Rank of Electric Guitarists

[SelfDevouringSnake]

Alright, I'm back. I took the time to read through everything that I missed since my last post. This is going to be a hard decision. It was basically still a competition between Beck and Clapton, although that's not to mention Frank Zappa, who gained the support of two people for the fourth rank. And the posts prior to my last are still worth looking back on.

Beck and Clapton both received plenty of support, and if either of them really won, it wasn't by a landslide. I'm making a new rule. Every ten selections, we will discuss those named on the list, and decide whether it requires any serious changes.

I'm going with Beck. The support he received was a little more consistent. When we reach week 10, you can discuss if any of the other guitarists named deserve a higher spot than him (for example, if Clapton is on the list (in all likelihood, he'll be on the top ten) and you would prefer to see him higher, than say so, and if your sentiment gathers enough popularity, it will be considered). Until then, I'll do my best trying to pick ten guitarists worthy of being so high on the list.

#4 - Jeff Beck.

Beck has shown a tremendous range with his guitar. This has kept him constantly active as opposed to many who rode on trends and faded away. Perhaps this is why Beck is often passed over despite his legendary status: the man can't be recognized as representing any particular trend. Certainly he's influential, but the influence seems to be silent next to the praise given to some of his contemporaries. Beck began his career as just another English teenager with an electric guitar trying to gain some notoriety. But even his rare recordings with one of his early bands, the Tridents, show that he had a distinct personality when he played. The sounds he was making were sharp and edgy, not typical of the many hopefuls playing guitar at the same time. The stuff he was doing was cool enough to land him a job as lead guitarist in the Yardbirds, a band that was slowly gaining notoriety. Beck's predecessor in the Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, had left because he didn't like the pop-influenced direction the band was taking, and had suggested session guitarist Jimmy Page as an alternative. All three of these guitarists have gone on to incredible fame. During his time with the Yardbirds, Beck produced some of their best work, but his temper conflicted with other members of the band, and he eventually left, citing illness. He left his position in the hands of Page, who had recently been brought on co-lead guitar. Beck formed the Jeff Beck Group with vocalist Rod Stewart, and they released a successful album called Truth. Unfortunately, after the release of Beck-Ola, the band fell apart. Beck played with Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice as a power trio, but like all of Beck's bands, it eventually fell apart. Thus, Beck began a solo career playing instrumentals, starting with the landmark Blow by Blow. Although his career after the '70s was never as prominent, Beck's influence on a generation of players remains visible, and his choice of going solo has proven to be a good one: Beck is perhaps the most active of the three famous Yardbirds guitarists presently.

Rank of Electric Guitarists

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

#2 - Jimmy Page.

#3 - Eddie Van Halen.

#4 - Jeff Beck.

Also, I'm going to see Jeff Beck tomorrow near the Washington, D.C. area.

[Swede]

I think these guys should be concidered to this list too..

Peter Green

Chet Atkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoHeMlh_8A0

Johnny Winter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbFAEw_Foqw

[Swede]

Rory Gallagher

Alvin Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03592TdhFuE

Freddie King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHKcbyJntyM

[tom kid]

Beat me to it Swede, was just about to post this vid of Alvin:

[Swede]

Beat me to it Swede, was just about to post this vid of Alvin:

Yeah, Alvin is a great guitarist. I never get tired of the old Ten Years After records.

[tom kid]

Yeah, Alvin is a great guitarist. I never get tired of the old Ten Years After records.

I'm listening to 'Recorded Live' at the moment. Great album!

[Deborah J]

Rank of Electric Guitarists

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

#2 - Jimmy Page.

#3 - Eddie Van Halen.

#4 - Jeff Beck.

For my #5 pick I am with BB King. In my original post I made a mistake and put him in his mid/late 70's He is in his 80's!! His influence cannot be denied. When it comes to playing the Electric Guitar Blues he is the King IMHO.

Edit to add:

[SelfDevouringSnake]

So I saw Jeff Beck yesterday at the Filene Center in Wolf Trap. It was incredible. I'm still all for continuing this list, but that concert was the kind of thing that goes to show how trivial making a list like this can be: it was the best guitar-playing I've ever seen (coupled with the fact that there was about three hours worth of it), and we're only ranking him fourth? Well, I guess it's best not to overthink these things, but my respect for Beck is higher than ever, and I was always aware that this list was going to end up as the result of many things. And why the hell am I complaining? The first three guitarists I wanted were put in and none of them have gotten enough criticism to be moved down, and I made Eric Clapton my final choice for #4. I had seats outside the main stadium, which was fine because it gave me room to move around and stretch out. The concert was opened by a female singer-songwriter who seemed a bit overwhelmed to be opening for Beck (at least she did to me). She was pretty good, she made for nice listening, but I think she went on a little long for an opening act, and nobody was really blown away. Don't remember her name, which is a shame. Beck had assembled a fantastic, well-seasoned back-up band. I'm trying to find the name of his band-members, but I can't find them. Regardless, there was a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboard-player. All three were obviously adept at what they were doing. Imelda May was being featured as a vocalist (she played Mary Ford to Beck's Les Paul at the Grammys). Her voice was amazing. I know my descriptions are lacking, but I honestly don't have words good enough to describe the concert without sounding like I'm embellishing.

So we have four guitarists on the list. Deborah J is still firm on B.B. King, Oracle has mentioned the great Frank Zappa, and there are probably others who I'm glossing over right now (I never did get to finding a notebook to take notes on this thread, I'll start after #5). My choice for #5? Still Eric Clapton. Great guitarist, maybe the best blues-rock player, second in the psychedelic era only to Jimi Hendrix, played with slide legend Duane Allman, started a fairly successful (if not quite as mind-blowing) solo career ranging hits like "Cocaine" in the '70s to "Tears in Heaven" in the '90s, still plays music to this day. I'm not going to fight if B.B. King, Frank Zappa, or a third person takes the cake: as long as he's a good player, then I don't really have a problem inserting anyone into the fifth position partially because it's the lowest and is thus at the most risk for being retconned, and also because I don't want to dominate the list. It would be cool to B.B. King up there because he's awesome, and if this is going to be a rank of electric guitarists of all genres, than the blues (and particularly B.B. King and Buddy Guy) have to be included at sometime. Frank Zappa is really underrated as a guitarist: he had wide range (and the avant-garde touch that made his range even wider (and weirder) than Jeff Beck's), and has not received much fame for his guitar credentials, maybe because he stayed low-key, and he would often employ other guitarists on his albums (which is not to piss upon Zappa's skill; just look at the title-track of Zoot Allures, which has a great solo by Zappa).

Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists

http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_newguitar.html: Digital Dream Door's 100 Greatest Rock Guitarists.

My thoughts on the list:

#1 - Jimi Hendrix.

Currently ranked #1 on our list. Incredible output in short period of time ('66 - '70). The music came first with him, and he made a lot of great songs before his untimely death. Hear: "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)".

#2 - Jeff Beck.

Currently ranked #4 on our list. Wide range, everything from the blues to jazz to funk to folk. His guitar work is marked by blaring, sick sounds. I got to see him yesterday. It was the best guitar-playing I've ever seen. Hear: "Cause We've Ended as Lovers".

#3 - Eddie Van Halen.

Currently ranked #3 on our list. His apex marked the beginning of the shredder era in hard rock and heavy metal. Hear: "Eruption".

#4 - Eric Clapton.

Demonstrated the best psychedelic blues in the '60s with Cream. Hear: "Sunshine of Your Love".

#5 - Jimmy Page.

Ruled the guitar community as Led Zeppelin's guitarist. Hear: "Stairway to Heaven".

#6 - Ritchie Blackmore.

Represents pure hard rock better than anybody. Gave us the world's most famous riff. Hear: "Highway Star".

#7 - Tony Iommi.

Represents pure metal better than anybody. See Some Thoughts on Metal Guitarists (below) for more thoughts on Iommi. Hear: "Paranoid".

#8 - Chuck Berry.

Founded rock, and for that he will be on our top ten. Hear: "Johnny B. Goode".

#9 - Scotty Moore.

Played with Elvis on his best material. Hear: "Hound Dog".

#10 - Duane Allman.

The best electric slide guitarist. Hear: "Statesboro Blues".

#11 - Robert Fripp.

Consistently good work in the progressive spectrum. Hear: "21st Century Schizoid Man".

#12 - Steve Howe.

One of the best progressive rock guitarists. Hear: "Starship Trooper".

#13 - Brian May.

Played grandiose operatic rock with Queen. Hear: "Bohemian Rhapsody".

#14 - David Gilmour.

Amazing lead work in Pink Floyd. Always gets a great feel for the song, then reflects it. Hear: "Comfortably Numb".

#15 - Carlos Santana.

Always provided solid music with a wide range. Hear: "Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)".

#16 - Pete Townshend.

Best known for playing rhythm, but did worthy lead work. Hear: "Won't Get Fooled Again".

#17 - Steve Cropper.

The best soul guitarist. Hear: "Green Onions".

#18 - Steve Vai.

Extremely well-rounded player. Fuses eclectic, personal material into a rock context. Hear: "For the Love of God".

#19 - Yngwie Malmsteen.

Supposedly the fastest guitarist alive. Inspired countless neo-classical instrumentalists. Hear: "Far Beyond the Sun".

#20 - Steve Morse.

Consistent rock player with some jazz fusion influences. Hear: "Cruise Control".

#21 - Eric Johnson.

Makes tasteful instrumentals. Hear: "Cliffs of Dover".

#22 - Joe Satriani.

Great guitarist. Sort of a forerunner to Steve Vai, whom he taught. Hear: "Surfing with the Alien".

#23 - Danny Gatton.

Very good material, but unfortunately commited suicide. Hear: "Sleepwalk".

#24 - Roy Buchanan.

Like Gatton, was making great work, but killed himself. Hear: "Sweet Dreams".

#25 - Steve Hackett.

Not too familiar with Genesis, but apparently another good progressive guitarist. Hear: "When the Heart Rules the Mind".

Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists will be continued in three more posts, each with my thoughts on the next 25 guitarists.

Some Thoughts on Metal Guitarists

http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_guitar-metal.html: Digital Dream Door's 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.

Relax, I'm not going to run down everyone on the list. Metal will have to be represented eventually. Because metal is a blaringly electric genre, there are going to be a lot of metal guitarists to consider. Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee have both been mentioned (good guitarists). But the prime metal choice should be Tony Iommi. Black Sabbath invented metal, metal is guitar-driven, and Tony Iommi is Black Sabbath's guitarist. Thus, despite the fact that he is slower and can not sweep pick (due, I believe to the loss of parts of his fretting hand) as the average metal guitarist does, he should be ranked before any other metal guitarist because of influence, seniority, or whatever word you want to use for it, Iommi is Metal Guitarist #1.

[Zep 4 Life]

So what is the official order of 1-4?

Hendrix

Paige

Van Halen

Beck

If that is the correct order and we are looking for a number 5 my vote is Clapton.

Yes I feel that BB King and Zappa should be high on this list. As well as Duane Allman and Jerry Garcia.

But I think Clapton should get the nod.

[Deborah J]

I love Clapton and he will be in my top ten. But I am listening to this right now. In the sleeve and I quote:

"Finally we got the chance to go into the studio together. This is something we have been talking about for a very long time, and that I have been dreaming about all my life. BB King is my hero, always has been. The fact that we can go on the same record together has made that dream come true." Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton & B.B. King- Riding With The King

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5T5qDRxbpM

Edit to add: Great video of this IMHO

[SelfDevouringSnake]

Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists (cont.)

#26 - Phil Keaggy.

Known for music with Christian themes. Hear: "Salvation Army Band".

#27 - Jan Akkerman.

Dutch guitarist who popularized volume swells (a technique used on the electric guitar involving the volume knob). Hear: "Hocus Pocus".

#28 - Alex Lifeson.

Played in Rush. A great progressive player with influences all over the place. Hear: "La Villa Strangiato".

#29 - Mark Knopfler.

Played in Dire Straits. Cool work, very subtle player. Hear: "Sultans of Swing".

#30 - Keith Richards.

Played in the Rolling Stones. Probably better known for rhythm than lead. Hear: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".

#31 - George Harrison.

Played in the Beatles. Like Keith Richards, generally not noted for lead. Hear: "And Your Bird Can Sing".

#32 - Randy Rhoads.

Ozzy's first ace guitarist during his solo career, died young. Great solos. Hear: "Mr. Crowley".

#33 - Uli Jon Roth.

Played in Scorpions as lead guitarist after Michael Schenker. Influenced neo-classical and shredding scenes. Hear: "Pictured Life".

#34 - Michael Schenker.

Played in Scorpions, then UFO. Great metal guitarist. Hear: "Rock Bottom".

#35 - Gary Moore.

Primarily a blues-rock guitarist, but has played with Thin Lizzy. Solid work. Hear: "Still Got the Blues".

#36, #37, & #38 - Joe Messina, Robert White, & Eddie Willis.

The resident guitarists of Motown's session band, the Funk Brothers. Don't listen to that much Motown, but the label was extremely influential. I suggest that our list rank guitarists based on individual credentials. Hear: "My Girl".

#39 - James Burton.

Played with Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley. Pretty good. Hear: "Susie Q".

#40 - Link Wray.

Experimented with distortion. Hear: "Rumble".

#41 - Jimmy Nolen.

Played with James Brown. Hear: "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".

#42 - Lonnie Mack.

Made early rock instrumentals. Hear: "Memphis".

#43 - Dick Dale.

The best surf-rock guitarist. Hear: "Misirlou".

#44 - Jerry Garcia.

Played in the Grateful Dead. Amazing guitarist, ought to be higher on this list. Hear: "Truckin'".

#45 - Marty Friedman.

Played in Cacophony and Megadeth. Intense solos, now lives in Japan alternating between solo records and J-pop. Hear: "Tornado of Souls".

#46 - Cliff Gallup.

Played in the Blue Caps. Influential to many. Hear: "Be-Bop-A-Lula".

#47 - Dickey Betts.

Played in the Allman Brothers Band. Often looked down upon as a lesser guitarist than Duane Allman, but has done good work. Hear: "Jessica".

#48 - Shawn Lane.

Haven't heard much from him, but I've heard much of him. Pretty good. Hear: "Get You Back".

#49 - Hank Marvin.

Great early rock player. Hear: "Apache".

#50 - Bo Diddley.

Bluesman turned rocker. Very influential. Hear: "Bo Diddley".

Note that Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists is not intended to represent my opinion on who should be selected for our list, but rather is intended as a conversation starter.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists (cont.)

#51 - Curtis Mayfield.

Played in the Impressions. Good soul material. Hear: "People Get Ready".

#52 - Frank Zappa.

Developed a style that molded whatever he liked into music. Very prolific. Hear: "Joe's Garage".

#53, & #54 - Thurston Moore, & Lee Ranaldo.

Both played in Sonic Youth. Not a big fan, but it's listenable. Hear: "Superstar".

#55 - Terry Kath.

Played in Chicago. Used the wah pedal a lot. Good work. Hear: "25 or 6 to 4".

#56 - Eddie Hazel.

Played in Funkadelic. Great guitarist. Hear: "Maggot Brain".

#57 - Rory Gallagher.

Haven't heard anything. Blues-rock. Hear: "Bad Penny".

#58 - Tommy Bolin.

Played in Zephyr and Deep Purple. Haven't heard much. Hear: "Sail On".

#59 - Slash.

Played in Guns N' Roses. Some fantastic stuff. Hear: "Sweet Child o' Mine".

#60 - Warren Haynes.

Played in the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule. Good guitarist. Hear: "Soulshine".

#61 - Andy Summers.

Played in the Police. Pretty good. Hear: "Every Breath You Take".

#62 - Mick Ronson.

Played with David Bowie. Good. Hear: "Moonage Daydream".

#63, & #64 - Glenn Tipton, & K. K. Downing.

Judas Priest's guitarists. Not a huge fan, but beloved in the metal community. Hear: "Painkiller".

#65 - Steve Lukather.

Played in Toto. Not familiar. Hear: "Africa".

#66 - Neal Schon.

Played in Journey and Santana. Pretty good. Hear: "Any Way You Want It".

#67 - John Petrucci.

Played in Dream Theater. Great progressive metal guitarist. Hear: "Pull Me Under".

#68, & #69 - Dave Murray, & Adrian Smith.

Iron Maiden's guitarists. As with Judas Priest, I don't listen to them regularly. Hear: "Hallowed Be Thy Name".

#70, & #71 - James Hetfield, & Kirk Hammett.

Metallica's rhythm and lead guitarists. I really like Metallica's work in the '80s, really good thrash metal. Hear: "Master of Puppets".

#72 - Johnny Marr.

Played in the Smiths. Not familiar with his work. Hear: "How Soon Is Now".

#73 - The Edge.

Played in U2. Very talented, even if he's highly dependent on effects. Hear: "Where the Streets Have No Names".

#74 - Alvin Lee.

Played in Ten Years After. Not very familiar. Hear: "I'm Going Home".

#75 - Leslie West.

Played in Mountain. Good material. Hear: "Mississippi Queen".

Note that Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists is not intended to represent my opinion on who should be selected for our list, but rather is intended as a conversation starter.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists (cont.)

#76 - Billy Gibbons.

Played in ZZ Top. Awesome guitarist, should be higher on this list. Hear: "Sharp Dressed Man".

#77 - Paul Gilbert.

Played in Mr. Big and Racer X. Very good. Hear: "Technical Difficulties".

#78 - Buckethead.

Weird persona, but he's quite good. Hear: "Nottingham Lace".

#79 - Vinnie Moore.

Played in UFO. Shredder, worked with Alice Cooper. Hear: "Meltdown".

#80 - Tony MacAlpine.

Played in Planet X. A shredder like Vinnie Moore. Hear: "Warfinger".

#81, & #82 - Angus Young, & Malcolm Young.

AC/DC's lead and rhythm guitarists. Both are excellent. Hear: "Back in Black".

#83 - Ray Gomez.

Played in Los Pop Tops. Not familiar with him at all. Hear: "Mammy Blue".

#84 - Michael Landau.

Prolific session guitarist. Hear: "Underwear".

#85 - Carl Verheyen.

Played in Supertramp. Pretty good. Hear: "The Logical Song".

#86 - Adrian Belew.

Played in King Crimson. Great guitarist. Hear: "Discipline".

#87 - Martin Barre.

Played in Jethro Tull. Good. Hear: "Aqualung".

#88 - Mick Taylor.

Played in the Rolling Stones and the Bluesbreakers. Good. Hear: "Ventilator Blues".

#89, & #90 - Dave Davies, & Ray Davies.

Guitarists of the Kinks. I like their work. Hear: "You Really Got Me".

#91 - Neil Young.

Should be way higher. Hear: "Old Man".

#92, & #93 - Scott Gorham, & Brian Robertson.

Guitarists of Thin Lizzy. Good band, good music. Hear: "The Boys Are Back in Town".

#94 - Dimebag Darrell.

Played in Pantera. Great metal guitarist. Hear: "Cowboys from Hell".

#95 - Guthrie Govan.

Played in Asia. Good guitarist. Hear: "Fives".

#96 - Derek Trucks.

Good slide guitarist. Blues-rock. Hear: "Anyday".

#97 - Big Jim Sullivan.

Extremely prolific English session guitarist. Hear: "Itchycoo Park".

#98 - Mickey Baker.

Early rock guitarist. Not familiar. Hear: "It's Gonna Work Out Fine".

#99 - Robin Trower.

I've heard Procul Harum referred to as the world's greatest one-hit wonder band, but I like them. Hear: "A Whiter Shade of Pale".

#100 - Jorma Kaukonen.

Played in Jefferson Airplane. Really like his work. Hear: "Somebody to Love".

Note that Some Thoughts on Rock Guitarists is not intended to represent my opinion on who should be selected for our list, but rather is intended as a conversation starter.

Just thought I'd do this to throw my opinions out there.

[SelfDevouringSnake]

So what is the official order of 1-4?

Hendrix

Paige

Van Halen

Beck

Yeah, that's correct.

[snapper]

Could we please get Billy Gibbons included in this list? He's one of my favorites and obviously very underrated.

Driving While Blind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXHssruMaHY&feature=related

[JTM]

Beck had assembled a fantastic, well-seasoned back-up band. I'm trying to find the name of his band-members, but I can't find them. Regardless, there was a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboard-player.

JBs Band

Rhonda Smith - Bass

Jason Rebello - Keys

Narada Micheal Walden - Drums

[tom kid]

John Mclaughlin deserves to be near the top IMHO. Just listen to this:

[Swede]

No mentioning of these guys..:

Albert Lee - Unreal.

Lowell George - Very tasteful slide player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMEkR3YRUnQ

Elvin Bishop - Great and personal style

[Deborah J]

Swede!

Those are great! Albert Lee is amazing! Always loved Little Feat.

Elvin Bishop will hopefully be on our list. IMHO the man is excellent at lead, rhythm and slide.

Love this thread!!

[tom kid]

How about this guy?

[Swede]

^^ He's way up on my list.

Swede!

Those are great! Albert Lee is amazing! Always loved Little Feat.

Elvin Bishop will hopefully be on our list. IMHO the man is excellent at lead, rhythm and slide.

Love this thread!!

Yes, Elvin is great. I love the stuff he did with Butterfield Blues Band too.

[Xtazy]

We should rank them, not toss them in.

[Swede]

We should rank them, not toss them in.

Sorry, I can't rank them.. I would need to put several guitarist as no. 1, and then the same with no. 2.. But I sure can see if someone is missing..

[tom kid]

Not sure if Frampton has been mentioned in this thread, but he's pretty darn good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLigJaks7to

And just for shits and giggles, Ace Frehley. He is by no means a great technical guitarist but he's still awesome and very entertaining.

[Swede]

And just for shits and giggles, Ace Frehley. He is by no means a great technical guitarist but he's still awesome and very entertaining.

I agree 100%.