Top 25 Guitar Riffs

[rupert the dog]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/02/bmriffs102.xml  Well, what do you think?I know I'm [italic text]very[/italic text] old, but aren't there a few classics missing? Where's any examples of "The Human Riff"? e.g. "Street Fighting Man" or "Jumping Jack Flash"? And surely "Whole Lotta Love" has got to be there? Discuss.

[kiwisr]

I wouldn't have included these :

Ace of Spades
Enter Sandman
Under The Bridge
7 Nation Army

As for modern bands : Slither by Velvet Revolver maybe.

And IMO they could have included :

You Really Got Me - The KInks (or Van Halen cover)
Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
Bad to The Bone or Who Do You Love - George Throughgood
Highway Star - Deep Purple

Edited by kiwisr on Saturday 5th April 23:22

[smiller]

I - personally - would omit the following from the list:

Smells Like Teen Spirit (not a riff, just four cowboy chords)
Paradise City (not a riff, just a few sustained arpeggiated chords)
Enter Sandman (good initial riff, but not a continued theme throughout the tune)
Under The Bridge (what riff? where?)
Immigrant Song (worst riff ever by Sir Page)
Wake Up (......)
My Generation (what riff? where?)
Give It Away (good bass riff, but this is about guitars)
Eye Of The Tiger (no riffs here, just a selection of power chords)

So. Seeing as I've omitted nine "riffs" from the 25, I need to add some worthy ones:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

[catso]

smiller said:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

and what about Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine' ?

[AdeTuono]

catso said:

smiller said:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

and what about J.J. Cales's 'Cocaine' ?

EFA

[catso]

AdeTuono said:

catso said:

smiller said:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

and what about J.J. Cales's 'Cocaine' ?

EFA

Well yes but I think the Clapton version is more recognisable to most and along with Sunshine of your love & Whole lotta love, very recognisable even to people who aren't in the know.

[gbbird]

No Rainbow, Since You Been Gone? Or All Night Long for that matter

g

[russ turner]

Stargazer maybe, but Since You've been Gone - No thanks

still each to their one and its all down to individual's taste

One of my favourite's is Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower

[smiller]

catso said:

smiller said:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

and what about Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine' ?

"cocaine" sounds too similar to Sunshine of Your Love, riff-wise, and "Sunshine" was done before "Cocaine".

Defence rests, your honour.

[Markh]

Did I miss 'Smoke on the water'?

[catso]

smiller said:

catso said:

smiller said:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

and what about Eric Clapton's 'Cocaine' ?

"cocaine" sounds too similar to Sunshine of Your Love, riff-wise, and "Sunshine" was done before "Cocaine".

Defence rests, your honour.

All the more reason for one of them to be included then, surely?

[catso]

Markh said:

Did I miss 'Smoke on the water'?

I don't know, did you try looking in the no 1 position?

[gbbird]

russ turner said:

Stargazer maybe, but Since You've been Gone - No thanks

still each to their one and its all down to individual's taste

One of my favourite's is Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower

Stargazer is prob the best Rainbow song ever, but if we are talking guitar riffs, Since You Been Gone has it.

[daphantom]

smiller said:

I - personally - would omit the following from the list:

Smells Like Teen Spirit (not a riff, just four cowboy chords)
Paradise City (not a riff, just a few sustained arpeggiated chords)
Enter Sandman (good initial riff, but not a continued theme throughout the tune)
Under The Bridge (what riff? where?)
Immigrant Song (worst riff ever by Sir Page)
Wake Up (......)
My Generation (what riff? where?)
Give It Away (good bass riff, but this is about guitars)
Eye Of The Tiger (no riffs here, just a selection of power chords)

So. Seeing as I've omitted nine "riffs" from the 25, I need to add some worthy ones:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

is "come as you are " NOT a bass riff?

[Markh]

catso said:

Markh said:

Did I miss 'Smoke on the water'?

I don't know, did you try looking in the no 1 position?

Oops didn't read the Telegraph bit..............

[smiller]

daphantom said:

smiller said:

I - personally - would omit the following from the list:

Smells Like Teen Spirit (not a riff, just four cowboy chords)
Paradise City (not a riff, just a few sustained arpeggiated chords)
Enter Sandman (good initial riff, but not a continued theme throughout the tune)
Under The Bridge (what riff? where?)
Immigrant Song (worst riff ever by Sir Page)
Wake Up (......)
My Generation (what riff? where?)
Give It Away (good bass riff, but this is about guitars)
Eye Of The Tiger (no riffs here, just a selection of power chords)

So. Seeing as I've omitted nine "riffs" from the 25, I need to add some worthy ones:

Led Zep: Whole Lotta Love
Hendrix / The Band of Gypsies: Who Knows
Led Zep: Black Dog
Nirvana: Come As You Are
Pink Floyd: Money
Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign
Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
Fleetwood Mac: Oh Well
Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath

is "come as you are " NOT a bass riff?

Doubled with guitar on the original recording.

It counts.

[jamesgrrr]

My 10p..... Although asking for the greatest guitar riffs is like trying to make a list of the 25 best films ever, one man's Miss England is another's Jade Goody.

Queens of the stone age - Tension Head.

Derek and the Dominos - Layla

Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well

Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock

Doug Wood Band - Drag Racer

And for all the PHers - The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica

Maybe some aren't as well known, but they are definately more deserving of a space (and actually riffs) than:

Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

Rage Against the Machine - Wake Up

Eye of the tiger

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Would of definitely chosen Led Zeps Kashmir or When the Levee breaks over immigrant song....


When Kerrang did a similar thing a few years ago Wish - NIN was in the top 10 an awesome song

[smiller]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

When Kerrang did a similar thing a few years ago Wish - NIN was in the top 10 an awesome song

Trent Reznor?

Ambition +1

Talent -10,000,000

[Thudd]

smiller said:

Cream: Born Under a Bad Sign

Surely Born Under A Bad Sign is by Albert King?

Cream were just a bunch of white boys rehashing the Blues.