Heroin-addled rock star Jimmy Hendrix has scooped the first prize – although he can't accept it because he's dead – in a Top 20 All Time Great Guitar Riffs poll.
Guns 'N' Roses are in second spot, while the Rolling Stones are at number 10. Led Zeppelin have three entries in the charts, coming in at No 3, 17 and 19.
Michael Jackson, the child- oh, never mind, never mind – is at 20.
Polls will always generate arguments. In a recent poll on the greatest boxers of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson came in first (hard to disagree with that). However, Manny Pacquiao is at number two and Ali at three. Now, Pacman is a great boxer. But better than Ali – that's just wilful ignorance.
I would have thought that Johnny Marr of the Smiths would have made the top 20 for sheer originally – heaven knows he must be miserable now. And what of our own Rory Gallagher? Rory used to knock out licks composed in the bowels of hell itself.
There's enough below for all air guitarists, though a fair few of our readers can do the real thing also I reckon.
1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
2. Guns N' Roses – Sweet Child O' Mine
3. Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love
4. Deep Purple – Smoke On The Water
5. Derek and the Dominos – Layla
6. AC/DC – Back In Black
7. Metallica – Enter Sandman
8. The Beatles – Day Tripper
9. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
10. The Rolling Stones – (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
11. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
12. Muse – Plug In Baby
13. Eddie Van Halen – Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
14. The Kinks – You Really Got Me
15. The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
16. AC/DC – Highway to Hell
17. Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker
18. Black Sabbath – Iron Man
19. Led Zeppelin – Black Dog
20. Michael Jackson – Beat It
And what was wrong with the intro. to All kinds of everything?
Dana doing the splits in an Irish dancing outfit fucked it up, Sniffle. Guess you had to be there. Those Holy Mary knickers were never meant to take that kind of stretch.
(….and no Gallagher in d'actual poll? ffs he's not really from Cork if that was the problem )
I reckon they are messin with the kid there Mr Hoof – nice one Mr Sniffle, I can see her on stage now, burning her guitar in protest.
Dimebag Daryl is turning in his grave right now.
How do you have Nirvana and the Kinks in there but no John Squires (The Stone Roses) Love Speads or I wanna be Adored. And not a single Johnny Marr (The Smiths) riff. Tut, tut. I am with Steve. Dimebag is rolling in his Kiss coffin with Eddie Van Halen's guitar. Still it's not a bad way to roll for a Cowboy from Hell.
And nobody thought Stevie-Ray was worth voting for either?
A few years back there was a poll of the best Man United player of all time and they had Cantona and that clown Beckham at number one and two – no Best, Law, Charlton in the top ten, Keane neither. These are online polls usually so you do tend to get these sort of results because a lot of young people vote Note to all you young guns, study your music and football history.
Marr (birth name Maher) of the Smiths was a fine footballer by the way. He had trials with Forest and Man City. He said that he reckoned that he could have made it at City – if they'll sign Ireland they'll sign anyone – except that he was the only one wearing eyeliner during the trials.
Anyone familiar with the great Adrian Belew?
"And nobody thought Stevie-Ray was worth voting for either?"
Or the witchking himself, old Joe Satriani. Michael hedges would have been good or John Butler
mostly metallers on that list,tells us more 'bout the pollsters than the guitarists,and Adrian Bellow?,a fine player,wasn't he in King Crimson,among others?….and it was listening to and copying his father's Rory Gallagher collection that started Johnny Marr on his road to greatness…..
I don't hink it's a poll of the best guitarists though. It's a poll of favourite riffs. Otherwise, you'd have to have Richard Thompson in there somewhere near the top.
I wonder what was wrong with Status Quo's riff?
Whatever riff "Timo Maas" ripped off for his "To Get Down" hit. Simple, in a less is more type of way……
Any of the 'Straycat's' stuff…..any !……pure Psychobilly !…Rock-on!!!
Stray Cat Strut. Well I'll be jiggered.
Take out Led Zepplin and put in Willy Dixon. After all he did actually write the riffs !
The Clash – Police & Thieves………Pure Class…..
"I owe it to the moonlight on a hot summer night !….I got class and I got cat style…..du de du du de du de de de dehhhhh…….Timeless !!!! Luv' it !!!….Jigger away, dude !!!
Dessie, Police & Thieves was more of a bass line, a great bass line. But maybe you've raised a good point.
It doesn't have to be six string riffs. In that case we'll have to go with the bass line in Walk on the Wild Side by
Lou Reed. – Your hair's all greasy and you look like a slob, your only 16 and you can't get a job, eh Psychobill? Those Cats have the best quiffs in the business without a doubt.
Ya fuk it , I'm probably outta me depth here…..but whadda 'bout, Julian Cope et al……they go out and go in again and try to get clean,,,,,,top band and muso's…..brilliance,……great guitar riff's, too……I dunno, though !
@ second's….De catz live are an awsome thang to see… well worth a look ! (back then dunno 'bout now , though !) Rock on !!!
second out – Police & Thieves has a banging Bass line as the foundation, but Mick Jones Lead guitar at the end is truely an all time classic. Now where's me Air Guitar – it's playing in my head, must keep up……yeahhhh.
Dessie, Yeah, great guitar from Jones at the end, forgot that. Brian Healy used do that bass line
to perfection with Limerick ban the Outfit. The Outfit used do the Clash (on beat) version as opposed to the Junior Marvin's reggae (off beat – as in the drum beat) version. Great little snare rolls in Jnr Marvin's, like gun fire in the distance.The Outfit, Ger Costelloe on lead vocals, did a great version also. I don't know what happened to the Outfit? I heard that they all joined Opus Dei.The last time I saw the entire band together they were all below at 7am mass in St John's. A good Catholic band they were. You'd never see
them skinning up bamboozlers or falling out of some bar at all hours of the morning, eyes like piss holes in the snow from drink, like some people I could mention.
The fucking Beatles at 7, can we ever get away from the fucking beatles? They'll be credited with forming the world next. No Gallagher, no Lizzie, joke shop.
beatles my hole….layla/voodoo chile/beat it/yes,smells like teen spirit! the rest just generic metal rock samey crap …fuckin metallica,come on like?
Best guitar riff of all time? My Girl by the Temptations,Robert White of the funk bros.on guitar duty….the best EVER….hands down.
sorry didnt spot whole lotta love….gr8 fuckin riff!
Actually, Michael Jackson's "Beat It" at Number 20 is really a second vote for Eddie van Halen – HE was the one who played that awesome guitar solo bridge. The weird thing is that he actually did it for nothing, in his own words "as a favour".