Welcome one and all to the Guitar Wars. These battles feature songs nominated by you, the folks from the Realms. This isn’t about who the better guitarist is, or what band is better. This is about the instrument and the song. Great solos are something that make us sit up and take notice, but the guitar is more than that. There are great riffs like the one in Beat It, which was not done by Eddie Van Halen. You know, that awesome riff that permeates the song is also the part that EVH had nothing to do with.

There are ways that the guitarist wraps his playing around the melody and makes a perfect fit that’s so subtle and imperceptible that most times it gets missed. And of course, there are the solos, some with blinding speed and some played so eloquently and with so much feel that you can get lost in one sustained note after another.

You are hear! Hendrix, Clapton, Lifeson, Atkins, Page, Abasi, Santana, Morello and a host of others will be popping up. Come on in and check out the virtuosity of these and others. Find new songs you can add to your shuffle or just reminisce on songs you may not have heard in a while. Enjoy.

Listen to each song and pay attention to the guitar part and vote for the song whose guitar part you liked better. Maybe you’re a fan of the slide, or finger-picking or electric solo, but give each song a chance and then vote for the performance that you liked better. We’ll go round by round and match by match until we have a winner. That song will be crowned best overall guitar song to listen to on the Realms. All the songs will have the main guitarist or guitarists listed along with the band’s name and the name of the song. Critique it if you want, and judge it as you will, but keep in mind, this isn’t a battle of what band or artist is better. I for one may not be a fan of a certain band or solo artist, but that will not keep me from voting for a song of theirs if that song has one of the most gorgeous guitar solos ever heard.

Matchups will close on the fifth day after they are posted.

So, without further adieu, hear we go:

WALK DON’T RUN – Bob Bogle/The Ventures

25 OR 6 TO 4 – Terry Kath/Chicago

ROUND 1 MATCHES:
1 Chet Atkins (Orange Blossom Special)Vs Buddy Guy (Baby, Please Don’t Leave Me) Chet Atkins wins 11-9
2 Clapton/Allman – Derek & the Dominos (Layla) Vs Joe Satriani (Oriental Melody) Satriani wins 13-8
3 John Mayer (Slow Dancing in a Burning Room Vs Duane Eddy (Rebel Rouser) Duane Eddy wins 11-10
4 B.B. King (The Thrill Is Gone) Vs Alex Lifeson – Rush (Working Man B.B. King wins 16-5
5 Jimmy Page – Led Zeppelin (Black Dog) Vs Eric Clapton – The Beatles (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) Eric Clapton wins 12-7
6 Adrian Smith – Iron Maiden (Sea of Madness) Vs Mick Jones – The Clash (Lost in a Supermarket) Adrian Smith wins 12-9
7 Pete Townshend – The Who (Pinball Wizard) Vs Friedman/Becker – Cacophony (Concerto) Friedman/Becker wins 8-7
8 Ronnie Montrose – Montrose (Space Station #5) Vs Allen Collins – Lynyrd Skynyrd (Free Bird) Allen Collins wins 13-6
9 Angus Young – AC/DC (Fling Thing/Rocker) Vs Steve Clark – Def Leppard (Switch 625) Angus Young wins 12-9
10 J Mascis – Dinosaur Jr (Pick Me Up) Vs Snakefinger (Climbing the Ladder) J Mascis wins 16-4
11 George Lynch – Dokken (Mr Scary) Vs Henry Paul – The Outlaws (Green Grass and High Tides) Henry Paul wins 14-7
12 Yngwie Malmsteen (Arpeggios from Hell) Vs Brian Setzer (Switchblade 327) Brian Setzer Wins 12-9
13 Sterling Morrison – Velvet Underground (Oh! Sweet Nothin’) Vs Daniel Ash – Love and Rockets (Yin and Yang and the Flowerpot Man) Sterling Morrison wins 12-7
14 Zakk Wylde – Ozzy Osbourne (No More Tears) Vs Robin Trower (Day of the Eagle) Robin Trower wins 16-4
15 Ronaldo/Moore – Sonic Youth (Total Trash) Vs Tosin Abasi – Animals As Leaders (CAFO) Tosin Abasi wins 13-7
16 Jerry Cantrell – Alice in Chains (Man in the Box) Vs Mick Ronson – David Bowie (Moonage Daydream) Jerry Cantrell wins 11-8
17 Larry Reinhardt – Captain Beyond (Dancing Madly Bacwards Vs Gary Moore (Parisienne Walkways) Larry Reinhardt wins 12-9
18 Jim Heath – Reverend Horton Heat (Galaxy 500) Vs Tony Iommi – Black Sabbath (Dirty Women) Jim Heath wins 11-10
19 Chuck Berry (Johnny B Good) Vs K.K. Downing/Glen Tipton – Judas Priest (Breaking the Law) Chuck Berry wins 17-3
20 Alvin Lee – Ten Years After (Working On the Road) Vs Kurt Cobain – Nirvana (Smells Like Teen Spirit) Alvin Lee wins 14-6
21 Randy Bachman – BTO (Blue Collar) Vs Alexi Laiho – Children of Bodom (Kissing the Shadows) Randy Bachman Wins 11-6
22 Joanne Shaw Taylor (Kiss the Ground) Vs Chris Cheney/The Living End (E Boogie) Chris Cheney Wins 9-7
23 Billy Thorpe (Tangier) Vs David Gilmour/Pink Floyd (Comfortably Numb) David Gilmour wins 13-6
24 Bryant/Menuck – Godspeed You Black Emperor (East Hastings) Vs Tom Scholz – Boston (Foreplay/Longtime) Bryant & Menuck win 12-7
25 Viv Campbell – Dio (Stand Up) Vs Balsac & Flattus – Gwar (Immortal Corruptor) Balsac/Flattus wins 11-8
26 Carlos Santana (Open Invitation) Vs Mike McCready – Pearl Jam (Yellow Ledbetter)
27 Yngwie Malmsteen (Far Beyond the Sun) Vs Carlos Santana (Into the Night)
28 Glenn Tipton – Judas Priest (Hellion/Electric Eye) Vs Kirk Hammett – Metallica (The Thing That Should Not Be)
29 Bob Bogle – The Ventures (Walk Don’t Run) Vs Terry Kath – Chicago (25 or 6 to 4)

PM incoming, VG9!

fixed it for you

WALK DON’T RUN – Nokie Edwards/The Ventures

Loves me some surf guitar

Both are great songs, but the Chicago track is a bit more about the horns and for the most part the guitar gets a bit lost in there for me. When I think of surf rock, This Ventures track is what I think of, heck when I look at waves that track runs in my head, and it is 100% because of the awesome guitar.

Walk Don't Run

WALK DON’T RUN – Nokie Edwards/The Ventures the guitar is more of a feature in this song......

Terry Kath has some nice moments on 25 0r 6 To 4 but I too must vote for Nokie Edwards.

Walk don't run is a classic beach tune, covered by every garage band on the planet in the 60s. But the guitar on 25 or 6 to 4 is far surperior. It underpins all of the song except the first little bit, and there is a very long and fabulous guitar solo in the second half that then blends back into the collective musicianship and continues to carry the song to the end. I understand nostalgia, but I'm voting for the better guitar performance.

My vote is for 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago. I saw them live in 1971 or 72 at UNC Greensoro, and walked out a fan. Although in my opinion they went too top 40 after a couple of records, those first couple were killer, and the guitar was a big part of why I think that.

Casting my vote for WALK DON’T RUN – Nokie Edwards/The Ventures . To me, the guitar in this track is what drives the song whereas in the Chicago selection it's the horns. That, and I really like some good surf guitar.

O.K. since "Walk Don't Run" is my nom...I feel compelled to correct and clarify something about the version of the song presented here.

Over their long history, The Ventures have recorded various versions of "WDR" --- including disco and heavy metal (of sorts) versions.

Originally, I presented VG9 with a link to a vid that's a personal favorite --- a performance during which Nokie Edwards plays lead.

But in the end, we went with the Ventures' first studio version of "WDR" --- the hit single that is the classic version most familiar to listeners. And while Nokie is heard, it is not as lead guitarist. The late Bob Bogle played lead on that record.

So, in the interest of historical accuracy and giving credit where it's due...on the version of "Walk Don't Run" you are voting on, it's Bob Bogle (lead), Don Wilson (rhythm), Nokie Edwards (bass) and Skip Moore (drums).

I have already done my mea culpas with VG9 and now to all of you...I am sorry for the screw-up.

But at least now I can sleep tonight.

That said...

Walk Don't Run -- Bob Bogle/The Ventures, please!

25 or 6 to 4 for me.

Terry Kath might be fighting with the brass section for some love, but he gets a nice solo in there.

The other song may be all about the guitar, and it's a classic riff, but it's pretty simple.


And speaking of brass... RIP Clarence Clemons. An otherwise good day made sad.

I am a huge fan of both songs. The thing that I learned about 25 or 6 to 4 is that you have to listen carefully to the guitar as it was not mixed in as one would expect for a nice lead part. Since I tried to learn both on guitar, I will go with the one I can listen to most often...Chicago for the win.

Keep it interesting, another vote for Chicago in a reasonably tough choice.