HomeNews Update“This song has a pretty epic solo. I remember scratching my head a bit trying to figure out the harmonizer effects he used”: According to cover pro Lord Phobos, this is one of the most difficult guitar songs to cover.
“This song has a pretty epic solo. I remember scratching my head a bit trying to figure out the harmonizer effects he used”: According to cover pro Lord Phobos, this is one of the most difficult guitar songs to cover.
July 3, 2024
The enigmatic Lord Phobos is not only the lead guitarist of the Canadian quartet TWRP – the backing band of the American comedy duo Ninja Sex Party – but also a real cover song fan.
With TWRP and Ninja Sex Party, the anonymous electric guitar star has released a series of cover albums bearing the title Under the blanketwhich, as the name suggests, includes reinterpreted versions of songs by artists from Pink Floyd to the Bee Gees.
Lord Phobos has an extensive repertoire and knows a lot about putting together cover versions – and now he’s revealed the song that was the most difficult to tackle.
“Owner of a lonely heart by Yes was quite difficult because of all the weird changes,” he admits. “The change into the bridge section is very unpredictable. That’s what I love about Yes, even when they’re doing the most accessible pop, it’s still really complicated in weird and subtle ways.”
Owner of a lonely heart – YouTube
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“They’re a legendary band and Steve Howe is a brilliant musician. The song has a pretty epic solo too. I remember scratching my head a bit trying to figure out the harmonizer effects he used.
“I considered playing the solo twice in different positions, but that was too difficult. In the end we just used an Eventide rackmount thing set to a doubling effect, with the wet sound pitched up so high that it sounded like two guitars. Some of the licks didn’t work so well with the effect, so I had to change the way I played certain lines!”
Despite having such an extensive repertoire, Lord Phobos surprisingly doesn’t use many different pedals as he “was never a big pedal guy”.
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“My favorite pedal is actually a Boss SD-1. It’s such a great mid boost, even if it takes away some of the bass and low mids. And I’d go as far as to say that flaw has become its main feature!
Lord Phobos is simply the absolute hammer on the guitar – YouTube
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“My other favorite is the Boss CE-2W. I love it so much in front of a clean amp. I can’t use it in front of too much gain because it gets a bit too washed out. But for my clean tones, it’s a pedal I couldn’t live without.
“I love Boss pedals… actually, I’d love to have a board full of their pedals. They’re affordable, sound great, and look cool. No wonder everyone from Yngwie to Nuno swears by their stuff.”
For more Lord Phobos content and a review of the best guitar cover versions of all time, see issue 386 of Total guitar at Magazines Direct.
