Watched the Metallica DVD "Some kind of Monster" that documents the making of the album St Anger.
There is a moment in the video where metallica guitarist Kirk Hammet debates with the rest of the band that not putting in a guitar solo dates the record to this current period of musical history while putting in a guitar solo dates it to a previous musical point in history.
I discussed this with a friend last night and we raised the following dicsussion.
When we where growing up there was guitars / bands with guitars that you where a bit young to really know, but re-visited because they where that good.
Look at Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck Queen Brian may - totally different styles but all inspriing, and incidentally - not all fast fingers.
Then there was the bands that where "the ones" when we where growing up,
G'N'R - slash
Metallica - Kirk Hammet
Aerosmith (could also be rated as older) Joe Perry
Faith No More - Kim Thaieale (spelling - sorry)
Bon Jovi - Riche Sambora
Eddie Van Halen
Steve Vai
Extreme - Nuno
again - all these did killer guitar parts and some stunning solos, inspriing.
Now looking at the current music crop, I can't think of a guitarist that inspires me in the same way these guys did, there appear to be no killer solos, no killer licks
Noel Galagher appears to inspire on his style and fills but his actual guitar technique / playing is quite basic
Damien Rice inspires in how to really get a good sound out of an acoustic but its not really the same thing as having a guitarist who you think - wow that blew me away.
There also appears to be few guitar gods like Steve Vai (although I never really got in to him) appearing.
Whos around now thats inspriing ?