10 Most Underrated Rock Guitarists Of All Time
9. Larry Carlton - Steely Dan
Larry Carlton is mostly a name known in more musical circles than anything else. Instead of being the guitar star a la Joe Satriani or Steve Vai, most of Carlton's work has come from the way he can sit in whatever song he plays and hold his own. Then again, when you're listening to Larry Carlton, you can often tell within the first few seconds.
Aside from the occasional band dynamic, Carlton's main highlights have come from his work with Steely Dan as a go-to collaborator. While never really in the trenches with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, his leads are some of the most carefully thought out of all of Steely Dan's records. Take a song like Kid Charlemagne for instance. For as whacked out a chord progression as he is given, Carlton's way with melody manages to play circles around everything else in the mix, even when just on a clean sounding guitar.
That's not to say he has no edge to his playing either, as songs like Don't Take Me Alive shows his ability to delve a bit more into the jazz and fusion world with some real guitar snarl. So next time you're listening to a Steely Dan, be sure to check the credits for one of the most inventive solo crafters of the '70s.