History of Twin Lead Guitar

it was the Yardbirds who invented double lead guitar

Well the Yardbirds were around way ahead of Fleetwood Mac, but I thought they played in a rhythm plus lead style like the Stones.

I think the question was about two lead guitars harmonizing melodies together. I can't remember if the Yardbirds played in that style, if they did they would at least be ahead of the other mentioned bands.

P.S. I just got through playing my only Yardbirds record, Over Under etc. There were a lot of great songs with two guitars, but no harmonized leads. I know there is Beck's Bolero, but that may or may not be an isolated incident. Also, Bolero sounds like Beck double tracking himself, I'm sure he was aware of Les Paul's pioneering work in this area.

I guess the alleged Bubble Puppy comes in ahead of Fleetwood Mac. Seems like maybe the Beatles did a couple early guitar breaks with harmonized leads but that may not be true, also I was wondering if the Byrds did anything in that style.

Looks like everyone else has lost interest, I guess I'll just turn out the light and close the door behind me.


Edited by Easy Money - June 03 2008 at 09:16

How about The Ventures?  Were tthey using dual lead guitars?  They came before any other band mentioned here.  I'm thinking of Walk Don't Run, etc., but I haven't heard those songs in a while so it may be more of a lead/rhythm guitar configuration.

I thought the Nashville Teens had dual lead before mid-60's (big hit: Toacco Road) - wasn't it one reason why  they won MM's Group Contest 1963 or '4? Of course Hank and Bruce in the Shadows had to lead guitars in 1959, although Jet Harris on an early electric bass did more lead work then Bruce Welsh, who was strictly rhythm*  (how many chords did Welch know?) - and then I think Hank played with Wally Whyton (folkie and children's TV presenter) in the Vipers in 1957 or 8......

* On the sleeve of Wishbone 4 one photograph includes a Shadow's LP cover as an acknowledgment to what went before.

Indeed Keith Richard and Brian Jones of the Stones weren't that bad on leads.


Edited by Dick Heath - June 03 2008 at 13:46

Of course he was not the first one, but Michael Rother could create excellent harmonized guitar pieces by dubbing himself (in his first three albums)

And then there is the pairing of Allan Holdsworth and Ollie Halsall on Tempest's  BBC Radio One In Concert set (recorded 1972 or '3), but released only a few years aback on the double Under the Blossom: The Anthology . Some of the playing heard takes a lot of beating

Chicapah wrote: For a very brief time in 1966 the Yardbirds had both Beck and Page sharing lead guitar duties and their appearance in the movie "Blow Up" that same year documents that.  If you ever have a chance to grab the soundtrack of that movie, their blistering version of "Stroll On" ("Train kept 'a rollin'" with different lyrics) is enough to make your hair stand on end.  The gutteral tones of both guitarists are way before their time and you can tell they are both trying to "one up" the other.  So, for me, that's when the idea of having more than one lead guitarist in the same band was formulated (although The Ventures were doing it instrumentally all during the early 60s).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkN1lFqldb4

And one of the great examples:  Joe Walsh & Glen Frey on Hotel California.  Not necessarily well-thought of on this site, but those twin guitar solos are near perfection.

zafreth wrote: And finally Julian Bream and John Williams for classical

And have you seen the dual leads of John Williams and PeteTownshend on one of the Sleeping Policeman's Balls recordings?Which reminds me you'll also find Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton on one of those recordings too!!

^ which tracks?