As the story goes, Steve Howe and Martin Taylor (his real name, honestly) learned from a friend that Scott Chinery wanted some of his over 1,000 guitars recorded. Taylor rang up old pal Howe, the two of them sat down with Chinery – immediately dropping their jaws at the sight of all the guitars. Seems Chinery had dreamed of recording some of the antique and priceless guitars and Howe and Taylor were just the boys for the job. Anyone who knows the name Scott Chinery knows the story: the guy had more guitars than one could name and, from the sounds of it, he wanted them to be seen and heard by everyone.
The results of their collective efforts are stunning. Martin and Howe work wonderfully together as they pick and strum their way through 17 songs, some the work of others, some their own. For the real guitar lover, the guitars used for each song are labeled and often pictured in liner notes – even each solo containing separate guitars, each are listed.
Little can be said regarding the specific songs. Each one is relatively similar to the last. I could take heat for such a phrase, but for the most part, each song is the collection of 4/5 guitar parts with a few solos. Ranging from darkly lit restaurant music to open air jazz fest tunes, but the guitar work is consistently great, and Taylor and Howe do a solid job of preserving the vintage sound of each instrument. But such a feat is truly attributed to the entire recording crew, most of which I’m guessing sincerely appreciated the guitars they worked with and therefore strove to get the perfect sounds.
Fans of Howe and Martin have probably had this album in their sights for years, but for those who haven’t heard of them, this is your chance. For guitar lovers, this is a staple album. If you’ve ever searched for antique guitars on eBay and only dreamt of the sounds they could create, chances are you’ll hear them on this album. And if you’ve ever wondered what Scott Chinery’s guitars sound like, you get a tiny glimpse of his enormous collection. Unfortunately Chinery never got a chance to hear this recorded completed, but it can be seen as a perfect tribute.
