He plays Dire Straits’ songs in the streets of Sao Paulo. And the quality of his cover blows my mind.
—
Named William Lee, this wonderful musician plays his covers of rock classics in the streets of Sao Paulo everyday. The quality of his work is mind-blowing.
Posted by Youtube/Leo Franclin, seen on Reddit
Very sad to inform you that Willian Lee passed away yesterday, 7/3/2017 of Panciatic Cancer, he was 46.
Think Bill is mixing up cover and version… Lee plays a cover while his link refers to a version on acoustic guitar. Both plays amazingly but to me on the acoustic guitar it is quite boring for this specific song…
Here is one more perfect shot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR8HmKWzRHE
Considering he’s competing with one oif the best guitarist in the world he did a remarkably good job on the street, with a much lower quality guitar and amp. I noticed a particularly Latin note rhythm in the fill riff.
There’s a big difference between a COVER and an IMITATION. That was an imitation, technically good but without any real distinguishing features to differentiate it from Mark Knopfler’s original – except for the riff at the end which was not really very good at all.
Here is a much more interesting cover. The guitarist really makes the song his own. It’s amazing how much mileage he gets out of a very compressed fret board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KsVtD01cgw
I watched the YouTube video and to be honest, I still find the street performer a lot more interesting. Also, note that your linked video, the guy may be an accomplished guitarist but I’m more compelled to watch a video to the end when they are singing the song. Plus I would say that putting the capo on does not make . you a more impressive guitar player at all, even as you say a ‘compressed’ fret board. All he has done is limit himself on a whole range of tones so he could play a lot of open position… Read more »
I totaly agree with you!
c’mon man, this guy from your link is awesome, but it is completely different from the street musician! There’s nothing to do one thing to another… you are not gonna compare, are you?
These are two different musicians and each has his place. While Willian Lee does not embellish as much as this other bloke, he nevertheless has the skills to if he would like to. Willian Lee does a great job on Sultan’s of Swing and I commend him for it. While I could listen to the other bloke’s version 1 time, I could listen to Willian Lee’s reproduction over and over again. Mark Knopfler is a great guitarist and to play his signature number to perfection, one better have what it takes. Willian Lee has what it takes, there is no… Read more »