Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll

[Mr Grimsdale]

Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll

Guns N' Roses' anthem Sweet Child O' Mine has the greatest guitar riff ever, according to a poll in a music monthly.
Total Guitar magazine's readers put it in top place, ahead of Nirvana's grunge anthem Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love came third, followed by Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water.

Total Guitar editor Scott Rowley said: "To a new generation of guitarists, Guns N' Roses are more thrilling than the Sex Pistols."

He added: "This poll shows the so-called canon of classic rock - the Led Zeppelins, Eric Claptons, Jimi Hendrix - is as popular as ever, but being added to all the time.

"Riffs are an interesting measure of people's tastes because they're usually easy to play and very catchy - they're the hook of the song."

The magazine's last poll, conducted five years ago, saw Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love top the list, followed by Smoke On The Water and Layla, recorded by Eric Clapton as Derek and the Dominoes.

More than 2,000 readers took part in the poll.

The top 20 riffs:

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 Chile (Slight Return) - 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. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
16. Walk This Way - Aerosmith w Run DMC
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

[Panamark]

ATBL gets in there but not Unchained ?

[Mr Badguy]

And where are "Purple haze" and "Whole lotta Rosie"?

I think "Out ta get me" has a better riff than SCOM or PC by GnR.

Like many of these polls, it has probably been put together by casual rock fans and not the true connoisseurs.

What a load of shite.

Who cares what someone else thinks the greatest rock riff ever is?

What is the criteria to be the greatest?

It`s like saying the greatest colour ever is blue.

[Mr Grimsdale]

I like the way the Run DMC version of Walk This Way gets on there instead of the original.

[FORD]

Who or what the fuck is Muse??

Van Halen always gets fucked in these polls/lists because Eddie turned the band into a FUCKING JOKE!

[DLR_EngineRoom]

where is Highway To Hell by AC/DC?

Theres TONS of Van Halen that didn't make it, but I guess it wasn't a Van Halen poll, just in general.

Personally, I think that Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit sounds A LOT like Offspring's Self Esteem.

[DLR_EngineRoom]

Heh heh.....then again.....you don't EVER SEE ANY Van Hagar riffs in any contests or lists.



Coincidence, fellow Roth fans?

[Mr Grimsdale]

Originally posted by FORD
Who or what the fuck is Muse??

UK band, 2 or 3 albums out. Originally hail from Devon. They make quite a pleasant noise.
Sort of Radiohead with more aggro and solos.
http://www.muse.mu/

[Mr Grimsdale]

Originally posted by DLR_EngineRoom
Personally, I think that Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit sounds A LOT like Offspring's Self Esteem.

I think it's probably the other way around.
There's also at least one early Radiohead track that sounds a lot like Teen Spirit.

[VHII]

nirvana is on there that sucks

[bueno bob]

This just in:

The best twenty words are:

1 - The
2 - It's
3 - For
4 - You
5 - Us
6 - Between
7 - Another
8 - Time
9 - I'd
10 - So
11 - Get
12 - Free
13 - Choose
14 - Now
15 - Special
16 - Year
17 - Made
18 - Dress
19 - Just
20 - Life

There, now I've got my OWN fuckin' top twenty list.

[smaz]

Sweet Child Of Mine is fucking shit. That riff is nothing special. I'd say Smoke on the Water or Smells Like Teen Spirit are the most famous riffs. And Whole Lotta Love too.

[secrets]

These polls are just a complete joke anyway.

I love Sweet Child of Mine but don't know if it's even GnR's best riff.

Where are Rush on that list? Bet not one reader of that mag has ever heard or even heard of them.

Which came first Alex lifeson's intro riff to Xanadu or Sweet Child of Mine? Mmm

[Vivian Campbell]

How the Hell do you have a top riff list without TONY IOMMI????!!!!!

Smoke on the Water is better than anything on that list. But, in all honesty, Burn tops all DP songs on the riffs scale.

[rustoffa]

UFO- "Natural Thing"
THAT is a fine riff.

[Reverberator]

Load of shite .

Wher's Gertcha and Rabbit ?

[stringfelowhawk]

Toto is a joke but I have always liked the riff in "Hold The Line".. Its really the only song of theirs that I won't change the station when it comes on.

Didn't see "Money" on there. Love that riff. Were Pink Floyd even mentioned?

"Gimme Three Steps" or "Tuesday's Gone". Hell, the slide riff in "Freebird" even.

"All Along The Watchtower", "Little Wing", "Purple Haze"

"Panama", "RWTD", "Hot For Teacher". I still get chills when that song comes on the radio. "Mean Streets"

"Texas Flood"

[Panamark]

Originally posted by Mr Grimsdale
I think it's probably the other way around.
There's also at least one early Radiohead track that sounds a lot like Teen Spirit.

Unless you subscribe to the theory that the "Teen Spirit riff " was a ripoff of "More than a feeling" Boston...

Except the third chord is different ! But very similar phrasing.

[Mr Badguy]

Where is Judas Priest`s live version of "Genocide" from "Unleashed in the East"?

You could compile the top twenty rock riffs from that one song.

[Soul Reaper]

These polls are only 2,000 peoples' opinions so it doesn't matter because it's only a very,very small amount compared the other millions of rock fans in the world who might think differently to this poll.

[BrownSound1]

Smells like Teen Spirit? You folks have got to be kidding me...no way in fucking hell is that better than ANY Led Zeppelin riff. Sweet Child O' Mind? Shouldn't be anywhere near the top.

[flappo]

stone cold crazy by queen is arguably the gratest riff of all time

[tydhurst]

Originally posted by Vivian Campbell
How the Hell do you have a top riff list without TONY IOMMI????!!!!!

Smoke on the Water is better than anything on that list. But, in all honesty, Burn tops all DP songs on the riffs scale.

Hey Andrew, i had no idea you'd joined the Roth Army!

I think that list is OK apart from Muse in it, Get those twats off the list now!

[tobinentinc]

It's just like anyother "list" it's not very accurate.

[CVHfan]

Originally posted by Vivian Campbell
How the Hell do you have a top riff list without TONY IOMMI????!!!!!

Smoke on the Water is better than anything on that list. But, in all honesty, Burn tops all DP songs on the riffs scale.

I thought I saw "Paranoid" on the list.