[FighterAndLover]

Hey all,

I hadn't visited the site for awhile- I love the new look! You guys are doing a fantastic job at consolidating everything!

If there is another thread with this topic, please re-direct me and delete.

But what do you think Mr. Baker's best guitar riff (in the studio) was? I guess I will bias you all with my claim- I still think 'Bring it all back to me' (which actually has 2 solos by him) is my favorite. But there are a lot of good ones. Thoughts?

[Escape@Hand]

Hmm...best riff? His main lick in NOIS is obviously the most iconic, although I'm so sick of that song I don't really care for it anymore. My favourite solo of his would probably be the second solo/outro to Locked in a Trunk of a Car, and favourite riff perhaps ABAC. That's just going off the top of my head. If I really cull through their material my answers might change.

[FighterAndLover]

Locked is great... ABAC is great I just wouldn't consider it a 'riff'.

[Tthip]

what do you think Mr. Baker's best guitar riff (in the studio) was?

Hmm...best riff? His main lick in NOIS is obviously the most iconic

Paul kicks ass.
[youtube]JMd9v-mPj7g[/youtube]

[direwolf74]

Maybe I'm wrong, but to me it seems like Paul actually writes most of the "riffs" while Robby adds the "painterly colors", as Dave Bidini says. Rob's most iconic riff is obviously NOIS. Pretty sure Twist My Arm is also his. Fight is one of my all-time favorite Hip riffs, but again, I think that one is Paul.

Best Robby solos:

Gift Shop- my favorite, hands down. His solo during the outro is absolutely majestic, especially on the studio version. They've never been able to replicate it live in my opinion.

Nautical Disaster- spine-tingling in its awesomeness.

Grace, Too- his guitar prowess during live versions of this song cannot be overstated. Both he and Gord Sinclair absolutely own that song. Listen to the final performance from the show in Kingston last summer and tell me you don't get goosebumps from his playing.

More of my favorites: Bring it All Back, Fight, Locked in the Trunk of a Car, Queen of the Furrows, Tiger the Lion, The Wherewithal, Three Pistols.

[Tthip]

Rob's most iconic riff is obviously NOIS.

Are we talking about the opening of NOIS? If so, that is Paul.

[direwolf74]

Rob's most iconic riff is obviously NOIS.

Are we talking about the opening of NOIS? If so, that is Paul.

No, not Paul's opening/rhythm part. I'm talking about Rob's main recurring solo-ey part that he plays throughout the song and during the outro.

[Tthip]

Rob's most iconic riff is obviously NOIS.

Are we talking about the opening of NOIS? If so, that is Paul.

No, not Paul's opening/rhythm part. I'm talking about Rob's main recurring solo-ey part that he plays throughout the song and during the outro.

Ah. Apparently I have no idea what a riff is. Could be why I am a failure on guitar.

[direwolf74]

Ah. Apparently I have no idea what a riff is. Could be why I am a failure on guitar.

Haha, I'm a pretty sub-par guitar player myself, so I feel your pain. I'm pretty sure both Paul and Rob's parts in NOIS can be considered riffs.

[potsie]

Best Robby solos:

Gift Shop- my favorite, hands down. His solo during the outro is absolutely majestic, especially on the studio version. They've never been able to replicate it live in my opinion.

Couldn't agree more. I love Giftshop and while it is not necessarily my favourite Hip tune, the last minute of the song might just be my all-time favourite piece/snippet of music by any artist. When Rob plays that outro it's almost automatic that my eyes want to close, which seems to allow me to "feel" the song more (for this reason, I tend to avoid it while driving!) Majestic indeed, and I agree that they've never been able to top the studio version in the live setting. I'd go as far as to say there is no other song in their catalogue that there is a bigger chasm between the studio and live versions in terms of excellency. 98% of the Hip's material is improved live, but not this one.

[Escape@Hand]

Best Robby solos:

Gift Shop- my favorite, hands down. His solo during the outro is absolutely majestic, especially on the studio version. They've never been able to replicate it live in my opinion.

Couldn't agree more. I love Giftshop and while it is not necessarily my favourite Hip tune, the last minute of the song might just be my all-time favourite piece/snippet of music by any artist. When Rob plays that outro it's almost automatic that my eyes want to close, which seems to allow me to "feel" the song more (for this reason, I tend to avoid it while driving!) Majestic indeed, and I agree that they've never been able to top the studio version in the live setting. I'd go as far as to say there is no other song in their catalogue that there is a bigger chasm between the studio and live versions in terms of excellency. 98% of the Hip's material is improved live, but not this one.

The Giftshop solo is definitely epic, and while I understand the sentiment regarding the studio version being better than the live versions, I do think that the Live Between Us version matches up pretty well to the album. That whole concert is outstanding, and I think Giftshop is one of the highlights of that night.

[potsie]

Best Robby solos:

Gift Shop- my favorite, hands down. His solo during the outro is absolutely majestic, especially on the studio version. They've never been able to replicate it live in my opinion.

Couldn't agree more. I love Giftshop and while it is not necessarily my favourite Hip tune, the last minute of the song might just be my all-time favourite piece/snippet of music by any artist. When Rob plays that outro it's almost automatic that my eyes want to close, which seems to allow me to "feel" the song more (for this reason, I tend to avoid it while driving!) Majestic indeed, and I agree that they've never been able to top the studio version in the live setting. I'd go as far as to say there is no other song in their catalogue that there is a bigger chasm between the studio and live versions in terms of excellency. 98% of the Hip's material is improved live, but not this one.

The Giftshop solo is definitely epic, and while I understand the sentiment regarding the studio version being better than the live versions, I do think that the Live Between Us version matches up pretty well to the album. That whole concert is outstanding, and I think Giftshop is one of the highlights of that night.

The LBU version of Giftshop is one of the best they've ever performed. The solo on it is outstanding, and while Rob comes very close, I still don't think it quite stacks up to his studio version. I also think I would enjoy it more if Gord wasn't singing over-top of it (just like I don't like people in my car talking during the Comfortably Numb solo... some things need to be enjoyed without distraction!).

My opinion probably has a recency bias to it. For me, Giftshop is a song that they don't play as well in recent times as they did back then. When I'm at a Hip concert now I still want it in the setlist, but I know I'm going to have subtle pangs of disappointment when it's over because it won't be as good as I want or think it could be. And that's a very small complaint, to be sure!

[cochise]

Way too hard to pick. "Up To Hear" alone has about six classic opening riffs to it. I wouldn't even be able to pick my favourite off that one album, let alone an entire discography.

[Moof_Milker]

Hmm...best riff? His main lick in NOIS is obviously the most iconic, although I'm so sick of that song I don't really care for it anymore.

I agree. NOIS was my favourite Hip song in my early years as a fan, but time and excessive radio play have numbed me to it. Credit where create is due though - Paul and Robby's riffs together on that track kick some serious ass. Funny that the boys were definitely more riff heavy in the early days. I love their evolution - would have been easy for them just to record another Up To Here...or Fully Completely, but they have always pushed themselves in new directions (including on MMP). As a mediocre guitar player myself, those early Hip riffs (from UTH, RA and FC) were/are so much fun to play! Their newer material isn't as riff-heavy (ie; easy for a slacker like me to play) as their early stuff so not as fun to play. Imho, the best guitar riffs, from any band, are those that are simple enough for a mediocre guitar player to play. Make no mistake though: I absolutely love (and prefer) Robby (and Paul's) more melody-driven, atmospheric, dynamic guitar work. They are masters.

[potsie]

Looking at riffs, that really is one of the big transitions from UTH/RA/FC and everything that came after. There are at least half a dozen great riffs each on those first three albums and then practically none on DFN. I think the only one I would count on that album would be So Hard Done By. Grace, Too certainly has a very recognizable opening but I'd classify that as more of a "groove" than a riff (semantics, I know). It seemed to move very quickly from a "raw" sound on RA to an "atmospheric" vibe on DFN, and I think the riffs, or lack thereof, play a huge role in that change.