Where does The Edge fit on the Pantheon of Guitar Greats?

Vocally, the Edge for me is kind of similar to Brian May of Queen in this regard: really good background singers, who sound quite good doing the occasional lead vocal, but don't really have the voices to be a full-time lead singer. And that is okay. The Edge's verse near the end of Miracle Drug is one of my favorite U2 moments of the 21st century, and I absolutely adore Van Diemen's Land.

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

Ranked at # 2098767; just behind Slash

 

You couldn’t even name 100 guitarists without using google so the point is kinda moot no?

 

Well I'm sure all the posters in this thread will join me in wishing Happy Birthday to The Edge who is 58 today

 

LOL, happy birthday Edge, hope you get lots of new effects pedals so you can play even less notes and annoy even more grumpy rock traditionalists.

 

The Edge is an amazing guitarist. He's not about complex or fast playing but he has a wonderful sense of dynamics, rhythm, harmonics, tone, softness, aggression,...
Where does he fit? Hell, I dunno. In the top 50? There are (or rather, were) a lot of terrific guitar players out there.

 

“Bullet the Blue Sky”

‘Nuff said

 

You mean the live versions?

(solo starts at 1:52, for those guitarists only interested in that part)

 

Haha! Happy Birthday Edge

 

the use of the word pantheon, means the few really great: so he can't be in it but he is a good one!

 

Only here can U2 still be upstarts after 40 years.

 

Nah...studio version!

 

Highly effective

 

Can’t believe I’ve missed this thread so far. The Edge is great modern guitar player. I say modern because he doesn’t really base his playing in the blues like most of the greats before him and many after him. Great songwriter as well. Obviously he took the use of delay to a whole new level but he has written some great riffs and solos.

 

Frank Skinner once put this question to the audience of his radio show - " What time in the morning do you think the edge puts his hat on?"
Genius.

 

His playing is 1000x more enjoyable to listen to than any lame, shredding, "virtuoso" egomaniac guitar player who thinks that "shredding" and playing a million miles an hour actually sounds good. I'll take the Edge any day over Yngwie Malmsteen or whoever those guys are.

 

It seems to me this discussion (and to use that term I am ignoring all of the detours and pi$$ing contests) comes down to one thing; the use of effects.

Both sides acknowledge that nearly all guitarists use them.

Both sides acknowledge that The Edge uses them more.

One side sees that as a negative (he uses them too much) the other sees that as a positive (most guitarists use them, he just does it better and more successfully.)

I, personally, am on the pro-Edge side.
He's created a style and sound all his own and a plethora of memorable riffs.

Anyone can list great guitarists The Edge doesn't play like. Great! But why would you want him to play just like someone else?

 

Sensible post here, that’s rare!

 

Shouldn’t he have a world wide razor deal by now???

 

A stylist, a guitar sound designer. Looks similar to Andy Summers according to me.

 

One of my all time favourite guitar players.
It's all about "feel".
His solos are drenched with originality, melody and "feeling".
Listen to the aching solo bit in "In God's Country"; the harmonics and textures in "Deep In The Heart"; the ripping burning solo in "Bullet the Blue Sky"; the riffing in "Discotheque"; his playing on Robbie Robertson's "Sweet Fire Of Love"...
I could go on...

The man's a guitar genius. A great. One for the ages.

He's brilliant.

I love everything he plays on; to me he's that good!

 

Speaking of Discotheque, what do you think of Pop in general? Underrated for sure I’d say, unfairly slagged off! How can an album with Do You Feel Loved and If God Will Send His Angels be bad?

 

Yes, "pantheon" defines a very limited list.

 

I love the album "Pop" and have since it was released. I thought it was a bold move at the time. It's a shame it wasn't more positively received at the time of it's release, however it seems to have had a re-assessment in recent years and is a popular album with U2 fans.

The POPMART tour in 1997 may have been the best I ever saw them "live".

That album and tour reminds me of a very happy time in my life.