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Featured Replies

An absolute beast of a player. From the Tygers of Pan Tang to his time with Thin Lizzy, as well as Whitesnake and Blue Murder, just a monster. RIP. 65 is to damn young. Fuck cancer.

I didn't know any of his work with Thin Lizzy etc. but I always liked that Whitesnake track.  That's great pop(ular) metal guitar.  Smokin'.

I'll just put this hear, too.

 

johnsykes_2004.jpg

 

 

This 2004 Thin Lizzy show was my first and only (I know, it's not the real thing). I really went mainly for Deep Purple and Joe Satriani, who they were opening for. I hadn't really listened to Lizzy that much in my youth, just the few songs that people knew. After this show I was so impressed with the songs, as well as Sykes and Gorham as a tandem, with Sykes also lead singer, it got me to really dive deep into the Thin Lizzy catalog. Now they are way up there in my top favorite rock bands of all time.

 

Edited by DougO

Scott Gorham is one of my favorite guitarists. He and Brian Robertson were the best.

1 hour ago, HenryJames said:

 

That tone is pure 80s hair metal. So much gain and chorus. Rad. 
 

RIP

I was listening to my Blue Murder vinyl today. Fuck. 

I advise all to listen to that first record.  Outside of the horribly titled and not aged well Sex Child, this record is awesome.  

Sykes' flaw for this album was their single selections. Valley of the Kings is awesome but not the best choice of first single and jelly roll was good but not the song they needed out. The Blue Murder or Black Hearted Woman singles would have been a better start. Then follow with Out Of Love for the power ballad and then Valley. Would have had far more traction and success IMO. Ptolemy is my favorite song on the album and it's a real heavy one. 

Edited by Butch Had Not

28 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

They wrote a song about an ancient mathemetician? 

Yup lol. 

 

5 hours ago, HenryJames said:

 

Never knew his name... but it's crazy to have that many memorable guitar hooks in one track.  The intro, the fills, the clean parts in the middle... brilliant stuff.  

This is my favorite Whitesnake song (I really only dug the earlier stuff), with Sykes, and another one of my all time favorite guitar players, Mel Galley, formerly of Trapeze.

 

 

Edited by DougO

  • Author
7 hours ago, Paul Wesley said:

Never knew his name..

For someone of your vintage and background I find this incredibly hard to believe

8 hours ago, DougO said:

This is my favorite Whitesnake song (I really only dug the earlier stuff), with Sykes, and another one of my all time favorite guitar players, Mel Galley, formerly of Trapeze.

So when that video started I thought "well, at least they're actually playing it live", because the guitar has tuning issues that surely wouldn't make it past a studio effort.  Then the band kicks in, and (my) audio is out of sync with the video.  Just a lag in my computer, or do any of you notice that?  I'm not saying it's lip-synced, I don't really know.

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

So when that video started I thought "well, at least they're actually playing it live", because the guitar has tuning issues that surely wouldn't make it past a studio effort.  Then the band kicks in, and (my) audio is out of sync with the video.  Just a lag in my computer, or do any of you notice that?  I'm not saying it's lip-synced, I don't really know.

I think it is one of those typical lip synced shows from back in the day. Not a lot of good live video from those days. In fact, come to think of it, I don't even think Sykes even played on that record but joined the tour after the album was released, then was a major writing contributor on the next one. He probably would have played something more complicated on that song. But still, he looks great on stage.

Was he replaced for the subsequent tour by Adrian Vandenberg?

On 1/23/2025 at 12:13 PM, zlavydra said:

Was he replaced for the subsequent tour by Adrian Vandenberg?

Adrian discusses it at 5 minutes in, here

 

This one hits really hard. Sykes is on my personal Mt. Rushmore of guitarists with Zakk, Mick Sweda, and Buckethead. Anytime you can listen to music and know exactly who's playing because of their tone, in my mind, that's iconic. I got to see Blue Murder live in '93 which was not the same lineup as the debut, but honestly it didn't matter.  Yes, Appice and Franklin are MONSTER players but that band was all about Sykes.  You look up underrated and underappreciated in the music dictionary you're gonna find Sykes.  He's the best damn musician you've never heard of, and a quick look at the amount of players paying him tribute tells you the people that know, REALLY know.  1987 Whitesnake album doesn't hit without him, he co-wrote everything except the WS reboots.  I think Coverdale is a fantastic singer, but fuck that guy for firing him.  I honestly don't think Sykes ever recovered from that.

 

Great tribute from ET, great stories.

 

Don't sleep on the second album its wall to wall as well

RIP King of the unknown

This from the guy that didn't think his voice was that great.

 

 

Edited by mulletpelini
I might be biased a touch

Forgot about this live concert audio, straight out of the soundboard.  Phenomenal.

 

Less than 60K views, what a joke

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