Hello Dear People,
Well Well Well, it works all the time eh? Who is the BEST? or in this case the most UNDERRATED.
How do we define underrated? It could be "someone who has done outstanding services but did not get any recognition for them".
Or should we read UNDERRATED as "my favourite guitarplayer all time because..............."
Another thing which comes to mind here: This is a guitar-forum, so you will meet all kinds of folks who do know a lot about these instruments and their players so...............you can not expect that JO public will know some of those guitarists mentioned here, however to most serious players most of the guitarists some of you have mentioned here did get a lot of recognition for their work.
I am not going to critize anyone here [who am I ?] But I think it is funny to see how some of you respond to sth. which could have been such a nice and informative thread about really UNknown guitarists [or at least to a lot of US] but no, what do we get.........Same old story.........
Some of you did mention these guitarists. Well ALL of them Should be in the list of folks you need to listen to, so here we go:
PRINCE...........Who does not know him?, he is certainly respected, even by guitarists [he has even been covered by "Guitar Player" a few times, been on the cover, so NO he is not Underrated here, sorry]
George Harrison..................Really? Underrated? THE history of Modern Popsongs. Well perhaps if you were born in 1992, but no, because you will learn about him later in life so again, NO not Underrated here, sorry]
AL DI Meola...............Who was it again who populazed fusion in the ealy 1970s? Was it not him and some other "underrated" players...?........Well yes it could be, but then again we are never too sure of anything in this everchanging world..........But no, he is NOT underrated, maybe perhaps a little out of the picture today, but even then, I think that folks being into him these days do now what he is up to. He has brought out some albums over the last years, so do check that out if you like.............
Dave Navarro....................Again, not really an unknown or unrespected guy here, I think a lot of us will dig what he did so far, and he has been covered, again, by a lot of guitar mags. Has been on the cover of GP a few times as well, so no, he is not Underrated here..........
Steve Cropper..............Really? Isn't he one of those guys where you are drawn to in the first place when it comes to doing understated rthyms and very suble gtr. arrangements. His name is so often mentioned in history books [or articles] about Chess, Stax and other 60s record-companies, so no, he is not Underrated here as well.
Want me to carry on mentioning some other examples some of you mentioned as underrated? Well I do agree it is all very personal, but heh I can not be the only one who knows most of all these folks who are being mentioned here. Perhaps I am one of the few who will take the time to point some of these funny things out to you. Heh, it is sheer entertainment ain't it? So Please no Offence Man!
Okay then some more here we go...............
Leo Kottke
Steve Vai [yes, I am no making this up here on the spot]
Alvin Lee [oh yes you may be forgiven if you did think HE is the most underrated.............]
Alex Lifeson [nice to hear you think he is great, but certainly a little over the top to say he is UNderrated.............guy has been well-known for sooo long now]
Tomi Iomi [heh, has his name not been in all the gtr. mags since the early days of NU metal? Or could it be that there is a new hype out [ which I may have overlooked or missed] there and his name has already been plunged to the depths of nomansland..........?]
Billy Gibbons..............Very well respected in the biker circles, so not really a Underrated man...............
Malcom Young...............Oh who does not like to boogie from time to time to some AC/DC?, you may not even bother about buying their latest, as the older albums may serve you a similar dish.........NO forget the joking here, he Is mentioned very VEry often, even by his brother, who would say that he could not do all his riffing and raffing without the solid support of bro. Malcom, so no he is certainly not underrated........
Robbie Krieger...........Mmmm, thought he was very well documented in the film about the Doors from the early 90s, and even before that time he did get a lot of mention.............
NIke Drake...........Well maybe 10yrs. ago, but these DAys No, he is EVerywhere, and it does not even matter on which part of the Globe you live..
Steve Hackett..............No he does get a lot of mention, my old amp-repair-chap used to build effects for Steve, but yes I agree this does of course not count here.............
Paul Gilbert.............No MAN, unless the 1980s never happened, He was up there with all the others, even carried on after that, and yes, he is still there, so we all do know him, respect him and much more.................
Phil Keaggy..............Hmmm, perhaps underrated 5 yrs. ago, but today, the man tours the world ALL the Time, so not really Uderrated any more
Danny Gatton.............Well he would like to consider himself as underrated, that is probably why he decided to "go", but after that his fame rose..........ah...........as goes with so many, but again, he cannot be Underrated here.........
Lindsay Buckingham...........Who? Who?.........Did he not sell TRUCK loads of Albums with his other "underrated" bandmembers? Perhaps.....but you know history does not happen in some parts of the world.............
So now you may want to ask me in all seriousness who I think DOES deserve the batton of Underrated and who has also been Mentioned here? Okay, you have a right to ask, we all do, and I will give you an honest answer.....
David Gissom
Martin Barre
Dominic Miller
And others who have been mentioned here but I have never heard of before...........Why do I think they deserve the name of Underrated? Well they serve some well-known guys in the busness who do get a lot of popularity, but their servants may not. I have never seen an interview about Dominc Miller or Martin Barre [Yes I have read questions being asked to Ian Anderson--singer of Jethro Thull--but their guitarist was left out of the picture.............
Hey you may just think I looked in the wrong place here, or you may even think that my definition of UNderrated is wrong from yours. True, could well be, as it is all very personal, so if you want to, have some fun, and point me into a different direction......
Eddie
I know the guy was talented but my God. 
