Posted on 5/1/2004, 11:56:29 PM by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Guns N’ Roses voted top of the classic rock riffs
By Elizabeth McMeekin, Staff Writer
The Guns N’ Roses pop-rock anthem, Sweet Child O’ Mine, has the greatest guitar riff of all time according to music fans.
The famous track came top of a poll of 100 Greatest Riffs Ever, voted for by readers of Total Guitar magazine.
Hits by Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC and Nirvana also made it into the poll’s top 20.
However, tracks by the Rolling Stones and the Sex Pistols failed to make it into the list of 20 favourite riffs.
Guns N’ Roses once looked outdated in comparison to grunge rockers, Nirvana, but Nirvana’s legendary 1991 track, Smells Like Teen Spirit, faltered in second place.
Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love was third, followed by the Deep Purple track Smoke On The Water.
Guns N’ Roses also have another track in the top 20 – Paradise City, which reached number 19.
However, lead guitarist Slash and singer Axl Rose will not be celebrating the poll’s outcome together as the pair no longer speak to each other.
Long-haired rocker Rose started the group in 1984 with guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Over the next couple of years they were joined by drummer Steven Adler, bassist Duff McKagan and Slash.
But Rose fell out with Slash, who was born in England and whose real name is Saul Hudson, in the mid 1990s and the pair have not spoken since.
Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits is currently top of the album charts.
Total Guitar editor, Scott Rowley, said the poll represented a new canon of classic rock. He said: “What this poll shows is that the canon of classic rock – Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix – is as popular as ever, but being added to all the time. To a new generation of guitarists, Metallica are more important than the Rolling Stones; Guns N’ Roses more thrilling than the Sex Pistols; Black Sabbath better than the Beatles.”
He added: “Riffs are an interesting measure of people’s tastes because they’re usually easy to play and very catchy – they’re the hook of the song.
“This isn’t about who’s the flashiest guitarist. It’s more about the guitarists and songs that get you most excited.”
However, Pat Kane of Hue & Cry thinks the top 20 ist focuses too heavily on rock riffs and has failed to feature important tracks by artists such as Prince and the Isley Brothers.
“I have never been a great fan of the guitar in rock music,” he said, adding: “The guitar riff that Prince used on his track Kiss has become one of the most influential pieces of guitar playing in R’n’B music.”
The magazine’s last poll, in 1999 saw Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love voted top of the list, followed by Smoke On The Water and the Derek & The Dominoes track Layla, with its Eric Clapton solo.
More than 2000 readers voted in the poll in Total Guitar magazine, which goes on sale this Wednesday.
The Top 20 Riffs Of All Time
1) Sweet Child O’ Mine
Guns N’ Roses’ most famous pop-rock track
2) Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana’s 1991 seminal grunge anthem
3) Whole Lotta Love
From Led Zeppelin II album
4) Smoke On The Water
Classic from Deep Purple
5) Enter Sandman
Metallica give a demonstration in rock
6) Layla
Eric Clapton with Derek & The Dominoes
7) Master Of Puppets
Another Metallica classic
8) Back In Black
AC/DC title track on 1980 album with guitarist Angus Young
9) Voodoo Child
Jimi Hendrix classic makes top ten
10) Paranoid
Classic Black Sabbath
11) Crazy Train
First Ozzy Osbourne
solo single
12) All Right Now
Free’s sing-a-long classic
13) Plug In Baby
Hard rock from Muse
14) Black Dog
Led Zeppelin again
15) Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
Van Halen’s 1978 track
16) Walk This Way
Aerosmith colloboration with Run DMC
17) Sunshine Of Your Love
Clapton again, with Cream
18) No-One Knows
Queens Of The Stone Age bring the poll up to date
19) Paradise City
Guns N’ Roses again
20) Killing In The Name Militant
punk from Rage Against The Machine
02 May 2004
I demand a re-vote!
No Lynyrd Skynyrd on the list....what the hell is wrong with people?
"Rock of Ages" and "F-f-f-foolish!" were two great songs of theirs that should have gotten honorable mention.
Baby, Please Don't Go by the Amboy Dukes. Now THAT stays with you!
And I still enjoy listening to the last song on Abbey Road by the Beatles - I think it's called Carry That Weight(?) - the boys lightened up a little bit together that day and got into some good rockin'.
"Layla" belongs firmly in the #1 spot -- the world will probably see another pair of guitarists like this (Eric Clapton on the lead guitar, Duane Allman on the slide guitar) on the same track like this one.
As someone else said, where the hell is Lynyrd Skynyrd? Where is Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers in "Blue Sky?" And Eric Johnson's anthem "Cliffs of Dover" ought to be included just for its originality.
And no "More Than A Feeling," by Boston, the song that ushered in the modern age of FM radio?
That's a great Beatles tune -- I think it's called "Golden Slumbers Medley."
Definitely among the top five along with Eric Clapton's solo "Crossroads" live from Wheels of Fire by Cream.
The organ and guitar solos on "Light My Fire" mesmerize me very time.
Solo from ABACAB by Genesis live is very good.
Dang.....getting old !..........Stay safe !~
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