Ignored guitarists

There are so many ignored guitarists that could be included on this list, but I think Mike Holmes has never been given his due. He's a fine player and one that is tasteful and always knows exactly what to play and what not to play. Some guitarists just don't know when to keep quiet. Holmes is also someone who doesn't worry about being in the limelight. I always thought Mike Holmes should do some solo recordings, but I guess he's just way too busy with IQ.

I think John Lees is the most unique sounding of this lot. All others, good as they may be (and some are really excellent) all sound generic or emulate previous guitarrists.

Hercules wrote: sagichim wrote: No contest for me, Mick Rogers is an incredible guitarist, I love every second in his playing with the Earth Band. He is totally overlooked that's for sure.   That was the whole point of this poll!   There are too many great bands and musicians who never feature on here because this forum is obsessed with certain bands WAY beyond their real importance/historical popularity. In my local prog group MME are considered extremely important and Rogers is highly rated, as also are Strawbs and BJH.

I'm glad to hear that since I've talked about Rogers several times here but found no appreciation.

No contest for me, Mick Rogers is an incredible guitarist, I love every second in his playing with the Earth Band.
He is totally overlooked that's for sure.

The Doctor wrote: Hercules wrote: The Doctor wrote: Hercules wrote: Fox On The Rocks wrote: Probably the IQ guy, but I've never really been terribly impressed by IQ, or most Neo Prog for that matter. Mike Holmes is still a great guitarist though, in his own right.   I maintain that "Neo-prog" is not really a genre in its own right, despite it being listed as such on here. It's just a continuation of symphonic prog by bands that started after the first wave died. Stylistically, there's no difference. While some bands definitely straddle the line between neo and symph, they are two distinctive styles.  Neo has a tendency to be more song-oriented, with more emphasis on melody than on complex time signatures and chord changes.  Neo also has less focus on extended soloing.      Given that IQ play in all sorts of complex time signatures and use complex chord structures as well as soloing frequently and extensively, they surely fall into symphonic then.   Just because PA uses the term neo-prog to define a genre (and some other prog forums don't accept it) doesn't mean it's right. Martin Orford particularly hates the term; I think he knows what he's talking about. I heard Marillion regularly referred to as a neo-prog band way back in 1984, long before there was a PA.  That is a long-accepted term applied to several bands which arose in the late 70's/early 80's and played a more accessible style of symphonic prog.  Many neo-prog musicians hate the term.  It doesn't mean that isn't what they're playing.

Hercules wrote: The Doctor wrote: Hercules wrote: Fox On The Rocks wrote: Probably the IQ guy, but I've never really been terribly impressed by IQ, or most Neo Prog for that matter. Mike Holmes is still a great guitarist though, in his own right.   I maintain that "Neo-prog" is not really a genre in its own right, despite it being listed as such on here. It's just a continuation of symphonic prog by bands that started after the first wave died. Stylistically, there's no difference. While some bands definitely straddle the line between neo and symph, they are two distinctive styles.  Neo has a tendency to be more song-oriented, with more emphasis on melody than on complex time signatures and chord changes.  Neo also has less focus on extended soloing.      Given that IQ play in all sorts of complex time signatures and use complex chord structures as well as soloing frequently and extensively, they surely fall into symphonic then.   Just because PA uses the term neo-prog to define a genre (and some other prog forums don't accept it) doesn't mean it's right. Martin Orford particularly hates the term; I think he knows what he's talking about.

I heard Marillion regularly referred to as a neo-prog band way back in 1984, long before there was a PA.  That is a long-accepted term applied to several bands which arose in the late 70's/early 80's and played a more accessible style of symphonic prog.  Many neo-prog musicians hate the term.  It doesn't mean that isn't what they're playing. 

As the originator of this poll, I find choosing damned hard myself!

Guldbamsen wrote: Going with Rogers here. He had such a big hand in developing that special groove the Earthband fuelled in the 70s.

Hercules wrote: Fox On The Rocks wrote: Probably the IQ guy, but I've never really been terribly impressed by IQ, or most Neo Prog for that matter. Mike Holmes is still a great guitarist though, in his own right.   I maintain that "Neo-prog" is not really a genre in its own right, despite it being listed as such on here. It's just a continuation of symphonic prog by bands that started after the first wave died. Stylistically, there's no difference.

While some bands definitely straddle the line between neo and symph, they are two distinctive styles.  Neo has a tendency to be more song-oriented, with more emphasis on melody than on complex time signatures and chord changes.  Neo also has less focus on extended soloing.  There also seemed to be an incorporation of 80's music into the mix.  Except for a few instrumental neo bands that I know of, vocals took a much more prominent role in neo.  And finally, neo didn't have quite the breadth that symph has, namely that neo seemed to take inspiration from Wind and Wuthering and left out pretty much all other prog influences, early on anyway.  BTW, it isn't just listed here as a separate subgenre.  It is a generally accepted subgenre of prog.  PA is just following the generally accepted here. 

This is a tough question from the OP.  Holmes and Lees are among my favorites and a few of the others aren't too shabby either.  This time I'm going to go with Lees, but on any other day it could have been Holmes.

Mr. Holmes for me.