I didn't know if my expectations were going to be crushed or what since he has kept a very low profile since 96. I was at the sound check before the first show and when he hit did the full version of Skillet with the complete solo and started throwing in obscure Hendrix licks at the end my jaw hit the floor. Seeing that 8 different times as well as him throwing in Red house and some Funkadelic on his spotlight sealed the deal. I was also very lucky to have witnessed a display of his playing after one of the shows that you wouldn't believe even if I actually told you about it.

Rhastus said:

That's right..u did talk about seeing him in Vegas. I remember u speaking on that. Yes man, I definately would believe it. Jesse is no joke. Very underrated as a lead guitarist, I believe. Some to his own doing, I think. I say that in the sense that I totally agree with u regarding his earlier albums. As a kid, I specifically remember me wanting Jesse to KILL it on his debut album. I was not only wanting that but I was EXPECTING that. But when I bought the single to "I Wanna be Your Man", I was skipping all through the 45, trying to get to the SOLO. I was let down to find that there was NO solo. When he released his album, I was hunting high and low for them. When I ran across them, I was pissed cuz they were so heavily buried in the mix. Even the great b-side and one of my all time faves songs by Jesse (Please KING666, don't start one of your copy cat threads about this) is Free World. THAT should have been on the album. Jesse's solo in that is killin'. It's a tad bit louder than the rest of the solos on the album along with "She's A Doll" but not like it should have been. I always thought that was a combination of Jesse and the cats at A&M talking in his ear about keeping the leads low in the tracks. U know, capitalize on the black fan base,..etc. But I always thought that it was the perfect time for Jesse to explode on the guitar and have his leads high in the tracks. For the simple being that Prince had just done that a year before with the PR album. His solos to Let's Go Crazy were not only prominent but blasting in the mix. Like it should have been. I thought at the very least, Jesse was going to do that. if not more. You know, take the road of the "sideman's revenge". He got to it better on "Every Shade Of Love" album with at least having the leads louder. And his fantastic solo on TaMara and the Seen's "Blueberry Gossip" song. He is killin' it on that. THAT'S what I wanted and expected on his solo album.
[Edited 6/19/09 12:51pm]

blackguitaristz said:[quote]

Rhastus said:

Yeah, I remember seeing Jesse live when he was with The Time on the Controversy and 1999 tours. Both tours, I could clearly see that Jesse was dangerous on the axe. He was able to play the solos P recorded on The Time's albums and take it to another level live. The solos sounded better live with Jesse playing them. And I LOVE P's solos to Get It Up and 777-9311. But you could tell that Jesse was held back. And that was later confirmed to me by Morris and Andre. But yeah, Jesse is absolutely tearing it up on Bare My Naked Soul.
[Edited 6/19/09 12:59pm]

Jesse can wail BUT he's not in SRV's league. He just isn't.

Brofie said:

Has, Jesse done a concert that I have missed? if not why are we talking about the past...I loved Jesse and would love to see a concert now... but if he is MIA then why have wet dreams...

SRV was a beast. Loved his style so much, one of my Strats is set up with 12s tuned down a 1/2 step -- all for his sound. He was an amazing player with a killer sense of rhythm and funk (in addition to his Hendrix roots).


That said, Jesse has all that going for him and some flat-out KILLER TONE. I mean, the second half of the "Lovestruck" solo... My gosh!!!

I find similarities in their playing styles, but Jesse's phrasing always makes me rewind his solos to make sure I'm hearing them right. That cat's killer.

ThreadBare said:

What it is, Thread?! Yeah, I mentioned his solo on Blueberry Gossip where he has the backwards lead which flips back to a normal lead. His tone on that is similar to a DOD Octoplus. But tweaked out a little bit. I also dig his solo on Fool's Paradise. Similar thing with the backwards leads and then back to a normal lead. He really evoked Jimi's solo on the track Bold As Love on this.

blackguitaristz said:

'sup, Z!

Yeah, Jesse's use of the octave effect was killer. It's funny how similarly he and Prince used effects in the 1980s -- not to mention how much Prince has gravitated toward his style in recent years with the Hendrix-isms.

ThreadBare said:

Exactly...I had noticed and thought the same thing about P's new found whammy styled Hendrixian work. Which did remind me of Jesse. Jesse has YEARS of perfecting THAT style over Prince though.

blackguitaristz said:

Prince's whammy technique is amateurish, at best. I mean -- compare BMNS to Lotus, guitar-wise... There's no competition... The diversity of Jesse's playing styles is unbelievable.

ThreadBare said:

Yep....I admire P's confidence for fucking with a whammy so late in the game....BUT yeah, I rather see P stick with his penatonic/minor based scales. He's always had great natural tremolo from his wrists anyway so,... That's always been P's bread and butter. That fits his style better, I think. Jesse has always pretty much lived in the penatonic world as well (using minor scales somewhat less than P). But like u said Thread, Jesse's diversity as a guitarist has always been on point. He's more closer to Isley's influence evoking Jimi with the edge of Hazel. Although essentially, Jesse is more "bluesy" than both Isley and Hazel. Again, Jesse obviously grew up learning to play the style that he does, (along with infusing his whammy technique) so it's just far more natural for him than Prince.... Who never fucked with a whammy bar live for the majority of his career.
[Edited 6/21/09 16:32pm]

love this topic,

tons of information,

and no "mine is better than yours" BS you see lately in almost every thread,

love it guys

blackguitaristz said:

Indeed. Prince's lefthand vibrato used to be a thing of beauty -- especially on the clouds. And, his lead tone used to be superior to even Jesse's.

A lot of his work on Lotus and Rainbow Children reminds me of Vai's. Great references to Isley and Hazel, on Jesse style. I can see that.

But, I think it's harder to compare Jesse and SRV because they have direct influences in common that Prince seems less indebted to.

I mean, I hear a WHOLE lot of Albert King in Jesse's "Bring Your Love Down Hard on Me." And, we know how much SRV borrowed from Albert.

ThreadBare said:

EXACTLY...I too hear Steve Vai in P's playing...That element has been in P's style for awhile now. Dead on example about Albert King on Jesse. Yeah man, cuz that's Stevie Ray too. To be honest, I used to think Stevie Ray kinda influenced Jesse in the sense of inspiring him to study other blues cats such as Albert. I know Jesse knew Albert was an influence on Jimi but I think he was cool with what he was working with. But I think after awhile Jesse hearing Stevie Ray KILLIN' it with the Albert-isms, I think that it may have put some heat under Jesse's behind and made him check out what Albert was fucking with a lil' bit mo'. Other than that, I think Jesse has an overall "smoother" style in his playing where as Stevie Ray had a little more edge. I'm not speaking on their choice of sounds and effects, but their actual "attack" in their playing. I always noticed even after seeing Jesse live as a solo artist when he toured on his first album in late 85, early 86, Jesse had a "smooth" style. No matter how much he was ripping it up, his playing was always very "polished" sounding. That was the difference between him and P when I saw The Time open up for P on the Controversy/1999 tours. Although Jesse was essentially playing solos live that P himself had recorded on The Time's albums, Jesse sounded more polished and less "raw" than P did. P's solos on The Time's albums are hella cool, especially Get It Up and P's early use of the whammy bar on 777-9311. But Jesse's attack in his picking hand has a lot to do with his smooth sound. Very precise and clean picking. Stevie Ray was more like Hendrix, especially live. All of their attack was in their playing hand. Heavy bends and pull offs, TONS of wrist vibrato and just flat out aggression and power.
[Edited 6/21/09 17:08pm]

blackguitaristz said:

Now, see THAT'S what I've always thought about JJ's tone. You listen to his 1980s albums, and you hear a ton of grit in Stevie's attack -- in large part because of his reliance on double-stops and a strumming style for his solo phrasing. Stevie loved to throw 2-4 notes at ya where a lot of other players would just focus on one.

I'd be curious to compare JJ's recording style, too, to SRV's. I'm talking amps, dual signals and miccing. You know a good deal of SRV's sound came from sending his signal to multiple amps and miccing the resulting sound. So, you couple SRV's playing style with all those amps and layers of different overdrive saturation and you get a wall of sound.

***

So, I'm listening to "My Life" right now, and I just caught a point where Jesse says, "WAKE UP." I'm wondering how much of BMNS Prince listened to before recording Lotus. At least "Dreamer." There. I said it.

ThreadBare said:

Speaking of Prince and Bare my Naked Soul. I went to this Prince show in Atlanta in 98. Now he gets done playing a song and goes into a guitar instrumental. Now I recognize it,but I know its not his own stuff, but I can't figure out what the hell he's playing. Sounded like Hendrix, but I was pretty damn sure it wasn't him. So on the way back home I pop in Bare my naked soul as I often did on a road trip and I get to the end of the cd grooving out to Nevermind Saturn Sunrise and it clicked. That's what he was playing. So yeah Prince was listening to it

I never even read any of the post about Lotus when it came out aside from somebody mentioning Dreamer sounding like Voodoo Child, but to me an even more obvious similarity was Colonized Mind sounding like Hey Baby

Rhastus said:

Verrrry interesting -- especially when you consider the vibe of Nevermind Saturn Sunrise and that of Lotus' opening and closing tracks...

ThreadBare said:

Yes sir...all truth. Good ear on the multple amps...Me myself, I NEVER thought Dreamer sounded shit like Voodoo Child. It does have a Hey Baby vibe to it though. See P is too smart to bite off of a Hendrix track that is soooo well known as Voodoo Child. At this stage, I think he would want to be more obscure. Jesse's thing is that he'a always been known as mainly a guitarist so he has more freedom perse than P used to. So now perhaps P is digging back a little, looking to what Jesse was brewing on Bare My Naked Soul. Which was so heavy on Jimi, guitar playing wise as well as Jesse's song titles. Their damn near interchangeable with Hendrix's titles. Jesse was totally like "Fuck it...I don't give a damn." Jesse didn't have an image to maintain like P, which I think dictated the type of material P would release. Again, Jesse had more "freedom" as a songwriter in that regard cuz basically, folks weren't expecting any type of "sound" from him. Certainly not the case with Prince. No surprise that P was checking to see what Jesse was doing. Prince, more than anyone else personally knew Jesse was NO joke when it came to the guitar. Prince knows this first hand.

ernestsewell said:

Sure but that isnt the topic at hand

LinnLM1 said:

I think he is in the league - just not in the same team

Cant ahve a Jesse Johnson post without someone getting Prince into it. I will say this: any doubt I had on who my fav living guitarist (Prince or Jesse) was completely crushed when I saw Prince at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame ceromony doing When My Guitar Gently Weeps. I have been going to see him live since 1981 and I never saw him throw down the gauntlet like that.

Brofie said:

I'm not knocking your opinions, BUT:

1) Jesse would eat Prince alive on guitar.

2) the Gently Weeps solo was nice, but compositionally inferior to what P knocked out during his set. Whenever I see the video of Gently Weeps' solo, I HEAR a fairly standard Prince solo and I SEE Prince doing a lot of showy and flashy things.

ThreadBare said:

I love Prince's playing and think he's underrated to the general public, but your right, Jesse would burn him and Prince knows it too

jesse is great but he is not better on guitar then P.THEY HAVE DIFFRENT STYLES,pRINCE IS MORE LYRICAL IN HIS PLAYING

thebanishedone said:

Hmmm. I see the reverse. I see Prince having abandoned his lyrical phrasing for the blues, in recent years. I see him ditching his once-admirable vibrato for amateur-sounding whammy bar trills. I see him losing an awesome lead tone for something far more conventional.

Again, I think 1980s Jesse had outstanding lyrical phrasing (see "Affection," "I'm Just Wanting You," "Stop. Look and Listen" and "Lovestruck" to get what I mean). And, BMNS blew the doors off that level of studio playing.

I'm not taking anything away from Prince, but I hear a shade more mastery in Jesse's playing that I don't hear in Prince's (though Prince is still staggeringly good).

As I continue littering this thread with my opinions, allow me to close by saying I've not heard either of them come close to being on the level of Phil Keaggy.



And, yes, you're seeing that right -- he lost a finger on his right hand in a childhood accident.

ThreadBare said:

Well that's because its basically Jesse giving tribute to Albert King and his track "Blues Power". But yea this is a great topic. This very subject came to my mind when I first heard Jesse's blues show, it has the track "East of the Moon." Dude can rip no doubt.