Recommendations, songs that feature acoustic guitar?

newbie308

I love listening to music that features and sets forward the sound of acoustic guitar. For example, Greg Lake playing ,"In the beginning" on his live album, "Songs of a lifetime". I'm looking for suggestions for other artists who's songs are centered around classical or acoustic guitar. Thank you in advance, for your recommendations!

Viking64

Ritchie Blackmore has quite a bit of acoustic classical. Search "Blackmore's Night". You'll probably find something you like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMOXCJFtnyo

SeleniumFalcon

Anything by Michael Hedges or Leo Kottke.

SIHAB

Jimmy Page has a few of these...

ChrisD06

I assume you're looking for more classical style music but check out Everlong acoustic version by Foo Fighters.

billbillw

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds have some great live recordings that really showcase the acoustic guitar. The Bonus disc on Some Devil is one of my reference pieces. If you like a jazzier sound, The Charlie Byrd Trio has some great stuff too.

treitz3

Friday Night in San Franciso, performed live by John McLaughlan, Al DiMeola and Paco De Lucia. Great performance and recording.

Tom

SIHAB

Wishbone Ash and Uriah Heep do that heavy / light thing as well


How about some Freak Folk?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsvs-pAGDc

maxward

Sounds of Wood and Steel. It’s a compilation of Windham Hill artists, all using Taylor guitars. Also second Ken’s recommendations.

Viking64

I heard this song on Digital Cable Radio 30 years ago and I have loved it ever since. Very atmospheric in a minstrel sort of way. Alright, that sounded really *****, but check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mxT2zRkX-E

SIHAB

Uriah Heep - Blind Eye

Good tune.

rooftop59

newbie308 wrote: »

I love listening to music that features and sets forward the sound of acoustic guitar. For example, Greg Lake playing ,"In the beginning" on his live album, "Songs of a lifetime". I'm looking for suggestions for other artists who's songs are centered around classical or acoustic guitar. Thank you in advance, for your recommendations!

what style(s) are you after? There is SO MUCH great acoustic music out there, but most of what I listen to is not classical.

The Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek are both incredible acoustic folk/progressive bluegrass music.

Love him or hate him, the acoustic set from John Mayer's "Where the Light Is" is well recorded and features some excellent fretwork (the blue ray is really fun even though I basically hate hearing the man talk).

I have lots of other recommendations depending on what you're after...

mhardy6647

I guess the question is whether you are interested in the sound of the acoustic guitar or virtuoso performance on the acoustic guitar.

For sound, I'll offer - from way out of left field - The ca. 1980 live album, Reckoning, by the Grateful Dead. Very good recording of a predictably eclectic, but very "Dead", collection of songs.

https://youtu.be/MaiLWyO32zk?si=2Mj8v5CAdbQsfu9V

For performance: As @SeleniumFalcon suggested, Leo Kottke, in spades! A great guitarist who has influenced oh-so-many. He has a wry, self-deprecating sense of humor.

A Kottke disciple I like: Willy Porter.

https://youtu.be/emdyC_j4uA4?si=JvbLhDtJAMZ-_PsC

For "rock": Richard Thompson. The sine qua non, as far as I am concerned. He makes it look easy, too. Also a wry sense of humor, the bleakness of most of his music notwithstanding. He's great to see in a live, solo, acoustic performance, too. One of my very favorites.

https://youtu.be/j0kJdrfzjAg?si=1i__suK9bdfw-phM
Watch Suzanne Vega watching RT.

The Australian guitarist John Williams' work might float your boat. Not that other John Williams!
He was in a sort of 1970s style jazz-ish group, the name of which is escaping me at the moment. It was all the rage at JHU when I was an UG (late '70s).

I cannot think of a better introduction to his work than a 1970s charity concert/album calledThe Secret Policeman's Ball - The Music. It's also a pretty good recording.
Check this out

https://youtu.be/k8fsAe-htOw?si=y50XctVmqCSsdu4T&t=420
[EDIT: Skip to 7' 00" to see Williams & Pete Townshend's duet if the video doesn't open there - and not that first 7 minutes aren't worth experiencing, too!]

Townshend's acoustic performance (earlier in the link above) is pretty darned fine, too... but I am not at all objective about Big T's guitar playing.

Casting a slightly broader net: My introduction to "The Polk Monitor sound" traces to a flashbulb memory of hearing this album on a pair of Monitor7s powered by a Yamaha amplifier. Bought 'em then -- still have 'em.

https://youtu.be/B61C-SQLg9k?si=NzHap_iZgwoANGgg

... and this album, a (very) minor masterpiece: one of the last things Jerry Garcia recorded. And a gorgeous recording it is, too.

https://youtu.be/ltEPUNHVYxg?si=CmWJsClU71nBLHOm

EDIT:
PS If you like Townshend's subtle acoustic guitar style, try his remarkable album Rough Mix with the late Ronnie Lane. It's another minor masterpiece, and it sounds great, too. Mostly acoustic. His first proper solo album, Who Came First is also mostly acoustic, and really, really good -- but since he recorded it himself in his own DIY studio, it's not quite audiophile. That said, it sounds good in its own ramshackle way -- just perfect for what it is.

https://youtu.be/69ivo2wk8jU?si=7AS1b9_0VMsiw28f

mhardy6647

good gootchie-mootchie! How could I forget my absolute favorite: Patty Larkin!

https://youtu.be/nyUErnnQoOc?si=XVYKzjAjYW6nQhgk

Interestingly, the first verse apparently is a reference to an encounter with Suzanne Vega.


https://youtu.be/S-Zyl4VwnLg?si=G2z2N1-IAqzDoDsq

Start with her live solo acoustic album a gogo. Incandescent.

EDIT: And a great big honorable mention for Vicky Genfan, who has an interesting percussive style of playing.

https://youtu.be/r0VkgSB2vtY?si=Q-21XEjY--QoubFz

mhardy6647

Just John Williams (since his contribution to Won't Get Fooled Again is a little ephemeral ).

https://youtu.be/Mnum0oThGyc?si=oMOIf11YRzvN9rdO

PSOVLSK

treitz3 wrote: »

Friday Night in San Franciso, performed live by John McLaughlan, Al DiMeola and Paco De Lucia. Great performance and recording.

Tom

I think someone has this for sale on SACD in the FM. At a great price might I add.

newbie308

ChrisD06 wrote: »

I assume you're looking for more classical style music but check out Everlong acoustic version by Foo Fighters.

I am very familiar with this song. My son's favorite, and he plays it on his Tyler acoustic for me often.

JayCee

Blues...my go to is Muddy Waters, Folk Singer. Incredible recording and I'm always in awe that it was recorded in 1963 but will best most modern recordings. I have 3 versions, to include SACD. You also get to hear a young Buddy Guy at the beginning of his journey.

gyosa

Anything by the “Fleet Foxes”

BK

jbreezy5

Antonio Forcione. Check out album “Tears of Joy”.

invalid

This is really good acoustic work by Jerry Garcia and Tony Rice, it starts out slow and picks up.

rooftop59

newbie308 wrote: »

ChrisD06 wrote: »

I assume you're looking for more classical style music but check out Everlong acoustic version by Foo Fighters.

I am very familiar with this song. My son's favorite, and he plays it on his Tyler acoustic for me often.

tyler or taylor??? big difference 😂

tonyp063

I'm going to send you in a different direction



Especially Moe 'Uhane (Dream Slack Key) by Sonny Chillingworth

BlueBirdMusic

Great thread topic @newbie308.

mhardy6647

Bruce Cockburn:

https://youtu.be/a2iMqHgYAyQ?si=3S9PYdS1iQf4o0mD

https://youtu.be/FE0yhxqKTQ8?si=h1EcnN9epN8yu9uE

xschop

Al's met his match....

https://youtu.be/OYOI38F54Qc?si=arL-mIwja9GWrfRI

PSOVLSK

Shawn Mullins: Souls Core Revival

MLK

Phil Keaggy
https://youtu.be/Kd3nq6DDf0w?feature=shared

Clipdat

Baden Powell

Strunz & Farah

mantis

Check this out.https://youtu.be/fA3jFMDBiu4?si=UETsHfWyfC6_sw-9

mantis

This dude is awesome.https://youtu.be/T2Bp10YWF7Q?si=FI-4kzyOxfkkKL6M