Loved that you mentioned Gary Moore here. I‘ve always been in awe of John Sykes‘ attack and aggressiveness, that I haven’t heard any player accomplish-except for Gary Moore, who could really rip your head off with his relentless attitude (especially on Cold Day in Hell). Later I heard Zakk Wylde and Rich Ward being almost equally aggressive, but they lack the depth and the finesse of Sykes and Moore. These two are the only ones that I can name, who created the perfect blend of class, originality, virtuosity, and primal viciousness. They‘re playing was just blissfully brutal. I‘ll never get enough of their music.
I'm still mad all these years later that he got axed right after that record was tracked. Coverdale heard the solo from Cryin' in the Rain and thought "Yeah, I'd better cut this dude."??? What an absolute BOZO!!!!!
Think Coverdale was trying to maintain control over the business, his business, of Whitesnake, and eventually viewed Sykes as a threat. John was a very strong headed individual, and DC certainly is too.
This is a beautiful insight to the great playing of John Sykes and how he influenced your playing R.I.P John Sykes ! P.S. maybe one day I'll get good enough to play still of the night riff properly
Sykes' playing is so unique. I can only describe it as "immersive". Such lush and rich sounding chords and rhythms. Man knew how to create such complex textures.
Growing up in NE of England I was luck enough to see Jon move up through the ranks of The Tygers to Thin Lizzy then onwards with WS slide it in both at Newcastle City Hall
I saw an interview with Steve Vai the other day and he said Sykes lived down the road from him! Their kids went to the same high school etc but they never got together or jammed much!
All his amazing solos that were kind of like Gary Moore, where he shreds, but the melody and passion is the emphasis. Also, his rapid muted picking in his rhythm lines, kind of mimicking strings - that was the thing he did for me that was so great. I was like - Why is no one else doing this?
Fun fact: Crying in the Rain is known for the riff, but it was originally written by Coverdale alone for the Saints and Sinners album (1982). Sykes of course transformed it from a somewhat laid back blues rock song into a high energy hard rock song although the tempo doesn't really change.
I really dig what Clapton did with Layla, I always assuned it was way slower than the original but I was singing along one day and realized it was the same speed. Sounds entirely different. I could be wrong. My internal metronome isn't strong
Beautiful words Ben, John was my favourite player - he had everything the incredible chops, vibrato, blistering lines and beautiful slow melodic playing, great song writing and singing and a great look. When I first heard the 1987 Album my jaw just dropped - the whole album is full of kick ass ballsy Rhythm playing and intense leads with beautiful ballads., that album was so well made it still sounds unbelievable today almost 40 years latter. RIP to the king, John Sykes.
thanks for this Ben, a very fitting tribute with a closer look at his particular way of attacking the instrument and being instantly recognisable in the process, RIP one of the greats
I'd been playing guitar for just about 5 years when I bought the Whitesnake 1987 Album the week after it's release. From that point on, John Sykes playing taught me many things, but the three things that standout and have stayed with me and been absorbed into the DNA of my playing are string slides, phrasing using pinched harmonics and a much more controlled, wide vibrato. R. I. P John and thank you as always Uncle Ben for another great John Sykes tribute video. 🎸👍🏻👊🏻♥️
That guy could strike like lightning with his leads and shake the earth with his riffs and vibrato. R.I.P. John Sykes 🖤🤍 You were a king among men. If you guys have not heard it, listen to the "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" by Whitesnake. Might be the best thing John ever did riff wise. It was a bonus song off 87'. Thanks for the video, Ben!
Hi Ben I've been waiting patiently for your tribute to John and was absolutely sure it was coming, knowing like me what a big, big part of his awesome playing had such an influence on you as a guitarist. I am from exactly the same part of our hometown, Reading ( Redding) as John, a part called Tilehurst, in Reading in the Royal County of Berkshire (pronounced Barkshur), and as such know several members of his family but as John spent the majority of his life in the US sadly was never fortune enough to meet him. John was two years older than me and I had been playing many years before hearing him and have always played with the same approach even before hearing his rhythm work on the Tygers ' Spelbound' specifically Gangland' which totally blew me away, so maybe there's something in the water around here. Great tribute mate, all the best.
Funny thing when you mentioned Randy, John almost took Jake E Lee’s spot and joined Ozzy, but it didn’t work out because he and his manager were actually smart and demanded a bunch of things like song writing credit and royalties but Sharon ended up refusing it.
John Sykes - he's alive and will live forever. The King of vibrato and the soulful arpeggio... One of my favs - The Outro (04:58) from "Lookin' for Love" Whitesnake 1984
Like you said Uncle Ben, John Sykes played with such personality and FIRE, the riffs just jump out of my speakers trying to rip my head off. I feel the same way when I hear Jake play Bark at the moon, absolute badasses both of them
So disappointed that John was not on the Whitesnake tour on that immense record. But, the first time I saw John and Blue Murder playing "Valley of the Kings" on video so many years ago: an iconic player, look, and sound!
His vocals were huge and the intonation was spot on as he was quite a perfectionist. How he sang while simultaneously tearing the rhythm guitar was a great skill.
Singing what he was singing and playing what he was playing… at the same time? There a lot of players who can play that, and singers who can sing that, but at the same time? Damned few.
What ive learned from Maestro Sykes was vibrato and that thing he did fretting the low E string at the higher registers and sliding back to the 1st fret. Many guitarists do it, but Maestro Sykes way was very special. A great solo he performed was on Thin Lizzy's song "Please dont go"
Imo he had the best vibrato I've ever heard. Edit:- 9:04 I don't if it was John who wrote the lyrics for bad boys but that riff follows Dave's voice really closely. I agree that bad boys in particular is the song that has almost all of his tricks.
A shameful story on my part. I heard Black-Hearted Woman being played during a Powerlifting meet, and didn’t know what band it was or what the name of the song was. I guessed it sounded like Whitesnake so on the train on my way home I scanned through all of the albums on Spotify trying to find this song. When I got home I sat down with my guitar and picked up the main riff, as good as I could, by memory. I was trying to find the original song but I was looking in the wrong places and asking the wrong people. Then you played a sample of it here at the beginning and I almost scared my dog by shouting: “This is it!” I paused now at the section where you are talking about this riff, and listening to the whole song. Thank you❤
His passing was really rough on my dad and I. We are both HUGE fans of Sykes, I bought my own Epiphone Les Paul custom (solid black of course) and my dad even got a custom shop black les paul back in the 90s (from my late mom as a dating gift, of all things!) cause of how inspired he was by him. I am happy to see people acknowledge how important of a guitarist he is and people are finally seeing that. I also hope we can get some something from his unreleased "Syops" album. Apparently it's been done for almost 10 years and no one can publish it properly. Also getting that "rockin in rio" footage release from 85 would be awesome. RIP Sykes, one of the best to ever do it.
I like how you highlighted Maestro John's use of fluffier and musical chords like the Sykes C, as you call it. Elements like these contributed to how huge his Whitesnake album sounded. I am still feeling gutted about his loss. I was really hoping to hear his SyOps album at last. Maybe his kids will do something about it?
Thunderous Clarity! Ben, this has been the most easy to comprehend instruction video I have ever seen as well as a tribute to greatness. You should be proud that you can play John Sykes stuff and get his tone as well.
(10:08) I'm happy you mentioned Randy here as well, that is straight where my mind went. Rest in peace John and Randy, they are together smiling down at this vid! 🤘
I was 12 when WS87 dropped, and I thought the solos were Campbell and vandenberg trading 😂😂😂😂 took until about 92 and my guitar teacher filled me in on who it really was 👍 Sykes had some seriously killer vibrato
Another stepdad age master of the instrument. Nice to see Ben pay tribute. Not only was Sykes a phenomenal player, but he was a top notch singer with a reputation as a swell guy.
I prefer his live versions of the WS tunes. Mr C is great but can turn out that stuff and come across a bit disingenuous. Imo. Mr JS didn’t. Yours Aye!
Was waiting for this vid. Thanks Uncle Ben. And of course eternal thanks to the legendary John Sykes. The passion and emotion in his playing and writing were very unique, truly special.
I feel like i missed out on a lot when i heard about John Sykes only after his death, and now Crying In The Rain is one of my favourite songs. The guitar work in there is absolutely majestic. The solo is definitely one of my all time faves. Rip to a legend🤟🏻
Crushing news, my absolute favorite guitarist. I had always hoped he would reunite with Blue Murder so I could see him live. RIP to the legend John Sykes, and thanks for the tribute Uncle Ben!
Great job Uncle Ben! Respect! John, in my opinion, was absolutely the most all around gifted tallent of our generation! 1/20/25 sad day for Rock. Sykes will be missed but his legacy will be strong forever!
The dude was my favourite guitarist and been listening to him for 30+ years, his style is completely ingrained into my own to such a degree its hard not to do those power slides and massive vibrato, my channel is practically a shrine to his playing. Amazing video as alwags ❤
Some amazing live performances have shown up on YT since his death. They are simply savage. The Blue Murder and Thin Lizzy shows really highlight his singing prowess as well.
He and Lynch have/had the best vibrato in the business. Say what you want about that 80’s era, but it produced some incredible guitarist, with John, imo, being the most well rounded of the bunch in terms of song writing, rhythm playing, lead/melody, dynamics, etc…a ferocious player, an absolute monster who is way more influential than people might think. RIP
Great video. Your content on John Sykes has been massively helpful, because last minute I was given a tribute show to John Sykes who to my shame I didn't know a lot about. Your videos were a massive help for me to learn the parts and understand how and why he played the way he did so I can't thank you enough for that!
Man those slides, first time I heard Still of the Night I was blown away, one of my favorite songs ever. The power of the slide indeed compels us, John was and still is one of coolest guys to ever play guitar
I was fortunate to meet John after a Thin Lizzy show here in Tucson in the early 2000s. I waited a looong time, and was ready to leave cuz I had to work early the next day, but my wife MADE me wait cuz she knew he and SRV were my heroes. So grateful she did. Been a fan since the days with Tygers. Yes, I'm old. He taught me I'll never be happy until I get a black Les Paul custom, and my fave Sykes tunes are Thunder and Lightning, and And We All Fall Down. Thank you, Ben!
Thanks for this awesome video Ben. We were all waiting for the next chapter from John. I met him once at a low key gig and he was a really nice guy. RIP John 😞
Kept himself out of the limelight, by all accounts an enigmatic figure. A phenomenal guitar player and wrote some of the best songs and riffs known to man. Huge loss.
I don’t know if I have a favorite John Sykes tune, but I have a favorite guitar player and a favorite album. I like Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy but it’s Whitesnake 1987 that holds the title. And has since its release. I was 25 when it came out out saw the Snake 2X that year (with Motley Crue and with Great White). Missed Sykes in both shows. What a tragedy.
John Sykes IMHO is one of the most gifted guitarists of all time. His style and tone are his own, the WS 1987 album blew the guitar community away. John never really got his just rewards from the general public, he should have been in conversations as one of the all time greats in Rock.
John Sykes was my favourite musician, he was more than just a fantastic guitar player. I’m lucky enough to own the white Les paul custom ,from his Lizzy, and Whitesnake era. Rip Mr Sykes.
@ Yes from the Cozy Powell estate. I have the catalog from the sale, and the purchaser receipt etc. it came with a flight case with airline tickets , hand written note on gaffa tape. 👍🏻
@ Awesome, treasure it. The drum kit it was swopped for was a silver Yamaha, used in Rainbow, complete with flight cases, Cozy stickers on the toms and Cozy Powell on the camouflage bass drums!
Patreon extended and ad-free cut is here! www.patreon.com/posts/121115267?
It's so sad how many artists are only truly appreciated once they're gone.
You're not kidding mate.
Sykes guitar on Whitesnakes 1987 legendary 🙂
Same exact situation with the sequel 'Blue Murder' album literally 1987 part two.
Bad boys is literally one the greatest songs with a guitar ever R.I.P John Sykes
Agreed!!!
John Sykes was a "furious" player. He just brought so much energy and unique techniques into his playing.
Sykes combined technical skill with a level of emotional playing that very few can match.
Loved that you mentioned Gary Moore here. I‘ve always been in awe of John Sykes‘ attack and aggressiveness, that I haven’t heard any player accomplish-except for Gary Moore, who could really rip your head off with his relentless attitude (especially on Cold Day in Hell). Later I heard Zakk Wylde and Rich Ward being almost equally aggressive, but they lack the depth and the finesse of Sykes and Moore. These two are the only ones that I can name, who created the perfect blend of class, originality, virtuosity, and primal viciousness. They‘re playing was just blissfully brutal. I‘ll never get enough of their music.
I think John was the one to make the Whitesnake truly bite. Amazing player with an enormous sense for harmony.
I'm still mad all these years later that he got axed right after that record was tracked. Coverdale heard the solo from Cryin' in the Rain and thought "Yeah, I'd better cut this dude."??? What an absolute BOZO!!!!!
Think Coverdale was trying to maintain control over the business, his business, of Whitesnake, and eventually viewed Sykes as a threat. John was a very strong headed individual, and DC certainly is too.
Likely heard John sing, he was a great singer too, and thought 'uh oh'. There are videos with more info about the breakup.
@@timp.9582Yeah I suspect it was a situation of “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us”. Pity.
@@crimfan Sorta like Eddie vs DLR, but turned around.
Coverdale was/is a moron. He played himself firing Sykes. 1987 album sold around 25 million worldwide and Slip of the Tongue 4 million.
The riff on Cold Sweat... Pure genius...
This is a beautiful insight to the great playing of John Sykes and how he influenced your playing
R.I.P John Sykes !
P.S. maybe one day I'll get good enough to play still of the night riff properly
R.I.P. Thunder and lightning and Whitesnake 87 wouldn't have souded so awesome without his guitar work.
John Sykes - an absolute legend, underrated and much missed. RIP John.
The riffs in ‘Ptolemy’ from the first Blue Murder album are brilliant. That’s some of my favourite stuff by John Sykes.
Sykes' playing is so unique. I can only describe it as "immersive". Such lush and rich sounding chords and rhythms. Man knew how to create such complex textures.
He had an amazing chord vocabulary for hard rock/metal. That much gain and they sounded clear, too!
It's satisfying that I'm not alone in what I hear and enjoy from John Sykes' playing. "Big, busy, aggressive"
We will remember the great one with his amazing solo of Crying in the rain will remain with us til the end of time. RIP my hero
Growing up in NE of England I was luck enough to see Jon move up through the ranks of The Tygers to Thin Lizzy then onwards with WS slide it in both at Newcastle City Hall
You've always been a gateway to John's work with boat loads of respect and admiration, and I'm sure he appreciates the love wherever he is Unk.
I saw an interview with Steve Vai the other day and he said Sykes lived down the road from him! Their kids went to the same high school etc but they never got together or jammed much!
As a teen, his work with Thin Lizzy absolutely blew me away, then for him to go on and crack out bangers with Whitesnake. Absolute legend.
Nice tribute, love JS style of playing, was inspirational, and he's an awesome singer too.
Gutted he passed and we wont get anymore of his music. So manyof my favourite RUclips guitarists all seem to love him too. Thanks for making this.
All his amazing solos that were kind of like Gary Moore, where he shreds, but the melody and passion is the emphasis. Also, his rapid muted picking in his rhythm lines, kind of mimicking strings - that was the thing he did for me that was so great. I was like - Why is no one else doing this?
Fun fact: Crying in the Rain is known for the riff, but it was originally written by Coverdale alone for the Saints and Sinners album (1982). Sykes of course transformed it from a somewhat laid back blues rock song into a high energy hard rock song although the tempo doesn't really change.
I really dig what Clapton did with Layla, I always assuned it was way slower than the original but I was singing along one day and realized it was the same speed. Sounds entirely different.
I could be wrong. My internal metronome isn't strong
Beautiful words Ben, John was my favourite player - he had everything the incredible chops, vibrato, blistering lines and beautiful slow melodic playing, great song writing and singing and a great look. When I first heard the 1987 Album my jaw just dropped - the whole album is full of kick ass ballsy Rhythm playing and intense leads with beautiful ballads., that album was so well made it still sounds unbelievable today almost 40 years latter. RIP to the king, John Sykes.
thanks for this Ben, a very fitting tribute with a closer look at his particular way of attacking the instrument and being instantly recognisable in the process,
RIP one of the greats
I'd been playing guitar for just about 5 years when I bought the Whitesnake 1987 Album the week after it's release. From that point on, John Sykes playing taught me many things, but the three things that standout and have stayed with me and been absorbed into the DNA of my playing are string slides, phrasing using pinched harmonics and a much more controlled, wide vibrato. R. I. P John and thank you as always Uncle Ben for another great John Sykes tribute video. 🎸👍🏻👊🏻♥️
The 16th note stuff was absolutely a huge part of his sound. It was for Jake E Lee too
I was lucky enough to see him with Lizzy on the Thunder and Lightning tour, and also about 20 years ago with him on vocals. He was incredible.
Excellent lesson/tribute! He's been a huge influence on me as well
That guy could strike like lightning with his leads and shake the earth with his riffs and vibrato.
R.I.P. John Sykes 🖤🤍
You were a king among men.
If you guys have not heard it, listen to the "You're Gonna Break My Heart Again" by Whitesnake. Might be the best thing John ever did riff wise. It was a bonus song off 87'.
Thanks for the video, Ben!
Hi Ben I've been waiting patiently for your tribute to John and was absolutely sure it was coming, knowing like me what a big, big part of his awesome playing had such an influence on you as a guitarist.
I am from exactly the same part of our hometown, Reading ( Redding) as John, a part called Tilehurst, in Reading in the Royal County of Berkshire (pronounced Barkshur), and as such know several members of his family but as John spent the majority of his life in the US sadly was never fortune enough to meet him.
John was two years older than me and I had been playing many years before hearing him and have always played with the same approach even before hearing his rhythm work on the Tygers ' Spelbound' specifically Gangland' which totally blew me away, so maybe there's something in the water around here.
Great tribute mate, all the best.
That tone! 🤌🏻
Thanks for making this video. RIP John 💔
Funny thing when you mentioned Randy, John almost took Jake E Lee’s spot and joined Ozzy, but it didn’t work out because he and his manager were actually smart and demanded a bunch of things like song writing credit and royalties but Sharon ended up refusing it.
Didn't know that
Because its not true@@theophany1770
@@theophany1770 yeah, then he joined Thin Lizzy instead.
Yolo Milkshake 🤣🤣🤣 You killed me man 😆
John Sykes - he's alive and will live forever. The King of vibrato and the soulful arpeggio...
One of my favs - The Outro (04:58) from "Lookin' for Love" Whitesnake 1984
TY! I was surprised Uncle Ben didn't put the song title or timestamps in so I've been trying to figure these out
Vibrato is unparalleled
Like you said Uncle Ben, John Sykes played with such personality and FIRE, the riffs just jump out of my speakers trying to rip my head off. I feel the same way when I hear Jake play Bark at the moon, absolute badasses both of them
Thank you Ben. Awesome tone. You have captured his spirit in your playing. For those that lived with his music in real time it means a lot.
Thanks so much, man!
RIP John Sykes, one of my favourite guitarists.
Great that you mentioned Zakk. He knows. Sykes was the true OG of the pinch harmonic and that swagger. What a loss.
Great video, Sir.🤝
So disappointed that John was not on the Whitesnake tour on that immense record. But, the first time I saw John and Blue Murder playing "Valley of the Kings" on video so many years ago: an iconic player, look, and sound!
In the still of the night was the one that hooked me. Bad boys blew my mind.
His vocals were huge and the intonation was spot on as he was quite a perfectionist. How he sang while simultaneously tearing the rhythm guitar was a great skill.
Singing what he was singing and playing what he was playing… at the same time? There a lot of players who can play that, and singers who can sing that, but at the same time? Damned few.
What ive learned from Maestro Sykes was vibrato and that thing he did fretting the low E string at the higher registers and sliding back to the 1st fret. Many guitarists do it, but Maestro Sykes way was very special. A great solo he performed was on Thin Lizzy's song "Please dont go"
Sykes guitarwork in Thin Lizzy's Thunder and Lightning is phenomenal and you could hear lots of signature licks there too!
Cold Sweat live in an Irish pub is a classic
ruclips.net/video/WGfm0lvMxGg/видео.htmlsi=Ama9pRC_zk5D8YBb
Emerald makes me lose my mind every time.
Ok my bad it wasn't Sykes. Still love it though
Sykes was a huge inspiration as well. So sad to hear of his passing. Bad boys is probably my favorite Sykes tune as far as guitar goes.
rip John Sykes. Dude had awesome vibrato. A lot of great things to be said about him as well. Thanks for making this video.
Imo he had the best vibrato I've ever heard.
Edit:- 9:04 I don't if it was John who wrote the lyrics for bad boys but that riff follows Dave's voice really closely. I agree that bad boys in particular is the song that has almost all of his tricks.
A shameful story on my part.
I heard Black-Hearted Woman being played during a Powerlifting meet, and didn’t know what band it was or what the name of the song was.
I guessed it sounded like Whitesnake so on the train on my way home I scanned through all of the albums on Spotify trying to find this song.
When I got home I sat down with my guitar and picked up the main riff, as good as I could, by memory.
I was trying to find the original song but I was looking in the wrong places and asking the wrong people.
Then you played a sample of it here at the beginning and I almost scared my dog by shouting: “This is it!”
I paused now at the section where you are talking about this riff, and listening to the whole song.
Thank you❤
Been waiting for this …..
John Sykes = quadruple threat. Chops. Singing. Writing. Looked like a God.
What a talent. What a loss.
Huge loss! Thank you for ALL the great music John Sykes, you will be greatly missed. R.I.P. John
That custom needs a mirrored pickguard.
Everything Sykes did was dirty.. just rock n roll distilled. Legend!
Thanks for this Uncle Ben. When heard his playing on Whitesnake, I was just blown away. To this day, it still blows my mind
His passing was really rough on my dad and I. We are both HUGE fans of Sykes, I bought my own Epiphone Les Paul custom (solid black of course) and my dad even got a custom shop black les paul back in the 90s (from my late mom as a dating gift, of all things!) cause of how inspired he was by him.
I am happy to see people acknowledge how important of a guitarist he is and people are finally seeing that. I also hope we can get some something from his unreleased "Syops" album. Apparently it's been done for almost 10 years and no one can publish it properly. Also getting that "rockin in rio" footage release from 85 would be awesome.
RIP Sykes, one of the best to ever do it.
His album with Thin Lizzy (Thunder and Lightning) was amazing.
One of my all time favorites players. This video was awesome Uncle Ben! RIP John Sykes.
I like how you highlighted Maestro John's use of fluffier and musical chords like the Sykes C, as you call it. Elements like these contributed to how huge his Whitesnake album sounded. I am still feeling gutted about his loss. I was really hoping to hear his SyOps album at last. Maybe his kids will do something about it?
Thunderous Clarity! Ben, this has been the most easy to comprehend instruction video I have ever seen as well as a tribute to greatness. You should be proud that you can play John Sykes stuff and get his tone as well.
The first time I heard 'cold sweat', I couldn't believe it...and the solo is just bananas, but the best bananas ever. RIP John
(10:08) I'm happy you mentioned Randy here as well, that is straight where my mind went. Rest in peace John and Randy, they are together smiling down at this vid! 🤘
I,m Still struggling with the shock news and the reality of it. You do justice to his playing Ben. Great tribute to the man and his music.Thanks Ben.
Thanks so much. I’m with you, it’s hard to believe he’s gone.
I was 12 when WS87 dropped, and I thought the solos were Campbell and vandenberg trading 😂😂😂😂 took until about 92 and my guitar teacher filled me in on who it really was 👍 Sykes had some seriously killer vibrato
I was 15 on 1987 and that album has been arround in my life since then. Oh, that guitars...
Rest in peace.
Hey 15 for me too...one of my favorite albums
Your appreciation of Johns playing really came through, thank you for sharing.
Another stepdad age master of the instrument. Nice to see Ben pay tribute. Not only was Sykes a phenomenal player, but he was a top notch singer with a reputation as a swell guy.
Man I feel bad I didn’t even mention his singing. Incredible!
I prefer his live versions of the WS tunes. Mr C is great but can turn out that stuff and come across a bit disingenuous. Imo. Mr JS didn’t.
Yours Aye!
Was waiting for this vid. Thanks Uncle Ben.
And of course eternal thanks to the legendary John Sykes. The passion and emotion in his playing and writing were very unique, truly special.
UNC!!! Is that a wild grunge pedal in the background? #Skankbanger #WillAlwaysMentionTheGrungePedal
Thank you for honoring John
I feel like i missed out on a lot when i heard about John Sykes only after his death, and now Crying In The Rain is one of my favourite songs. The guitar work in there is absolutely majestic. The solo is definitely one of my all time faves. Rip to a legend🤟🏻
sheesh, dude. what a terrific video and a fine tribute to John Sykes. great job, Ben.
This is the tribute I've been waiting for.
Thank you Uncle Ben 🙏
RIP Mr Sykes. Truly one of the very finest to ever do it.
Crushing news, my absolute favorite guitarist. I had always hoped he would reunite with Blue Murder so I could see him live. RIP to the legend John Sykes, and thanks for the tribute Uncle Ben!
Luv u Uncle Ben! The news was devastating! Please keep up the exceptional work..
He was one of a kind. Cool video. Thanks for this ✌🏻
Fantastic vid! About a fantastic player! I am feeling quite proud, and sad!.. that you do an uncanny impression of me at 5:27! 😅 🎸😞
Great job Uncle Ben! Respect! John, in my opinion, was absolutely the most all around gifted tallent of our generation! 1/20/25 sad day for Rock. Sykes will be missed but his legacy will be strong forever!
My lawd, the harrmonics at 15:30 were sick! John Sykes taught me to make some noise and have fun. He always sounded like he did
The dude was my favourite guitarist and been listening to him for 30+ years, his style is completely ingrained into my own to such a degree its hard not to do those power slides and massive vibrato, my channel is practically a shrine to his playing. Amazing video as alwags ❤
Tnank you uncle Ben. I was waiting for this tribute and oh boy you delivered ❤
Hope you enjoyed it!
@ oh yeah. Really great how you focused on the nuances of his rhythm playing that spoke so much to me over the years . Thank you ❤️
John Sykes has been on my Mt. Rushmore of rock guitarists for the past 30 years+. Godspeed John James Sykes
Excellent tribute uncle Ben.
Some amazing live performances have shown up on YT since his death. They are simply savage. The Blue Murder and Thin Lizzy shows really highlight his singing prowess as well.
Wow Ben, you clearly studied Sykes. Your ability to emulate his style is impressive
Thanks man! It was a ton of fun digging into his approach. Hail Sykes!!!
He and Lynch have/had the best vibrato in the business. Say what you want about that 80’s era, but it produced some incredible guitarist, with John, imo, being the most well rounded of the bunch in terms of song writing, rhythm playing, lead/melody, dynamics, etc…a ferocious player, an absolute monster who is way more influential than people might think. RIP
Great video. Your content on John Sykes has been massively helpful, because last minute I was given a tribute show to John Sykes who to my shame I didn't know a lot about. Your videos were a massive help for me to learn the parts and understand how and why he played the way he did so I can't thank you enough for that!
Glad I could help!
Man those slides, first time I heard Still of the Night I was blown away, one of my favorite songs ever.
The power of the slide indeed compels us, John was and still is one of coolest guys to ever play guitar
I was fortunate to meet John after a Thin Lizzy show here in Tucson in the early 2000s. I waited a looong time, and was ready to leave cuz I had to work early the next day, but my wife MADE me wait cuz she knew he and SRV were my heroes. So grateful she did. Been a fan since the days with Tygers. Yes, I'm old. He taught me I'll never be happy until I get a black Les Paul custom, and my fave Sykes tunes are Thunder and Lightning, and And We All Fall Down. Thank you, Ben!
Been waiting for this one. Thanks Ben.
Thanks for this awesome video Ben. We were all waiting for the next chapter from John. I met him once at a low key gig and he was a really nice guy. RIP John 😞
Kept himself out of the limelight, by all accounts an enigmatic figure. A phenomenal guitar player and wrote some of the best songs and riffs known to man. Huge loss.
Still waiting for that rainy day so we can learn the solo to still of the night lol still love the video, I’m always a fan of john sykes riffs.
I don’t know if I have a favorite John Sykes tune, but I have a favorite guitar player and a favorite album. I like Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy but it’s Whitesnake 1987 that holds the title. And has since its release. I was 25 when it came out out saw the Snake 2X that year (with Motley Crue and with Great White). Missed Sykes in both shows. What a tragedy.
"Cold Sweat" Beast of a tune.
John Sykes IMHO is one of the most gifted guitarists of all time. His style and tone are his own, the WS 1987 album blew the guitar community away. John never really got his just rewards from the general public, he should have been in conversations as one of the all time greats in Rock.
John Sykes was my favourite musician, he was more than just a fantastic guitar player. I’m lucky enough to own the white Les paul custom ,from his Lizzy, and Whitesnake era. Rip Mr Sykes.
From the Cozy Powell estate. I have the drum kit that was swopped for that guitar 😎
@ Yes from the Cozy Powell estate. I have the catalog from the sale, and the purchaser receipt etc. it came with a flight case with airline tickets , hand written note on gaffa tape. 👍🏻
@ Awesome, treasure it. The drum kit it was swopped for was a silver Yamaha, used in Rainbow, complete with flight cases, Cozy stickers on the toms and Cozy Powell on the camouflage bass drums!
@@TDE-76 That’s really great.Do you get your play them? I will go out and play it at some point 🧐🤟🎸
Brilliant showcasing of John Sykes's talent. Definately makes me want to grab hold of my guitar and rock out