Great to see Elliot Easton getting the respect he deserves. Nuno talks a lot about him in his Rick Beato interview. He's always been underrated. His solos are stellar, so melodic and inventive.
I think when people say “underrated” they mean “less frequently mentioned”… which would be true, we hear a lot of the same names, Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix, over and over again, and some players who are super less often but “underrated” is a quick word to say… let’s face it, some cats just don’t get mentioned as much … but people who know Guitar know how great they are … Gary Moore is a prime example
I absolutely LOVE Elliot Easton's playing...so quirky, fun, and accessible. He's one of those guys who sound so simple until you start prying into it. He's also a wonderful guy, and when I met him at a guitar show he was so cool and gracious. Sat and talked guitars with me for a while, such a cool cat.
When natural talent, experience and great taste musicians tend to do that: Make it sound and seem easy. It is so cool to watch. Also inspires other musicians to grab the nearest guitar and noodle a bit more. Win-win.
In the late 80's I was just hanging out in a guitar store (actually music store lol) in Orlando and I was shooting the breeze with the salesman. I happened to mention I was a blues fan but that I had great respect for Eliott Easton. The guy then says he had talked with Elliott at an event and he was planning to do a blues album, and that he had his phone number... do you want to call him. Uhhhhh... YEAH! Much to my surprise, Elliott answered the phone and chatted with the guy, with me listening, for about 5 minutes. He told us sadly the blues album was never made, but I was absolutely awestruck that he even took the time to chat with a salesman that he only met once, and was just a regular guy who loved guitar like us. My fan boy appreciation went up about 50 levels that day😁
Elliot Easton is such a badass! Very "economical" solos. Gets in, gets down, and gets out right on time! The solo in Candy-O is a perfect example as well.
By the time new wave came along, the idea of the guitar virtuoso had to be re-thought out. Up until then, it was mostly fast playing, fill up the arena fretboard frenetics that was considered the rage. But then players like Edge, Andy Summers showed that it was okay to slow it down and not play as busily. For the record, my favorite guitarist is Jimmy Page but my vote for the greatest rock guitar solo is David Gilmour's "Comfortably Numb".
Elliot Easton is one of my favorite guitarists of all time. His solos fit the songs incredibly well, they're little songs within a song. To me, the solo in Touch and Go is a yardstick by which I measure other guitar solos, it's just so fitting, so... right. The Just What I Needed solo is also fantastic, and the comparison to other guitarists signatures is awesome. The history of the album was also super cool, thanks Tim!
I'm gonna third that (heheh)... "Touch and Go" is probably my all-time favorite solo (and I'm sure you've heard Elliott tell the story of how it almost got vetoed. Crazy!)
Greg Hawkes, is one of the finest American keyboardist of his time. Just ask Paul McCartney, who asked him to play on his late 80’s album: or the late John Lennon, who in 1980, his last interview, before he died, said that the song, ‘TOUCH AND GO’ was his favorite song of the year. Many of the samples, I hear in Logic and Pro Tools, we’re already created by Greg. And if that weren’t enough, he is also very good at 10 different instruments. 😊
As a keyboard player first/guitarist second, Bye Bye Love epitomizes everything I love about a great song by a band who had their sh*t together. A track for the ages.
Right? When the Cars first broke in Upstate NY (late 78/early 79 maybe) their music was for geeks who wasted the rest of their time f’n with these ridiculous things called PCs. The cool kids and manly men clung to Skynyrd like a security blanket. 😂
The Cars have been one of my favorite bands since the late ‘70s. I’ve always loved the layering and composition of their songs. But when I REALLY started isolating the guitar work, I was blown away. Elliot Easton immediately became one of my favorite guitarists, long after I started loving the band. The country/rockabilly guitar infused with synthesizers and quirky lyrics makes The Cars a unique and forever interesting rock band.
elliot is a joy to cover. not only does he have a country flavor in his playing, his leads are very much like the tele pickers in nashville: short bursts of thunder and lightening.
Yeah I always dug playing his solos, at the time I was learning them I was a bit inexperienced and got quite the education picking up his leads. Easton's approach was so unique back then. Very inventive and of course those tele picker licks were the bomb. Fantastic guitarist!
I always loved Elliot's rapid fire approach to his solos. Totally in the pocket, short and sweet, and perfect. One of my biggest influences. Another solo that just floors me is from the song Candy-O.
My favorite thing about Tim.....is he just exudes joy when he plays. That makes me as the viewer/listener enjoy it so much more. I once walked out of an Almond Bros show because while their playing was impeccable, they seemed totally bored. To me it killed the whole vibe. @@jamespolito3269
@@NoelHarris-y4h Damn you! 😂 I obsessed over the solo from Peg all throughout my senior year in HS. Now we have J Grayson on YT talking about this little thing he threw together at the behest of Becker and Fagen. Bastard … how dare he insult my youth like that! 😂😂😂
No doubt. And he actually CHANGES IT UP in "Benny's" live Reunion video (which I like even more), with what sounds to me like a 'Hollies' tribute for a few chords.. (Check it out..)
That guy was such an underrated monster guitar player, everything he did was so tasteful, and slick and clean, incredible phrasing and note selection. Love E.E.!
I’m not hearing Bakersfield … although you may be spot on. I’m familiar with both, give me an example of where you’re hearing Buck, Don and the boys in a Cars song (leave out Girl Made in Japan … love that song but it sounded like Buck hired studio musicians to play background). Again, 0 shade being cast here, love these types of analogies and just curious.
Elliot Easton is so sadly underrated. His solo on Shake it Up - eggz-quisite!. He played clean and tight, for the song, and used a lot of different influences.
What an unsung guitar hero he is. Elliot's playing seemed so unassuming at the time, but TOTALLY stands out all these years later. Love his playing more now, than then (and I loved it then).
I clearly remember hearing The Cars debut album for the first time as well. I was a teenager. I remember where I was and how I reacted to it. I'd never heard anything like it and it blew me away. I've loved Elliot Easton playing ever since. Brilliantly crafted and unique solos that stick in your brain.
I’ve always considered Elliot’s solo from My Best Friend’s Girl to be his best. It’s got that rockabilly feel you mentioned, and it’s somewhat challenging to master.
Thanks for the Cars perfect guitar solo! I to believe that solo piece fits so well to that song. I saw the Cars in Cambridge way back in the day not knowing who they were. A very good influence on my guitar playing.
Besides being a great player Tim’s enthusiasm for guitar is infectious and has a positive effect on us all. I feel blessed to hear what he has to share with us.
I'm a metal fan at heart, and the solo for Shake It Up makes me very happy. For that solo to be in a pop-rock song, it's almost unreal. That muted staccato lick towards the beginning... very catchy, very memorable, and it sets the rest of the solo up for success, especially when he goes into the legato lick. And he's doing it in the middle of a poppy rock song. Just surreal. I first heard them in the late 70s, and just so many good songs. When they come on the radio, my natural reaction is to turn up the volume a bit.
Thank you thank you thank you for this. As a Boston native, aged 58, the Cars were very important to all of us young musicians in the late 70s/early 80s. And EE did indeed craft perfect solos... song after song after song. You can sing them and you can't imagine them being any different. I also have an EE signature Kramer guitar for a while. It was very cool. He did sneaky innovative stuff with his signature instruments.
So true 5:49 his solos turned out to be far more intricate when I tried to play them than it sounded. They are so perfectly matching each song that they don't feel like solos; more like melodic extensions of the songs.
One of the most down to earth musicians I've ever communicated with. He helped me get a left-handed Gibson Tikibird, a rare signature guitar, that was only around for a short period of time. His music is a joy to listen to, back then till today.
That solo is why I started listening to "new music". Way back when, for a while, I was a Classic Rock Only snob and this music was considered "new", (or new wave) not classic rock, but I could tell these guys knew what they were doing...Now, their music is considered classic rock.
Thanks, Tim. Great dive into a superb solo. Elliot's solos always had shape to them. Peaks and valleys, in a linear and logical way that had tons of tension and release.
Elliot did a great interview with Dweezil Zappa, where he went into detail how he crafts solos. So well thought out, but natural sounding at the same time.
So happy you're covering Elliot Easton. Great guitar player. He reminds me of George Harrison and Mike Campbell. Broad influences, range, always playing great fills serving the song. And, of course his own great chops and choices. Love The Cars. (written before Tim makes the George Harrison comment).
Awesome! Working in my shop I started off playing Bostons' albums then ran across this song and all those memories come back with this Cars tune!!! Great time to be 16!!!
As a lefty guitar player myself, I remember how thrilled I was to find out that EE was left handed. I was a teen in the 80s and I remember how hard it was to get a lefty guitar then- probably even harder in the 60s and 70s. I still can’t just walk into a store and buy off the rack, but online shopping has made getting a lefty so much easier and cheaper than it used to be.
Eliot Easton's lefty guitars made it into the many noted music shops in Boston in the years The Cars were big. My high school bandmate at the time was a lefty and ended up with one. Leftys were hard to get.
Love this one Tim, Elliot Easton is one of the most intentional and economical players particularly on solos, that I ever heard. Just a neat solo ,used to beat on it a bit myself back in my gigging years 40 years ago! ;-) . Thanks for what you do!
I played in a lot of different cover bands, every time we would want to do a cars song, would always have to take into account the guitar solo and if our lead player at the time could pull it off. He had a very unique style, very tasteful, not easy to copy
One of my "perfect" solos: Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Perfectly compliments the song, always building, and advancing the song to the next section. That's what makes a great solo, not just a display of technical ability. Brilliant rhythmic feel and development in addition to the melodic component.
Eeaston has always been my gold standard for inspiration when I hear the phrase “give the song what it needs”. I regularly find myself asking “What would Elliot do?” If ever there was a rock star that should’ve been a studio musician, its him. 👍
The first song I thought of when I saw the title of the video was this one! Absolutely brilliant. Another one might be Brian Robertson's wah-wah solo in Thin Lizzy's Warriors. Fantastic playing, but also fantastic use of the wah as an expression pedal lifting each phrase, rather than just rocking the foot back and forwards in time with the rhythm.
"My Best Friend's Girlfriend" is all Country licks. Eliot Easton's lefty guitars made it into the many noted music shops in Boston in the years they were big and my highschool bandmate at the time ended up with one.
I learned to play in the 80s and whenever one of those conversations came up as to which guitarist you would be if you could, I always said Elliot. Why? Because NO ONE else sounded like him or was even close. This was at a time when, if a guitarist didn’t sound close to Eddie, you could at least tell that they were emulating him. Elliot was almost from another planet, which for The Cars, was PERFECT. Thanks for giving him some love, Tim! ❤👍
Neil Geraldo is another that is very hard to sound like. Less melodic than Elliot Easton, making him even harder to copy because it's hard to sing the solos in your head. And he often starts solos with weird runs, big jumps, and strange cadence.
@@Bob.Silverstein Neil was definitely a great player, as well. I remember with amusement Neil speaking to Guitar For The Practicing Musician in the early 80s about how embarrassing it is amongst his fellow musicians that he "can't play in tune". He obviously can play "in tune", yet the notes that he sometimes hears don't necessarily match the key. I think of the solo in "Shadows Of The Night" where he plays a flatted 3rd against the major chord in that moment. It doesn't "fit", yet he hears it and forces you to reckon with how he thinks it should sound. A real master, and too few solos on Pat's hits.
I don't watch enough of your channel. I gotta change that. You have great knowledge and takes on everything but it's your easy going personality that really keeps me coming back. Thanks, Tim!
Tim - I’ve played through Deluxe Reverbs for since the 70’s and I recently purchased a Tone Master Deluxe Reverb and was pleasantly surprised how fantastic it is. While you certainly can tell the difference w/the old hand wired Deluxes (even they sound different one from another) it definitely is a really quality modeling amp of the Deluxe. The attenuation capabilities is also great for practicing.
Yes! Absolutely, one of my guitar heroes of my misspent youth. Under praised I think due to the heavy mix of synths in their records. Kind of hid Elliot's genius under all those "pop synth" mixes.
What about the added color added in mixing the "Secret Sauce", H910,H3000 Ultraharmonizer Micropitchshift? How did they do this? Alot of musicians are unaware that they used them to get that big choresy and guitar synth sound! Merry Christmas Tim! I love your playing and lessons! Your good guy more importantly!
I always liked Elliot Easton's guitar work, and his Rock-a-billy tinges, which became a common Post-Punk theme, but Elliot's use of Country/Rock-a-billy seemed more organic, like he just grew up with it and used it
Speaking of iconic solos Tim, I was wondering if you could do a video on Jimmy Lyon’s solo on Two Tickets To Paradise? I have always thought that this solo was perfect in the fact that it fit the song perfectly, was executed perfectly, but wasn’t crowded with long runs and every trick in the book. I’d really like to get your take on it. I don’t know if you knew Jimmy Lyon went on to join the Greg Kihn band for a while, then toured with Tina Turner. An excellent guitar player.
@@rodgerrodger1839 That’s right. “Two Tickets” was with Eddie Money. But, Greg Kihn was a DJ out here in the Bay Area and he was talking to Jimmy Lions about when they were together. At least that’s how I remember it. I think it was for a short while. Side note: Greg Kihn and Eddie Money were real good friends.
@sfeddie1 I live here in the Bay Area. We used to pick on Eddie when he played at Frat parties in Berkeley. My friends played in a band, and they opened up for Greg many times at the Keystone in Berkeley. Eddie got the last laugh when Bill Graham took him under his wing. My friends just snorted their way into oblivion. I got away from them and music in 89. I, too, had drank and snorted my restaurant,car, and dignity away by then. Eddie really screwed himself up, and so did Greg from blow. I'm Clean 34 years. Back then, it was pure madness. MADNESS. 83-89 was an alcohol coke fueled porn movie. It was fun until you started party earlier and earlier during the week. By Sunday, you had burned through an entire paycheck, and rent was due. I got out alive and was able to rebuild my life. My friends had zero job skills. They were sure they were going to be rock stars. Nope.
@@rodgerrodger1839 Glad to hear you were able to get away from that old drug scene and get straight. When Greg Kihn was the morning guy on KFOX radio in the late 80’s/early 90’s, he used talk a lot about the chemical exploits of his band. I seem to remember that there was also a Keystone in Palo Alto back then. But, then again, my 77 year old memory can be a bit fuzzy.
@sfeddie1 You are correct. There was a Keystone in Palo Alto as well. I lived in Oakland, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek. I grew up in Oakland. Things were very different back then. It's really different now. I don't go near Berkeley or San Francisco at all anymore. We will go see Bruce in March in the city. We saw Lady GA GA. Over there at the Giants Stadium. We just couldn't believe that at midnight, Market Street was empty except for homeless people pissing right in front of you. It stunk like piss and I started to become nervous. We used to ramble all over the city at midnight until 3:00 a.m. There were places still open to eat if you knew where to go. Mostly in China town. It was lots of fun. Now? It's a disgusting mess. It's incredibly sad. Everything is closed. Day and night.
And yes, having been in cover/club bands a lot, I've played The Cars hits of course and those solos are indeed iconic and unique..one of those guitar players you can recognize instantly in 4 notes or less..
Would love to see you do an analysis of both parts of the intro to Sweet Jane off the Rock and Roll Animal album by Lou Reed. Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter's duo is one of the best ever IMO. Both are primo guitarists that did much of the work on Alice Cooper's best stuff.
I’ve loved Elliot Easton’s solos since the beginning, although agree this is probably my favorite. It blew my mind, nobody played like he did, nobody… and it was always great. How he, Mike Campbell, and other greats get completely forgotten when mentioning top players is a shame. Thanks Tim!
My all time favorite Easton solo is the outro to Since I Held You. It fits the theme of the lyrics of the song so perfectly. Elliott is making that guitar cry. Great video.
Great to see Elliot Easton getting the respect he deserves. Nuno talks a lot about him in his Rick Beato interview. He's always been underrated. His solos are stellar, so melodic and inventive.
Underrated is over used. Gawd. They were huge when they came out!!!
It definitely IS over-used - but it DOES apply to Easton...@@captainsouth4460
I think when people say “underrated” they mean “less frequently mentioned”… which would be true, we hear a lot of the same names, Van Halen, Clapton, Hendrix, over and over again, and some players who are super less often but “underrated” is a quick word to say… let’s face it, some cats just don’t get mentioned as much … but people who know Guitar know how great they are … Gary Moore is a prime example
Talk about underrated. I didn't even know his name till now!
@@nmonsterHe is one of my favorites. Always doing just what the song needs. ❤
The Cars recordings are perfectly constructed. Nothing wasted, nothing filler. The interaction between all the instruments was masterful.
Great for record listening. Live it was a negative
For certain. I’m more moved a well-crafted but “easy” solo that takes you on a journey than I am by a blizzard of notes.
Elliot is a great story teller. Been listening to interviews lately in
I absolutely LOVE Elliot Easton's playing...so quirky, fun, and accessible. He's one of those guys who sound so simple until you start prying into it. He's also a wonderful guy, and when I met him at a guitar show he was so cool and gracious. Sat and talked guitars with me for a while, such a cool cat.
Just What I Needed was the first solo I ever learned in 1981. Elliot was a major inspiration for me and still is.
When natural talent, experience and great taste musicians tend to do that: Make it sound and seem easy. It is so cool to watch. Also inspires other musicians to grab the nearest guitar and noodle a bit more. Win-win.
Great to hear he was so willing to shoot the breeze with a fan. Easton is one of those exceptions to the rule about celebrities.
In the late 80's I was just hanging out in a guitar store (actually music store lol) in Orlando and I was shooting the breeze with the salesman. I happened to mention I was a blues fan but that I had great respect for Eliott Easton. The guy then says he had talked with Elliott at an event and he was planning to do a blues album, and that he had his phone number... do you want to call him. Uhhhhh... YEAH! Much to my surprise, Elliott answered the phone and chatted with the guy, with me listening, for about 5 minutes. He told us sadly the blues album was never made, but I was absolutely awestruck that he even took the time to chat with a salesman that he only met once, and was just a regular guy who loved guitar like us. My fan boy appreciation went up about 50 levels that day😁
That would be an excellent memory. I met Loren Greene from Gunsmoke 50 years ago. Not quite as cool as meeting Elliot
EE always played the perfect solos. it was never about showing off. it was always about what the song called for. LEGEND!!!
True-but he also had insane chops.
Elliot’s work with the Cars was always exquisite.
Yeah, he was an amazing guitarist but he played for the song. He never had the visibility but he made amazing music.
Elliot Easton is such a badass! Very "economical" solos. Gets in, gets down, and gets out right on time! The solo in Candy-O is a perfect example as well.
Exactly! He knows that less is more.
By the time new wave came along, the idea of the guitar virtuoso had to be re-thought out. Up until then, it was mostly fast playing, fill up the arena fretboard frenetics that was considered the rage. But then players like Edge, Andy Summers showed that it was okay to slow it down and not play as busily. For the record, my favorite guitarist is Jimmy Page but my vote for the greatest rock guitar solo is David Gilmour's "Comfortably Numb".
I couldn't have said it any better.
@@cc352Gilmour’s playing is all feel, no fluff or wasted effort. His leads fit perfectly into the ambiance of PF’s music, so hauntingly beautiful.
Elliot Easton is one of my favorite guitarists of all time. His solos fit the songs incredibly well, they're little songs within a song. To me, the solo in Touch and Go is a yardstick by which I measure other guitar solos, it's just so fitting, so... right. The Just What I Needed solo is also fantastic, and the comparison to other guitarists signatures is awesome. The history of the album was also super cool, thanks Tim!
Agreed. Amazing work.
I'm gonna third that (heheh)... "Touch and Go" is probably my all-time favorite solo (and I'm sure you've heard Elliott tell the story of how it almost got vetoed. Crazy!)
Easton is a MARVELOUS and EPIC guitarist. Undoubtedly amongst the greatest of all time.
Agreed 100%!
Touch and go solo I have to replay 6 or 7 times every time I hear it! I am the same way about the solo from Tonight She Comes! ❤
Greg Hawkes should also be a spokesman for The Cars. His keyboard playing is iconic and legendary.
💯 💯
Greg Hawkes, is one of the finest American keyboardist of his time. Just ask Paul McCartney, who asked him to play on his late 80’s album: or the late John Lennon, who in 1980, his last interview, before he died, said that the song, ‘TOUCH AND GO’ was his favorite song of the year. Many of the samples, I hear in Logic and Pro Tools, we’re already created by Greg. And if that weren’t enough, he is also very good at 10 different instruments. 😊
And Greg made the music so much fun.
Elliot's solo on Bye Bye Love, particularly the little chromatic ascending run, always brings such a big smile to my face
As a keyboard player first/guitarist second, Bye Bye Love epitomizes everything I love about a great song by a band who had their sh*t together. A track for the ages.
One of my faves too. Love the interplay between guitar n electric piano.
I have always loved Elliott's solos. So perfect and precise. The one for "Got a lot on my head" is one of my favorites.
9ne?
Oh yeah, he was on a mad one with that song!
Every one of Elliot Easton's solos was a little gem of perfection. He doesn't get enough attention - thanks!
His image/character wasn't really cool.
@@bonsummers2657 Like the Cars were ever about "cool"? Besides, top talent will aways be cool, and that's what Easton brought to the table.
On the matter image, Elliott didn't have the 'cool'. I'm callin it straight. I understand. You call out your narrative.@@patrickmcevoy5080
If you understand image, you'll see who's got it, and who doesn't,…. aside from musical chops.@@patrickmcevoy5080
Right? When the Cars first broke in Upstate NY (late 78/early 79 maybe) their music was for geeks who wasted the rest of their time f’n with these ridiculous things called PCs. The cool kids and manly men clung to Skynyrd like a security blanket. 😂
EE is one of the greatest ever IMO. His licks and tone have been stuck in my head for 45 years.
The Cars have been one of my favorite bands since the late ‘70s. I’ve always loved the layering and composition of their songs. But when I REALLY started isolating the guitar work, I was blown away. Elliot Easton immediately became one of my favorite guitarists, long after I started loving the band. The country/rockabilly guitar infused with synthesizers and quirky lyrics makes The Cars a unique and forever interesting rock band.
Love Elliot Easton. “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Touch and Go” are two of my favourite solos of all time.
YES! Touch and Go and I’m Not the One (more for its vocals).
Love this. Elliot Easton's playing has always caught my attention. His soloing was very smart, melodic, and tasteful!
Elliot’s solos are as memorable as the songs themselves. What a great musician
you don't even think of them as solos just the foundation of the songs
Such a recognizable sound!! I don't play music, but love it. Lol. And nothing sounded like the Cars solos and guitar 🎸
elliot is a joy to cover. not only does he have a country flavor in his playing, his leads are very much like the tele pickers in nashville: short bursts of thunder and lightening.
Yeah I always dug playing his solos, at the time I was learning them I was a bit inexperienced and got quite the education picking up his leads. Easton's approach was so unique back then. Very inventive and of course those tele picker licks were the bomb. Fantastic guitarist!
I always loved Elliot's rapid fire approach to his solos. Totally in the pocket, short and sweet, and perfect. One of my biggest influences.
Another solo that just floors me is from the song Candy-O.
Tim. When you talk of guitar greats, I put you in that category. You're tones and playing are unbelievable. 👍🎸🎸🎸🎸
My favorite thing about Tim.....is he just exudes joy when he plays. That makes me as the viewer/listener enjoy it so much more. I once walked out of an Almond Bros show because while their playing was impeccable, they seemed totally bored. To me it killed the whole vibe. @@jamespolito3269
Great teacher and a genuinely nice guy. A pleasure to watch.
Couldn’t agree more. He is second to none when it comes to phrasing. Probably the most underrated guitarist ever
Another Great rundown, It’s All I Can Do is my favorite song and solo by the Cars, Ben Orr was an outstanding vocalist.
One of my favorite EE solos too!
Such an underrated guitar player. Love his playing. So SMOOTHE so put together structure is perfection. Love how he throws that country into the rock.
My pick for the best solo of all time is his solo for “tonight she comes” a song within a song! Guy is a genius in my book
Me, too. Nice melody, good sound, and a few ripper pick harmonics
Yeah, definitely another one of his finest moments.
Kid Charlemagne
@@NoelHarris-y4h Damn you! 😂 I obsessed over the solo from Peg all throughout my senior year in HS. Now we have J Grayson on YT talking about this little thing he threw together at the behest of Becker and Fagen. Bastard … how dare he insult my youth like that! 😂😂😂
No doubt. And he actually CHANGES IT UP in "Benny's" live Reunion video (which I like even more), with what sounds to me like a 'Hollies' tribute for a few chords.. (Check it out..)
Can't over-praise EE's work. His brilliant solos and drop-ins have always had playful references to other genres.
One of your best episodes, one of my favorite bands and guitar player 💯 Dropin some serious R & R history knowledge on this one 👏
That guy was such an underrated monster guitar player, everything he did was so tasteful, and slick and clean, incredible phrasing and note selection. Love E.E.!
Yes, HUGE Bakersfield country influence in Elliot's playing and he's even said so. Best Friend's Girl solo for instance, wow!
I’m not hearing Bakersfield … although you may be spot on. I’m familiar with both, give me an example of where you’re hearing Buck, Don and the boys in a Cars song (leave out Girl Made in Japan … love that song but it sounded like Buck hired studio musicians to play background). Again, 0 shade being cast here, love these types of analogies and just curious.
Like Tim says, the country is in the thirds use. Bakersfield time.
Elliot Easton is so sadly underrated. His solo on Shake it Up - eggz-quisite!. He played clean and tight, for the song, and used a lot of different influences.
What an unsung guitar hero he is. Elliot's playing seemed so unassuming at the time, but TOTALLY stands out all these years later. Love his playing more now, than then (and I loved it then).
Candy-O solo is one of my favs as well. Great to see Easton get some love👍
Elliot has a Unique Style. Love His Playing. Never Gets Old.
Elliot is so good. I still play those old Cars records all the time.
Elliot is the absolute best! His playing on CCR’s (Revisited) live album is a true master class. Thx Tim 🤘💯
I absolutely love Elliot’s solos in Touch And Go. It’s kind of a call and response with Ric’s vocal, so cool.
Touch and Go.....a great, great, great solo
Touch and go, one of my top cars songs, for sure!
Touch and Go: yes, a splendid solo
The lead from My Sharona by The Knack is a very underrated solo too. Please do that one Tim.
What a great solo
It is a wonderfully composed and performed solo. Builds perfectly.
The solo on “Nightspots” was always one of his best. Giving EVH a run for his money IMO.
I totally agree! Best solo! This album and Van Halen 1 both blew me away. I remember where I was when I first heard them
My friend put in this 8 track and tells me “this is the best cruise music “
I clearly remember hearing The Cars debut album for the first time as well. I was a teenager. I remember where I was and how I reacted to it. I'd never heard anything like it and it blew me away. I've loved Elliot Easton playing ever since. Brilliantly crafted and unique solos that stick in your brain.
Jealous
So underrated! I love the way he mixes styles effortlessly.
I’ve always considered Elliot’s solo from My Best Friend’s Girl to be his best. It’s got that rockabilly feel you mentioned, and it’s somewhat challenging to master.
agree
agreed
It’s always a challenge.
Thanks for the Cars perfect guitar solo! I to believe that solo piece fits so well to that song. I saw the Cars in Cambridge way back in the day not knowing who they were. A very good influence on my guitar playing.
Besides being a great player Tim’s enthusiasm for guitar is infectious and has a positive effect on us all. I feel blessed to hear what he has to share with us.
I'm a metal fan at heart, and the solo for Shake It Up makes me very happy. For that solo to be in a pop-rock song, it's almost unreal. That muted staccato lick towards the beginning... very catchy, very memorable, and it sets the rest of the solo up for success, especially when he goes into the legato lick. And he's doing it in the middle of a poppy rock song. Just surreal.
I first heard them in the late 70s, and just so many good songs. When they come on the radio, my natural reaction is to turn up the volume a bit.
Elliot is so underrated! His solos are very memorable; you can hum them. Amazing!
Underrated by who? Most over used word on guitar sites.
@@captainsouth4460 maybe I should’ve said “not as well known as other guitarists.”
Thank you thank you thank you for this. As a Boston native, aged 58, the Cars were very important to all of us young musicians in the late 70s/early 80s. And EE did indeed craft perfect solos... song after song after song. You can sing them and you can't imagine them being any different. I also have an EE signature Kramer guitar for a while. It was very cool. He did sneaky innovative stuff with his signature instruments.
So true 5:49 his solos turned out to be far more intricate when I tried to play them than it sounded. They are so perfectly matching each song that they don't feel like solos; more like melodic extensions of the songs.
Merry Christmas Tim. Much respect...
That 1st cars album was Pure Gold 🎉
One of the most down to earth musicians I've ever communicated with. He helped me get a left-handed Gibson Tikibird, a rare signature guitar, that was only around for a short period of time. His music is a joy to listen to, back then till today.
I’m a lefty too and Elliot has always been an inspiration for me. Another great video Tim.
Hell yeah lefties unite!
That solo is why I started listening to "new music". Way back when, for a while, I was a Classic Rock Only snob and this music was considered "new", (or new wave) not classic rock, but I could tell these guys knew what they were doing...Now, their music is considered classic rock.
Thanks, Tim. Great dive into a superb solo. Elliot's solos always had shape to them. Peaks and valleys, in a linear and logical way that had tons of tension and release.
Elliot did a great interview with Dweezil Zappa, where he went into detail how he crafts solos. So well thought out, but natural sounding at the same time.
@@SurfGreenTelecaster Wow, I must look that up!
Thanks for doing this, Tim! I loved Elliot's playing right from the start. He created many fantastic solos and The Cars had many great songs.
One of my favorite guitarists…SO creative and eclectic with such expressive bends/vibrato.
Eliot Easton is one of the most underrated guitarists in rock. Love his solo on "Touch and Go" also.
No, he was never underrated. Most over used word on the interweb!!
@@captainsouth4460 I recently heard Easton joke when someone said that, "Well, I guess I'm finally rated?"
Yeah! The main solo and the 3 mini-solos at the end.
So happy you're covering Elliot Easton. Great guitar player. He reminds me of George Harrison and Mike Campbell. Broad influences, range, always playing great fills serving the song. And, of course his own great chops and choices. Love The Cars. (written before Tim makes the George Harrison comment).
Awesome! Working in my shop I started off playing Bostons' albums then ran across this song and all those memories come back with this Cars tune!!! Great time to be 16!!!
As a lefty guitar player myself, I remember how thrilled I was to find out that EE was left handed. I was a teen in the 80s and I remember how hard it was to get a lefty guitar then- probably even harder in the 60s and 70s. I still can’t just walk into a store and buy off the rack, but online shopping has made getting a lefty so much easier and cheaper than it used to be.
I know your pain! It was SO frustrating!
Yes ,A lefty Also my Lefthanded Brother ❤ remember how hard it was to get a good Lefthanded guitar back
than 😮
Eliot Easton's lefty guitars made it into the many noted music shops in Boston in the years The Cars were big. My high school bandmate at the time was a lefty and ended up with one. Leftys were hard to get.
Spot on brother. With you 100%. 🎸🎸🎸
Lefties unite. Let’s start a lefty only guitar company!
My favorite thing about your videos is how you tell the origins of certain licks then I can research and deep dive all of them too! Thank you good sir
I remember learning this solo by ear for a cover band years ago. Felt so proud when it sounded right.
Did u get it?? That thing sounds like a Real piece of work!
For me it’s his solo on Touch and Go. Absolutely perfect!
Love this one Tim, Elliot Easton is one of the most intentional and economical players particularly on solos, that I ever heard. Just a neat solo ,used to beat on it a bit myself back in my gigging years 40 years ago! ;-) . Thanks for what you do!
Dear Tim, everything you said, and did today clicked and made perfect sense. Thank you thank you thank you.
I played in a lot of different cover bands, every time we would want to do a cars song, would always have to take into account the guitar solo and if our lead player at the time could pull it off. He had a very unique style, very tasteful, not easy to copy
Always love your takes on solos. Elliot is such a fine player. Very smart and inventive. Thanks Tim for bringing attention to him.
One of my "perfect" solos: Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Perfectly compliments the song, always building, and advancing the song to the next section. That's what makes a great solo, not just a display of technical ability. Brilliant rhythmic feel and development in addition to the melodic component.
LOVE his rhythm lines in Since You're Gone.
One of your greatest breakdowns Tim! Thank you!
I spent hours listening to Moving in Stereo - still love this album.
One of my favorite solos for sure! Thanks for the reminder!
Eeaston has always been my gold standard for inspiration when I hear the phrase “give the song what it needs”. I regularly find myself asking “What would Elliot do?” If ever there was a rock star that should’ve been a studio musician, its him. 👍
That question and “What would Mike Campbell do?” are usually a safe bet.
Elliot’s solos always left me wanting more more more! The were short and perfect.
The first song I thought of when I saw the title of the video was this one! Absolutely brilliant. Another one might be Brian Robertson's wah-wah solo in Thin Lizzy's Warriors. Fantastic playing, but also fantastic use of the wah as an expression pedal lifting each phrase, rather than just rocking the foot back and forwards in time with the rhythm.
the "sharpshooter" . Perfect timing , chirurgical precision and always some surprises in his play . Perfect for the cars : sharp and melodic .
"My Best Friend's Girlfriend" is all Country licks. Eliot Easton's lefty guitars made it into the many noted music shops in Boston in the years they were big and my highschool bandmate at the time ended up with one.
That’s really cool!
That solo is what the song needed!
I learned to play in the 80s and whenever one of those conversations came up as to which guitarist you would be if you could, I always said Elliot. Why? Because NO ONE else sounded like him or was even close. This was at a time when, if a guitarist didn’t sound close to Eddie, you could at least tell that they were emulating him. Elliot was almost from another planet, which for The Cars, was PERFECT. Thanks for giving him some love, Tim! ❤👍
Neil Geraldo is another that is very hard to sound like. Less melodic than Elliot Easton, making him even harder to copy because it's hard to sing the solos in your head. And he often starts solos with weird runs, big jumps, and strange cadence.
@@Bob.Silverstein Neil was definitely a great player, as well. I remember with amusement Neil speaking to Guitar For The Practicing Musician in the early 80s about how embarrassing it is amongst his fellow musicians that he "can't play in tune". He obviously can play "in tune", yet the notes that he sometimes hears don't necessarily match the key.
I think of the solo in "Shadows Of The Night" where he plays a flatted 3rd against the major chord in that moment. It doesn't "fit", yet he hears it and forces you to reckon with how he thinks it should sound. A real master, and too few solos on Pat's hits.
Merry Christmas Tim! Thanks for all you do.
I’ve always thought the solo in Tonight She Comes is great!!! It has a little of everything. Very musical!!
I agree
I don't watch enough of your channel. I gotta change that. You have great knowledge and takes on everything but it's your easy going personality that really keeps me coming back. Thanks, Tim!
Tim - I’ve played through Deluxe Reverbs for since the 70’s and I recently purchased a Tone Master Deluxe Reverb and was pleasantly surprised how fantastic it is. While you certainly can tell the difference w/the old hand wired Deluxes (even they sound different one from another) it definitely is a really quality modeling amp of the Deluxe. The attenuation capabilities is also great for practicing.
Which version of the TM Deluxe would you suggest for clean tone? I mostly play R&B, neo soul and soft rock.
Love this solo!
Yes! Absolutely, one of my guitar heroes of my misspent youth. Under praised I think due to the heavy mix of synths in their records. Kind of hid Elliot's genius under all those "pop synth" mixes.
All of his solos were perfect to my ears! I think he is brilliant!
Oh fuck yeah you nailed this one. Totally underrated. EE doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Absolutely one of the tastiest guitarists in history.
Tim couldn't resist gettin' all schweedly wheedly over the outro 😁😁
Great pick! Another I would throw in for consideration: Andrew Gold’s solo on Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.”
Love that
My bandmates and I met Elliot at the Chicago '79 NAMM Show. Super nice fellow, and very open in sharing about his gear and approach on guitar solos.
What about the added color added in mixing the "Secret Sauce", H910,H3000 Ultraharmonizer Micropitchshift? How did they do this? Alot of musicians are unaware that they used them to get that big choresy and guitar synth sound!
Merry Christmas Tim! I love your playing and lessons! Your good guy more importantly!
I always liked Elliot Easton's guitar work, and his Rock-a-billy tinges, which became a common Post-Punk theme, but Elliot's use of Country/Rock-a-billy seemed more organic, like he just grew up with it and used it
Speaking of iconic solos Tim, I was wondering if you could do a video on Jimmy Lyon’s solo on Two Tickets To Paradise? I have always thought that this solo was perfect in the fact that it fit the song perfectly, was executed perfectly, but wasn’t crowded with long runs and every trick in the book. I’d really like to get your take on it.
I don’t know if you knew Jimmy Lyon went on to join the Greg Kihn band for a while, then toured with Tina Turner. An excellent guitar player.
He was with Eddie Money. Not Greg Kihn.
@@rodgerrodger1839 That’s right. “Two Tickets” was with Eddie Money. But, Greg Kihn was a DJ out here in the
Bay Area and he was talking to Jimmy Lions about when they were together. At least that’s how I remember it. I think it was for a short while.
Side note: Greg Kihn and Eddie Money were real good friends.
@sfeddie1 I live here in the Bay Area. We used to pick on Eddie when he played at Frat parties in Berkeley. My friends played in a band, and they opened up for Greg many times at the Keystone in Berkeley. Eddie got the last laugh when Bill Graham took him under his wing. My friends just snorted their way into oblivion. I got away from them and music in 89. I, too, had drank and snorted my restaurant,car, and dignity away by then. Eddie really screwed himself up, and so did Greg from blow. I'm Clean 34 years. Back then, it was pure madness. MADNESS. 83-89 was an alcohol coke fueled porn movie. It was fun until you started party earlier and earlier during the week. By Sunday, you had burned through an entire paycheck, and rent was due. I got out alive and was able to rebuild my life. My friends had zero job skills. They were sure they were going to be rock stars. Nope.
@@rodgerrodger1839 Glad to hear you were able to get away from that old drug scene and get straight. When Greg Kihn was the morning guy on KFOX radio in the late 80’s/early 90’s, he used talk a lot about the chemical exploits of his band.
I seem to remember that there was also a Keystone in Palo Alto back then. But, then again, my 77 year old memory can be a bit fuzzy.
@sfeddie1 You are correct. There was a Keystone in Palo Alto as well. I lived in Oakland, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek. I grew up in Oakland. Things were very different back then. It's really different now. I don't go near Berkeley or San Francisco at all anymore. We will go see Bruce in March in the city. We saw Lady GA GA. Over there at the Giants Stadium. We just couldn't believe that at midnight, Market Street was empty except for homeless people pissing right in front of you. It stunk like piss and I started to become nervous. We used to ramble all over the city at midnight until 3:00 a.m. There were places still open to eat if you knew where to go. Mostly in China town. It was lots of fun. Now? It's a disgusting mess. It's incredibly sad. Everything is closed. Day and night.
It's one of my favourite Solos. A banger...
And yes, having been in cover/club bands a lot, I've played The Cars hits of course and those solos are indeed iconic and unique..one of those guitar players you can recognize instantly in 4 notes or less..
Elliot is a great guy, great player and has played some of the most memorable solos of my childhood.
Thanks!
🇨🇦
Would love to see you do an analysis of both parts of the intro to Sweet Jane off the Rock and Roll Animal album by Lou Reed. Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter's duo is one of the best ever IMO. Both are primo guitarists that did much of the work on Alice Cooper's best stuff.
This first cars album was one of the greatest rock / new wave albums ever. It was so great I lost my mind partying to it as a teen
I’ve loved Elliot Easton’s solos since the beginning, although agree this is probably my favorite. It blew my mind, nobody played like he did, nobody… and it was always great. How he, Mike Campbell, and other greats get completely forgotten when mentioning top players is a shame. Thanks Tim!
So glad I'm not the only one Tim Pierce who appreciates this lead! Thank you!!!
I've always been bothered the Elliot isn't considered up there with all the greats. Every single solo on every single song is a tasteful masterpiece.
Thanks for the Info, Really enjoyed it. Love your Studio setup!!! 😊
Eliot treated his solo as another "hook" to the song. Always tuneful, melodic and memorable. But he played better ones than that one.
My all time favorite Easton solo is the outro to Since I Held You. It fits the theme of the lyrics of the song so perfectly. Elliott is making that guitar cry. Great video.
Yes! His overwhelmingly shining moment among so many other glittering solos!