What if they survived

[10cc]

I think the easiest way to answer this question is to imagine if some of the most influential musicians had died after their first album.

Let's take one -- Eddie Van Halen.

What if he died after the first record was recorded? There is probably no other guitarist after Hendrix who has influenced guitarists more (both positively and negatively). From two-handed tapping to wammy bar use to metal hair bands of the 80s, Van Halen was the start.

So, I'd have to say, yes, music would have been very different, as we would never know what any of these artists would have exposed us to.

There were other guys also trailblazing doing the same stuff he was doing maybe even before such as Leslie West or Uli Jon Roth or Michale Schenker. I've never been blown away by many of the dead so called greats. There is and always has been an alternative to mainstream with many musicians that were much better technically and tastefully.

 

[TyBo]

There is no such thing as the world's best guitarist

There, you finally said something sensible.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

There were other guys also trailblazing doing the same stuff he was doing maybe even before such as Leslie West or Uli Jon Roth or Michale Schenker. I've never been blown away by many of the dead so called greats. There is and always has been an alternative to mainstream with many musicians that were much better technically and tastefully.

There were absolutely many guitarists before EVH doing the same stuff. EVH was the first to expose it to every guitar playing musician.

 

[Bodeanly]

What if Radiohead would have lived past OK Computer?

 

[jjmuckluckjr]

I will always wonder what metallica would be if Cliff was still there, for sure everything after master wouldnt be there (I would miss and justice for all though)

Metallica would have been a better band. Cliff wouldn't take crap from an egomaniac with a Napoleon Complex. He also would've kept James in check,his break came because of Cliff's death. Either that or he'd have struck out on his own, reconnecting with Dave Mustaine and far surpassing expectations. At least we wouldn't have to sit through that horrible therapy session of a movie.

We never truly appreciate how many people's lives are affected by loss till it happens.

 

[jthisdell]

What if Bob Marley had lived? That is interesting to think about. He nearly created a whole genre of music by himself. Let's face it, there are Reggae Bands and then there was Marley. Way above any before or since. (No offense intended to any TB'ers or anyone else who plays dub. I love Reggae but I am no Marley either.)

Seriously, I think gange would be legal and we would all be happy and love each other. The cops would all be cool, no Ferguson or Baltimore...

Peace & Live Mon.

 

[MegaSwing]

^^^
Bob Marley was really just getting started as a major international music figure. Reggae as a widespread movement has never really recovered from his passing. His music had the necessary spark to be accessible to average people.

 

[10cc]

It's hard for me to see Janis, Cobain, and Morrison put in the same group as Hendrix, Allman, Elvis and Holly.

Still, I think only Hendrix and Allman had meaningful careers ahead of them.

There were absolutely many guitarists before EVH doing the same stuff. EVH was the first to expose it to every guitar playing musician.

if you were into radio. I Hear what your saying though.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

There, you finally said something sensible.

Okay, thanks. ... Your turn

 

[karl_em_all]

It's hard for me to see Janis, Cobain, and Morrison put in the same group as Hendrix, Allman, Elvis and Holly.

Still, I think only Hendrix and Allman had meaningful careers ahead of them.

Cobain had a quintessential rock-n-roll voice and superb songwriting skills. He belongs in that group more so than others.

 

[Altitude]

If Jaco had survived, he would have become a big 6 string bass guy, utterly changing the trajectory of 80% of the threads on Talkbass.

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Warning: NSFW



"How do you know if Jimi Hendrix hadn't had died he wouldn't have wound up doing Superbowl half-time duets with Elton John right now?"

 

[TyBo]

There is no such thing as the world's best guitarist.

There, you finally said something sensible.

Okay, thanks. ... Your turn

Okay To recap ...Hendrix was one of the great guitar players, and was hugely influential on those who came after him, as well as being very innovative in his use of amplification and electronics, and in his playing techniques, and in his songwriting. To have asserted that he couldn't handle the rhythm guitar duties with the Isley Brothers, and was fired for this, based essentially on hearsay, runs counter to everything else we know about him, and is not really a supportable assertion. Hendrix was a great rhythm player, and proved it repeatedly, both on the "Chitlin' Circuit" and in his own recordings.

I don't know where you've been getting this stuff about "the world's best guitarist" - that's certainly not something I ever said, though you seem to have been attributing it to me. Hendrix's talent went beyond just his guitar playing, in any case.

 

[higain617]

I know we would have issues if dinosaurs had survived.

 

[DinoRock]

If Jaco had survived, he would have become a big 6 string bass guy, utterly changing the trajectory of 80% of the threads on Talkbass.

I'm not so sure. Personally, I think JAE was the biggest innovator when it comes to electric bass in a rock/pop setting. He did survive long enough to know that his innovations calmed down by the mid 1970's. So, 15 or so years of huge- to medium-level innovations is pretty much as good as it gets, but I think after the first 10 years, the impact was more on musicians than on general consumers. Just my thinking.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Okay To recap ...Hendrix was one of the great guitar players, and was hugely influential on those who came after him, as well as being very innovative in his use of amplification and electronics, and in his playing techniques, and in his songwriting. To have asserted that he couldn't handle the rhythm guitar duties with the Isley Brothers, and was fired for this, based essentially on hearsay, runs counter to everything else we know about him, and is not really a supportable assertion. Hendrix was a great rhythm player, and proved it repeatedly, both on the "Chitlin' Circuit" and in his own recordings.

I don't know where you've been getting this stuff about "the world's best guitarist" - that's certainly not something I ever said, though you seem to have been attributing it to me. Hendrix's talent went beyond just his guitar playing, in any case.

I didn't say you said he was the world's greatest.
What I said based on hearsay, if you recall, when you pointed out he had been fired by Littlte Richard, I admitted It may not be true.
Are we done?

 

[TyBo]

I didn't say you said he was the world's greatest.
Are we done?

You most certainly implied it. (Come on, be honest now, I hope I don't need to dredge up those posts). I'm done if you are.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

You most certainly implied it. (Come on, be honest now, I hope I don't need to dredge up those posts). I'm done if you are.

Dredge if it pleases you. If you think I said you said that, you must have misread something.

 

[ZenG]

George Harrison lived until 2001. He doesn't really apply here.

I think it applies here in that it was a typical example of what happens to individual members of a "revolutionary" group once they go their separate ways.....

 

[Altitude]

I'm not so sure. Personally, I think JAE was the biggest innovator when it comes to electric bass in a rock/pop setting. He did survive long enough to know that his innovations calmed down by the mid 1970's. So, 15 or so years of huge- to medium-level innovations is pretty much as good as it gets, but I think after the first 10 years, the impact was more on musicians than on general consumers. Just my thinking.

That's probably right. I was just trying to come up with a clever foil against all the "Jaco only needed 4 strings" posts here.

I agree that as revolutionary as Jaco was as a bass player, his immediate influence never really escaped jazz circles. Indirect influence, maybe - but if you were to poll all of the 14 year-old bass players right now as to who had heard of Jaco, then poll the 14 year-old guitarists about Jimi, you'd get different results for sure.