I don't understand Dicky Betts' Greatness

From the Summer of 1978's rehearsals for the return of Lynyrd Skynyrd, at Volunteer Jam 5, January 1979. Now available as a grey market (?) CD, I highly recommend.
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As an ardent fan I must wade into the fray here. Anybody who comes up with
`In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed', `Les Brers In A Minor' and `Jessica' is a darn
genius for sure. Doesn't matter whether he can play guitar or not. Then there
is `Kind Of Bird' and that stunning re-arrangement of the Spencer Davis Group
song that Dickey and Berry used to play in the Second Coming. I think Betts'
biggest problem was that he didn't just stick to one style. Dickey was `Django
On Acid' (as Warren Haynes used to say) and then he was just as comfortable
performing on a back porch with Vassar Clements. I hate to say this, but when
Dickey passes, the hosannas will be raining down from the heavens as to his
`greatness'.

 

*kinda off-topic for a second, but a quick rare pic of Derek playing Duane's actual #1 guitar...beautiful!

 

Dickey & Duane Betts

 

Never a big fan of Betts' playing either. Duane Allman was brilliant and Betts was a journeyman at best. On the other hand, he wrote some really good songs for the band.

 

I couldn't disagree more ,Journeyman?? are you nuts

 

Nope, not at all. Allman is considered one of the greatest, if not THE greatest slide guitarist of all time. He is said to have elevated the level of slide guitar playing for all players, the way Charlie Parker brought technical sax playing to another level.

Could you show me the writing of one musicologist who mentions Dickie Betts as one of the premier guitarists of his time? He is listed in the 100 greatest living guitar players?

Could you cite examples of his work that I should listen to help form my own opinion, because I listened to the Allman Brothers since the early '70s. And after he left the group, saw a concert with his own band. Nothing has ever struck me about his playing other than being merely average.

Certainly hearing Allman's sense of phrasing and note choice next to Betts' sheds light on who is the far more impressive player to my ears. I'm a musician, and between Allman and Betts, there's only one of them who consistently perks my ears up.

Perhaps you could say that Allman is the showier of the two. Betts does a nice tasteful guitar line on "Sweet Melissa", but I just don't hear much that is really inventive, clever, or arresting in his solos.

It's my opinion, of course. If you like his playing, that's fine. Don't let me stop you from listening to him.

 

Well put.

 

If you must, check out Rolling Stone's list. But why?

Who are these unnamed "musicologists" who are the ultimate authority of who is or isn't a "premier guitarist of all time" and why should I take them seriously? And I don't mean one of those hundreds of silly magazine articles that compile annual lists just to sell copies. Certainly Duane appears on many of those lists, but so does Dickey. So do lots of players who I don't personally think deserve it. That's a reflection of my taste and opinion, not necessarily of that player's ability.

"Journeyman" is a disparaging term - it means that someone is a student who never rises above their teacher, that they are competent but undistinguished. A case can be made for Duane's greatness, but I think Dickey is much closer to that level of greatness than to a "journeyman".

I will never understand why some people feel the need to pump up their personal favorite artist by putting down another artist.

 

All one has to do is listen to the Whipping Post from At Fillmore East and listen to Dickey trading leads with Duane. His greatness is more than evident.

 

Dickey was/is a genius at creating small melodic statements and then taking them thru amazing variations. IMO, He had it over Duane in that sense.
Dickey was/is also brilliant at repetition but applying rhythmic changes to the repetitive lines to make them sound different and adding tension and release.
His solo on Blue Sky is just as inventive as anything Duane Allman played.
IMO, Duane could not play in a purely country mode like Dickey could. Duane was not as adept at hitting those chordal downbeat notes like Dickey does. He does it without even thinking.....almost like just breathing.
Just my opinion as well.
IIRC, he does make it on many of the "Greatest Guitar Player Lists".

 

This my feeling exactly. Sure he is very good but I don't hear what puts him in the same league as the greats. Although I wouldn't call him a journeyman

 

Duane was undoubtedly an incredible guitar player. He played his soul through it, much like Hendrix and Clapton were capable of. Pure magic. DB is also tremendous, and The Allman Brothers Band would have been a weaker until without their interplay.

 

They're dreadful guitarists...

 

If you can't appreciate Dickey's fluid melodic runs...I'm not sure there is much more I can discuss with you.

 

Betts wrote some good songs for the band but wasnt a great guitarist? It takes a great guitarist to write and play those songs. Hello.

 

WHAAA??

 

Well Duane of course is great ,who do you think is better than Dickey? as for the Musical press or 100 best polls ,I find them plain silly ,Oscar Aleman and Teddy Bunn aren't even mentioned ,because they don't even know who they are

The Brothers and Sisters Box set is super ,Dickey was also great because of the the Type of Band he was in,He had plenty of space to solo

 

Next up:

Stephen Stills: Mediocre Picker.

 

"Who is better than Dickey?" Really??

Uh....."Who isn't?" would be easier to answer. If I list 10 guitarists here, you'll come back and say "See, you can only name 10!"

But I'll rattle off some living players:

Jerry Douglas
Buddy Miller
Stephen Stills
Richard Thompson
Pete Townsend
Bonnie Raitt
Nils Lofgren
Jorma Koukonen
Shawn Colvin
Paul Simon
Bob Dylan
Mark Knopfler
Robin Trower
Daniel Lanois
Joe Walsh
David Lindley
Robert Cray
Tom Morello
Orianthi Panagaris
Derek Trucks

There are a whole bunch of blues players that I know I'm not aware of, as it's not a genre I'm terribly familiar with.

That's off the top of my head. And we're not including jazz guitarists here.

 

There are some things those guitar players do better than Dickey but there are things that Dickey does better. I'm sorry but to say those players are "better" than Dickey is really shortsighted.
Think about this, Duane loved Dickey's playing and he knew Bett's was an amazing player. He would not have kept him in the band if he thought he was holding them back.
No mystery here unless you don't trust how Duane felt and what he heard night after night.

 

I think what kept Betts in the band was his songwriting, which was very good. I'd keep him in the band, too, as a second guitarist given his songwriting skills. It's not like he's the guitarist equivalent of Florence Foster Jenkins. And what else would Allman say about a bandmate? My ears tell me a lot.

 

Did somebody just try to tell me Pete Townsend was a better guitarist than Dickey? Paul Simon? Bob Dylan?

 

I think he was a fantastic partner with Duane and carried the band for a few albums after Duane was gone. BUT I never liked his solo albums all that much even though I listened to them quite a bit back in the day.