Leslie West - Night of the Guitars - 2

[Magnidude]

He's one of the true greats! I just wish he was still playing "tree" the old Les Paul Junior.

[Biffawozere]

i was there - great stuff :)

[freeky909]

Love this track especially , had the video but some knob , borrowed it & never returned it , wish i could get the dvd , there must be one , there is a night of the guitars , but it is not the best one ;(

[foamulator]

LOL.......Love his expression at the end!  lmao

[jimmcallister]

There's all the proof you'll ever need that it's the guitarist and not necessarily the guitar that produces the tone. Those no-headstock pieces of crap sound awful compared to, say . . a Gibson, but you'd never know it judging from the glorious tone Leslie coaxes out of his. His creative use of the whammy bar even surpasses Jeff Beck! Rock on old timer.

[33377766699]

what and who compose and play this song 0:43-1:07

thank's for your help

it's a very good song but can't remmember

[Silk1953]

Sleep Walk, written and recorded by Santo and Johnny Farina, released in 1959.

[triacyde]

I was lucky enough to be in the audience - Leslie blew everyone away. I was a roadie for Tony Hill's Fiction, who supported them at the Camden Underworld and got to meet Leslie, Corky and Ritchie - i've never met a more imposing man than LW, a true living legend. Corky was one of the most down to earth and funny guys you could meet. I'll never forget that night.

[TheLordHodne]

Lucky Bastard ;)

[wurlytone]

Anyone know what year this was? I'm wondering if Brian Setzer took his version of 'Sleepwalk' from this....0:40

[depper]

Leslie performed this on November 26, 1988. I am pretty sure Setzer was influenced by this. However, in all the takes I've seen Setzer do, I never saw him approach the tone and vibrato we witness here.

Then again I havent heard any guitarist match the tone and vibrato Leslie West gets...

[9c1blue]

Lets see, how about SRV, Carlos Santana,John Mayer,Ry Cooder,Jeff Beck,Ed King,Ted Nugent,Randy California. I think thats a good start.

[depper]

All great guitarists 9c1, I listen to them all... but when it comes to tone and vibrato, in my opinion that belongs to Leslie West.

Im a big fan of all these guitarists, and they all have been influential, however if you put them all on stage, and blindfolded me, I'd be able to pick Leslie West out of the crowd of legends, and I think that would be the same for many.

When it comes to guitar tone, Leslie West stands alone.

[9c1blue]

To make a definitive statement like "this guitartist has the greatest tone in rock history" is a incorrect evaluation. That statement cannot be proved or disproved. Leslie West is my favorite guitarist and one of the best at tone and vibrato. Do I think Leslie is the best guitarist I've ever heard, no. I prefer his playing style, because it moves my soul and makes me smile. Now that sounds better and does not box me into a corner and I sound reasonable. Play on Leslie. Have a nice day.

[fezzappa]

@9c1blue there is no such thing as a 'best' guitar player or musician for that matter.....it's all opinion- leslie is great though

[experiencedspirit]

Tone!!!!!!!!!! Leslie has it spades......and most if not all his most famous playing was done on a Les Paul Jr...one pick up!!!

[HobieTyourtube]

Is this--------------Rick Derringer?

[depper]

WHAT!?

Somebody call you an ambulance.

[FilipM1]

What a way do end a song!! Love it! :)

[MPDSR422]

LW isn't the same without Felix P. Guys remember it wasn't LW that did most of the writing. He was teamed with Papalardi. LW said he is a mediocre technical guitarist. He says he's the best two finger player. Truth be known he is a master of not overplaying. He knows how to lay a hot lick on top of a riff and let it stand. His early years were dedicated to a heavy blues format. WE used to call Mountain the American Cream. Mountain recently opened for Joe Bonamassa.

Anyway...play on LW!

[depper]

Technically speaking, Leslie West has the greatest tone and vibrato in rock history. Speed is not his game, but Soul is.

You can copy Eric Clapton or Eddie Van Halen note for note, but Ive NEVER seen anyone able to copy Leslie West. His signature sound is that unique. One of the best of all time.

[tickledpinksock]

The big man rocketh.

[tjfoxx62]

The king of tone for sure. EHV should be so solid now. LW came out of retirement and was kicking EVH's butt then and now there is no comparison that Ed is a shell of himself.

[nitts90210]

whats the name of the song he plays for a short time? it sounds like a surf song

[nickwellings]

"Sleepwalk" is the title of that short song.

[depper]

Exactly. Type in "Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk 1959" into search bar in youtube for a listen to the entire song played live. Big ups to Leslie for recreating this instrumental gem & tipping his cap to a few "tone kings" of a long forgotten generation.

[gorgonslave]

its perfect!

[brymacbluesband]

The Great man from Mountain....

[dohiker]

Thank you FrettinFreddie.

[dohiker]

anyone know what kind of guitar he's playing here?

Love leslie's sound, as I have for 35 years!

[FrettinFreddie]

Steinberger

[depper]

make SURE you catch Leslie's other performance from this concert... Theme From an Imaginary Western... In my opinion, its the best version of "Theme" ever recorded... he uses the same Steinberger guitar with the floating tremelo.. Leslie is the King of Tone... no doubt...

[VELMOUS]

Hey Leslie...another "borrowed" guitar that ended up at the Freeport Pawn Shop on Sunrise Highway.

[depper]

Ok another BOGUS Velmous comment, this guys been banned on many posts and I ask the same here. commandocody328 ban this jackass, he just makes shit up and purposely attacks Leslie West and rates every video poor. Ban him !

[stoker20]

I love this. Leslie rocks.

Making fun of a guys instrument??? Better check out his guitar cord. I suppose that's wrong too? What a tool!

[depper]

Oh please! Fuck Tards like Bondurango and Celticfan wouldnt know good music if Leslie's new Dean broadsided them both in the head... which gives me an idea.................. :)

[harlan1988]

leslie west could play a toy plastic guitar and make it sound good

[depper]

Bulldungo, Leslie has many, many proteges, due to 40+ years of great rock and blues performances, just like this one. Proteges or players that called West the best include: Jack Bruce, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Alvin Lee, Ace Freeley, Ric Deringer, Rory Gallagher, and the list goes on... Sorry Bull, you're well named and you make no sense.

[DerwoodPFreen]

Brilliant guitarist. He should toss that turd guitar in the trash and play something with P-90s. My two cents.

[depper]

Disagree, I like Steinbergers. Only guitar I liked  better was a Les Paul Jr. Listen to theme from an imaginary western (on youtube) from the same concert. Some of the best tone ever recorded in my book.

[DerwoodPFreen]

Steinbooger.

[depper]

To each his own opinion. One of the great guitars of all time, whether u like it or not! :)

[mdm172]

lol !!! Giving Leslie West guitar advice.

He has a Dean signature guitar model out now with just one Custom D'Marzio pickup. And the Volume knob goes to "11"

[Transtrem2]

Its obvious that Mr West liked these guitars or else he wouldnt have played them - and he sounds plenty good here to me!

[bondurango]

Absolutely right, amigo. Steinberger, schmerger! It's just another friggin', circumcised, Jap Strat and it sounds GOD AWFUL! The Great Fatsby, despite his hair, never cut it playing hair band music. Your two cents plus my two bits.

[depper]

If this sounds "God Awful" to you, then you arent a Leslie West fan. Leslie mastered the tone of a Les Paul Jr in the 70's, and noone played it better. He did the same with Steinbergers in the late '80s. Nobody could get this tone. Now he has a signature guitar which sounds like his Les Paul Jr did. And hes mastered IT. Dude, you wouldnt know great tone & vibrato if it bit you on the arse.. thats my 4 cents...

[bondurango]

The Leslie & Corky band are a distant memory of Mountain. They are just old overbloated, obnoxious, worse than metal or 80's hair band, shit on a stick. Only a feckless, dickless little nerd with a techno fetish for tone and aspiring to be that stick would think this master's anything except masturbation.

[celticfan60]

well said!!!

[VCSRT]

Why so his gain drops by over half and its sounds like hes underwater?

No

[depper]

You are too young and stupid to understand guitar tone, go back to your Zakk Wylde albums ...

[depper]

tnuc4u, u post the same crap... we all know u like the original mountain lineup, hate the new Leslie, yada yada yada, then resort to personal attacks and try to degrade people who don't agree with your immature self. nobody cares about you, even ya mama tried to give you up for abortion.. but couldnt spare the bus money! :) hahaha

[tnuc4u]

Great Playing and crunch but I think he is loosing his voice but it don't matter he is a tone monster when he plays electric. Now dont yell at me Mrs West aka Depper I m saying I like your husbands playing and command0codt308 you have a great channel.

[feelmymusic]

I like it I wish he come to Sweden to play

[depper]

I agree Family. Eddie Van Halen is a "shredder" he can play much faster than Leslie or most players. However, West is about tone and vibrato and RIFFS, and Leslie West has layed down more GOOD HARD ROCK RIFFS than maybe anyone, including Hendrix. Check out Leslie West and Eddie Van Halen live in Jones Beach NY on thegreatfatsbies dot com

[FamilyUSA]

Nobody and I mean nobody...not Billy Gibbons, Jimi Hendrix or Roy Buchanan ever used "harmonics" like Leslie West. His version of Red House is right up there with Hendrixs'. Better than Frank Marino and Buddy Guy's versions. I recently (6 months ago) saw Steve Vai for the first time and was blown away to say the least. Incredible. I had the same reaction when I saw Van Halen in 1977 in Tampa. But in retrospect, I think maybe Leslie West is the better player.

[wanger1993]

I first heard of Leslie in the Vagrants at the ACTION HOUSE in Oceanside NY. To this day, he still rocks....

[TedNugentDisciple]

what is with the long ass whammy bar?

[depper]

That was a standard stock Steinberger. Nothing fancy. However, West was able to take its tone to another level, like he did with his Les Paul Jr. Most Jr players will tell you Leslie West was in the forefront of emulated guitarists for his tone and vibrato, and brought that guitar new fans. Leslie did the same with the Steinberger.

[FamilyUSA]

Absolutely great comment from Depper (two posts ago). "Vai/Satrianai are great but can you name a song"? Leslie West, Rory Gallagher, Alvin Lee, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Johhny Winter etc...that's music!

[depper]

Thanks Family! :)

[depper]

And I agree with your choice of guitarists, they all told stories with their signature guitar abilities, and all were legends before the 80's. Alvin Lee played fast, but knew when to slow down. For me, West had the perfect combination of speed and tone and vibrato and song/music writing ability.

[Flunder]

total influence on my old bones! love this thanks. that guys right about the tone from the old melody maker though. this is too freeze dried.

[depper]

Right on Arcangel, brotha! Speed is the need in todays rock guitar world. Where have the rock guitarists of the 80's, 90's and 00's taken rock and roll? Satriani, Vai, great players, but can ya name a song? R&B fills the charts, rock is gone. Notes to players: 1. SLOW DOWN, tone and vibrato is in the hands. 2. songwriting is in the soul. 3. Listen to hard rock architect Leslie West. 4. Play from the soul or there will be no more Rock and Roll.

[arcangel6]

Always looked at West as Rock guitar's Louie Armstrong. West says in a few notes what the others can't seem to say in hundreds of lightening fast notes. Monster tone, feel, vibrato and taste!

[amcenteggart]

Thanks for posting this, brilliant, are you going to put the Ted Turner slide guitar part of the show on?

[NIKI52190]

I'm in a band with my Dad. We even opened for Quiot Riot this summer. Just got back from gig in LA. My dad can name all the great guitar players but he always says Leslie is the man who can do and say more with one note than all these shreaders combined. I am starting to understand what he meant. It is funny though his other main guitarist was and is Alvin Lee. Go figure.

[coralseaclyde]

What ever Depper says is trash..West is all TIMING!!!

The guy flows....He would be a good drummer..I have seen them all since 1970..West is in the top 5.

[depper]

Everything "I" say is trash? "Timing?" "a good drummer?" You appearantly are STILL on the stuff Leslie quit years ago.. maybe even better stuff... Leslie West was about Tone and Vibrato. What Leslie lacks in speed he MORE than makes up for in tone and vibrato. The REAL Mountain and West fans know what I'm talking about. "Top 5?" Name 1 (ONE) better.

[tbcass]

When was this? I have a recent CD recorded last year (2006)and West is much thinner and his voice sounds like it did back in 1970. This is a great performance though.

[lespauljr]

He looks like a proud peacock out there accepting the applause at the end, and he should.The man is brilliant. So underrated by so many.

[depper]

Oh he was certainly great in 69-71 his best pickin' years.... but he was locked onto dynamite on this tour. No man alive has ever played a Les Paul Jr better than Leslie West, but this guitar sound really rocks higher than the crap they were playing in the 80's. Show me better...

[MB280E]

He sounded a million times better when he played his classic Les Paul jr in 1969-71. The powerful tone is totally gone, same goes for his voice. Too bad...! Mountain was a fantastic band!

[depper]

I loved this tour, and it was quite OBVIOUS who had the best tone that night... Leslie West's sound just overshadowed all on tour. Even Alvin Lee, whose playing was superb, looked like an army ant compared to the wall of sound Leslie showcased. This tour's Never In My Life and Theme From An Imaginary Western go down as the greatest ever recorded that night.

[coralseaclyde]

This guy is one of the all time greats!!!!!

[depper]

Is there a better tone than this?

[depper]

Fred Im thrilled you are live and kickin my brotha, and in my humble opinion there's no BETTER WAY TO LIVE than to hear such balls-to-the-wall in-your-face kick-ya-papa-in-da-nutz guitar playing!!! Thank you Leslie for the YEARS OF GREAT PLAYING ROCK AND ROLL!

[fredamillershapiro]

DEPPER has great taste in music and alot of musical class for sure

[fredamillershapiro]

For you kiddies who never saw them live in concert, felix pappardi , the bass player (his idiot wife killed him) and the best drummer ever, corky laing and steve knight on organ and of course, leslie west (who the rolling stones interviewed for their lead guitar at one time,,,was the best live show I ever saw,,,,,and I was there and Im still alive and kicking

[pylgrym]

That's ''Pappalardi''....

[depper]

EASILY the greatest version of Never In My Life ever recorded. Leslie was RED HOT again in 1986-1992, spurred out of retirement by Howard Stern of all people. Sobered up and ready to conquer the world, Leslie was just on FIRE. If anyone has the Howard Stern Madison Square Garden show tapes from the mid '80's on video... post em, they are classics.

[nantucketsleighrider]

Stunning! One of the best versions ever!