It’s post-Memorial Day, which means it’s also supposed to be the start of summer. Maybe the season shift doesn’t directly effect the percentage of air guitars, but the nicer weather feels like a good enough reason to believe so, to have faith in good riffs and well-oiled six strings. Rolling Stone fulfills the need — or at least provides the blueprint for a guitar-centric mixtape — with a list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs Of All Time.” As they write:
This is what makes a great rock & roll guitar sound: an irresistible riff; a solo or jam that takes you higher every time you hear it; the final power chord that pins you to the wall and makes you hit “play” again and again. Every song here has those thrills. But these are rock’s greatest guitar moments because of what’s inside the notes: hunger, fury, despair and joy, often all at once. You hear the blues, gospel and rockabilly that came before, transormed by the need to say something new and loud, right away. Rock & roll has been the sound of independence for half a century. The guitar is still its essential, liberating voice. These are the 100 reasons why.
Be prepared to be taken higher. Etc.
100 Tool – “Vicarious”
99 My Morning Jacket – “Run Thru”
98 Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Under the Bridge”
97 Queens of the Stone Age – “No One Knows”
96 Hüsker Dü – “New Day Rising”
95 Moby Grape – “Omaha”
94 Dire Sraits – “Money for Nothing”
93 My Bloody Valentine – “Only Shallow”
92 Mick Jagger – “Memo from Turner”
91 The Mars Volta – “Drunkship of Lanterns”
90 The Smiths – “How Soon Is Now?”
89 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – “I Love Rock N Roll”
88 Quicksilver Messenger Service – “Mona”
87 King Crimson – “Red”
86 Jeff Beck – “I Ain’t Superstitious”
85 Phish – “You Enjoy Myself”
84 John Mayer – “Gravity”
83 Sublime – “What I Got”
82 The Ventures – “Walk — Don’t Run”
81 Michael Jackson – “Beat It”
80 Steely Dan – “Kid Charlemagne”
79 Sonic Youth – “Silver Rocket”
78 Buddy Guy – “Stone Crazy”
77 Pearl Jam – “Even Flow”
76 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “American Girl”
75 Frank Zappa – “Willie the Pimp”
74 ZZ Top – “La Grange”
73 Blue Cheer – “Summertime Blues”
72 Weezer – “Say It Ain’t So”
71 The Strokes – “Take It Or Leave It”
70 Smashing Pumpkins – “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
69 Pink Floyd – “Money”
68 B.B. King – “The Thrill is Gone”
67 Bruce Springsteen – “Adam Raised A Cain”
66 Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Texas Flood”
65 The Police – “Message in a Bottle”
64 Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Freebird”
63 Guns n’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
62 Albert King – “Born Under a Bad Sign”
61 Sam And Dave – “Soul Man”
60 Funkadelic – “Maggot Brain”
59 Jeff Beck – “Freeway Jam”
58 Link Wray – “Rumble”
57 Grateful Dead – “Dark Star”
56 The Byrds – “Eight Miles High”
55 Cream – “White Room”
54 Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Little Wing”
53 Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Born on the Bayou”
52 Radiohead – “My Iron Lung”
51 Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”
50 Pixies – “Debaser”
49 Jimi Hendrix – “Machine Gun”
48 The Clash – “London Calling”
47 Van Halen – “Panama”
46 Dick Dale and the Del-Tones – “Miserlou”
45 The Beatles – “I Saw Her Standing There”
44 Sleater-Kinney – “Dig Me Out”
43 The Sex Pistols – “Holidays in the Sun”
42 John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers – “Hideaway”
41 Television – “Marquee Moon”
40 The Who – “I Can See for Miles”
39 Santana – “Black Magic Woman”
38 The Faces – “Stay With Me”
37 Elvis Presley – “That’s All Right”
36 Pink Floyd – “Interstellar Overdrive”
35 The Stooges – “1969″
34 Aerosmith – “Walk This Way”
33 Metallica – “Master of Puppets”
32 Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing”
31 Queen – “Keep Yourself Alive”
30 Bill Haley and His Comets – “(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock”
29 AC/DC – “Back in Black”
28 U2 – “Where the Streets Have No Name”
27 The Paul Butterfield Blues Band – “Look Over Yonders Wall”
26 B.B. King – “How Blue Can You Get”
25 The Rolling Stones – “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking”
24 Rage Against the Machine- “Killing in the Name”
23 The Yardbirds – “Over Under Sideways Down”
22 The Beatles – “A Hard Day’s Night”
21 The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
20 The Impressions – “People Get Ready”
19 Prince and the Revolution – “Purple Rain”
18 Ramones – “Blitzkrieg Bop”
17 Black Sabbath – “Black Sabbath”
16 Neil Young with Crazy Horse – “Cowgirl in the Sand”
15 The Who – “My Generation”
14 Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run”
13 Derek and the Dominos – “Layla”
12 The Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
11 Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”
10 Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
09 The Allman Brothers Band – “Statesboro Blues”
08 Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven”
07 The Beatles – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
06 Van Halen – “Eruption”
05 Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar”
04 The Kinks – “You Really Got Me”
03 Cream – “Crossroads”
02 Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
01 Chuck Berry – “Johnny B. Goode
It’s worth checking out the write-ups at RS, too. Gives some context to the decisions, and you’ll be able to read hopped-up prose like this:
Before he was known as a songwriter, Springsteen was the fastest guitar player in Asbury Park. And in this bluesy hard-rock blast, he lets those chops loose again, pushing the E Street Band to garage-land with the angriest lead guitar on record.
The angriest lead guitar on record! Erik Rutan just called up to disagree. (Not really.) Also, I would’ve added “Teenage Riot” somewhere. And the lack of Dinosaur Jr. seems weird. Should likely also be some Pavement. So as not to be pigeonholed as a purely indie-rock dissenter: “Smoke On The Water.” Still, fun list.
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this is a bullshit list. crazy train should be way higher. and tool? wtf?
the bealtes are the greatest fucking band of all time, and anyone who disagress with them being on this list doesn’t know shit about music.
ok. very simple: Kurt Cobain could not play guitar. Most nirvana songs could be learned by a nine year old without too much trouble. Also, where are Megadeth? one of the greatest guitar bands of all time left out completely. Tornado of Souls shits over pretty much everything on this list. Also, Iron Maiden should be on here. As should Yngwie Malmsteen, Cacophony, Racer X, Judas Priest, Pantera, the list just goes on. Also, anyone who thinks that 7 Nation army is a better guitar song than Master of Puppets clearly knows NOTHING about guitar. Also, no sign of Michaelangelo Batio, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman and numerous other virtuosos. Anyone who came and looked at this list, having never heard music before, and then proceeded to listen to the songs in the list in ascending order, would almost certainly be absolutely bewildered as to the absurdity of it all.
Ah. Pathetic Rolling Stone. A lot you said songs / artists that should definitely have been on this list. Especially people such as Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani.
But I don’t think anybody mentioned Ted Nugent. Stranglehold? Cat Scratch Fever? I think he deserves a nod. Definitely an underrated guitarist.
I was so appalled by this list, i had to make an account to comment.
there needs to be more Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and what the fuck is the white stripes doing on this list, fuck Jack White in the butthole, what about clapton what about Mark Knopfler what the fuck is wrong with the soulless bastards of Rolling Stone. I mean thin lizzy, Iron Maiden jesus christ my blood pressure is up or Hendrix more Hendrix fuckin a
I don’t mean to piss anyone off – that’s a lie – but it IS 1 am so cut me a little slack. I know this is an OLD post but somehow I came across it and am horrified and disgusted. JC, wasn’t the article about guitarists? Not guys/gals that strum around but artists who master the instrument. Hendrix, right on. B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff Beck – at least Cream was mentioned along with the Yardbirds and Derek and the Dominoes. Excuse me – Eric Clapton? Eric Clapton. He and Jeff Beck came make their guitars speak to me. Miraculous. I also saw some remark made by someone saying “yeah, what did Clapton do but throw his kid out a window and write “Tears in Heaven”……. Kiss my tired ass.
I’m just pumped for Ozzy Osbourne’s new album “Scream”..it’s coming out June 22, 2010..there’s a great promo video of him at a Wax Museum posing like a wax statue and screaming at people walking by..its priceless!
I know this is just a list made by an individual with individual biases, but I can’t believe there’s a list of great guitar songs to date and Golden Earring’s ‘Radar Love’ didn’t make it. Shame!!!
EEhh!! The list should contain some RUSH songs definitely!!
Absolutely horrible list.
SWEET CHILD O’ MINE #63 ???? PUT THIS ON TOP, BABY
sorry, but where’s buckethead – sea of expanding shapes, buckethead – padmasana, buckethead – machete and buckethead – the way to heaven, i see buckethead isn’t mentioned once in here, yet he’s created the most powerful solos in the world, that nobody even knows about. and why is maggot brain number 60? that should be in the top 5.
Ugh. The fact that Smells like Teen Spirit is above Whole Lotta Love (or half the songs on this list for that matter) makes me sick to my stomach. Smells like Teen Spirit is an average guitar song at best. It was not innovative, creative, or techically sound. When the hell will the music media get their head out of Cobain’s ass? I guess this isn’t as bad as them putting Smells like Teen Spirit as the 9th greatest song of all time.
Also, Yellow Ledbetter is mysteriously absent from this list. It should be at least in the top 30, but I guess this is just another case of Pearl Jam getting snubbed while Nirvana (or should I say “Cobain”) is put on a pedestal.
Ummm, the only thing wrong with Tool’s inclusion in the top 100 is that not enough of their songs are featured. One of the few bands of modern progressive genius. Haters can suck it.
Too the Tool hater, I love you man, but Tool has some of the best riffs in modern rock and makes up for flat out solos with epic songs that have incredible lyrics, amazing integration of all musical aspects (rhythm, melody, harmony, and emotional expression) and are so skilled and unique in their ways that 90% of musicians can’t touch em. I love a good solo, but a heavy as hell rock song that is 11 minutes long, in various difficult time signatures, with meaning and not shot out like hair metal shit is work its weight in gold!
How did Intro/Sweet Jane from Rock N Roll Animal not make this list? As someone else said, where us Loan Me A Dime? This list deserves to be on the list of “Worst Lists”
Just one question:
Did Don Felder, Glen Frey, and Don Henley run train on this guy’s girlfriend? Short of that I’m at a loss to explain why not one Eagles song is on this list. Yet Kurt Cobain and Adam Jones both found spots.
King Crimson Red 87? really???
Ugh…where is Over the HIlls and Far Away?????
Obviously these lists will always be subjective and it’s very ambitious, but I’m shocked by just how many classics they’ve missed out with this one, especially since RS ’100 greatest’ lists often seem pretty right (once we’ve all overlooked the cursory overstated praise of the likes of Kurt Cobain and Johnny Ramone). What’s really infuriating is they often get the right artist but don’t find the best example of a song that shows you just what makes them such good guitarists, be it the riff, solo or jam. So it’s not all wrong, and I won’t sit here all day giving my own suggests, but I can think of a few musts I would add. If you agree, take it upon yourself to suggest which of the RS choices this could replace.
Santana deserves at least two entries to my mind. If you had to narrow it down to one song, rather than Black Magic Woman, I’d say surely it’s “Hope You’re Feeling Better”. Those two solos and that reprise at the end are what make you want to hear that song again and again.
As for Black Magic Woman, what about the original Fleetwood Mac? Peter Green is seriously underrated a great deal of the time anyway; I would have a good mind to rank “Oh Well” in the top ten. The song is short, sweet and catchy, but it’s completely guided by Green’s ingenious guitar work.
Obviously Pink Floyd = fully deserving, but “Money”, WTF? I love the song, as I love most of theirs, but Gilmour’s guitar gives us much greater source of praise in other songs. “Comfortably Numb” would be my favourite choice for its absolutely captivating and mesmerising solos (especially the latter), but I’d struggle to leave out “Wish You Were Here”, “Mother” and “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. His guitar work in those is incredible.
Then for the Stones. Sure, I’d expect them to get a few mentions. It should be on the basis of riffs, solos or both. On those grounds, I’m not sure I’d exclude “Brown Sugar”, but I’d sooner go for the likes of “Satisfaction” or “Start Me Up” on the basis of riffs. In fact there’s a whole list of ‘great guitar songs’ to choose from, like “Gimme Shelter”, “Beast of Burden” or “All Down The Line”, to name a few more. If you’re going specifically for a song with a great solo, my favourites would have to be from the Taylor years, specifically the live Ya-Yas version of “Sympathy For The Devil” and one of the best rock songs ever recorded, “Bitch”.
That’s another point: Mick Taylor = seriously underrated. I guess how well-known an artist’s songs are dictates whether they make the cut for this list, so his solo work wouldn’t make it! “Slow Blues” off his eponymous album is just what I would call a “great guitar song” though.
Anyway, by and large, that wasn’t a rant, just me voicing my opinion. Please feel free to share yours with me – if you think I’m chatting sh1t, I’m always keen to hear why…
This is a list of the GREATEST guitar songs of all time, not the BEST guitar songs. I suggest all of you noobs read again the title and re-write your retarded comments.
Being the greatest goes WAY beyond being the best at something.
Pink Floyd – Shine on you Crazy Diamond #1 in my opinion, at the very least should have gotten top 10 consideration.
I stopped reading when Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb wasn’t on the list. Bad list is bad. Also, if it wasn’t made before Dec 31st of 1979 it doesn’t deserve to be on this list. The 70s was the age of the Guitar. The end.