It's amazing that Andy was 44 years old in this video. He still looks so youthful for his present age of 71! I got to see him play with his own band at the Baked Potato in Studio City, CA in 2004, and he was so awesome. I bought his new album at the time, Earth + Sky, and he signed it for me. He is definitely one of the greatest and most creative guitar players ever.
I was at that show at The Baked Potato too. Were you the guy who was talking to him after the show and told him how much you enjoyed it? I thought it was cool how small the venue was and after you can approach him and he would talk to you.
Andy Summers is such an underrated guitarist. That's what I like about him - he's got chops and skills for day but his work with the Police is all about arrangement, restraint, and good taste.
I Love this guy. I Played in a Band ( doing . . . nothing but The Police ). I have Disected his Sound, Pedals, Effects & Guitar Playing. He has Inspired me so much. Andy Summers is Very Under-Rated. He is a Fantastic Player. Thanks for posting this. - Michael Caz - NYC -
A very forward-thinking guitarist. This guy was doing what the edge became famous for, before the edge became famous. Andy Summers has never been given the credit he is due for what he did to take the electric guitar into the 80's and beyond. He's not my all-time favourite but his influence is undeniable whether characters like the edge want to admit it or not.
Maybe not the first person people (musicians) think about, when they talk about the most influential guitarists, ever, but he surely should be on that list. Sting's songs were magnificent, but it was the style of playing and sound of the Police that made them unique. Summers was probably most responsible for that, which is very remarkable, in a trio like that. Until this day they are so much played and imitated, that we tend to forget how refreshing and different they were at the time.
Andy Summers will never be known as one of the greatest guitarists but he definitely made his mark with a unique style that sets him apart from the others
I loved the police and they are so very talented but I like Andy's character a lot. He seems very down to earth and just an all around good guy. I'll bet he's a lot of fun just to hang out with and have dinner with or something. The other two are so arrogant and gritty compared to Andy. I don't (dislike) Sting and Stewart. I just like Andy's personality better. However, that's just my opinion.
love andy, always have. in addition to the police, i saw him and his combo band play a small show at the justice league club in sf, winter 1997 (he was playing a string of dates for one of his monk albums at the time, i believe). got a chance to meet and have a photo with him after the show. yeah, i was gushing a little but i'm sure he gets that alot; his bandmate in circa zero, rob giles, even admitted to having a fanboy moment when first getting together with andy before working on their incredible project together. so, i don't feel so bad. ;-) i bought a hamer tele-style years ago (90's), b/c i saw a picture of him playing one in a magazine. love that guitar, best investment i ever made. i started off learning alot of covers, etc, but as i was trying to decipher some of andy's chord patterns, solos, etc, i started inverting them/changing them, playing off of them, playing things in different ways, changing time signatures, etc. then, i started writing my own songs and lyrics. over time, i've been able to develop a bit of a style of my own -- and i've got to, at least partially, thank andy for that.
7:15 Summers hits the nail on the head here. I worked in sales for a major music retailer for 8 1/2 years, and I can say that the trend these days for multieffects processors and amp emulators - a trend that largely started in the 80s - is incredibly sad, particularly given the fact that so much innovation today is going into making those sounds more "authentic" rather than creating interesting music. This trend certainly goes hand in hand with a return to combo amps and away from rack gear, and I'm all in favor of that. Still, what's the use of having all of those sounds at your disposal??? For most people, it's because it makes playing in a cover band a lot easier. In other words, it is NOT conducive to creativity. I'd take vintage pre-80s gear over the new stuff hands down. Just my preference. But if a lot of the new stuff is meant to emulate "classic" stuff, why not go to the source? This goes for most guitars as well as amps and effects. To paraphrase Jay Sherman, "If it's a remake of a classic, buy the classic!" Well, if you can afford to buy it, anyway...
It's pretty funny too, when he says that, the video conveniently cuts away haha. They were probably like, "Get him off of there!" haha. Not a very good job selling their rack.
Summers is talking about 1987. Now you can buy a modelling combo amp that does pretty much everything he sitting in front of. Not only that, it's weirdly hypocritical of Summers to come across as bemoaning this back then, he is one of the effects pioneers on the early 80s. He has guitar synths playing all over Police recordings... I see nothing wrong in emulating classic sounds with digital amps, but I can see retailers of $1-2000 amplifiers getting cranky about it.
Hugh Rogers I think you should re-read my comment. I used to sell Digitech Spider IV amps along with Marshall DSL100s, Fender Twins, or the occasional piece of vintage gear. Retailers want to make a buck; they won't get cranky about anything as long as they can push it out the door. My comment was more an observation that a lot of amp emulation today is designed with the cover band musician in mind.
I have been looking for this online for about 8 years! I came tantalisingly close once but the link didn't work. When I first started playing guitar twenty - five years ago, this doc was my bible and I watched it most days for a whole year. Sadly I lost the tape but always hoped I'd track it down. If you were considering putting it up then please do. Cheers.
This is a reallly interesting documentary anyone in to guitar should check it out, jerry donahue playing "the claw" on this Ch4 show made me want a telecaster so badly saw it when i was 15 yo, I'm 38, still playing and it still moves me! Andy Summers has amazing feeling in his playing too, very underated jazz/pop player
My favorite guitarist. You know what's funny normally when I get interested in a band I like the singer as my favorite guy. Not that I dont like sting he's great even like some of his solo hits but for the police he became my favorite guy.
Hey there, just saw your comment and agree for he most part with regards to Andy ' never being given the credit he is due for what he did to take the electric guitar into the 80's and beyond." However, Andys own autobiography 'One Train Later' is forwarded by none other than the Edge himself who has cited his admiration for Andy's contribution. I'd love to know if they would ever consider doing a project together (ala Summers/Fripp). I'm sure fans of both would love to hear a collaboration. ;-)
@feeture1729 By all means .. I already have the whole thing on a DVD, but I'm sure others would be pleased to see it. You can already see the It Bites section in my videos but there's some other stuff on there, of course.
Sad to say that only now am I understanding Andy's great work with the Police as it seems most video's focused on Sting and what he did. I have since bought books, and video's by Summer's to get a better handle on how he did his licks. Thanks for posting the video.
I'm quite happy to put up the whole video - it's 55 minutes - how to split it up? All CZcams tell me is I am allowed to upload videos longer than 15 minutes - but does that mean 55?? Any ideas?
Ya I miss the pete cornish board he used in the police, much warmer sounding effects and tone u can really hear the difference from what he sounded like live say during the zenyatta mondatta tour to the reunion tour.
+David Raichel For the 2007-8 tour, he kept the same effects he had the last time, but he just added some new ones to glisten up the tone. But to be honest, i miss his old effects
A little bit of "YES" there on backwards reverb I think. Andy was WAY older than the other two but doesn't age anyway, he has the painting in the attick, well I mean I Do as well, but I also look old in the painting
this was called 'twang, bang, kerang!'. the late 80s were very much the era of the 'rack' of processors, instead of the simple stomp boxes + amp. remember though, this was when synths ruled the airwaves, digital drums abounded and there were fears that the bass guitar would become obsolete - hence 5 and 6 string basses with a low B to compete with the range of synths. guitars had to go through 'fridge racks' to compete with synths. eventually realised guitars sound best like guitars!
@kelljm , he had better sound effects 10 years before this video. He says at the end of the video that the rack is to get the sounds he made years ago when he just had a few pedals.
@who8allthepies I get that. I just wonder what ever made anyone think that sounded good. The guy is a talented player with a great ear, so why sound like crap? y'know?
It's weird that in the late 80s and 90s guys like Andy mover from the lovely sound Electric Mistress, phase 90 foot pedals and tape delay to those horrible sounding early digital systems. Sounds so flat and sterile.
It's amazing that Andy was 44 years old in this video. He still looks so youthful for his present age of 71! I got to see him play with his own band at the Baked Potato in Studio City, CA in 2004, and he was so awesome. I bought his new album at the time, Earth + Sky, and he signed it for me. He is definitely one of the greatest and most creative guitar players ever.
He's wearing a lot of TV makeup in his clip though!
I was at that show at The Baked Potato too. Were you the guy who was talking to him after the show and told him how much you enjoyed it? I thought it was cool how small the venue was and after you can approach him and he would talk to you.
Andy Summers is such an underrated guitarist. That's what I like about him - he's got chops and skills for day but his work with the Police is all about arrangement, restraint, and good taste.
I Love this guy. I Played in a Band ( doing . . . nothing but The Police ). I have Disected his Sound, Pedals, Effects & Guitar Playing. He has Inspired me so much. Andy Summers is Very Under-Rated. He is a Fantastic Player. Thanks for posting this. - Michael Caz - NYC -
Proper gent this guy, and fantastic musician. Thanks for uploading
A very forward-thinking guitarist. This guy was doing what the edge became famous for, before the edge became famous.
Andy Summers has never been given the credit he is due for what he did to take the electric guitar into the 80's and beyond. He's not my all-time favourite but his influence is undeniable whether characters like the edge want to admit it or not.
it's funny how the audio from the old video tapes already makes a good guitar effect :)
ahhaha!! thats true!!
Yeah, It's wavering and it sounds really cool IMO.
Maybe not the first person people (musicians) think about, when they talk about the most influential guitarists, ever, but he surely should be on that list.
Sting's songs were magnificent, but it was the style of playing and sound of the Police that made them unique. Summers was probably most responsible for that, which is very remarkable, in a trio like that.
Until this day they are so much played and imitated, that we tend to forget how refreshing and different they were at the time.
I've got the whole Equinox 'The Electric Guitar' programme digitised - a fantastic programme!
I had it on VHS and watched it to death!
I recorded this on vhs when was aired wow a lot of years ago
andys really the master craftsman with a subtle approach.
Summers is the man.
Andy Summers will never be known as one of the greatest guitarists but he definitely made his mark with a unique style that sets him apart from the others
@Schekt3r "Charis", from Andy Summers' album 'Charming Snakes' which he later recorded and released in 1990
I loved the police and they are so very talented but I like Andy's character a lot. He seems very down to earth and just an all around good guy. I'll bet he's a lot of fun just to hang out with and have dinner with or something. The other two are so arrogant and gritty compared to Andy. I don't (dislike) Sting and Stewart. I just like Andy's personality better. However, that's just my opinion.
I like it when he does the hard rock.
love andy, always have. in addition to the police, i saw him and his combo band play a small show at the justice league club in sf, winter 1997 (he was playing a string of dates for one of his monk albums at the time, i believe). got a chance to meet and have a photo with him after the show. yeah, i was gushing a little but i'm sure he gets that alot; his bandmate in circa zero, rob giles, even admitted to having a fanboy moment when first getting together with andy before working on their incredible project together. so, i don't feel so bad. ;-)
i bought a hamer tele-style years ago (90's), b/c i saw a picture of him playing one in a magazine. love that guitar, best investment i ever made. i started off learning alot of covers, etc, but as i was trying to decipher some of andy's chord patterns, solos, etc, i started inverting them/changing them, playing off of them, playing things in different ways, changing time signatures, etc. then, i started writing my own songs and lyrics. over time, i've been able to develop a bit of a style of my own -- and i've got to, at least partially, thank andy for that.
7:15 Summers hits the nail on the head here. I worked in sales for a major music retailer for 8 1/2 years, and I can say that the trend these days for multieffects processors and amp emulators - a trend that largely started in the 80s - is incredibly sad, particularly given the fact that so much innovation today is going into making those sounds more "authentic" rather than creating interesting music. This trend certainly goes hand in hand with a return to combo amps and away from rack gear, and I'm all in favor of that. Still, what's the use of having all of those sounds at your disposal??? For most people, it's because it makes playing in a cover band a lot easier. In other words, it is NOT conducive to creativity.
I'd take vintage pre-80s gear over the new stuff hands down. Just my preference. But if a lot of the new stuff is meant to emulate "classic" stuff, why not go to the source? This goes for most guitars as well as amps and effects. To paraphrase Jay Sherman, "If it's a remake of a classic, buy the classic!"
Well, if you can afford to buy it, anyway...
It's pretty funny too, when he says that, the video conveniently cuts away haha. They were probably like, "Get him off of there!" haha. Not a very good job selling their rack.
Summers is talking about 1987. Now you can buy a modelling combo amp that does pretty much everything he sitting in front of. Not only that, it's weirdly hypocritical of Summers to come across as bemoaning this back then, he is one of the effects pioneers on the early 80s. He has guitar synths playing all over Police recordings...
I see nothing wrong in emulating classic sounds with digital amps, but I can see retailers of $1-2000 amplifiers getting cranky about it.
Hugh Rogers I think you should re-read my comment. I used to sell Digitech Spider IV amps along with Marshall DSL100s, Fender Twins, or the occasional piece of vintage gear. Retailers want to make a buck; they won't get cranky about anything as long as they can push it out the door. My comment was more an observation that a lot of amp emulation today is designed with the cover band musician in mind.
really interesting, thanks
Same, My old man and I watched this, i must have been 14 years old
@5:20 pure bliss 💕💕💕
I have been looking for this online for about 8 years! I came tantalisingly close once but the link didn't work. When I first started playing guitar twenty - five years ago, this doc was my bible and I watched it most days for a whole year. Sadly I lost the tape but always hoped I'd track it down. If you were considering putting it up then please do. Cheers.
This was really goood, and interesting talks, but where is the end of this it just cut off, is there a part 2. Loved it
This is a reallly interesting documentary anyone in to guitar should check it out, jerry donahue playing "the claw" on this Ch4 show made me want a telecaster so badly saw it when i was 15 yo, I'm 38, still playing and it still moves me! Andy Summers has amazing feeling in his playing too, very underated jazz/pop player
My favorite guitarist. You know what's funny normally when I get interested in a band I like the singer as my favorite guy. Not that I dont like sting he's great even like some of his solo hits but for the police he became my favorite guy.
The 3 God of music
long skinny fingers help with those hard chords
Hey there, just saw your comment and agree for he most part with regards to Andy ' never being given the credit he is due for what he did to take the electric guitar into the 80's and beyond."
However, Andys own autobiography 'One Train Later' is forwarded by none other than the Edge himself who has cited his admiration for Andy's contribution. I'd love to know if they would ever consider doing a project together (ala Summers/Fripp). I'm sure fans of both would love to hear a collaboration. ;-)
@feeture1729 By all means .. I already have the whole thing on a DVD, but I'm sure others would be pleased to see it. You can already see the It Bites section in my videos but there's some other stuff on there, of course.
He looked older in the Walking On The Moon video than he does in this documentary.
Sad to say that only now am I understanding Andy's great work with the Police as it seems most video's focused on Sting and what he did. I have since bought books, and video's by Summer's to get a better handle on how he did his licks. Thanks for posting the video.
Does anyone has the whole documentary? Ive been looking for it for decades, back then when I saw it ar discovery channel.
Cool, I wanted to hear him play some Coltrane though.
@who8allthepies - this video is from 1987, not the late 1970s. But yes sound effects have evolved.
His shoes are just as futuristic as his tone.
I'm quite happy to put up the whole video - it's 55 minutes - how to split it up? All CZcams tell me is I am allowed to upload videos longer than 15 minutes - but does that mean 55?? Any ideas?
His accent and mannerisms felt so *English* at this point. Today he's rather americanised.
he's adorable as fuck
search 'twang bang kerang' on this very site for the whole programme
Ya I miss the pete cornish board he used in the police, much warmer sounding effects and tone u can really hear the difference from what he sounded like live say during the zenyatta mondatta tour to the reunion tour.
+David Raichel For the 2007-8 tour, he kept the same effects he had the last time, but he just added some new ones to glisten up the tone. But to be honest, i miss his old effects
"Warmer sounding effects" Ok?
he still uses the huge rack systems with mesa boogies.
A little bit of "YES" there on backwards reverb I think. Andy was WAY older than the other two but doesn't age anyway, he has the painting in the attick, well I mean I Do as well, but I also look old in the painting
this was called 'twang, bang, kerang!'. the late 80s were very much the era of the 'rack' of processors, instead of the simple stomp boxes + amp. remember though, this was when synths ruled the airwaves, digital drums abounded and there were fears that the bass guitar would become obsolete - hence 5 and 6 string basses with a low B to compete with the range of synths. guitars had to go through 'fridge racks' to compete with synths. eventually realised guitars sound best like guitars!
I gotta say I prefer the sound effects of his Cornish pedalboard, than his Bradshaw rack. But this is still cool to look at.
What is the name of this documentary? I saw this on tv when I was younger. I would like to get the dvd.
yeah, me too
PS Shall I put it up?
Andy is 44 here?!
He could pass as 20
@paulstearne He made it....he can fuck around with it as much as he wants :)
@kelljm , he had better sound effects 10 years before this video. He says at the end of the video that the rack is to get the sounds he made years ago when he just had a few pedals.
There's something really Spinal Tap about this.
If I can play the Roses' Waterfall I can play Every Breath, need to encourage myself with that one haha
I bet he's using the Fractal AXE II nowadays
Line 6
i know than Younès Grandjean like this guitarist
Charis from Charming Snakes... ha!
from 6:42 onwards.... tell me... if you could play that... what girl isn't YOURS....
he does a lot of that style of music on Mysterious Barricades
czcams.com/video/ZSzzuh3ZTO8/video.html
un sous titrage en français serait encore mieux ..............
Every Breathe You Take riff sounds better without bassline...
@who8allthepies
I get that. I just wonder what ever made anyone think that sounded good. The guy is a talented player with a great ear, so why sound like crap? y'know?
It's weird that in the late 80s and 90s guys like Andy mover from the lovely sound Electric Mistress, phase 90 foot pedals and tape delay to those horrible sounding early digital systems. Sounds so flat and sterile.
Those effects sound horrible.