Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Ever since I filled out Tomo's questionnaire, I've been intrigued by the development of music from one generation to the next. Additionally, the new Guitar Wisdom has a great blues section on B.B. King. I never paid attention to B.B. King, for instance, growing up, because I wanted to hear harder-edged guitar at the time, and I considered what he did as basic.

However, upon studying it now, I can hear numerous influences from the groups I grew up with in the 1970s. Listening to an early 1970s playlist I have, I hear the Blues in so many different groups. Badfinger, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, The Guess Who, Chicago, Derek and the Dominoes, Cream, Blind Faith, The Hollies, Bowie, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Blind Faith, Elton John, Three Dog Night, Doobie Brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, Almond Brothers Band, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Journey, Rolling Stones (Can't You Hear Me Knocking), Elvin Bishop (Fooled Around and Fell in Love)...and more.

I love such a wide variety of styles. I was listening to "Bring It On Home" by Led Zeppelin, and I am still amazed at how the harmonica leads into that fiery, hard riff that Jimmy Page belts out. Then Bohnam's drums come in, and finally Plant's great vocals. It makes my heart soar, and I want to get up and move immediately.And that's just one example.

I'm starting this thread to continue this conversation and find out who your influences are and what songs have really impacted you over the years. What emotions and passions do they bring out inside you? I'd love to hear how the music you love makes you all feel inside.

Let me know what you think!

Thank you Scott for sharing your influences and more! Beautiful! Definitely Led Zeppelin guys really loved old blues! They loved blues so much! I bet Jimmy listened a lot of Earl Hooker! What a great band! I have a few albums in front of me! Great topic! Thanks so much!

Tomo

Wow that sound is familiar. You shook me.

Each great song has parents!

Tomo

One of my favorite songs is "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John. I remember the first time I heard it when I was really young, how it stood out from the crowd of other songs being played on the radio at the time.

The song moves me because of the yearning it creates inside me. I think I related more to how the lyrics were sung than what was actually being said. I related to the emotional delivery of them somewhat like when you hear someone cry out in grief because they lost a child or scream excitedly when they get great news. Like the first line: "When arrreee ya gonna come dooooowwwn." The choice of the quality, length, and emphasis of each individual word moves me. And the entire song is like that.

Now that I am older, the lyrics only make it better. I realize that the author, Bernie Taupin, was singing about no longer getting caught up in the deception of fame. He just wanted to go back home and realized his future was not to go down that path. He even says for Elton to find one of these other mongrels drifting around to do what I do. I don't want it anymore. I want peace. It is sung with heart, passion, and conviction. There is a longing, an incompleteness, a searching for depth of life in the way the song is performed. Soul searching for peace.

I'd be interested to hear your feedback on this. I find it very inspirational.