Total Guitar magazine in the UK has compiled a listing of the 20 best guitar tracks in rock.
- Guns 'N Roses — Sweet Child O' Mine
- Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Led Zeppelin — Whole Lotta Love
- Deep Purple — Smoke On The Water
- Metallica — Enter Sandman
- Derek & The Dominoes — Layla
- Metallica — Master Of Puppets
- AC/DC — Back In Black
- Jimi Hendrix — Voodoo Child
- Black Sabbath — Paranoid
- Ozzy Osbourne — Crazy Train
- Free — All Right Now
- Muse — Plug In Baby
- Led Zeppelin — Black Dog
- Van Halen — Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
- Aerosmith — Walk This Way
- Cream — Sunshine Of Your Love
- Queens Of The Stone Age — No One Knows
- Guns 'N Roses — Paradise City
- Rage Against The Machine — Killing In The Name Of
Some of these I haven't heard of (Muse?), and some of these are being overpraised (No One Knows is a decent enough song, but not quite the top twenty ever). Take it for what it's worth.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - TDavid
Wow, I was just getting ready to post this. Nice job, Casper :) I'll save it for my blog only now.
2 - Agentsmith
Jeff Beck - Cause we ended as lovers
3 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Casper, hard to argue with most of the list, but it is awfully narrow stylistically. I would add Neil Young's "Like a Hurricane" and Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" ("go, Maggot Brain, go")
4 - Harald
"Some of these I haven't heard of (Muse?)"
Well, it's time you did then.
5 - Douglas Mays
Another list that a top 1000 would be debatable. So let me throw in one that has stuck in my head for years.
"Standing at the Station" by Ten Years After. I think the name of the album was 'RocknRoll Music to the World'. Actually very tasteful guitar work by Alvin Lee. A nice progressive rock-blues (English style) track.
6 - Barry Stoller
Lee Pickens' solo on Bloodrock's 1971 epic 'Breach of Lease' - only those those poor souls who haven't heard this amazing performance would omit it from any top list.
7 - Al Barger
What kind of retard came up with this list? Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, Black Sabbath AND Ozzy- but NO Rolling Stones, Prince or CHUCK FRICKIN' BERRY.
Note that the article is listing them as greatest guitar "riffs" specifically.
Did I mention that they compiled a list of the greatest guitar riffs with no mention of CHUCK BERRY?
8 - Barry Stoller
Huh? Is it the '20 best guitar TRACKS in rock' or '20 best guitar RIFFS in rock'? If it's riffs, then, fukkit, 'Ina-Gada-Da-Vida' must be included - if for no other reason than to remind us boomers how basely we're aging.
9 - Al Barger
Oh, yeah- They got Nirvana, but no Jerry Reed. "Amos Moses" comes ahead of the entire Nirvana catalog for guitar licks, and every other category.
10 - Douglas Mays
Barry (comment #8), Inna godda da vida baby! How 'bout the drum solo man. Actually how about a top 20 drum-driven songs.
OK, while we are on the subject let me throw in 'Underture' by the Who from the Tommy album. Keith Moon carried that song so tastful and strong. Uh, underground stuff: 'Fog' by X-15. Todd Fuhs is the worlds greatest drummer. Guitar and Drum drive 'Waiting for Madge' by Fleetwood Mac from the Then Play On album. It is like standing inside a psychedelic wind tunnel.
Anyway, just an idea. Gives credit to the'camshaft' of the band.
peaceloveguidance
11 - Eric Olsen
Douglas, I love the Ten years After album, but "Choo Choo Mama" is THE raging guitar track.
12 - Douglas Mays
Eric, you remember! When I first heard ChooChoo Mama I put it right up there with 'Goin Home' on the raging guitar mania scale.
Not bad, yer into TYA and True Believers. We have some of the same records I think.
13 - HW Saxton Jr.
DM,you mentioned drummers... I think the
best drummer from your neck of the woods
was Sam from "Napalm Beach".Incredible!!
My favorite NW band though is by far the
infamous: Rancid Vat. They are so SICK!
and original and rockin' and stuff...
14 - Douglas Mays
HW, right on! You know NW bands. Yes, Sam is an outstanding drummer. Back in the day when X-15 (later became Life In General, but now there is a LIG named band on the east coast, therefore reverting back to X-15 for compilation releases) and Napalm Beach would play together in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver B.C., there was no club on the planet that would have a better show going.
Having had a chance to scrutinize many times I still give Todd the edge. But, you know it, Sam is outstanding.
But getting back to guitar-driven songs, how about that Chris Newman from Napalm Beach? Songs like 'Angels Ride' or 'Pox On You' are master guitar works.
OH yeah, Rancid Vat! Good of you to bring them up.
Back to drums, can't forget good ol' Carl Palmer (ELP). He has sure blown my mind a few times...
15 - HW Saxton Jr.
Hey DM, yeah I used to spend a lot of
time in the NW "back in the day".My bro
was going to U of W and I used to come
up there and hang out 'til he got sick
of me drinking up his beer and stuff.LOL
UMMMMMM.... Ballard Bitters,yeah mon.
I love everything about the NW except
the f'in rain... I'm not too familiar
with the Napalm Beach repertoire.I do
remember them doing the BEST version of
"Season Of The Witch" I've ever heard.
And of course their musicianship was way
above yer average bar band.
16 - Douglas Mays
HW, way mass cool! You are someone from another part of the planet that is aware of a music scene that I am passionate about. One that the world isn't really aware of. NW original music from '75-'85.
This is the scene that got the music industry to look towards this neck of the woods. Grunge was merely a by-product of this wide-open scene.
I can remember your Chris Cornells or Duff McKagans, etc. at all-ages shows (they were too young for bars at the time) heavy into your Napalm Beach/X-15/etc. bands that molded their chops and ideas.
Yes, Napalm Beach playing 'Season of the Witch', X-15 playing 'Means to an End' or the Refuzors playing 'Sympathy for the Devil' were all very creative, artistic covers done by these great original bands that really deserve notice.
Good that you are hip to the subject!
17 - felch
Hey Saxon and DM,
I grew up in the NW and saw Napalm a number of times as well as Chris' offshoot band. Sam was an incredible drummer; and he didn't need a big kit either. I am friends with Dead Moon who are my fave NW band but let us not forget the Wipers, Sonics or the Young Fresh Fellows!
As far as the list is concerned: Any list of badass guitar dominated songs which doesn't include Television or Richard Thompson can pretty much fuck off. Let me know if anyone else agrees.
18 - Douglas Mays
felch, WAY MASS COOL!!! Sno Bud and the Flower People might be the off-shoot band you are thinking of. Great stuff with songs like 'Crippled Mind'.
Dead Moon! Formerly The Rats! Next time you talk, let them know X-15 says 'how do, man!'
The Wipers and The Sonics (godfathers of punk-early 60s). DOA, Subhumans! I heard it rumored that D.O.A. is gonna tour with Jello Biafra on throat. Also X-15/Life In General, Napalm Beach, 3 Swimmers, Refuzors, Fartz, Green River, Visible Targets, Spectators, etc. These bands make the grunge thing look like an afterthought.
Television, Richard Thompson deserve MORE notice than they get, thats for sure...
peaceloveguidance
19 - Douglas Mays
HW, felch, It is good of you to have knowledge of a certain era of music from that neck of the woods.
It amazes me to see what some stuff from that era sells for on e-bay. Remember Solger? The worlds worst punk band, who were actually alright. A copy of their album sold for about $650. The CDC Boys (Cornell played drums?) single sold for about the same amount.
What I am finding currently is that with the mastering software available to studios it is amazing what can be done with those "rare" live tapes. 'Lost' studio recordings. All can be brought up to CD listening standards. The archives of the scene can bring it back to scene.
Tapes by the Blackouts or Fastbacks (two bands I forgot to mention previously) and others can be brought up to quality standards. Anyway, I can see that happening in the next year. Good to find you guys!
peaceloveguidance
20 - Nick Jones
Are you really sure you want felch as a nickname?
21 - Douglas Mays
Hey, I wondered about that also!!!
22 - felch
Gentlemen,
concerning the Felch moniker: it shant be ripped off any time soon and the imagery is, well, memorable. But thank you for your concern (you are the first bloggers to comment on it - hilarious).
The Fastbacks were cool. The bass player works at a bar in Capitol Hill in Seattle. She has a new band who sound a bit like Cheap Trick meets the Fastbacks. Sno Bud was the name of Newman's alter ego. Thank you for reminding me X-15. I will definitely put a shout out to Fred and Toodie for you next time I see them. So many great NW bands who never sold out. Portland and Seattle really have a warm place in a lot of musician's hearts. Whenever I meet someone cool nine times out of ten they have a good Satyricon or Crocodile memory. By the way I saw the Dwarves and Gwar on a double bill at the Satyricon. I also saw The Afghan Whigs when Greg still had long hair (yes he was a bit of an aloof prick then too) doing a spirited but bad cover of Sinead O' Conner's "Mandika." Alas I hear the Satyricon is closing. That in itself deserves a blog comment site. Damn shame a club that important is going down the drain. Great to hear from all of you diehard true punk rockers! Peace, Felch.
23 - Douglas Mays
Eric, (re: post #3) you mention Funkadelic's 'Maggot Brain'. Oh man, that answers the question in my mind since there was a short lived punk band in this Seattle scene spoken about in above comments called the Maggot Brains. Thats where it came from.
Felch, the Satyricon is closing? Played there a bunch in the day. That is where Kurt and Courtney met! An institution!
peaceloveguidance
24 - Allan
WHAT ABOUT STEVIE RAY VAUGHN- TEXAS FLOOD?!
25 - mental
neil peart from rush is the best drummer, mentals