Brad Paisley - Cliffs of Rock City

[sxymichael4u3030]

@alwzridered have you ever listened to Joe Satriani or Eric Johnson ? They are most certainly alive and well. Try them lol. Brad is nothing compaired to those guys. Not putting Brad down at all, he is good...but not great.

[jhgadsfklh]

People who ONLY like new country arent country at all wow. Twangy crap? just because you add a fiddle and a banjo to music doesnt make it country so dont believe the new SHIT out of nashville.....if you dont like classic country your an idiot and cant call yourself country at all

[caffeinerocks]

@jhgadsfklh Check out the Secret Sisters. Old style country only new, Beautiful vocals!

[MRLL12]

this is what God meant with making music

<3

[Rtchugg]

Man, he is a good player!!

[GuitarGospelKeys1]

sounds like a mix of Eric Johnson and Steffen Schackinger (if you've heard Bulldog Bite). Really good, Brad Paisley is up there as guitarists go.

[Soulfulshreddify]

@GuitarGospelKeys1 I know right?! Steffen is heavely inspired by this dude tho ;)

[critta63]

Good song. A tribute to EJ but nobody recognized the My Chemical Romance hook he borrowed for the chorus? So long and good night!

[yabetterbringit]

@critta63 yea we did, we just ignored it

[drfreshey]

Brad Paisley is awesome. theres a reason hes called Eddie Van Halen on cornbread.

[pbmw18]

Alphadown99 is correct that the brief interlude during the break is a pedal steel guitar (not lap steel). I'm sure Brad inserted that in the tune with "tongue in cheek", as if to say, "Yea, I got your country right here!" Some of the greatest musicians in the world are playing country music these days. Take a listen to Danny Gatton or the Hellecasters. These are basically country pickers than burn the ears & fingers off of most players out there....

[CheshireSackPerson]

can you see this in a Sonic game if not thats ok but imagine this music in a city based level

[normswwworld]

This is his tribute to Eric Johnson's "Cliffs Of Dover"....

Search here on YouTube

[20CF20]

@ Graycloud tele

[graycloud057]

Did he play that on a Tellacaster or Strat? Sounds great!

[sonyaperricone]

loove this song! i just posted me playing the solo to Huckleberry Jam (another GREAT song from this album!) would love for someone to check it out :) thanks! -Sonya

[rudicci]

:D:D:D:D:D love it. I really need to start to listen more country :D

[travelerchase19]

Wow this is neat. What is the instrument soloing from 2:47 to 3:00? Sounds really cool.

[Walsh74]

@travelerchase19 from 2:47 until like 2:58 its him on the guitar then right around 2:59 it switches to a violin

[Alphadown99]

@Walsh74

Incorrect, sir. That's a lap or horizontal steel guitar you hear soloing there. That's (probably) not Brad playing.

[critta63]

@travelerchase19

Actually thats pedal steel guitar with distortion.

A tribute to EJ but nobody recognized the My Chemical Romance hook he borrowed for the chorus? So long and good night!

[SouthernTenn]

Awesome. I only wish I could play guitar. I would like to learn how. Between Paisley and Keith Urban, Keith can play very well. (start a band) should have shown their talents alot better though.

[Alyssa8686]

never heard this song before but it's really good!! brad is an amazing guitarist!!!!! i'm so pumped going to his concert in october!!! BOO YEA time to break out the country hat!!!

[atrickpay11]

this song is nice!! paisley can really play.

[HammeredAndHorny]

Listened to this 4 times in a row now.

[steelblujk]

hey EVHisGODD93 ya can't hear no twang hear ya dadgum idiot... eddie wood smack you up side your head boy !!

[joshkpeters]

anybody who likes country style instrumentals would also benefit listening

to steve morse

[rumblefishism]

This reminds me of "Pavilion" off of Eric Johnson's Venus Isle.

[jpthomps1]

@rumblefishism Cleary a Pavilion based tribute, similar format and progressions... especially the pre-chorus.

[rumblefishism]

@jpthomps1

You would think that he would have made it sounds like Cliffs of Dover and Detroit Rock City, but it sounds like neither.

[pearlwizard]

@rumblefishism I believe it is a reference to Rock City Tennessee.

[ryde99]

not bad, i like the melody, thanks for the upload man

[theflyingjbird]

This isn't bad.... But one of the best?

Clearly you haven't listened to a whole lot of instrumental music. Check out Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, Phil Keaggy, Michaelo Angelo Batio, Buckethead, etc. This song is definitely good, but if you're saying it's one of the best, then your musical taste isn't quite large enough :P

[VirtuosoJunkie73]

@theflyingjbird

Music is subjective mate. I see your point but if he thinks it's the best, in his eyes it's the best regardless of someone else's musical tastes or opinions.

[ATV10Soccer]

You say so yourself... This guy can play almost all types of music while for example Satriani can't... He is good at what he does and thats it, im not saying they arent good but there are better ones way better guitar players than the ones you mentioned

[pbmw18]

@theflyingjbird I would suggest that you give Brad's other work a listen. The man can and does play any style- country, jazz, fusion, rock, etc. He is one of the premier guitarists in the world today. He plays a distinctive style that he has developed to separate himself from the pack, but he can & does play everything. This song is only a small piece of what he does, and as good as it is, he has a lot better to offer, and I'd rate Brad up with anyone out there today in any genre.

[theflyingjbird]

@pbmw18 Mmmmm I might give it another listen. But I have some pretty strong contenders in mind - especially Phil Keaggy. ATV10Soccer rightly pointed out that Satch and Vai only play a narrow range of styles, but Phil Keaggy is far and beyond in multiple genres. But that's neither here nor there. Really, the "elite" in music is itself subjective too. *shrugs* haha and I have high standards. But if he's got better, I wouldn't mind giving him a second look.

[pbmw18]

@theflyingjbird Keaggy is hot. They have what I call "buttery fingers" because everything he plays is so slick. I have to agree with some of the other comments here concerning Eric Johnson's tone- it's simply unbeatable. I always liked Mike Landau also- simply amazing tone & technique. Of course there's Larry Carlton. I'd say that the level that these gentlemen have achieved is such that there really isn't a best, only a personal preference. They are all incredible in their own right.

[longwayhome617]

The only country musician I can respect...

[GuitarForMusic]

you cant respect albert lee? check him out pls

[TheJoelef]

Dimebag kicks his ass plus this aint country this is like 80 rock.

[longwayhome617]

All country is like 80s rock with a violin and/or fiddle...

[808Monkseal]

The chorus sounds like Elton John's Little Jeannie.

Really great piece of guitar artistry.

I've always admired country guitar players for their musicianship, technical abilities, and sheer bravery for playing cleanly.

[tkv101]

this song is a tribute to eric johnson.. it pisses me off when people say so and so is better than so and so.. music isnt about who's better. it's about ..... music

[RickInRock84]

0:24 sounds me like "trademark" in hard rock version! lol ;-)

[sev48202]

Kind of. it has that Eric Johnson kick to it. But Eric is still better IMO

[RickInRock84]

Couldn't agree more.EJ is the MASTER tone!! Eric is such a great inspiration in every kind of music:jazz(rain);country(stevi­e's boogie);rock(cliffs...);acoust­ic(song for a life);spanish classic guitar(desert song)

Eric's skills have no limits!!!He's an alien!!! For me:one of the best guitarists ever walked this earth!!

EJ OWNS!!!God bless him!!!

[sev48202]

Amen. =]

[lexist7]

this is one of brad's tributes to eric. he said that the play album was a tribute to his influences ranging from hank garland to les paul, to eric johnson.

[badfinger848]

sev48202: If you ask me, Brad Paisley and Eric Johnson are both fantastic guitarists...as for who's better, that really doesn't matter. Personally, I think it'd be awesome of Johnson and Paisley did an instrumental together...I mean, they both are great at country, jazz, rock and blues!

[atrickpay11]

That's weird that Paisley is familiar with Eric Johnson. It seems that Johnson is only known by guitar nuts! I wonder if Paisley is familiar with Andy Timmons, Shawn Lane, or Joe Satriani? That'd be cool...

[alwzridered]

paisley is a guitar nut, and if you ask me....one of the better guitarists of our time, its just that not many people listen to country

[daftintendo]

Lol... Brad Paisley IS a guitar nut.

In a lot of interviews, he's always talking about his favorite guitarists and his influences and whatnot.

Brad is REALLY good at guitar, obviously just by listening to this song.

[sev48202]

I thought the same thing to...

[Ycoadta]

Have you ever heard Paisley play guitar? Are you not listening this very second? Obviously he IS a guitar nut.

[ElectricFilm]

this song is pretty good and so is cliffs of dover. I i had to choose it would be cliffs of dover

[puppetz85]

@Tubyboulin -- I'd completely disagree. I hate the "pop country" of today, but I love classic country AND radio-friendly country up through the mid 90s. Once it stopped being about writing your own songs and playing your own instruments, I stopped caring. Paisley is one of the few younger folks making new country that is capable of writing memorable songs (not just singing them) and playing FANTASTIC guitar lines.

[zaigar11]

Agree with msclford-Both are great pieces, different styles, that's why I never had, or will have, "A favorite guitarist"-I enjoy diverse styles.. I keep my mind open. Both are great, and I'll be a fan of both as long as I live!

[10oooo01]

Wow!!! I was wrong about country players!!!

[mike726x]

awesomeeeeeeee

[thommoisme]

I hate country but wow lol.

[19Golf]

is this you playing guitar?

[EVHisGODD93]

i agree, you can deff. here cliffs of dover in here, and i hate country too, but brad paisley is different than all the country retards out there, hes not really country, more like southern rock which is why i like him

[Walsh74]

If people would take sometime to listen to new country they would realize its not twangy crap its good most new country is like brad country has changed people just need to give it a chance.

[Tyndan]

You see, I love old Country. All the new, reinvented, genre crossing Country bothers me. George Strait and Clint Black are as current as I get when it comes to Country.

However, having said all that, This album "Play," is a very solid album. It's a solid guitar album. Paisley is a dynamite player.

[twb176]

No, most "new country" is dumbed down pop shit with a few bars of fiddle and steel aimed at soccer moms, nothing more. Soulless shit like Taylor Swift and Keith Urban is the REASON people say country music is horrible. The real deal for the most part does not get played on the radio in favor of teeny bopper shit. Give me "that twangy crap" any day.

Brad is the only thing on "country" radio that isn't pure shit these days.

[91JDub]

Bahaha, knocking Keith Urban? I don't know ANYONE who dislikes him!! lol

[Tubyboulin]

I wouldn't exaclty call Swift or Urban soulless, nor would I call them shit. You, sir, Need to learn how to have an oppinion and respect music other people enjoy.

Most people don't like country because they don't like the sound in general, not because of what gets played on the radio. A person who hates Keith Urban is likely to dislike Johnny Cash too.

Brad is damn good, but he's not the only good musician on Country Radio.

[tyrriansaiyel]

Wow.....that was awesome. I absolutely agree. Except, I think George Strait still kicks out some pretty good songs.. But yeah, I agree with the soullessness and shallowness of new country - there is no substance. It all sounds the same and most everybody who performs really shouldn't. There is definitely some talent, but it is being ruined in order to appeal to different crowds. It's sad to see country lose its "good ol' boy" appeal.

[nbdy89]

took the words right out of my mouth friend. screw corporate country!

[badfinger848]

twb176: I have to agree about Urban due to his most recent music--it's all awful pop! However, he still is a really good guitarist...but not quite as good as Paisley. Check out Urban's instrumentals, "Clutterbilly" and "Rollercoaster" if you haven't already.

[wileypayote]

@Walsh74 It's too much like pop rock now. It was better in the 90's with

Clint Black, Dwight Yokum, Travis Tritt, John Michael Montgomery, and people that.

the guitar riffs in here sound like late 80's mtv/vh1 pop rock video.

[juscurious]

@Walsh74 But it's not contry, it's POP! It's not that I dislike the new stuff but it's not country. Give me George Jones, Merle, or Pasty Cline any day. Yes Paisley is a fine guitarist but this is as far from country as it's possible to get. But I do like it.

[FunkmasterRick]

@Walsh74 Country hasn't changed. The country artists have, but people still call them country artists because change can be hard to quantify.

That being said, I don't care what genre this is, it's got some good groove in it. Plus banjo in the background!

[badfinger848]

EVHisGODD93: If you listen to a majority of Brad Paisley's music, you'll hear more country songs than non-country songs. Ever since the album PLAY came out, however, he has been incorporating more non-country influences into his songs--especially in his guitar playing. Of course, he still is one of the few modern country artists who actually is country...unless he's playing one of his great instrumentals which could literally be any genre.

[rockerboyx231]

i hate country but this song is awesome

[inuhan]

this is ten times better than cliffs of dover but you can easily feel eric johnson in thier

[hebijebi03]

you're an idiot

[msclford]

Ten times better than Cliffs of Dover? I don't think so. Cliffs of Dover was (and still is, really) groundbreaking. Paisley is an incredible guitarist, and there are definitely similarities between this and Cliffs, but I have a real tough time knocking either piece. If I had to choose one over the other, I would choose Cliffs of Dover, but they're both great pieces.

[SandyStruck]

Anyone know where I can find the video of Brad Paisley (Featuring BB King) doin "Let the good times Roll"??

[MKrock0]

look on the related video bar

[SandyStruck]

Yes...I can hear a lil' Satriani in this jam!

[Walsh74]

ya for sure

[fischerrox]

@SandyStruck Agreed!

[philbigtime]

ha, I guess this is supposed to be the Country version of Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover"... very cool. If you like this one you should definitely check out EJ as well.

[badfinger848]

philbigtime: The song is a tribute to Eric Johnson, but it's certainly not the country version of "Cliffs of Dover." In all honesty, Paisley's "Cliffs of Rock City" is an all-out rock instrumental...Paisley style!

[zakkydude654]

very joe satriani

[Walsh74]

spelt cliffs wrong in intro

[jdomary]

You "spelt" the word spelled wrong in your correction of your cliffs spelling as well! lol Sorry...couldn't resist! Thanks for the upload though.