Hi. I went walking with my sony Discman today, listening to the first Tin Machine album. At the end of the first song, Heaven's In Here, there's a two minute guitar solo.
It is impossible to emphasize enough how unmusical this guitar solo is. It is not melodic, it is not interesting. It goes nowhere. It is boring and unimaginative.
I'm going to have to say that Reeve Gabrel is a very bad guitarist. What are your thoughts?
I'm not the biggest Reeves fan in the world and I thought his playing on later tours was a bit noodly for the sake of it, but I thought it fit in just nicely with the whole TM thing.
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 11 2009, 5:53 PM
those comments can describe entire genres of music, but if you try to explain that to some people they'll tell you anything with a melody is pop music and thus uncool
Walking with a discman, listenign to Tin Machine? That's quite retro!
I would say that, ignoring Look Back In Anger '88, Reeves's guitar playing on Bowie songs became more and more melodic as time went by.
From the unlistenable solo of Heaven's In Here, through to the blissful triumphant guitar scales on Survive. I think his playing started off rough and grating and ended up tuneful. IMO, his playing on Earthling was the perfect balance of energetic angst and melody. On Earthling, his guitar solos finally made sense for me.
On hours.., his playing was perhaps so smooth and harmonic that I can't really remember it.
songs that please the ear can leave the mind blown
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 11 2009, 7:16 PM
"At the end of the first song, Heaven's In Here, there's a two minute guitar solo."
That's the only part of that song I don't like.
It's overkill...
"It is impossible to emphasize enough how unmusical this guitar solo is. It is not melodic, it is not interesting. It goes nowhere. It is boring and unimaginative."
The problem to me was it was all over the place...
Plus I hate it when he sqeaks
"I'm going to have to say that Reeve Gabrel is a very bad guitarist. What are your thoughts?"
He's not that bad but I do tend to get kinda of tired of him ad-libbing instead of playing it straight.
-----------
Trying to convince an insane person not to do insane things is, in itself, insane.
It's his tone, and the whole kind of cerebral approach to the solo's sound...
May 11 2009, 7:24 PM
The track itself is bluesy. The solo's incongruous. And not in a good way, with all due respect. It's almost like overanalyzing everything... I dug Reeves' vibe for "Under The God", but-yeah- the solo is a bit rough on the earsoul ..
It's the guitars he used, too. Kind of like an Ibanez-y, shredder kind of guitar. It didn't fit "Heaven's In Here".
-"Since I'm going to Hell, bet ya $20.00 it looks like a Rob Zombie production ."
Re: It's his tone, and the whole kind of cerebral approach to the solo's sound...
May 11 2009, 7:50 PM
How can anybody Knock Reeves, he plays the guitar not for the sake of the ears, but for the gut. I have always concidered Tin machine as more his band than db's, and love TM for it. His solo on Looking for satellites, is the best solo EVER in my humble! .......ORGAZMIC.
This message has been edited by SWEET-HEAD on May 11, 2009 7:51 PM
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 11 2009, 9:17 PM
I loved the TM era for lots of reasons, none of them anything to do with the guitar playing. I agree Sam, that solo is hard to take. And in general, he's awful. I'm not sure he deserves any credit for Bowie's rediscovered willing to experiment either - that decision had probably been made already (which is why a tuneless, unemployable guitarist was given a job - it seemed like a sign of intent).
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 11 2009, 9:45 PM
Bowie himself has said Reeves is the one that told him to stop what he was doing in 87, and pushed his music into another direction. Outside and Earthling both outstanding albums, By 99 sadly Reeves wanted to stay experimental and Bowie didn't, hours suffered, two guys wanting to go in different directions. If Reeves had of stuck around we wouldn't have Heathen ( good album ruined by lame covers) or that pile of crap album Reality (NLMD 2) Listen to Reality, clearly David has lost his interest in music all together, i'm not surprised at all he hasn't recorded anything since.
This message has been edited by gabe_ on May 11, 2009 9:48 PM
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 11 2009, 10:02 PM
I liked the Bowie Gabrels combination at first.
But then I found myself thinking 'Oh god - here's the break for the Gabrels bit'. It had definatley run it's course when they parted.
Having said that 'King of Stamford Hill' on Sacred Squall of Now is superb. Would sit well on a TM album anyday.
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 12 2009, 12:22 AM
i think reeves CAN be very good. but he is esentially a muso and so has a tendency to overplay and yes...get noodly.so ..... hated tin machine....loved his work on outside....decent work on earthling but it is the one album where i prefer the remixes to the originals .... more DnB less rock.
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 12 2009, 2:35 PM
If 'Heaven's in Here' (or even Tin Machine) is all we had to go by, then your premise could hold water.
Fortunately, there was A LOT more to the story - Reeves coming into his element during Outside and Earthling and becoming Bowie's most vital guitarist since Mick Ronson. And there's been some greats in that time!
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 12 2009, 9:22 PM
That's true Adam, but I can't imagine, with a full two minute solo at the climax of a song, and Reeves' first appearance on a Bowie record, a more amateurish effort.
This solo at the end of Heaven's In Here is just tasteless.
This message has been edited by whitecaps on May 12, 2009 9:23 PM
Re: Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
May 12 2009, 9:50 PM
<< Bowie himself has said Reeves is the one that told him to stop what he was doing in 87, and pushed his music into another direction. Outside and Earthling both outstanding albums, By 99 sadly Reeves wanted to stay experimental and Bowie didn't, hours suffered, two guys wanting to go in different directions. If Reeves had of stuck around we wouldn't have Heathen ( good album ruined by lame covers) or that pile of crap album Reality (NLMD 2) Listen to Reality, clearly David has lost his interest in music all together, i'm not surprised at all he hasn't recorded anything since. >>
As Roland said, gabe says good things.
Also much as I am always in two minds about the direction Bowie took with regards to Earthling ( I do ultimately like it though ) it was still a far superior album to the 3 albums that followed it.
............. but what about the guitar INTRO to the song!!! Impeccable! Still remember the morning in 1989 when I was at the store early doors to buy the TM1 LP. Got it back to Sorby Hall (Sheffield) cracked it open and heard the opening notes. I said to my friend at the time, this will do for me! Tin Machine were simply excellent!
The intro of One Shot I find to be similar to that of Heaven's In Here. Totally different melody, but similar how it opens with a looping guitar riff, before the rhythm guitar kicks in playing the chords, accompanied by Hunt and Tony's rhythm section.
The outro of One Shot is also a little similar in that Reeves's wailing solo goes on a little too long for my liking on that song too, which is why I only listen the single edit now.
Do you remember how people were audibly moaning / complaining at David on the Oy Vey Baby VHS during the extended live version of Heaven's In Here? "David(?).. David!"
Heaven's In Here is so deliberately retro.
songs that please the ear can leave the mind blown
I don't mind the length of the solo; it's the phrasing that I find awful. It immediately reminded me of a high school sophomore in his first band, playing for a talent show.
This message has been edited by whitecaps on May 13, 2009 12:40 PM
I'm just listening to 'Waiting for The Man' from the Rainbow 20th August '72.
It's a good gig, with highlights I will go back to (I need to be ruthless as I don't have time to listen to *everything*), but the solo-ing stretches patience and has, erm, future echoes of the ending of Heaven's in Here. Bowie encouraged Reeves, I'm sure.
Reeve Gabrels' awful guitar playing on Heaven's In Here
August 12 2009, 6:30 PM
I think that Gabrel's solo on that particular song served mainly two purposes:
1 To wipe the slate clean with Bowie's recent commercial and radio friendly period
2 To introduce and show off Gabrel's guitar style
If the solo seems out of place or out there, it's out there in the same manner as is Mike Garson's piano solo on 'Aladdin Sane'.
However, as much as I love Gabrel's guitar work in Tin Machine and on Outside and Earthling, I'm not equally fond of his live renderings of Bowie's back catalogue -
![[linked image]](http://www.network54.com/Realm/tmp/1242095449.JPG)
![[linked image]](http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd279/doctoroctopussy/Dali.jpg)
..
![[linked image]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k270/iggyziggy3/000b0kxc.gif)
![[linked image]](http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h293/trevorhalvo/DavidBowieMothership.jpg)
![[linked image]](http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y136/StrangerInAStrangeLand/shecreatures-1.jpg)