1. )
Albert Hammond Jr. hails five
favorite guitarists
By Jennifer Usovicz GLOBE CORRESPONDENT SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
Albert Hammond Jr. (pictured) is still playing his 1985 ’70s­reissue Olympic White
Fender Stratocaster — “It’s an aged white now,” he says. But after nearly two decades
with the Strokes, Hammond isn’t afraid of new ventures: not just a solo career, but also
a fashion line. “I kept on reading it, that suits are my trademark,” he explains. “People
think I’m doing it, so I thought, Why don’t I just have a stab at that?” On his third solo
LP, “Momentary Masters” (released in July), the influential guitarist found inspiration
in “Cosmos,” Carl Sagan’s classic TV series. “There is a YouTube clip of [Sagan] talking,
and the world is moving behind him, and going further and further away,” Hammond,
35, says. “I used it as a thing to meditate on. Those words just hit my gut; I got so many
meanings from it.” Other influences include Strokes bandmate Julian Casablancas and
Bob Dylan, whose “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” Hammond covers. Now headed to
town for a Sinclair show on Sunday, Hammond took a moment to identify five guitarists
who’ve made an impact on his writing.
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2. George Harrison: He just made it seem effortless. He had such a unique sound and
style. He was very underrated because of how big the songwriting team was in [the
Beatles]. And his side notes or things he would say about life were really inspiring.
Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers): He picks the right
moments to show off, by doing what’s better for the song. It’s not a bad thing [to show
off] — you want to play this riff and have a little bit of fire. If I did the same thing to you
over and over again, you would lose your mind. See whatever fits.
Elliot Easton (the Cars): He’s one of the few people who is an amazing guitar player
professionally, but also, all the things he added to the Cars songs really gave them an
edge.
Lou Reed: I love his melodic side. Sometimes when he got weird, it wasn’t what I
loved about it. I’m surprised he wasn’t much bigger. The album “Loaded” is filled with
amazing love songs. If his self­titled album [released in 1972] came out today. . . I’m just
surprised it wasn’t more popular then.
John Lennon: When I was 18, I got the “Plastic Ono Band” album — I guess maybe I
was doing softer things then, or I just didn’t understand there was a lot of edge in a way
that was easily accessible. It could hit you immediately but still have depth, and that
was very powerful. It took me a long time to try and feel like I could do it — I’m still not
sure I can, but it’s fun to try.
Albert Hammond Jr. performs with Prinze George and When Particles Collide at the
Sinclair in Cambridge on Sunday. Tickets $20. 617­547­5200, www.sinclair
cambridge.com
Jennifer Usovicz can be reached at jennifer.usovicz@globe.com. Follow her on twitter
@jausovicz.
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