Guitar Heroes: Legends of RockIn honor and anticipation of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, here's a list of my top 20 all-time favorite guitarists.
20. The Edge –
Responsible for that jangly, bright, steady freight train of a guitar that has defined U2's sound for more than two decades.
And he owns one of the coolest, and simultaneously, most retarded names ever.
19. Dick Dale – The surf
guitar king. Known mainly for “Misirlou”,
which our generation identifies as the song in the opening credits of Pulp Fiction.
18. Les Paul – The guy
is the namesake of arguably the most famous Gibson guitar in the world.
17. John Mayer – I
know what you’re thinking. Let me
clarify: I’ve seen him live. Amazing blues guitar player and easily one of
the best alive today. Passionate to the
point where you can tell the man’s in love with his guitar when he plays.
16. John Frusciante –
The most tenured Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist has a unique style that blends
and shines at the same time. “Under The
Bridge” is one of my favorite riffs of all time.
15. Jeff Beck – One of
the first electric guitarists in the 60’s to give birth to distortion. Sick in his own right, the advances he started
have influenced legions of the great guitarists today.
14. Joe Satriani – “Surfing
With the Alien”. Absolutely unreal.
13. Jonny Lang – Kid Blues,
who started as a young prodigy, has only gotten better with age. “Smokin’” is still one of the slickest modern blues
albums I’ve ever heard.
12. Tom Morello –
Capitan of the pulsating, heavy and vibrant drive behind Rage Against the
Machine and Audioslave. If you haven’t
heard “Killing in the Name”, give that one a listen.
11. Duane Allman – “Jessica”. You’ll get the idea.
10. Carlos Santana –
For greater than 30 years, Santana’s black
magic has charmed everyone. A true living
legend who even made Matchbox 20 and Michelle Branch sound better.
9. Slash – Who doesn’t
know the opening solo for “Sweet Child o’ Mine” or the thunderous bounce of “Welcome
to the Jungle”? Bow down to the top hat,
sunglasses and dangling cigarette.
8. Prince – If you
missed the Super Bowl last year, he’s been around forever, is better than
Michael Jackson and can play dozens of instruments. To top it off, he rocks a guitar shaped like
his symbol that can put practically anyone to shame.
7. Steve Vai – One word: NASTY.
Watch him take on Ralph Macchio (aka The
Karate Kid) at the end of Crossroads,
where Vai plays the devil in a battle for Daniel-san's soul. Yes, it sounds as stupid as it is amazing.
6. Eddie Van Halen – “Eruption”
is one of the most mind-blowing instrumentals I’ve ever heard. I can die happy if I ever learn to play it
note for note.
5. Jimmy Page – Led
Zeppelin’s axe master. His guitar
playing is probably solely responsible for a generation of babies born in the 70's UK.
4. B.B. King – The one
and only. An origi-nal. And you don’t f*** with an original.
3. Eric Clapton – Limewire
or search for “Classical Guitar”. Listen
to “Crossroads” by Cream. Or “Cocaine”. Or “Layla”.
Clapton is king.
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan
– He left us before he really had the chance to shine. Stevie Ray bled the blues, made us cry a “Texas
Flood”, walked the “Tightrope”, “Scuttle-buttin’” his way to cementing a
bittersweet legacy.
1. Jimi Hendrix – All
hail. Another who died too young at the tender age of 27. Nothing can be said other than he was the
best of the best. Will we ever hear or
see talent, skill or soul like that again? The wind cries... Jimi.
Honorable mentions:
David Gilmour, Ace Frehley ("I'll give YOU a P-and-L statement!"), Joe Perry, Chuck Berry, Albert Hammond, Jr., Angus Young, Kirk Hammett, Pete Townsend, George Harrison, Rich Robinson
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