Rolling Stone 100 greatest guitarists (new Nov 2011 list)

[VHscraps]

Rolling Stone have another one of their lists - 100 Best Guitarists ever. Clearly it is quite a subjective matter as to who is better than whom, etc., and it is obviously not about who has the best chops - but influence and longevity are a big part of it, as it should be.

EVH makes no. 8 this time. Everybody in and around the top ten have been influential or innovative:

10 - Pete Townshend
09 - Duane Allman
08 - Eddie Van Halen
07 - Chuck Berry
06 - B.B. King
05 - Jeff Beck
04 - Keith Richards
03 - Jimmy Page
02 - Eric Clapton
01 - Jimi Hendrix

Interesting that most of them started in the 60s or before - that generation of guitarists / musicians just established the template for rock music that followed. The next issue of Rolling Stone, due out next week, I think, will have four different covers - Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Van Halen. According to this story here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/m...n-history.html

Link to RS webpage: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...rists-20111123

We assembled a panel of top guitarists and other experts to rank their favorites and explain what separates the legends from everyone else. Featuring Keith Richards on Chuck Berry, Carlos Santana on Jerry Garcia, Tom Petty on George Harrison and more.

THE VOTERS: Trey Anastasio, Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Brian Bell (Weezer), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), James Burton, Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains), Gary Clark Jr., Billy Corgan, Steve Cropper, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing editor, Rolling Stone), Tom DeLonge (Blink-182), Rick Derringer, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Melissa Etheridge, Don Felder (The Eagles), David Fricke (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), Peter Guralnick (Author), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes), Warren Haynes (The Allman Brothers Band), Brian Hiatt (Senior writer, Rolling Stone), David Hidalgo (Los Lobos), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Lenny Kravitz, Robby Krieger (The Doors), Jon Landau (Manager), Alex Lifeson (Rush), Nils Lofgren (The E Street Band), Mick Mars (Mötley Crüe), Doug Martsch (Built to Spill), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Brian May, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Scotty Moore, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Tom Morello, Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Brendan O’Brien (Producer), Joe Perry, Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Robbie Robertson, Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes), Carlos Santana, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Marnie Stern, Stephen Stills, Andy Summers, Mick Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Vieux Farka Touré, Derek Trucks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Walsh, Nancy Wilson (Heart)

CONTRIBUTORS: David Browne, Patrick Doyle, David Fricke, Will Hermes, Brian Hiatt, Alan Light, Rob Tannenbaum, Douglas Wolk

[Va Beach VH Fan]

The fact that those dumb fucks have both Keith Richards and Chuck Berry above EVH is ridiculous on so many levels....

[FORD]

Well, without Chuck, there probably wouldn't have been a Keef. And though Eddie claims Clapton more as an influence more than Keef (though he doesn't sound a thing like either one) it's doubtful that the Yardbirds would have gone anywhere without the Beatles & the Stones opening the door, so Clapton would have never been known in the first place.

Opinions on the exact ranking all aside though, it's good to see Rolling Stone get the top ten of one of their lists right for once. No ridiculous choices like Jack White or whatever.

[FORD]

After looking at the whole list, I'd have to say it's for the most part a solid group, though again, I'd rank a lot of them differently. For example, how does Les Paul not make the top 10, considering without him, all these other guys would be playing nothing but acoustics.

And how many of them would be able to carry a show with nothing but an acoustic guitar? Well that brings me to the most glaring omission from the list, Phil Keaggy. Now there's a guy who can actually do a concert with just himself, an acoustic guitar, and his loop machine. Hard to believe they could make a list of 100 guitarists and not include him

[TJMKID]

If being influential or innovative is the criteria for this list --- then Muddy Waters should be #1 since all of the Top 10 guitarists would name Waters as a big influence.

YAWN ---- another dumb list compiled by the clueless dickweeds at RS. Could they not get Taylor Swift for yet another cover story in this issue?

[VHscraps]

Any list like that is always gonna depend on who they asked to vote in it. This time they asked some guitarists who wouldn't ignore Ed's influence.

It's a pretty solid list in a lot of ways, although I always fail to see why some guy like Johnny Marr would be in the top 50, let alone the Top 100.

There is also a list of 100 compiled by David Fricke in 2003 that is featured alongside the new one. Always thought he was a dickhead. I'm sure if it had just been compiled by Rolling Stone writers this time, it would look a lot more like his list. On that, EVH comes 80th, or someplace equally absurd.

[lesfunk]

I'll bet Mick Box is not on that list

[Heater]

[QUOTE=FORD;1575173]After looking at the whole list, I'd have to say it's for the most part a solid group, though again, I'd rank a lot of them differently. For example, how does Les Paul not make the top 10, considering without him, all these other guys would be playing nothing but acoustics.

And how many of them would be able to carry a show with nothing but an acoustic guitar? Well that brings me to the








most glaring omission from the list, Phil Keaggy. Now there's a guy who can actually do a concert with just himself, an acoustic guitar, and his loop machine. Hard to believe they could make a list of 100 guitarists and not include him

[/QUOTE


Everyone on that list with the exception of Ed could carry a show with an acoustic. Ed's style doesn't lend itself to acoustic playing. some of his tricks, pinch harmonics, tapped harmonics, squeals, tapping, dive bombs do not translate to an acoustic with the same punch as stomp boxes and amps give you. If the Yardbirds never were, I think we still would have heard from Eric Clapton. Just like if there was no VanHalen (the band) we still would have heard from Eddie, the other guys, probably not, including Dave.

[Nickdfresh]

If you go to the Yahoo mirror link, the comments are hysterical and pretty much state what people are saying here. My favorite being "Keith Richards isn't even the greatest guitarist in the Rolling Stones."

[Nickdfresh]

The article on Yahoo critical of RS:

Rolling Stone’s Greatest Guitarists List: Who’s Too High and Too Low

Too High

• Eddie Van Halen. Despite not releasing an album since 1998, EVH jumped from Number 70 on the 2003 list to Number Eight on this new 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Why the leap? Did Van Halen's talents suddenly multiply exponentially enough to propel him past 61 guitarists? Nah. It's probably no coincidence that Van Halen's rise comes when his namesake band is on the verge of releasing a new album, and that a certain magazine might be trying to get into his good graces by giving him better real estate on the list. (EVH adorns one of the four different RS covers to make the 100 Guitarists list, along with Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton. Speaking of Clapton…)

[78/84 guy]

I do find it funny that it's always rock guitarists at the top of the list. Where was a guy like Chet Atkins at on it ? Who is to say he isn't top ten just because he didn't write hit rock songs. Just saying ! I never listened to him but I know he was good. Were was Rory Gallagher and Tommy Bolin at ? I put Albert King in my top 5 and really don't even listen to him much. They could destroy Kief & Clapton with 5 licks if that's what they are going by !! Ed probably top 4 easy on a bad day. Still fun stuff to debate.

[scottydabodi]

I love "Top Guitarists Lists" written up by people who are NOT GUITARISTS. That would be like ME writing up a list of the greatest BRAIN SURGEONS in the world...

[diamondsgirl]

No Ace? No where?? C'mon.

and although Slash does not belong in the top 10 or anything, he must have pissed someone off to be at #65.

Joe Bonnamassa deserves to be in the top 100 also.

[Nickdfresh]

I do find it funny that it's always rock guitarists at the top of the list. Where was a guy like Chet Atkins at on it ? Who is to say he isn't top ten just because he didn't write hit rock songs. Just saying ! I never listened to him but I know he was good. Were was Rory Gallagher and Tommy Bolin at ? I put Albert King in my top 5 and really don't even listen to him much. They could destroy Kief & Clapton with 5 licks if that's what they are going by !! Ed probably top 4 easy on a bad day. Still fun stuff to debate.

You've illustrated a great point of why chronological, complied lists are complete shit...