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Is Rik Emmett in the same league with Alex Lifeson?


Texas King
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Is Rik Emmett in the same league with Alex Lifeson?  

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  1. 1. Is Rik Emmett in the same league with Alex Lifeson?

    • Yes, hands down.
    • Definitely no!
    • I really don't know.
    • Rik is even better than Lerxst.


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First poll that has genuinely shocked me.

 

Yeah same here. Alex is a far more interesting player IMO.

 

IMHO, Alex is the more interesting player too.

But "Who's more interesting?" wasn't the poll question.

 

This is true.

 

I would say he's in the same league as far as skill level for sure. But not even close as far as an overall inventive player in the context of the music he wrote with his band. Alex transitioned from hard rock style 70s player to prog player to weaving in and out of Geddys synth obsession in the 80s.

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I love Alex, but he never came close to doing anything like Finger Talkin'

 

Blinding Light Show kicks ass too

 

The question here wasn't the integrity of the lyrics or song meaning ... Rik Emmett and Alex are comparable, and chops wise, I'd give the nod to Rik .... Alex was a part of some masterpiece albums, which he obvious had a huge role in creating, but he didn't hold up his end as the guitar hero - more power to him, Alex followed what was in his heart, but we're talking about guitar, and Alex didn;t progress after 1981 ..

 

Pretty much spot-on. There's no doubt in my mind that Rik's the more accomplished player, from a technical perspective, but where I think Alex has a leg up on Rik is that Alex's note choices and phrasing can be a bit more creative and riskier. The Time and Motion solo is a good example of that -- I can't imagine Rik ever coming up with something like that, though I've no doubt he could easily learn it and play it.

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First poll that has genuinely shocked me.

 

Yeah same here. Alex is a far more interesting player IMO.

 

IMHO, Alex is the more interesting player too.

But "Who's more interesting?" wasn't the poll question.

It's become quite evident after reading here for a while, a lot of people seem to be lacking in reading comprehension. I worked with a guy for a while who was a good enough guitar player, that he taught at a local School of Rock type place and he said what he liked about Alex was that he didn't really play the same way twice. He said, "it's like he's kind of improvising a little every time he plays".

Edited by Fordgalaxy
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No. Tossing a classical guitar piece on an album full of cheesy arena rock tunes doesn't make one great.

 

You make Triumph sound like Bon Jovi

 

Both of them suck

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Al just takes things to another imaginative dimension

 

Hell, he even LOOKED super cool

 

Even the name. Even the name, Alex Lifeson..

 

I mean, please

 

 

Dont tell me you can listen to Permanent Waves and think anyone near that same bracket i'm not having it

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Al just takes things to another imaginative dimension

 

Hell, he even LOOKED super cool

 

Even the name. Even the name, Alex Lifeson..

 

I mean, please

 

 

Dont tell me you can listen to Permanent Waves and think anyone near that same bracket i'm not having it

 

I can and I do.

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It's like comparing Maryann and Ginger.

 

I wouldn't kick either out of bed.

 

....but then again I'm not picky.

 

Mrs. Howell?

ok I may have to reassess my statement.
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I saw Emmett do a solo show at this little dive in Utah in '01 or so. He'd play a song, take a request, tell a story...

 

He mentioned that he had to dumb down a lot of his early riffs because the other 2 couldn't handle them.

 

He us the far more accomplished player. I don't see Alex doing a classical album, or a jazz album.

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I saw Emmett do a solo show at this little dive in Utah in '01 or so. He'd play a song, take a request, tell a story...

 

He mentioned that he had to dumb down a lot of his early riffs because the other 2 couldn't handle them.

 

He us the far more accomplished player. I don't see Alex doing a classical album, or a jazz album.

 

But that's the issue. He spent most of his career playing in a second rate hard rock band. I saw him and Steve Morse doing a classical guitar duet thing.. Emmett should have just been a guitar solo guy. He completely wasted his talent in an arena rock band, a goofy one who put on Blinding light shows and who lived for the weekend

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I saw Emmett do a solo show at this little dive in Utah in '01 or so. He'd play a song, take a request, tell a story...

 

He mentioned that he had to dumb down a lot of his early riffs because the other 2 couldn't handle them.

 

He us the far more accomplished player. I don't see Alex doing a classical album, or a jazz album.

 

But that's the issue. He spent most of his career playing in a second rate hard rock band. I saw him and Steve Morse doing a classical guitar duet thing.. Emmett should have just been a guitar solo guy. He completely wasted his talent in an arena rock band, a goofy one who put on Blinding light shows and who lived for the weekend

 

That's one way to look at it.

 

The other way is this:

He made albums with Triumph for 10-11 years. His solo career has more than doubled that in terms of album output and actual years. And then there's the fact that he's gotten more critical acclaim outside of Triumph too. Then you can tack on his writing contributions to Guitar Player magazine and his time teaching songwriting and music business at that Toronto college.

 

"Wasting his talent" is something I'd never connect with Rik despite there being some cheesy Triumph songs.

Edited by JohnnyBlaze
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I saw Emmett do a solo show at this little dive in Utah in '01 or so. He'd play a song, take a request, tell a story...

 

He mentioned that he had to dumb down a lot of his early riffs because the other 2 couldn't handle them.

 

He us the far more accomplished player. I don't see Alex doing a classical album, or a jazz album.

 

But that's the issue. He spent most of his career playing in a second rate hard rock band. I saw him and Steve Morse doing a classical guitar duet thing.. Emmett should have just been a guitar solo guy. He completely wasted his talent in an arena rock band, a goofy one who put on Blinding light shows and who lived for the weekend

 

That's one way to look at it.

 

The other way is this:

He made albums with Triumph for 10-11 years. His solo career has more than doubled that in terms of album output and actual years. And then there's the fact that he's gotten more critical acclaim outside of Triumph too. Then you can tack on his writing contributions to Guitar Player magazine and his time teaching songwriting and music business at that Toronto college.

 

"Wasting his talent" is something I'd never connect with Rik despite there being some cheesy Triumph songs.

here's another angle...those years 'wasting' his talent with triumph is the likely source of most of his career income. it's not all about artistic integrity.

 

i'm sure the guys in rush had to dial back their own creativity for the collective good of the band.

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I saw Emmett do a solo show at this little dive in Utah in '01 or so. He'd play a song, take a request, tell a story...

 

He mentioned that he had to dumb down a lot of his early riffs because the other 2 couldn't handle them.

 

He us the far more accomplished player. I don't see Alex doing a classical album, or a jazz album.

 

But that's the issue. He spent most of his career playing in a second rate hard rock band. I saw him and Steve Morse doing a classical guitar duet thing.. Emmett should have just been a guitar solo guy. He completely wasted his talent in an arena rock band, a goofy one who put on Blinding light shows and who lived for the weekend

 

That's one way to look at it.

 

The other way is this:

He made albums with Triumph for 10-11 years. His solo career has more than doubled that in terms of album output and actual years. And then there's the fact that he's gotten more critical acclaim outside of Triumph too. Then you can tack on his writing contributions to Guitar Player magazine and his time teaching songwriting and music business at that Toronto college.

 

"Wasting his talent" is something I'd never connect with Rik despite there being some cheesy Triumph songs.

here's another angle...those years 'wasting' his talent with triumph is the likely source of most of his career income. it's not all about artistic integrity.

 

i'm sure the guys in rush had to dial back their own creativity for the collective good of the band.

 

And I wouldn't say Rush wasted their talents either

Edited by JohnnyBlaze
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No. Tossing a classical guitar piece on an album full of cheesy arena rock tunes doesn't make one great.

 

You make Triumph sound like Bon Jovi

 

Both of them suck

 

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bm-1URaCUAAaJyA.jpg

 

 

Kirk is loving that giant petrified penis!!!! John Holmes?

 

Rik is a fantastic guitarist!! TRIUMPH ROCKS!!!!

 

Sadly Triumph will always be labeled RUSH JR.

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They are in the same league. Rik is amazing live. He plays rock as well as jazz and Latin music. He can play a double-necked guitar like no one else. His playing ability exceeds that of Eddie Van Halen and Slash. He also teaches at Humber College and writes a music column.
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They are in the same league. Rik is amazing live. He plays rock as well as jazz and Latin music. He can play a double-necked guitar like no one else. His playing ability exceeds that of Eddie Van Halen and Slash. He also teaches at Humber College and writes a music column.

And you think he's sexy too! :coy:

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