The Complete Guitarist

A must-have for Davy Graham fans or for fans of guitar music, really. He does it all masterfully. No such thing as a bad Davy Graham recording but all of these tracks are solid. They really showcase his ability.

Davey Graham is a British guitarist from the early 60s who pioneered a style of acoustic guitar playing called Folk Baroque. What Davey did was to combine blues, folk and jazz and create something new. The music of Pentangle, Bert Jansch and John Renbourne would have been unthinkable without him. The eclecticism that informs his music is on display on this 1979 album, 'The Complete Guitarist,' which also has tracks from 'Dance For Two People' and his three contributions to 'Blues Workshop.' Davey plays without accompaniment throughout this album and he is all the better for it. A brilliant guitarist, he tackles his material with authority and aplomb. Traditional songs such as 'Hardiman the Fiddler' and 'The Road to Lisdoonvana' mingle with classical pieces by Robert De Visee and Vaughan Williams. Jazz mingles with Blues. This eclectic mix works maybe because Davey was born in England to a Scottish father and an African mother. This has given him an open mind and a broad perspective and he is an accomplished enough musician to carry this through into his music. Davey was into World Music (African, Moorish, Indian) long before the term was invented, and on some of his earlier albums recorded in the 60s, (That's right! Right back in the 60s!) Davey even plays some African and Indian songs on their original instruments. However, this side of him is not represented here. What is here: Blues, folk, jazz, classical, - is excellent. He is a master of the instrument: The best guitarist that Britain has produced - only John Renbourn can match him. Most of his albums have been patchy, but this one is a delight throughout. There is not one duff track here. If you like acoustic guitar music, then I heartily recommend this album. Davey was a friend of Alexis Korner, the founding father of British rock. He said of Davey that he is "a genuinely gifted guitarist who rightly, refuses to let himself be fenced into one field of music. The great traditional folk banjo and guitar pickers have influenced his playing. Josh White...has also exerted considerable influence. But then, so have the great modern jazz players. The fierce belief of good Gospel groups, the great blues singers, all have influenced him as have the Baroque composers." Davey Graham is an inspiration and a joy to listen to, and this is his very best album. There are informative sleeve notes by Duck Baker. I even like the leather jacket Davey wears on the cover.

A really good solo guitar album by Davey (& or Davy) Graham, and one I always seem to come back to. I think it is very listenable, even if you aren't as interested in learning the guitar techniques displayed here. The Irish tunes tend to be my favourites here, but overall I think the other melodies and how Graham has arranged them, are just as good. But I think the album works better without the addition of tracks from the two other albums, which are also still available from Grossman's Guitar Workshop. Some other details that would be nice knowing I add here: One track here is titled ' Renaissance Piece ' (as on the original LP cover), but it should quite probably be called " Se Lo M' Accorgo " (according to one of John Renbourn's books it could be translated as '' Had I But Known ". The composer was anonymous, but some has linked the piece to Vincenzo Galilei. There is a tablature PDF on later issues of this CD, I'm not sure if it is present on this older edition from the 1990s. The vinyl album on Kicking Mule had a somewhat different set of tablatures handwritten, with instructions by the author. For the Irish tracks he tunes the guitar to EADEAE (3rd & 2nd string tuned down). Apparently he learned this tuning from Martin Carthy, singer and excellent guitarist too. It is a very effective tuning at least for these kind of melodies. He played the hymn tunes on a high strung guitar in 'Nashville tuning' (the lowest 4 strings are replaced with the high octave strings from a 12-string. There are various free videos on this subject elsewhere on the web. The album is highly recommended, with or without the extra tracks. Otherwise I would prefer getting those bonus recordings in their right context: Dance For Two People & Blues Guitar Workshop

`The Complete Guitarist' was always a very strong set from Graham - here it is re-mastered and brilliantly boosted by the addition of 8 bonus tracks. Davey Graham's joyful, earnest, eclectic guitar playing encompasses countless influences: blues, jazz, English, Scottish and Irish folk, classical and world music. It may sound unlikely that he brings these together - but he does, and with deep affection and care. His own compositions here are superb - the jazzy, punchy, totally addictive, `Lashtal's Room' and `Blues for Gino' where he really gets under the skin of the blues - leaning into the bluesy chords with perfect judgement. No British player reaches into the heart of the blues with a feel quite like Graham's. In his blues-folk composition `Forty-Ton Parachute', he moves nimbly over the fret board. Other pieces are sourced widely from: traditional sources, works for lute, classical, British and Irish folk, hymns, and the American blues. Some other stand-out tracks are a tremendous self-accompanied blues vocal (one of only two on this otherwise solo instrumental CD) - `When I Been Drinking', and `Renaissance Piece', `Sarah', `Prelude From The Suite in D Minor', `The Gold Ring' and `Panic Room Blues'. Graham utilises a variety of steel strung acoustic guitars, nylon strung guitars and employs standard and non-standard tunings all to great effect. If you want a superb collection of eclectic guitar music and to start, or improve, your Davey Graham collection - you can't go much wrong here. [Note: the original album (1977) of 16 pieces is supplemented here with 5 tracks from its follow up `Dance for Two People' (1979) plus 3 contributions taken from the `Blues Guitar Workshop' album (1980)].

only for die hard guitar freeks,or the love for a new form blossoming jansh+renbourn[who i adore]would not be with us without this man, man!!!!!!

The CD front case was broken on delivery. However, this didn't detract from the contents. This album originally came out around the same time I saw Davey Graham in the Assembly Rooms in George Street, Edinburgh during The Festival. A great guitarist of nuance and subtlety, not fully appreciated for his gifts during his time and sadly less widely known now than he should be. Glad I saw (and heard) him live as it was a privilege HR.

Had to wait a little while but it arrived sealed and brand new. Good if you like fingerstyle guitar a'la John Renbourne but no vocals on this C.D. Disc includes PDF Tablature of five of the tunes.

This is a later effort by 60's legend Mr G. Most of it was recorded in 1977, plus some of the 8 bonus tracks are from 79 & 80 respectively. Davey plays a very varied mix of guitar instrumentals-Bach & Vaughan Williams rub shoulders with Irish Jigs,his own compositions and a number of trad songs that were well-known when he started strumming in around 1959, let alone on his recording debut in 1962. As usual with Davey, listening twice is a good idea. Try and find a false note the first time-you won't!! The second time, you'll realise the breadth of imagination in his playing, as you hear how the cliches have fallen off tunes that you may have heard so often before. BUT, it isn't until track 23 of 24 that Davey sings! And that's what's lacking. There's just a slight gravel edge on a smoothish tenor in Davey's voice and when he sings, he also puts yet another edge onto those well-known songs. There's not quite enough emotion without it here & that means you are in the position of viewing a completed masterpiece in a gallery. Put the voice in, as per 13 of the 16 tracks on Folk Blues & Beyond, and you are simultaneously in the artist's studio as he's creating that masterpiece before you. Still an album worth having, quite definitely, but not in the same league as FBAB or Large as Life!

Your feedback doesn't work And it didn't have the bonus tracks Poor show