Amazing Paul Gilbert Video

Here's another classic video. Check out Paul Gilbert playing away, pre-Mr. Big. Check out this guitar showdown!

Paul Gilbert - Behold Electric Guitar

Comments

[Tim Livian]

Wow, totally shredded on that one! Would have loved to be a part of the crowd, sounded small and possibly intimate.

Thanks for taking me back!

[Gary]

Along with being one of the nicest,funniest, most approachable guys out there, he's also a complete on a guitar. Not only in the Yngwie "how many notes can I fit into a 30 second break genre", but he can play any other style just as deftly. Criminally underrated.

[Gary]

A Complete freak ( god damn phone 😂😂)

[Bkallday]

I know I’m gonna get accused of trolling but I’ll ask anyway. And I know I’m gonna hurt some feelings, cuz for some reason there’s a lot of Mr. Big fans on here. But if he was such a “shredder”, i’d just like to know why he was wasting his time in such a lame band? Just curious!

[Metalboy!]

Yeah, such a HUGE talent. Shame it had to be wasted time and time again on Corporate Rock like Mr. Big.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I was fortunate enough to see Alice In Chains open for Mr. Big at The Cat Club in NYC.

And so was Ahmet Ertegun, then Head of Atlantic Records, Mr. Big’s label at the time. Ace Frehley was also in the audience.

Man, did Mr. Big look stupid following Alice In Chains, particularly Billy Sheehan, proof once again, real musical ideas beat technical prowess more often than not.

I wonder what Ertegun thought about Alice In Chains showing up his pet project, Mr. Big?

I don’t think Ace noticed because he was totally wasted and had to be held up by two “handlers”.

p.s. I did think RACER X was cool, at least the name, anyway.

[Gary]

@Bk. As the old saying goes, “ Follow the money”. (That’d be my guess anyhow.) Shredding nonstop will get ya playing to 1000 dudes in a theater, all trying to rip off your riffs. Lol

For as by the numbers as Mr Big was, they filled arenas around the world for a few years. I guess if you want the Ferrari instead of the Toyota, ya go where the opportunity knocks?

[Metalboy!]

Totally with BK in this one.

I unfortunately had to witness it with my own two ears at The Cat Club that night.

Mr. Big S-S-S-*-*-*-C-C-C-K-K-S !!!

I dare say, as much as I love Gilbert’s shredification, as evidenced in the video of him at such an early age (High School? College?), I’ve never gotten the sense he has any real musical ideas, sorry to admit.

Whereas Vinnie Vincent, on the other hand, gave Gilbert a run for his money and probably then some (Just listen to “Speedball Jam” again) back in the day, while, at the same time, penned tunes like “Love Kills”, “Lick It Up”, “I Love It Loud”, “Boyz Are Gonna Rock”, “That Time Of Year” and others.

Granted, Vincent flamed out and Gilbert is still shredding away but he never even got close to Vincent’s genius beyond his speed demon technical skills.

[Metalboy!]

Okay, okay! I just realized I got a little crazy on that last one.

It just suddenly came to me ... “Addicted To That Rush”!!!, their one good song!

In fact, it’s a great song! Too bad the rest of their output didn’t even come close to it.

[Shawn]

@BK Mr Gilbert is well worth the research if you like incredible screaming highly technical guitar - Paul was born with a gift but I think he had trouble identifying what to do with it so he did what any kid would do put together his own thing called Racer X.

I think Paul holds a degree or two in music if he doesn't they should just give them to him. There was a bunch of these guys like Paul, Tony McAlpine, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Vinnie Moore that stayed in the instrumental realm for a while. I think Shrapnel Records was the biggest support for these guys.

[Metalboy!]

Indeed, Shawn ... Vinnie Moore is KILLER!

Saw him perform with UFO on The Monsters of Rock Cruise a few years ago.

Moore was awe inspiring, totally shredding beyond belief, springboarding off the incredible legacy of material Michael Schenker left him to work with.

[Basileus]

As he often is, MB is wrong. Mr. Big was pretty good.

- Addicted to that Rush
- Colorado Bulldog
- The Electric Drill song
- Strike Like Lightning
- Alive and Kicking
- The Whole World is Gonna Know
- Take Cover
- Undertow
- American Beauty

I could keep going and I didn’t even name a single ballad

[Metalboy!]

Haha!!, Basileus ...

Read what BK wrote about them. I disagree with him quite often but here he is unequivocally correct!

Hmmm ... Maybe “Strike Like Lightning” but it’s still Corporate Rock.

“Addicted To That Rush” is FAR superior to any of that other stuff you mention.

Remember, I saw Mr. Big at their height and they were just plain boring and soulless compared to the band that opened for them, Alice In Chains, who quite simply totally blew them off the stage before Mr. Big even set foot on it.

p.s. FYI, I’ve got all Mr. Big’s “hit” CDs from back in the day, too. Zzzzzzzzzz ...

[Basileus]

Dumb argument. Alice in Chains was one of the great bands of all time (and my favorite of the “grunge” bands). Dirt and Jar are absolute all-time classics. To fall short of such greatness does not mean you are therefore crap. Lots of room for goodness in between that spectrum.

Were they commercial and melodic? Sure. But I don’t have a hang up about melody so I don’t mind.

[Bkallday]

For anyone to mention Alice In Chains' top material, without mentioning what is by far their greatest album, Facelift, I have to take with a grain of salt. I cant even believe that AIC would ever even open for such a weak band. But im guessing Basileus just likes the softer AOR type stuff and he's definitely welcome to his opinion, just like we are! Even if hes completely wrong. Lol

[Basileus]

Bkallday,

Dirt is easily better than Facelift. I like Facelift too, and Tripod, and Sap. But Dirt is a masterpiece. Like I wrote, they are my favorite of the grunge bands and one of my favorite bands of all time, period.

And yes, I like AOR. I like diversity. I’m currently listening to Graham Bonnet-era Rainbow. Good stuff. Of course not as good as Dio-era Rainbow, but so what. Doesn’t mean I have to hate Eyes of the World just because it’s not Dio singing it.

By the way, yesterday I was listening to Cult of Luna’s Vertikal. You should check it out.