You may have heard Van Duser play before. Van Duser & Novick's "Louisiana Fairy Tale" used to be the theme song for the original "This Old House" TV show.
David Lindley
It has been said that David Lindley can play anything with strings on it. I believe it. Anybody who was around in the 70s will recognize Lindley's sound. He just about defined that Southern California sound - especially on a bunch of Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne records. He was also the guy who squeezed out the falsetto part during Running On Empty's "Stay" (I've seen him do that live...and I don't know what was more disturbing: the voice coming out of that man, or the violently fluorescent Hawaiian clothing). Lindley also put out a few great solo records full of slack-key finger picking and pedal-steel guitar craziness. Put on an El Rayo-X record at your next party and you'll be dancin' on your coffee table in no time.
Bill Frisell
When I went through my ECM Records phase (ok, I'm still not out of it) I came across Mr. Frisell. Here's a player who's tough to classify. His sound can go from tender and heartfelt balladry to full-on skronk... sometimes within the same tune! Frisell's been through his phases: early on there was a lot of abstraction and rubato, then there was some near-rock and pop material (check out the cover/destruction of Madonna's "Live To Tell" on Have A Little Faith). From that point there was an extended period of what I would call Frisell-Americana. His latest record sees him turning to a sort of world music. He has also played country and straight-ahead jazz ...and the amazing thing is that that voice remains distinct throughout all of the styles he's dealt with.
Adrian Belew
What can't Adrian Belew do? He's played Beatles-influenced pop with the Bears (and on his solo records), funk (Talking Heads), art-pop (anybody remember the fork, knife and spatula scene during Laurie Anderson's Home Of The Brave?) and, of course, art rock ...or whatever you want to call what King Crimson has done since Discipline. The man seems to draw from an endless pool of creativity ...and he's fun too!
Robert Fripp
Belew's alter ego? Not exactly. On the other hand, when Belew looks like he's having fun, Fripp looks like he's eaten too much for dinner.
The proof, though, is in the playing. Fripp defined the King Crimson sound - then drove it through a bunch of variations. I love it all: the scary doom-laden metallic clang, the nervous rhythms, the interlocking guitar figures, the Frippertronics. His sound can go from a whisper to a howl. Kinda frightening. Always entertaining.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Rodney Welch
Isn't Lindley also the guy who does the howling backing vocal on Zevon's "Wild Age"?
2 - Tom Johnson
I would have to add to just about any list that didn't have him Michael Hedges. That guy did things . . . I have no idea how he did the things he did. What a shocking loss his death was.
I'd also offer up Steve Howe, but his solo material just doesn't measure up to his work with Yes. He does, however, elicit the same feelings in me that Bill Frisell does - a kind of "what's next" excitement in everything he plays. Like Frisell, he knows the power of playing very close to out of control, where his fret work is on the very edge of being completely incoherent, yet reigns it in just enough to maintain some sense of melody. Frisell is the master of this, but Howe was first . . .
3 - Eric Olsen
Very cool Mark, a lot I agree with and some new guys I didn't really know (guy, and I haven't paid that much attention to Ribot). And man, put "Substitute" and "Can't Explain" (guess that's Page along on the BIG RIFF) together and nothing can piss me off. Really, all of Meaty Beaty is timeless mod rock and the group's peak.
Glad to see Bruce, too, he kicks the llama's ass on "Darkness"
4 - JR
That's not Steve Van Zandt playing guitar on "Darkness..."?
5 - Jim Carruthers
I have to agree this is a righteious list. I was surprized how many of the guitbox arteests I listed in a previous article made the RS list.
But I'm ashamed I didn't mention Marc Ribot.
And Rolling Stone, Robert Quine has done more than the Voidoids. One of the guitarists I didn't list was Lou Reed. But Reed is more important for hiriing better guitarists like Mike Rathke.
6 - Eric Olsen
JR, Steve isn't on "Darkness" - it's all Bruce.
7 - JR
He's listed in the liner notes, both as production assistant and on guitar. I'm not up on Springsteen lore, what's the story here?
8 - Eric Olsen
Sorry, Steve did come in on the production end and ended up playing some guitar, but Bruce played all the leads. He is listed as "lead guitar" - his electric lead style is not unlike Neil Young, furiously hard picking wringing the guitar neck like a doomed chicken, making vicious, almost unnatural noise.
9 - JR
I believe that's my cue to actually listen to the record...
10 - Jim Carruthers
Hey, I think I saw that chicken this week at at CNE!
11 - S.A. Smith
The Rolling Stone list unsurprisingly sucked in that faux controversial only Rolling Stone can do. I liked your observation about Bruce's playing on Darkness. When I was in high school, waaay back in the mid-80's, I had a friend who was a black sabbath/led zeppelin kind of guy and new of Bruce only as the commercial monster he became after Born in the USA. One lunch time I kidnapped him and we snuck off and I blasted a little Adam Raised a Cain and Candy's Room and set him straight. I broke in my 18th birthday present strat working out the solos on Darkness.
I was happy to see that Richard Thompson wasn't ignored. And I know I'll be ripped apart for saying this but, with all due respect to Hendrix, we all know that Keith Richards is rock-n-roll guitar.
12 - Marty Friedman
I think the Rolling Stone's Magazine is full of lies. First of all, how do they dare to put Kurt Cobain in the TOP 100 guitarist?? I mean, thats the BIGEEST LIE I'VE EVER HEARD! There should be Mary Friedman, so i say that the rolling stones magazine sucks!!! they ahve to be informed before they make such a wrong thing!
Thanks a lot!
13 - adamsj
Springsteen is a vastly underrated guitarist, as shown once again on Zevon's "Disorder in the House"--but don't forget Zevon's playing. He's the only guitarist on Life'll Kill You. That's him sounding just like Peter Buck on "Porcelain Monkey", and him doing all the neat picking.
I think about Belew's stellar work on Frank Zappa's Sheik Yerbouti. That's the only Zappa album (I think) with only two guitarists. Of course.
14 - Kenny Allday
Sure I agree that Jimi was great because nobody made those sounds back then come out of a guitar. But nowdays it seems that everyone is. Everything sounds the same in the mainstream. Honestly the list made me sick. Right when I saw Jack White of the white Stripes i almost fell over. That pathetic guy ovver someone like JOHN PETRUCCI!!!!! this is an outrage. and deaf person could tell that an amazing musician such as John Petrucci from Dream theater is 50 times the guitarist than half of the people on that list. I WANT TO KILL WHOEVER WROTE THAT LIST! ahhhhhhh
15 - Taloran
I've spent far too many hours over the last three decades listening to music and trying to determine which guitarist I considered the greatest - there are a whole bunch of 'em, guys who make your jaw drop listening to their licks the way Peter Forsberg does handling a hockey puck. How the heck did he do that??? Ah, what a wonderful argument Rolling Stone, in their infinite wisdom, has cooked up!
A few "How does he DO that?" moments:
Jorma Kaukonen's fingerpicking on Hesitation Blues, the first track of the first Hot Tuna album.
Page's fretwork on the live version of Dazed and Confused.
The first time hearing SRV's version of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
Jeff Beck's entire Blow By Blow album
John Butcher's At The Feet of the Master from Positively the Blues
Watermelon in Easter Hay, Joe's final imaginary guitar solo from Zappa's Joe's Garage
Then there's the ones that make your heart sing and your head spin, even if you actually understand what the guy's fingers are doing. A few:
Eric Johnson's Ah Via Musicom --> Cliffs of Dover
Santana's Samba Pa Ti and Europa
Hendrix's Captain Coconut and Peace in Mississippi
Kottke's Vaseline Machine Gun
Albatross by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
No doubt everyone reading this has songs that do similar things to them - I'd like to hear which ones they are so I can download them illegally and listen to them. (Just kidding, sorta.)
16 - The Theory
thank you for the Kottke mention... that guy is madly underrated.
17 - JR
So Mark, where's that list of jazz players?
18 - Mark Saleski
dat's a good question....i'll work on it.
19 - raymond mcgee
Glad also tha the world is waking up to Richard Thompson....and David Lindley.Now,surely,some mention for the extraordinarily skilful and adaptable Albert Lee?
20 - raymond mcgee
Addendum
Rory Gallagher???
21 - Eric Olsen
I knew Albert Lee for a time when he hung out in the South Bay in the '80s, great player, nice guy.
22 - upanddidit
I think that robert Johnson should be in the number one spot. That mans way of play blows my mind and no matter how many times i try i cant do it. Maybe he did sell his soul but it was worth it. He has inspiered so many artist and no one today really knows who he is
23 - Nick
WHERE IS YNGWIE MALMSTEEN
24 - zakkster
wheres zakk wylde
25 - pat o'brien
ok. lets face it. the edge from u2 is the greatest guitarist ever. i mean just listen to him and you will see what im talking aboot.