Often - Though Not Always - Two Guitars Are Better Than One
I can't say I was fully conscious of my attitude on this issue as I was listening to Judas Priest's "Headed Out to the Highway" last week, but I was alert enough to notice the light bulb flickering over my head. The use of multiple guitarists in bands, sometimes called dual or twin guitar, has been a major factor across the years, from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to lesser-known groups like Thin Lizzy. But I think the practice had a particularly rewarding decade during the '80s, especially with the rise in popularity of arena rock and heavy metal for a new generation. For further exploration of this particularly exhilarating phenomenon of instrumental synthesis, please check out my list of the Top '80s Songs Featuring Multiple-Guitar Interplay. It could be a much larger list, I'm certain, with far different entries, but I'll wait to hear specifics from my fellow '80s music connoisseurs out there. I don't expect to be let down.
Comments
Ahh Steve, you just knew that I’d bite on this one, now didn’t you?
Coming from the UK where time & time again, classic rock bands from back in the day, thrived from this sound, to today where many current acts still ply this alongside their original influences, it’s all too clear just how powerful the twin guitar approach was & is today.
Thin Lizzy were often cited as the originators of this back in the UK, but purists will tell you, it was lesser known act Wishbone Ash that were the true rock originators of the twin guitar sound.
Priest of course did very well with it & David Coverdales Whitesnake were also doing it in the UK & Europe in 1979, long before they were a hit in the US.
The Scorpions, Boston, Heart & Styx too, later on the likes of Iron Maiden, Night Ranger, Def Leppard, April Wine too & yes they are many, many more too Steve.
There were also acts that would have play off one main guitarist & then a Keyboard player/2nd guitarist to great effect, Journey did this Deep Purple & UFO in the more trad Classic hard rock arena. Prime examples of this, alongside others also.
The amazing thing was, there were the phenomenally successful bands like Queen & Bad Company who tended to stick with single lead players who made great use of tools ike harmonizers to have a dual guitar sound harmonize with each solo. Love their sounds too …
So yes Steve, I go along what you’re saying that there were some great solo lead players as you mentioned out there, but the twin / dual guitar sound gives those bands such a full sound, it’s awesome!
Alun