Team Flowers vs. Team Crook
 

So, I had a moment to reminisce. I thought about the solos Randy (2 out of 3) and Paul (R&R Dreams) have on the HCTB tour. Each night they showcased their skills. One night, Meat playfully told Randy that Paul kicked his ass and basically issued a challenge to Randy. I think they've been having solo wars ever since. Clearly it is the fans that benefit. But I ask you (who have gone to a HCTB show), who is your preferred solo on this tour and which show was it?

okay so rakes of folk will be like "oh you cant split them they are both awesome"

thats fine, and we all know how good they BOTH are.. but i will attempt to answer your question.

Personally its Paul Crook for me EVERY time. this is due to him being Metal Loaf and my love of metal. he also in my opinion has the best guitars out of the two of them and the best guitar tone.

this all showed for me on Bat Outta Hell, a solo which he played BEAUTIFULLY at Glasgow 16th December 2010 at the SECC. all his other solos where gorgeous too.

though i am sure many of my fellow glasgow gig attendees would agree the Duel Solo was incredible and the best solo of the night.

and for those who may not have noticed, it was the "freebird" solo they fit into the track and they nailed it NOTE for NOTE at the same time.(i was right at the barrier watching in awe.

so i have answered your question but then sidetracked back to exactly how i said people would reply by making sure everyone remembers how good they both are :P

Yes, I find myself waffling between the two continually. They compliment each other nicely, but the friendly competition was definitely entertaining.

I love both these guys but if I had to choose then I'm team Randy all the way :up:

Paul's an amazing guitarist and much more of a performer on stage, but I think Randy is technically much better than Paul. In terms of guitar playing, I think Randy would be the bigger loss if one were to go.

I disagree. I think Paul would be the bigger loss, due to the fact that the lead guitarist is more noticeable. Randy tends to fade into the background at times. I do think they're both incredibly talented; Paul is the best lead guitarist that Meat has ever had. Randy is probably the best at what his does, but I haven't really thought about it. :? All that said, I think Paul's solos are better than Randy's. Although having not been to any shows from this tour I'm basing that off past performances. :twisted:

In the current NLE lineup there isn't really a single Lead Guitarist as such (not in the way that Pat Thrall, or Bob Kulick were in tours gone by)

For me, the top man out of the two of them is Randy. No question.

Paul is brilliant, without a doubt a superb "metal" guitaist, yes he gets the big solos in Break It, AFL and Bat, he gets the recognisable intros to Pardise and Deadringer but to be honest those solos aren't really the most taxing or melodic ... given a load of disotortion, and overdrive pedal and a whammy bar even I could knock out a Bat Motorcycle solo. Paul gets to play the recognisable solos in the classic songs. Now before I get misquoted, I'm not saying it's easy, I'm not knocking Paul's talents nor am I diminishing his role in any way.

Randy on the other hand is the underrated guitar playing genius of the band. As T'Other half says, he is technically the better guitar player of the two, he relies less on the gizmo's of processing and relies more on his ability with the guitar, the way he switches from finger picking to flat picking so seemlessly is incredible.

The two differing styles of guitar playing are what contributes to the overall sound of the band, Paul and Randy are the NLE equivalent of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood in the Stones, they interwaave the sound so well it is hard to spot who's paying what quite often.

Knowing very little about guitar playing as such I found Andy's post really interesting. From the very little I knew I'd have said that Randy is technically master of the guitar, and in any classical contest would probably win hands down. Paul on the other hand is incredibly creative and skilled at delivering those fast and complicated heavy guitar riffs which dazzle in a different way, and would be top in his field.

Ask me which is my preferred solo and I'd probably say Paul, because for me his playing is the essence of rock, but I am always hugely impressed by the technical virtuosity of Randy's playing. Like Andy I'll add that I'm not knocking (in this case Randy's) skill nor diminishing his contribution in any way, and together they provide a staggeringly impressive skillset in a truly remarkable band. It's tempting to say I'd miss Paul most because he's an amazing lead guitar, but I suspect each would be missed equally, because as Andy says their respective styles and playing are woven together so inextricably, and to me they form a whole that is even greater than the sum of its parts.

Caryl

Randy Flowers by a mile for me...Mr Crook looks good racing around the stage but in the recent tour the whole rock n roll dreams acoustic delay pedal solo thing was really annoying

I think as Andy says Randy is technically a better guitarist

They both have their own individual styles of playing which complement each other very well. It's cool to watch Paul when it comes the the show aspect :metal: but when I just want to observe how something is being played, I prefer looking at Randy.

but which is the better plucker???

i'd need to see them do a banjo solo each before deciding :?


though thats not really comparing apples with pears

well i'm not a guitar expert, so my point of view is about what i like or not like ;)
i like both guy's playing, Paul's metal solos are as amazing as Randy's classic guitar solos but if i have to choose..... without thinking i'd say Paul but if i take some minutes to think about it than i'd say i like more Randy's style.....on the other hand they are 2 different styles and both great at what he does ;)

in Birmingham Paul blew me away with the Bat and Song of madness solo and i loved Randy's 2 out of 3 and Boneyard intro, at the freebird jam both were out of this world :metal:
just a side note about Paul's R&RD intro that it was great and i liked it so much but it was pretty strange to see him behind a classic guitar :-)

Im going for neither. both are horrible. :twisted:

It's impossible for me to choose because they are both awesome players. They have very different styles that still compliment each other very well.

it was awesome your are right to point that out. :)

and though i see everybodies points about randy and his playing, he is not a classical player, he too is rock, just a different brand of rock at times to Paul.

i think we can all agree WarioLoaf is wrong though :P

a lot of women on this site have said that before...

:lawl: I'm primarily interested in their guitar playing, really... :saint:

as it should be:D

I think they're both amazing, and just can't choose :-)

Sure you are :lawl:

:twisted: I'd say I enjoyed Paul's performance more because it was so unexpected, but they are both amazingly talented dudes 8)

Like several others, I can't make a choice because they both have such different styles. Paul is such a showman - the way he runs around the stage and everything. Randy is more of a technician as someone else said. Just can't decide. Love listening to both of them play and watching both of them too.

I like the way they compliment each other on stage and seem to fit nicely. Like Randy is the Ying to Paul's Yang. Together, they kick ass, though both are capable of awesome solos :)

I agree with that.

I absolutely agree :))

This sums it up perfectly. I love they way complimented each other on the Freebird medley.