Top 20 guitar riffs of all time (?)

Posted by: jayd on 03 May 2004

The top 20 (according to readers of Total Guitar magazine)

1. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
3. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
4. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
5. Enter Sandman - Metallica
6. Layla - Derek & The Dominoes/Eric Clapton
7. Master Of Puppets - Metallica
8. Back In Black - AC/DC
9. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix
10. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
11. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
12. All Right Now - Free
13. Plug In Baby - Muse
14. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
15. Aint Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
16. Walk This Way - Aerosmith
17. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
18. No-One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age
19. Paradise City - Guns N` Roses
20. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine.

story

I think only maybe 6 or 7 of these would make my own list.
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by Rasher
Reminds me of Waynes World in the guitar shop with the sign "No Stairway To Heaven!!!".

For me there is only one that overshadows all others: Kashmir
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by Geoff P
For me it is "Albatross" (the original Fleetwood Mac)

Geoff
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by greeny
Good list,

Quite difficult to come up with one of my own without a good bit of time, but I wouldn't grumble with most of those on the list above.

As for Albatros, a fantastic track but not really a riff.

Kashmir, an even better track with a great riff, but not completely guitar based, more orchestral/strings.


Biggest suprise is no Rolling Stones, especially given most of their tracks are riff based.
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by DenisA
Greeny,

Would FM 'Oh Well - Part 1' qualify?

Denis
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by Cheese
The Stones under 'also ran' ?

Jumpin' Jack Flash would IMO deserve a place in the top ten, as would Satisfaction - at least it's one of the most well-known.

Cheese
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by velofellow
Montana -Zappa
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by Jason Milner
Couple of suggestions (Bit heavy rock oriented, but then we are talking riffs here Wink)

Tush - ZZ Top (or No Class - Motorhead, take your pick)
Whole Lotta Rosie - AC/DC

J
Posted on: 04 May 2004 by syd
Spooky Tooth, "Better by you, Better than me.
Also Iron Butterflies take on creams "Sunshine" "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida". Most early Sabbath tracks were bristling with heavy riffs too.

Yours in Music

Syd
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Rasher
I always had this mental picture of Tony Blair thumping out the riff to Smoke On The Water on his Strat while Gordon Brown bangs on the wall
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Misguided Fool
quote:
Originally posted by Rasher:
I always had this mental picture of Tony Blair thumping out the riff to Smoke On The Water on his Strat while Gordon Brown bangs on the wall


Wasn't this Vic & Bob?

Regards

Mark ;0)
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Traveling Dan
I assume this is the Top 20 heavy metal/rock guitar riffs. If not, the omission of Blues musicians is inexplicable.

Can't imagine that Fats Waller's "Mannish Boy" riff would not figure in anyone's all time Top 20. Then, of course, there's Howlin' Wolf Jackson's "Smokestack Lightning" and lots of good stuff from the likes of B.B. King, John Lee H., etc., etc. (I could go on but, mercifully, I won't).

On the rock front, a few memorable (not necessarily best) riffs that spring to mind unbidden are:

Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama"
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird"
Chris Rea - "Let's Dance"
Joe Walsh - "Life's been good"
The Cars - "Just what I needed"
ZZ Top - "Sharp Dressed Man"
Cream - "Badge"
Steve Miller Band - "Rock N' Me".
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by u5227470736789524
Don Gallucci - of Don and the Goodtimes ? I ran home from school to watch "Where The Action Is" with them and Paul Revere and the Raiders in the '60s. As that show orginated here in the NW USA, it was my destiny to eventually live here.

Riff masters must include Joe Walsh, at least in his James Gang and solo days.

Jeff A
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by central
Most of the song's listed are not based on a guitar Riff, Hearbraker by Zep is a typical Riff as is Black dog.
Another example would be the Beatles Day Tripper.
Cream's Badge has no guitar riff just a bass line with a chord sequence over it.
Get the idea? Wink
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by P
How 'bout off the top of me 'ead and in no particular order......

Reelin' in the Years - Steely Dan

The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

Rebel Rebel or The Gene Jeanie - David Bowie

Blowin free - Wishbone Ash

Sylvia - Focus

The Faith Healer - SAHB

Jumpin' Jack Flash - The Stones

Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh

P
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by P
and anything by the Kinks

of course

P
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by P
or Family

P
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Clive B
Despite the fact that I think Clapton was somewhat over rated, I think "Bad Love" would have to feature as a pretty hot guitar riff.

But damn it, Pete said:

quote:
or Family


So I've gotta go, got a burning desire to put "Red Card" on the turntable!

Regards, CB
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Not For Me
Guitar motifs from the Modern Age:

Buzzcocks - ESP
The Cult - Wild flower
Killing Joke - Wardance & Requiem
Television - Marquee Moon
Richard Hell & the Voidoid - Blank Generation
Magazine - Shot by both sides
Sonic Youth - Death Valley 69

and some older:

Stooges - Shake Appeal & Death Trip

DS
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Traveling Dan
From the 'engage brain before approaching keyboard' department and to correct my own manifest error:

When I referred to Fats Waller's "Mannish Boy" I did, of course, mean to type Muddy Waters.

Mea culpa.
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Peter C
David Gilmour's best solo is Comfortably Numb, that is brilliant

Pete Townsend - Won't get fooled again

Sweet Home Chicago - numerous artists, initially Robert Johnson.

Snortin whisky - Pat Travers

Green grass and High Tides - The Outlaws
Posted on: 05 May 2004 by Kevin-W
What about these ones?

Led Zeppelin – The Ocean
Material – One Down (courtesy Nile Rodgers)
Pink Floyd– Young Lust
Howlin' Wolf – Spoonful
Sonic Youth – Eric's Trip
David Bowie – Stay
Can – Moonshake
Rolling Stones – The Last Time

Kevin
Posted on: 06 May 2004 by Pete
My top piece of axe Riff-tasticness is Steely Dan's "Josie", a classic example of how Less Is More.

The Stones just have so many, Keef practically defines riffing rock guitar. "Start Me Up" for a start, and "Gimme Shelter" has one of the all time great starts of any rock track, and it's based on the spooky riff.

For Tom, wanting something from Fripp, he's not so much a fiff man IMHO, though "Larks Tongues in Aspic pt 2" does have a belter, as does "Red". And if we're getting proggy, howzabout Martin Brre opening "Aqualung" up for business?

Pete.
Posted on: 06 May 2004 by Fisbey
'Keefs arm fell off, all the little holes joined together...' Cool
Posted on: 06 May 2004 by DenisA
My dream is that Walter & Donald put their 'jazz chops' on hold and make another 'guitar' album like The Royal Scam. They are guitar writing gods in my book, Anyway:-

Even if these are not Riff's - I like em Wink

Reelin' In The Years - Steely Dan (Elliot Randall ?)
Bodhisattva - Steely Dan (The "Skunk")
Don't Take Me Alive - Steely Dan (Larry Carlton)
Talk to ya Later - The Tubes
Mr Hate - The Tubes
Mr Big - Free (And best British Rock Singer EVER Paul Rogers Big Grin)
Rock Steady - Bad Company (Not forgetting Paul Rogers Big GrinBig Grin)
Sometimes I feel so Uninspired - Traffic (Steve Winwood never sounded better)
Oh Well part I - Fleetwood Mac
Green Manaleshi - Fleetwood Mac

Denis
Posted on: 06 May 2004 by BLT
"Zero" by the Smashing Pumpkins.