Eighties by Killing Joke | Detailed tutorial + Geordie tone tips

Many of you have requested I look at this song: KJ classic which contains some wonderful Geordie riffage. Towards the end of the video I discuss the Geordie sound and give you my gear and tone tips.
Tab and backing track can be found on Patreon (pay what you like): / anyonecanplayguitar
My beginner soloing course: courses.anyonecanplayguitar.c...
My latest album: zodiactoys.bandcamp.com/releases
00:00 Hi
00:51 Play-through
02:53 About the song
04:10 Main riff
08:16 Riff 2
10:24 Riff 3
10:48 Solo
12:25 The Geordie sound
17:48 Bye
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[@Dylan-co2cl]

This is what I love about this guy,he digs into all the indie and obscure greats.

[@zeon137]

What do you mean you don't want to learn blues licks?

[@matthewpollard2843]

this is not obscure it was a big hit

[@DerEchteBold]

@@matthewpollard2843 It was? But mostly in the UK, I guess? I never heard it until a few years ago but I'd still say this is certainly one of the least obscure for me. At least I know the band, listened to 'Democracy' a lot in the 90s.

[@Andrew_M_Ward]

@@matthewpollard2843 / um... well that certainly depends on how you define "big hit"

[@SyntagmaStation]

He’s the best

[@stormgiant100]

RIP Geordie Walker - a hero of mine from the beginning. It is impossible to imagine anyone stepping into his place in Killing Joke. This was a fantastic lesson as a tribute to the great man thanks and more KJ please!

[@MuseumsBloke]

Thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you. Got to thank a good school friend for breaking me out of my Neil Young fixation and introducing me to Killing Joke, Bauhaus, New Model Army and a good few other post-punk/Goth/Crusty guitars bands, all of whom offer plenty more interesting tracks to mine. And you know what? The fact that you don’t have a team selling your soul on line to myriad companies to beg/borrow/steal loads of flashy gear, and that you “just make do” with what you have - that is inspirational in itself, and real world stuff too, the same place where I suspect 99% of your viewers reside. Respect!

[@randallh3747]

Stunning as ever. I was listening to a podcast recently with Budgie from the Banshees and he mentioned you (not by name but I'm 99% sure he meant you) while discussing the late great John McGeoch.

[@Foofang65]

Absolutely love Geordie. Got to see him and KJ in Atlantic City. So grateful to see them. They opened up for tool.

[@boomerdell]

Great lesson, as always, Adrian, and always admire and love the way you make sure people get the chance to learn about so many fantastic musicians who might not be so well known these (or even back when their songs were first released). Thank you!

[@morecowbell69]

It was definitely an influence on Kurt Cobain. He was said to be reluctant to release Come As You Are as a single because of the similarity.

[@DerEchteBold]

Haha, he was right, they had to pay some sort of settlement later, I think.

[@sirtogii5216]

I was going to say, man that sounds a lot like Come as you are, when Andy was showing off the tone and gear.

[@SomeRandomNameOrOther]

@@DerEchteBold No, people often say that but there was no lawsuit. Nirvana's Dave Grohl was the drummer on one of their albums. No hard feelings!

[@Hell_Inc]

it’s not a “similarity” they got sued by KJ. sounds exactly the same

[@morecowbell69]

@@Hell_Inc Killing Joke weren't happy, but they didn't sue.

[@nealpike6611]

Needed a new song to learn and was going to tune down one of my guitars anyway

[@mapgeek6]

One of my all-time favorite songs from one of my all-time favorite bands. I've been listening to these guys since 1985.

[@Tusitala1967]

Maybe some Bell ADT units will start showing up on the market now that Geordie has passed. I saw an interview with him where he said he had his guitar tech guy buy them every time they appeared for sale, for back-ups, spare parts, etc. He was definitely a hero of mine, and I really appreciate this tutorial, Adrian. I am probably in the minority here, but I am very fond of Adorations off of Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, if you're looking for more KJ to feature.

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

@Tusitala1967 I figured out Adorations a couple of years ago but have since mostly forgotten it. I seem to recall some Geordie-head on FB might've demonstrated playing it...(about 80% right...)

[@rictube4716]

You got a thumbs up before i even presed play just for picking aGeorcie Walker tu e. Then you floored me right at the start saying "the late great" WTF? How that news slipped by me I dont know. Geordies playing 😂was a MASSIVE influence in my teens. The first tune i tried to learn on guitar was the Empire Song when it came out. I failed miserably at the time but had much more success learning tunes by the time Night Time was released. Thanks for this lesson, i never really got to grips with the dissonant riffs so will be plugging in tomorrow and practicing more in memory of Mr Walker.

[@halfnakedfrankenstein]

Great video. Requiem would be a great riff. Also i think Love like blood is the quintessential killing Joke song. Id recommend the albums ‘whats this for’ for any one that gravitates towards the tribal drum sounds like the band 1919. Brighter than a thousand suns is also a perfect 80s record

[@sheistcoff]

Wonderful timely tribute to the superb guitarist whose influence was so profound!

[@baabaabaa-yp2jh]

Excellent choice Adrian!!! You got pretty close to Geordies tone too!! Id love to see Requiem or something off the first LP.... Thanks mate, this will keep me busy for a few weeks!! RIP GEORDIE WALKER.

[@captainianr]

Brilliant, thanks. Been getting my bass fingers going with Love Like Blood this week so this is perfect timing.

[@MrTimcoronel]

those triplets are a killer

[@clawfoot8400]

Great tone, Adrian! Would love to see more KJ lessons. Thanks for this!

[@dieselman7453]

You are the man I have learned a lot from ur lessons thanks .. Brian Ireland 🇮🇪🎸🎸🎸

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

Very nice, gg's 👏. A great band, Geordie was something else! I used to play Requiem when I was just out of school. A very happy memory as my punk mentor and life guru was the drummer 🔥☺️ Like deployed 👍 😎🎙🎸✅️

[@malcolmhead2852]

Fantastic ! Thanks Adrian, my wish has come true

[@thepeacefulenemy4026]

Holy shit, thank you! Geordie Walker does not get enough attention. Been wishing for more videos like this for a long time now.

[@Anson120]

The "Extremities" album made my mind blow up. Seems like Killing Joke inspired "Come as you are" LOL

[@ruechel]

you KILLED it on that one, mate! Thanks for bringing back memories. I was there.

[@fuzzcous]

Thank you for the lesson. Killing Joke first record is amazing. A lesson on Complications would be great, the riff is tight but also drones.

[@smallfacesmikey]

Very nice! That tone is spot one.

[@Foofang65]

Peace for Geordie ✌️

[@vv247]

Killing Jokes debut release was epic , right up there !!! The Wait is my fave.

[@Tony-os6ib]

What a stunning labour of love! Thank you Adrian

[@ondmon818]

just amazing, thankyou for this, saw them in glasgow in the late 90's jazz talked a lot with his monk's habit on but the band were amazing, youth on bass.

[@aaronrothenburger4178]

Great video. One of my favorite KJ songs. A nice tribute to Geordie. Love your channel.

[@joecarp8302]

Love your Vox guitar. A fave song of mine too. Tonight on my guitar I’m going to approximate Adrien approximating Georgie.

[@christopherskoczen4589]

Thanks for doing this. The first KJ record is phenomenal. I love this channel as much for your discerning taste and recommendations as for the lessons, which are amazing.

[@davewalkden7248]

Absolutely nailed it, mate. Wow...speechless. The tone, the intonation, the rhythm, the lot...

[@carloscoll5249]

Awesome!! Andrian you should check out the tracks Requiem and Wardance. To me those two tracks are quintessential Killing Joke. Now this is hard, cause Iam still working on Mc Geogh from the last lesson,!! But this is so good

[@davepirtle9790]

Wardance is my fav too but I consider that album less refined but just as good.

[@cliveblowers709]

Adrian, thanks for the Geordie Walker / KJ lesson, much appreciated. I was a teen in the late 70’s early 80’s so a lot of your content is very interesting to me. Keep up the great work, love your channel.

[@despoticmusic]

FANTASTIC breakdown of your signal chain. I wish everyone would do this!!! Dude, thank you so much for what you do - I don’t play much, but I love your music choice for your videos.

[@trbr1799]

Adrian, thanks again for your standout channel. So much of it is my personal soundtrack. I learn songs from you that I listened to as an avid music fan in my teens... but I didn't play guitar then. I relish digging into the greats from this period of my life. Killing Joke is but one. I listened to Night Time a lot back then. Forgot about it til now. Appreciated! Keep up the exceptional work!

[@Tiffany-Rose]

🙌🙌 This song is so good, cant wait to try and play it, ty!

[@SO-ym3zs]

Great teaching and playing, as always. Thank you for your dedication to all these classic Post-Punk and Alternative rock bands. I mostly play bass these days instead of guitar, but I still love watching your channel because of the song choices and your explanatory style.

[@trickfall8752]

Awesome choice!

[@Kevin-the-Just]

Geordie Walker was so under appreciated as a guitarist. So glad you tackled this track. He was, is still, one of my heroes. Great job on getting close to his sound too.

[@cupidstunt66]

Couldn't help singing along to that. Takes us all back. Great song and tx for teaching such hidden gems.

[@ThomasLockney]

Love this. Thank you so much for putting this together. As others have said, more Killing Joke would be very welcome.

[@Mrcrazyforlego]

Nice. Thanks. Appreciate the effort in putting this together

[@brutallyremastered4255]

Thanks for not saying "passed away".

[@tuskedbeast]

Very enjoyable. Great bass playing too on the backing track. Thanks!

[@NordElectric-fi6sg]

Top notch as always

[@stefanodeclich701]

Your guitar sound was absolutely amazing, you nailed Geordie's tone perfectly!

[@16addam]

NICELY done!

[@davidlanfair]

I was thinking the other day, 'it would be really cool if Adrian played some Killing Joke'. Wow waulah, there it is. I got to see Killing Joke in Dallas with Jaz Geordie and the gang. I too love the first 5 albums. I got me a princeton and a les paul jr... I am getting ready to practice. Thanks!

[@matthewpollard2843]

Lovely. Really enjoyed this.

[@Rokcabilly]

Thanks for an awesome lesson! Love your work. 🤘🏼

[@squirelova1815]

"Now here's a guy..." that is genuinely a Pleasure to watch and to Listen to as well. His demeanor and voice are so, so Relaxing and pleasant and he WILL NOT give you a Migraine by the end of the video, plus, the Music types he covers are extremely interesting, absolutely worth knowing about and could be just the inspiration you wre hunting for. A superb channel this is, indeed.

[@xkidmidnightx]

Dang. Almost perfect sound. Amazing man!

[@FingersOnAFretboard]

awesome content always-tones, songs, and tutelage

[@lancecox8084]

Yes more killing joke please, Follow the leader! I would like to request one from 999 -Subterfuge, also, thanks for the lessons.

[@markisaacs211]

Agreed. Guy Days knocked out some classic riffs with 999. Very much overlooked guitarist.

[@andrewgrennan1525]

Fantastic work Adrian! I would love to see you try Love Like Blood, I have found the picking with the right hand a little tricky, not sure if he is playing 2 different parts?

[@M.H691]

During the verses Geordie plays the ringing intro notes (G, A#, E#) and then follows the the bass riff (C, E#, G) palm muted - if you're feeling fancy you can hold the initial ringing notes and play the palm muted riff (I think he does this on the record, but he didn't live). One of the harder KJ songs to play, for sure.

[@jamescivet9767]

Love Killing Joke. Love Like Blood is incredible.

[@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.]

nice tribute and nailed the tone

[@robanderson251]

First band I ever went to see -incredible guitar player, such a huge sound and noise with what seemed like so little effort - brilliant video

[@jordantaylor4992]

Smiths lesson is due

[@alguitarchristie]

Did you try just using the CE2 in stereo? I have one, it sounds really great in the CE1 mode. Your sound was good though and you don't have to apologize about the debate about "Come as you are" Dave Grohl admitted it too Jaz that they ripped it off! It's not exactly the same, but very close!

[@kevinmckeown7972]

Geordie was soooo underrated- but what a player and sound. Thanks for posting this!

[@MrTimguest]

What a tune, what a band. Thanks so much for this.

[@klb9768]

beautiful job

[@ianwalsh9552]

Brilliant. So much fun to play.

[@freddiefries]

Geordie was a great and talented guitarist . This music pieces are well performed 😊

[@despoticmusic]

I saw Killing Joke once and that was on the Nighttime tour in Dunstable, Beds. It was a magic concert! One of the best I ever went to.

[@alexmajo2216]

Nice job ! love Geordie's riff on the song Europe from same LP

[@ajptrois6671]

Nice video! Saves me a lot of time working on charts for my 80s tribute to have a great, clear performance like this. I'd recommend checking out all the Killing Joke albums, some of my favorites from the 90s and beyond are Democracy, Pylon, Pandemonium, Self-titled (yellow cover album that Grohl played on), Absolute Dissent and especially MMXII (probably my favorite of their later albums, it's amazing!). Thanks again and cheers from southern california!

[@abelisraelcruzayuso4682]

Great video!

[@Ravi_Nagarajan]

Thank you for your thoughtful approach to this channel. You are producing something of the highest quality, something meaningful. Song suggestion: Bastards of Young by The Replacements

[@norriechristie694]

Hell of a guitar player in my time, was Geordie Walker, John Mcgeough and maybe Johnny Marr? In my we time on this planet. Thanks for the riffs.

[@alfonzo9]

Wow! Thx u so much🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@foolsgold7956]

Thanks! That was very nice!

[@chrisstokie2361]

Thank you. 👍

[@OldSethOnetooth]

One of the most underrated rhythm sections behind him. For a future tutorial how about Firedances?

[@Soundgear4]

Nice lesson!

[@trinacria1956]

Thanks again.

[@stevecrockett6619]

Tight. So effin' tight, man 👍

[@horroroffab]

great choice. firedances was always a fave of mine,slightly cleaner but darker tone.😉

[@pmbiff]

Just f*#king awesome............... one of my all-time faves!!!

[@lordclancharlie1325]

this Vox is a Beauty 🥰

[@paulokleable]

Sure is … do you know what model it is ?

[@lordclancharlie1325]

@@paulokleable Vox Virage II SC

[@freddiefries]

Very interesting 😊

[@lancecox8084]

I first saw Killing Joke in 1981 at the Whisky a Go Go in L.A., After a stage dive the bouncers grabbed me, tried to beat me up and threw me out of the club, somehow I was undamaged and snuck right back in thanks to a good sized Slam Dance pit keeping the bouncers busy, I wasn't noticed and enjoyed the rest of a great set, Got to see them again in 1982 in London at the Lyceum Ballroom, it was loud and the band had this incredible wall of sound that had the entire Ballroom dancing, an amazing live band.

[@kaitlynmoore9382]

U really got super close to the flare and the tone 🎉

[@MuseumsBloke]

😮Thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you. Got to thank a good school friend for breaking me out of my Neil Young fixation and introducing me to Killing Joke, Bauhaus, New Model Army and a good few other post-punk/Goth/Crusty guitars bands, all of whom offer plenty more interesting tracks to mine. And you know what? The fact that you don’t have a team selling your on line to myriad companies to beg/borrow/steal loads of gear, and that you “just make do” with what you have

[@bonio999]

Great stuff, love to see you do some Chrome, perhaps 3rd From The Sun

[@GustyGardens]

This song is such a classic in goth clubs. Can't wait to get home to learn it!

[@nmacog]

Geordie Walker - my fave guitarist of all time, such a huge loss. Still can't believe he's gone ...

[@spadger9122]

Thanks .

[@Exercise-01]

What a gorgeous guitar 🎸 And I'm not a big fan of Lps shape guitars but that one is so classy.

[@RB-cb4fv]

Thanks for this, it's been great to see Geordie get the respect he deserves and an insight into what made his playing sound the way it did. One question, I know most KJ songs have been a step down tuning, but I saw a transcription for The Wait where it was a half step UP. Is that right?

[@SyntagmaStation]

Only Adrian would do this. One of a kind. I think nirvana got sued for ripping off this riff

[@djefferson5669]

Requiestcat Geordie

[@markisaacs211]

This was fantastic. Thank you! Do you have both chorus pedals set to a similar level - or is there a notable difference in sound between the two?

[@MrTarral]

Great band I saw them once just fantastic make some other videos 👍👌

[@donyoung7874]

Hello Adrian. This is off topic but would you do a video on proper control of humidity for instruments? I've been watching your videos for some time, and the videos of others, who have racks of guitars behind them. So I bought a String Swing to keep my guitars out and more readily available. But controlling humidity in the room is a bit of an issue. I think it would be welcome information for all of us. Thank you for the videos you have made, they've been informative and inspiring.

[@Sully602]

And now you know how to play 'life goes on' by the damned 😂

[@arthurveldhoen3932]

Why am I all of a sudden thinking of a Nespresso.

[@DerMensch1]

Please do LOVE AND ROCKETS-HOLIDAY ON THE MOON! Please please please! And thanks for the super cool content!