Bryan has enlisted the help of some great guitarists over the years on his solo projects, and (PM aside, obviously) my favourite will always be Chris Spedding. However, having watched the clips of the Mamouna tour that IanS posted a link to recently, surely Robin Trower must be the most gifted of the lot. The man is just a natural.

Like so many of his contemporaries, he was a tad over-indulgent in the 70s. However, there was never any doubting his ability.

I saw him a couple of years ago with Jack Bruce, and he was terrific. Of course, no guitarist, including Clapton, ever outdid the legendary Mr Bruce in the virtuosity stakes, but Robin definitely gave Jack a run for his money that night.

I've always wondered how one guitarist is chosen to play certain parts instead of another. Especially when you look at the quality guitarists that Bryan's worked with over the years. They all sound good to me !

Different guitarists have different styles and depending on what sound, groove, texture etc that Bryan is lookig for will determine this.

The late David Williams and Nile Rogers have very similar style in that they will play a lot of grooves and rythmn stuff. Take the lick on I Put A Spell On You for example that David Williams lick drives that track a long with the bass line. It just didn't sound the same when the great Chris Spedding played it live even though he played the same notes in the same places. Now Spedding offers a different sound and style to the Ferry songs he is more blues based and gets a lot of 'traditional guitar styles' onto Ferry's records. Leo Abrahams could rock a bit too but he added a lot of exerimental sounds and textures as did Chester Kamen. Neil Hubbard will play 3 notes hear and there but they are the right 3 notes to play in the right place at the right time with a beautiful tone. Manzanera has a more spikey approach and sound. Jeff Thall was all very flashy and technique when he played on the 1988 tour. Ollie Thompson seems to me to be quite an all rounder. He does Manzanera pretty well and I thought Hubbard was on Dylanesque when I first heard it on a CD promo with no credits but it was in fact Ollie.

I think the answer to the original question is that it is horses for courses and it is how Bryan uses them and blends them together. To ask who is Ferry's best guitaist might be like asking 'what is the best food item in your kitchen?' Chicken Curry is good but not at 6;30AM getting ready for work.

I have a few guitar muso friends who listen to a lot of 'guitar heroes' as an example of guitar playing. I then play them the verses as well as the guitar solo on Ferry's Windswept to hear an example how you can blend guitarists to gether with a lot of small things and nuances to make somethig just as interesting as some cliched rock guitar whizzo tecnnique filled solo.

J.O'B.

Mmmmmm........ I am treading on thin ice here John, because I am not a musician so I won't pick up on all of the things that you do. However, if we accept what you say then don't we also have to accept the thesis that all of these guys are equally as talented as one another? I don't think that can be right.
I understand the point about differing styles and techniques, and I know that each top guitarist has a style that is almost as unique to him as a fingerprint, but that isn't the point - or at least, it isn't my point. What I was trying to say is that some people just have a natural gift or a "god given" talent, that shines through. At the very top of any profession, it is this indefinable quality that distinguishes some people from those around them. I don't know exactly what it is but we all know it when we see it.
While I admire all of the following, I know that Jane Austen was a more gifted writer than George Elliot, I know that Al Pacino is a more talented actor than Jack Nicholson, and (one that will be close to your heart and which still pains me to concede after all of these years) I know that Jimmy Johnstone was a more naturally talented winger than Willie Henderson. I can make arguments against this, but deep down in a place where logic does not play a part, I know all of this to be the case.
This is the point that I was trying to make about Robin Trower. He seems to me to be a man at one with his instument in a way that I don't see all that often. This is the case whether he is playing some "cliched rock guitar whizzo technique filled solo" (great description, by the way!) or making a more controlled contribution to a blended soundscape.
I know it is not scientific but maybe that doesn't matter i.e. it is all about the vibes, man. I hope this makes sense because I can't explain myself any better.

David Gilmour's style blends nicelywith BF's songs also

I understand the point you were looking for and I was just trying to say it is not that straight forward to answer. I suppose if you give each guitarist a score out of a hundred in their own particular style then you will come up with an answer. It is also down to personal taste too I suppose. The bass player in my band has been to see Iron Maiden, Michael Schenker, Journey, Foreigner and Styx recently and he tells me how great the guitar players are. I am sure they are great and probably more adept technically than say Manzanera etc but at the same time that sort of stuff bores me

I thought Trower was superb on the second leg of the Mamouna tour though he is not easy on the eye to watch. I think Ollie Thompson is the most versatile of them all

J.O'B.

P.S. Jimmy Johnstone was the best footballer I ever saw live. It's a pity it was to the end of his career when I saw him.

Wish I could say the same about Wee Jinky ! Unfortunately, I saw him at his best !!!

However, even though I sit firmly on the other side of the sporting divide, I can't argue with your description of the man - he was a genius with a ball at his feet.

Wee Jinky ruined a few Old Firm matches for me. May have been in the company of Avondale at some of them!!! As for guitarists the best i have seen live with Ferry was the guy on the New Town tour. His solo on Ladytron was stunning To my eternal shame I can't remember his name right now. However I am biased and Phil will always be my favourite. Roxy Rule OK!!!