Re: The GEORGE LYNCH is the baddest mutha around thread!
George has killer chops and tone, there can be no arguement about that.
Some folks just aren't good at the "sit-in-and-jam" thing and George may be one of them from the sounds of some of this. Possibly because he was working on his own thing so hard that he never really copped anyone else's thing or came out of the woodshed enough to jam. I've known a number of guitarist who were incredible, but so idiosyncratic that they really couldn't sit in with anyone else. Maybe that's the case with George.
Years ago I remember analyzing his technique a bit and got a sense that he was kind of unorthodox, like someone who was stubborn about figuring things out his own way instead of learning every Clapton riff and copying everyone else's technique. I do recall reading that he was largely self-taught and doesn't read (fill me in if I'm off base here, those who know better). His left hand in particular fascinated me, he plays very flat-fingered rather than on the fingertips, unlike so many Berklee-grad shredders. But it sure does work for him! Cool double-stops and very muscular vibrato yet plays great scalar runs too.
I think part of the reason he never got his due (outside of the guitar inner circle) is that he was a victim of never having worked with the right songwriter (the Yngwie syndrome?). The tunes seemed to hover in a grey zone, having some pop sensibility but not enough for mainstream radio (with a few exceptions) yet not quite extreme enough to be pure metal or shred in that "no regard for fads" way. So it was listenable by folks who liked both, but the AOR wonks probably never got it. Regardless, I think it's nice to let him know he's appreciated.