PAUL GILBERT IS a man who needs little introduction to these pages. As the founding guitar player in Racer X, he was responsible for taking heavy metal to new virtuosic heights on mid-Eighties records Street Lethal and Second Heat, with more finger-twisting escapades explored on the albums that followed more than a decade later. Even on those early releases, when Gilbert was barely out of his teens, it was like he'd arrived fully formed with breathtaking dexterity and control, especially when it came to synchronizing both hands and alternate picking with effortless precision.
His other main band, Mr. Big, was — and still is — an infinitely more melodic affair: perhaps best known for multiple chart-topping early Nineties hit “To Be with You,” as well as other choice offerings like “Green Tinted Sixties Mind,” “Colorado Bulldog” and “Take Cover.” Then, of course, there are the REH instructional videos such as Intense Rock, Intense Rock II and Terrifying Guitar Trip, which have become widely regarded as shredders’ bibles, with Gilbert breaking down his signature licks and moves while injecting his own unique sense of humor to make the footage more engaging and less stuffy, as many tapes of that era often were.
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Guitar World.
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This story is from the June 2023 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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