.....and some others. Get to the latter in a minute. Dickey first
I have thought/wished/ about this for awhile concerning a studio release from Dickey. I always thought it would have been nice for Dickey to team up with a well respected producer, backing band to put out one more solo release of material He is definitely deserving of this. Originals or covers, would not matter to me.
I know with some out there, the choice of this producer, is not a popular one , but I think T Bone Burnett would be serviceable. I really have enjoyed his production work or so over the last decade and more with Gregg, Mellencamp,Plant Krauss, Jacob Dylan, Steve Earle, BB King. I just think T bone has this earthy, raw in a way, haunting,spiritual,Americana type vibe to his production technique which would play well to Betts. I feel Dickey, out of all the ABB, was the most diverse in his playing. Don't get me wrong, I think the others are too, past and the last incarnation. But I just think Dickey was just on another level as far as being strong in some so many directions. Jazz,Blues,RnR,Country,Western Swing,Gypsy Jazz and so on. Like I said I feel the others members are to ,but not to the degree of DB. With T Bone I just feel his style would meld something very special for Dickey. I could be wrong though, just my opinion. Dickey is one of the greats, and is probably my fav of all the ABB guitarist's. His playing drew me in.
Now for the latter. Just thought I would combine this topic, kinda in the same vein.
Thoughts/wishes on others...
Mellencamp-all acoustic project just him and a guitar
Gregg Allman- all acoustic, Just guitar and maybe piano
Joe Walsh-acoustic only and /or a rock album in the vein of James Gang. No goofball music allowed please!!
Stephen Stills -acoustic release and/or rock record with a strong supporting cast.
I would have liked to have heard Chris Cornell in a proper rock band. Great singer, but really never got the whole Soundgarden and Audioslave thing. Some songs here and there ,but not totally into it.
Myles Kennedy. The guy has potential and very talented , but needs the right producer and band to be in. Slash's stuff is very hit or miss with me and Alterbridge I just don't get. Maybe it's just a taste preference thing.
Leslie West. One of my Favorites. I know he put out material till he passed, some pretty good. But once again, I would have liked for him to be in a situation with a strong producer and writers/band. Acoustic would be good.
Derek do a solo album with a diverse group of musicians and style's. A lot come to mind, but I think Derek and Yo Yo Ma could do something pretty cool. I have heard YYM play with a people of different genres and it works.
Warren join a band with other people and put out a straight up rock album. Where he is not the main songwriter and singer. Focusing on being the guitarist. Maybe a vocalist who is also well versed in writing to team up with or a producer who could really pull something out of them. Maybe John Paul Jones on Bass and production to start?
Would have liked to have heard another release from Queen and Paul Rodgers
Follow up from BBM(Bruce Baker Moore)
A long overdue Faces reunion while Ian McLagan was still alive
Any leftover tracks from Heaven and Hell(Iommi,Dio,Ward,Appice)
I have given up hope on Jimmy Page
I was glad about 5 yrs ago or so when Blackmore put a version of Rainbow back together. Probably not the strongest lineup, but nice none the less to hear RB play some electric rock again. People mentioned he just did not have it anymore.Maybe some of the "fire" missing possibly? I just felt his playing became more refined due to the nature of the style he was and is doing. Maybe more technical and precise he had to be, compared to the blistering, beautifully chaotic, on the edge, hard rock he churned out for so long. He can still play but I think he is just channeling it differently.
Along the lines of DP and RB. Before Lord passed away they're was talk of MKIII (Blackmore,Lord,Coverdale,Hughes) doing something. That would have been interesting to hear/see some shows. Coverdale's voice has been shot for awhile ,IMHO. The rumor behind that is RB/Blackmores Night mngt had something to do with it,shutting it down. Its his mother in law, Carol Stevens.
RB working over a ES 335. Go to the 7min mark when the band kicks in and he starts to solo at 7:30.
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
This is one of my favorite Blackmore solos. Classical passages and technically advanced.
From what I've read over the years, Clapton, Page and Beck (top of the top British players) don't like Blackmore, not his playing but as a person, and that is why they NEVER mention Blackmore in their interviews. ( or so several writers claim they never do). Then Gary Moore was opening for Van Halen and Blackmore was playing near by and Eddie and Gary went to meet Blackmore and when Richie realized who they were, he bolted back stage and refused to speak to them. ( is that true?? I've read about it more than once)
As to Dickey and a new album, unless something has changed, Dickey doesn't play or sing well now so is retired.
With that said, other than Duane Allman, Dickey is the best or most important guitarists EVER in the Allman Brothers Band. Dickey had his OWN UNIQUE STYLE, incredible tone, good singer for certain songs and Gregg's EQUAL as a song writer.
With all due respect to Warren ( I'm a huge Warren/Mule fan) and other guitarists in the Allman Brothers, NONE did what Dickey could do in his prime and even in the 90's.
None came close to writing songs like Jessica, Revival, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Blue Sky, Southbound, Pony Boy, Seven Turns, Ramblin' Man, etc.
This has been viewed over 6 million times on YouTube. As one wrote; "not because it's technically impressive but because it makes ME FEEL GOOD!"
Dickey on the major scale hitting the note! A great song written by Dickey and his guitar playing is all Dickey. Great tone, Dickey's OWN signature style and very melodic!
Nice slide from Warren too.
I agree with a lot of what you say here funk.
-Joe Walsh- such talent and I love his James Gang and early Barnstorm and solo albums. " SO What" is still my favorite and would have loved something in that style. I am with you that his goofy stuff never did it for me so wish he would get back to basics.
- Leslie West- I am huge Mountain fan but could never really get into his solo stuff. He was an amazing guitar player but really needed a muse writing partner after Felix Pappalardi was killed by his wife.
- Ritchie Blackmore- a big MKII/ III and even IV Deep Purple fan and Dio era Rainbow fan. Have seen the Morse era DP live several times and never got their new music. Just wasn't the same for me without Ritchie. Same with post Dio era Rainbow. not a big fan of him chasing the hits after Dio left. Regarding his mother in law I have read she is a real handful to deal with and will not allow anything Deep Purple-related memorabilia to be signed by him at Blackmore's Night shows.
- Warren Haynes- I love Gov't Mule and think their recent albums are excellent which I know is a minority opinion here. One of the things I love about the Mule is all the cover songs they do and I like your idea of his in a Supergroup doing straight rock. He is such a versatile guitarist any style he chose to play would be interesting to me.
- I am big Slash fan and have seen his band with Myles half a dozen times and will see them again in 2022. I agree Slash's solo stuff can be hit or miss, and there is some generic filler on his solo albums with Myles, but they have also put out some fantastic songs together. That is the beauty of Slash for me. He is so prolific that there is always enough songs I like on his albums to make me want to buy them. I do agree with you on AlterBridge. Too generic for my taste.
- Never saw the Faces in their prime so would love a real reunion even at the boys advanced ages.
- With Dickey it would be great to hear one more album out of him but sadly I am not sure he is up to it health-wise anymore.
- Same with Stephen Stills. I had heard he is basically stone deaf now so can't hear himself sing which is sad for me as I thought his solo stuff is right up there with Neil Young.
- Queen and Paul Rodgers- would have been interesting to hear them do some original material together but I am not sure Rodgers style fits the Queen musical style.
- BBM- It was an interesting project but never really got into the album. I liked the BLT (Bruce, Lordan and Trower) collaboration more and of course was really into West Bruce and Lang. That being said I never really thought Bruce's various bands outside of Cream were anything special even WBL.
- I agree Chris Cornell was an amazing talent. I was a fan of Soundgarden but Audioslave not so much. Never thought Cornell was a good fit with Tom Morello type of metal as I love RATM and wish they would put out a new studio album. With the craziness going on in the world today I think RATM political messages are needed more than ever now.
-Would love to hear a new Iommi/ Butler band effort if Tony's health would allow it. Even another Sabbath album with Ozzy would be welcome for me.
- Jimmy Page- I gave up on him a long time ago. I don't think we will ever see any new music from him. He seems sadly stuck in the past and can't let go of Led Zeppelin and his desire to get back with Robert Plant.
I think the time for Dickey to have a new release ( old or new material) has passed. A better project might be an all-star retrospective like they did for Gregg... All my Friends format. He has earned such a tribute in my opinion.
I did get to view a video taken a few years ago when Gibson introduced the Southern Rock Tribute Les Paul in Nashville... It was of Dickey taking his solo on Liz Reed ( Jack Pearson & Lee Roy Parnell on guitar as well) his performance was as good as anything I have ever seen from him... he was blowing on the les paul!
@redhouse1969 Yes they gave Dickey and Charlie Daniels copies of that beautiful custom Les Paul. It's a sunburst but also has a heart in the middle of the body.
Very nice looking guitar. Never saw one at the big music store here. They have some beautiful Gibson and Epiphone Les Pauls there now wanting homes for Christmas. Les Paul often is the prettiest and best sounding guitar....But boy are they expensive.
Most 14, 15 year olds wanting a guitar will probably find a Squire Strat or Dean beginner under the tree.
But apparently you can do okay with a cheap Squire. Jack Pearson likes them and now the lead guitarist for Genesis is playing a Squire Stratocaster. Said he got stranded in South Africa with no electric guitars so went to a store and found a Squire Stratocaster by Fender for $200.00 and he liked it so much he bought six and he is still using Squires on the Genesis tour.
The Squire by Fender Strat is the way to go for your young beginner guitarist. Here is one with a hot humbucker in the bridge position. But the people at the big music store here doesn't recommend them. They want you to pay a couple hundred more and get an Epiphone by Gibson. Those are real pretty and sound good.
Dickeys days of releasing music are over. I actually would just love to hear him play guitar on a new Allman Betts Band song.
I agree with a lot of what you say here funk.
-Joe Walsh- such talent and I love his James Gang and early Barnstorm and solo albums. " SO What" is still my favorite and would have loved something in that style. I am with you that his goofy stuff never did it for me so wish he would get back to basics.
- Leslie West- I am huge Mountain fan but could never really get into his solo stuff. He was an amazing guitar player but really needed a muse writing partner after Felix Pappalardi was killed by his wife.
- Ritchie Blackmore- a big MKII/ III and even IV Deep Purple fan and Dio era Rainbow fan. Have seen the Morse era DP live several times and never got their new music. Just wasn't the same for me without Ritchie. Same with post Dio era Rainbow. not a big fan of him chasing the hits after Dio left. Regarding his mother in law I have read she is a real handful to deal with and will not allow anything Deep Purple-related memorabilia to be signed by him at Blackmore's Night shows.
- Warren Haynes- I love Gov't Mule and think their recent albums are excellent which I know is a minority opinion here. One of the things I love about the Mule is all the cover songs they do and I like your idea of his in a Supergroup doing straight rock. He is such a versatile guitarist any style he chose to play would be interesting to me.
- I am big Slash fan and have seen his band with Myles half a dozen times and will see them again in 2022. I agree Slash's solo stuff can be hit or miss, and there is some generic filler on his solo albums with Myles, but they have also put out some fantastic songs together. That is the beauty of Slash for me. He is so prolific that there is always enough songs I like on his albums to make me want to buy them. I do agree with you on AlterBridge. Too generic for my taste.
- Never saw the Faces in their prime so would love a real reunion even at the boys advanced ages.
- With Dickey it would be great to hear one more album out of him but sadly I am not sure he is up to it health-wise anymore.
- Same with Stephen Stills. I had heard he is basically stone deaf now so can't hear himself sing which is sad for me as I thought his solo stuff is right up there with Neil Young.
- Queen and Paul Rodgers- would have been interesting to hear them do some original material together but I am not sure Rodgers style fits the Queen musical style.
- BBM- It was an interesting project but never really got into the album. I liked the BLT (Bruce, Lordan and Trower) collaboration more and of course was really into West Bruce and Lang. That being said I never really thought Bruce's various bands outside of Cream were anything special even WBL.
- I agree Chris Cornell was an amazing talent. I was a fan of Soundgarden but Audioslave not so much. Never thought Cornell was a good fit with Tom Morello type of metal as I love RATM and wish they would put out a new studio album. With the craziness going on in the world today I think RATM political messages are needed more than ever now.
-Would love to hear a new Iommi/ Butler band effort if Tony's health would allow it. Even another Sabbath album with Ozzy would be welcome for me.
- Jimmy Page- I gave up on him a long time ago. I don't think we will ever see any new music from him. He seems sadly stuck in the past and can't let go of Led Zeppelin and his desire to get back with Robert Plant.
Good points BG.
Queen and Paul Rodgers put out an all original album The Cosmos Rocks
Stills 70's stuff is REALLY good, totally agree.
I do agree that anything new from Dickey is probably not going to happen. I should have stated that in my initial post. Maybe 10-15yrs ago.
I am all in for whatever Iommi would do.
Its funny about RB and his mother in law. Hard for me to understand how she could dictate that much control over him. Oh well........
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
@robslob I mentioned in my earlier post that unless something has changed, Dickey doesn't play or sing that well now so is retired. I caught a couple of his 2018 shows when Dickey was pushed by promoters to go out on tour in the wake of Gregg's death. The guitar playing had improved by the second show I saw in New York but still not what Dickey could do in the past and the singing was still not there like the old days. Dickey himself said in an interview he had not played at all in several years and is just trying to get back to "par".
But I shall not leave a negative post about such an important and iconic member of the ABB.
I also said other than Duane, Dickey was the most important guitarist in the history of the Allman Brothers. Dickey's great tone, his unique melodic style that is all his own. Nobody sounds like Dickey. Then his singing was a perfect ying and yang to Gregg's voice plus Dickey's songwriting is part of the Allman Brothers song book. Other than Duane's Little Martha and Warren's Soulshine, Dickey and Gregg wrote the great songs for the band.
Just as the band wouldn't have ever existed without Duane, the band would have sounded so different without Dickey and Gregg. And to me it wouldn't have been as good. Can you imagine an ABB without Midnight Rider, Whipping Post, Blue Sky and Liz Reed?
Other than Duane no other guitarist comes close to being as important as Dickey. Today when I hear the Allman Brothers on the two classic album stations I can pick up, I always hear Dickey playing and often Duane. Occasionally Warren on Soulshine and No One To Run With. I never hear Derek or Dan Toler on classic album rock here on an Allman Brothers song.
As good as the last lineup was and the Jack lineup, those lineups didn't leave much of a mark on the Allman Brothers. Us hardcore fans know they did real good but outside of our circle apparently the original band and the Chuck/Lamar lineup are where the ABB left it's big mark on the music world.
