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ALinChainz
02-01-2004, 03:58 PM
Sun Feb 1,11:13 AM ET


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Here's one "guitar greats" list that Jimi Hendrix did not top: "the 100 greatest metal guitarists of all time."


According to Guitar World magazine, the No. 1 metal guitarist is Tony Iommi, the God-fearing axeman with pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath.


Six musicians claimed the next four spots: Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett tied at No. 2; AC/DC siblings Angus and Malcolm Young at No. 3; Randy Rhoads, the late sideman for Ozzy Osbourne, at No. 4; and Eddie Van Halen, of the foursome that bears his name, at No. 5. Hendrix was No. 12, six places behind Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page.


The list appears in the magazine's March issue, which hits news stands next week.


According to Guitar World editor-in-chief Brad Tolinski, the criteria for the list were purity and innovation. He said Iommi never strayed from a basic formula of B-tuned guitars played very loudly, plenty of power chords and slower rhythms.


"He's essentially the guy that created most of the conventions for heavy metal," Tolinski said. Iommi's "shining moment" is the track "Warning" from the band's self-titled 1970 debut album, according to the poll.


If Black Sabbath started the heavy metal ball rolling, then Metallica kept it alive, Tolinski said, pointing to the 1984 track "Creeping Death" as the band's stand-out.


Page's relatively low No. 6 ranking raised some eyebrows since Led Zeppelin also helped pave the way for heavy metal. But Tolinski said Page would be the first to admit that his playing also incorporates blues and folk. Similarly, Eddie Van Halen has always had a foot in the pop world, he added.


Hendrix, who died in 1970, introduced some of the genre's conventions, but Tolinski termed him more of a "futuristic blues player" than a heavy metal guitarist.

Mr Badguy
02-01-2004, 04:06 PM
Yeah, I saw that poll.

The top thirty are alright but the further down you get, the more obscure the players become.

Who needs a poll like this anyway and who did they get to vote on it?

ALinChainz
02-01-2004, 04:15 PM
Will have to check out the article to see who was voting and the criteria.

Mr Badguy
02-01-2004, 04:20 PM
I would class Iommi as the most influential metal guitarist but not the greatest.

He has a real wierd vibrato and his solo playing is pretty jazz influenced.

There`s no denying his riff writing powers, although his rythym playing is no frills.

I would pick Richie Blackmore as the top METAL guitarist of all time.

That ought to get the ball rolling...

Wayne L.
02-02-2004, 08:14 AM
Polls are meaningless anyway unless you're a part of the mindless media even though it's great the see legendary rock guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath getting the respect he deserves for his classic riffs after all these years speaking as an old fan.

Golden AWe
02-02-2004, 10:56 AM
Originally posted by Mr Badguy
I would class Iommi as the most influential metal guitarist but not the greatest.

He has a real wierd vibrato and his solo playing is pretty jazz influenced.

There`s no denying his riff writing powers, although his rythym playing is no frills.

I would pick Richie Blackmore as the top METAL guitarist of all time.

That ought to get the ball rolling...


I also hear a lot of blues in some of the slower Sabbath tunes...it is weird that in the article they only mention blues with Page...

I do rate Iommi as nr.1 myself but I don't have a bad word to say about Blackmore...(except for maybe his latest records)...he's one of the few real virtuoso guitarists ever...he can't really be copied...the same goes with EVH...you can play his songs note to note but you'll always hear a tiny little difference between the copy and the original...and that's what makes them so great.

Mr Badguy
02-02-2004, 03:58 PM
I only need to pick one Blackmore song to play to anyone and that`s the live version of "Highway star" from "Made in Japan".

if you haven`t heard it, then you are missing one of the defining moments of rock guitar work.

If you have, you know what I`m talking about.

FORD
02-02-2004, 04:56 PM
Sabbath did indeed start out as a blues band before they came up with the whole dark, evil, and gloomy thing - with the distorted guitar added.

If you want to hear what Tony sounded like before the fuzzbox, check out his only pre-Sabbath recording, Jethro Tull's "Song For Jeffrey" as performed on the Rollling Stones Rock n Roll Circus. It's a bluesy slide riff similar to the approach Page used on Zeppelin's "Ttraveling Riverside Blues"

Panamark
02-03-2004, 01:56 AM
Any list that doesnt have Kurt Cobain or that White Stripes dick as number one, is ok with me !

Mr Badguy
02-03-2004, 04:26 AM
Amen to that.

Golden AWe
02-03-2004, 06:59 AM
Originally posted by FORD
Sabbath did indeed start out as a blues band before they came up with the whole dark, evil, and gloomy thing - with the distorted guitar added.

If you want to hear what Tony sounded like before the fuzzbox, check out his only pre-Sabbath recording, Jethro Tull's "Song For Jeffrey" as performed on the Rollling Stones Rock n Roll Circus. It's a bluesy slide riff similar to the approach Page used on Zeppelin's "Ttraveling Riverside Blues"


Thank you for the tip! Haven't heard that one yet...

Hecubus
02-04-2004, 12:09 AM
There are a lot of obscures on that list, but then again, I don't listen to a whole lot of the really hard metal....

Hagar tho? Said it before & I'll say it again, the only thing 'metal' about him is a song title.