Listosaurus Rex

A couple weeks ago I posted about Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists.  But what good is discussion of artists without discussion of art?

Guitar World magazine put together a list of the one hundred greatest guitar solos by polling readers of their favorites and ranking the results.   Although I don’t have a copy of the issue, I managed to find the list online at about.com.  I doubt any connoisseurs of classic rock will be surprised the see some of the selections at the top.

Without further ado, the songs featuring the top ten guitar solos, the guitarists of each one, and the artist of the song featuring the solo.

1. Stairway to Heaven - Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin
2. Eruption - Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen
3. Freebird - Allen Collins, Gary Rossington - Lynyrd Skynyrd
4. Comfortably Numb - David Gilmour - Pink Floyd
5. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix - Jimi Hendrix Experience
6. November Rain - Slash - Guns ‘n’ Roses
7. One - Kirk Hammet - Metallica
8. Hotel California - Don Felder, Joe Walsh - The Eagles
9. Crazy Train - Randy Rhoads - Ozzy Osbourne
10. Crossroads - Eric Clapton - Cream

I think this is an excellent top ten list.  I love every one of those guitar solos and have no problem calling them some of the best I’ve ever heard.  I was especially impressed to see Hotel California, perhaps my favorite, making the top ten.

A stickler might point out that two of the songs in the top ten, along with several others in the complete one hundred, are by two guitarists and thus not solos.  However, if you listen to them, I think you will realize that they match the spirit of guitar solos; they are each improvisation-style guitar licks, usually within the context of a song (though “Eruption” and “Star-Spangled Banner,” which also made the list, are guitar solos on their own, separate from other songs).

It’s interesting how only three of Rolling Stone’s top ten guitarists, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton, landed songs in the top ten.  However, since this is a reader poll, it makes sense that songs by guitarists with less mainstream appeal and who don’t focus as much on acrobatic solos, such as Robert Johnson and B.B. King, would be less likely to earn votes from the general public.

My favorite part of this list is probably the few oddball songs scattered throughout, such as “Surfing With the Alien” at #30 and “Cult of Personality” at #80.  I don’t listen to much classic rock radio, so I might never have listened to these songs if I hadn’t stumbled across this list.  By the way, the guitar solos in both of them are mind-blowing.  Look them up on YouTube.

I don’t really have many complaints with this list.  I would have put Layla higher and would have ditched every non-”Teen Spirit” Nirvana solo.  It is impressive that I can find so little to nitpick with on such a huge list, though.  Definitely check it out.

In 2003, Rolling Stone selected and ranked the one hundred greatest guitarists of all time. Here is the top ten:

1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3. B.B. King
4. Eric Clapton
5. Robert Johnson
6. Chuck Berry
7. Stevie Ray Vaughan
8. Ry Cooder
9. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones

It’s hard to argue with number one on that list — Hendrix’s playing still sounds fresh, passionate, and vibrant today. He’s the prototypical guitar legend.

I was a little bit surprised to see Duane Allman at number two, but I haven’t listened to very many Allman Brothers recordings. I’ll reserve judgment until I do so.

BB King, a great blues guitarist since the 1950’s, is highly renowned and highly influential. I think he’s a great pick at number three.

At number four is Eric Clapton, my favorite guitarist. I’ve always loved the energy Clapton brings to the table. Mostly though, it’s the songs that Clapton plays, and the amount the guitar contributes to them, that I love. Number four is a very solid spot but if I were to make any change, I’d move him even higher on the list.

Robert Johnson is considered one of the most influential musicians of all time. His twenty-nine career recordings, all from the first half of the twentieth century, are worshiped and constantly covered by blues and rock musicians. Also highly influential was rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry. Even his early recordings, like “Maybellene,” still sound good. I like them both at numbers five and six.

At number eight is Ry Cooder, an American roots musician known for his skill on the slide guitar. He’s perhaps the least celebrated of the guitarists in the top ten. I know very little about him and have never heard his music before.

At nine and ten we have two fantastic guitarists from two of the most beloved rock bands ever, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. Jimmy Page’s solo from Stairway to Heaven is widely acclaimed as one of the best — if not the best — guitar solo of the modern era. His band’s guitar-heavy sound and freewheeling guitar solos have become the template for heavy rock bands. Keith Richards, too, has been highly influential to heavy rock. Some of his guitar riffs, including the one from “Satisfaction,” are perennially stuck in my head.

Overall, it’s hard to have too many objections with that top ten. From what I know and what I’ve heard, every pick is solid.

The rest of the list is as good as the top ten. Looking closely, you see some odd picks, like Eddie Van Halen all the way down at #70 with far more tame and less beloved guitarists filling higher ranks.

One interesting pick is Les Paul at #46. Les Paul is often accredited as inventing the electric guitar. You could argue that without him, this list wouldn’t be possible.

The list is now a few years old. If the list had been made now, I wonder who else would have been included. The only person who comes to mind at having a very good shot at placing well is John Mayer. Though his first album was brushed off as Dave Matthews-wannabe, his recent recordings have impressed critics with their excellent guitar and blues-heavy songwriting and sound.

One complaint I have with the list is that I would have loved to have seen Jim Croce on the list. He only played acoustic guitar, and only released a few albums, but his guitar-work entertains and bedazzles me more than most of the guitarists on this list.

It’s hard to argue with most of the picks on this list, though. Rolling Stone has done an excellent job assembling a thorough and diverse lists of some of the many so-called “Guitar gods.” If you’re interested, check out the complete list.