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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Kirk Hammet doesn't belong anywhere near one of these lists.Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Mike McCready. Maybe not that "technically" good, but you can always recognize his touch.Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Not at all. I get that he "revolutionized" rock guitar, but a lot of what he was doing outside of his effects and stage antics was just bluesy riffs with added feedback, fuzz, and wah. Technically, he's not an elite guitarist. But technical ability is just one aspect of what goes into it, for sure.
In addition to that, his relevance is overstated due to his untimely death. I call it the Kurt Cobain syndrome. If Jimi Hendrix was still around with a pot belly, gray hair, and diminished ability, people would probably lump him in with a lot of his contemporaries. It's only because he went out in his "prime" that he became a guitar immortal.
On a side note, I'm glad to see Eddie Van Halen make this list as #2. He has suffered the exact opposite of the Kurt Cobain syndrome: Because he aged (and for a period of time really couldn't play anymore...thankfully that is behind him) and became less relevant on the music scene, he became a mere mortal and his impact has been largely overlooked. However, if you ask any guitarist from this generation, they will tell you they all wanted to be Eddie Van Halen at some point in their development. He revolutionized playing techniques, brought back simple guitar setups, invented (or helped invent) various pieces of guitar equipment, and brought a fun stage persona--nothing dark and mysterious, just all smiles.
People rag on Eddie thinking he's all two-handed hammer ons, but that's just not the case. The guy's use of a combination of harmonics, divebombs, and two handed techniques (overhand and underhand) spawned an entire generation of immitators (Vai, Satriani, Rhoads, any "sunset strip" guitarist from the 80s, etc). Plus the guy writes legendary songs..which is more than could be said of most of his immitators.Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Why not? One way I describe Metalica is pure eargasmic. Same reason Adam Jones made my top 10, even though Tool is way different than Metalica. One way to describe Tool, and the aforementioned Metalica, is an experience you or your ears will never forget, especially live.Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarist's of All Time
If you're gonna throw in B.B. King in there for "rock" then well, you have to include Albert King. The In Session album he did with SRV is top-notch. I would also like to include Elmore James, but that's more personal preference than anything else. I think Duane was a better slide player, but Elmore had better grooves.
I'm not gonna do a list because I won't be happy with it and sometimes technical ability simply is overrated to me, but Derek Trucks should be remembered 20 years from now. Awesome slide work.
As far as "classic rock goes" Hendrix and Clapton (Layla and before) are one and two. Page is good, but I don't think he was ever the best player in the Yardbirds (can't forget Beck). I'm also fond of David Gilmour.
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarist's of All Time
And for conversation, not that I agree with Rolling Stone at all: Top 100 Guitarists
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarist's of All Time
To me: Jack White
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Chuck Berry is a rock pioneer but not a top 10 guitarist, especially over the likes of Carlos Santana
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Yeah, if we are including SRV, Buddy Guy and Duane Allman belong on the list as well.Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
I am a huge fan of both Tool and (early) Metallica and neither one of those guys would be in my top 50, let alone top 10. Jones is the better songwriter to me (he writes the vast majority of Tool's music) and Hammett is just another cog in the machine, as he writes maybe a third of their actual riffs. While Tool has never released an album that wasn't fantastic, Metallica hasn't put out a truly great album from front to back in over 20 years. In terms of actual ability, neither one of them are close to being elite and Hammett is actually closer to mediocre.
These lists are pointless anyway as they are all just a matter of opinion. Hell, the majority of the people that vote on these lists are being spoon-fed and haven't listened to nearly enough variety and artists that aren't on major labels. At the end of the day, it is all about money and lists and articles like the one in Rolling Stone prove that. They may as well have named it, "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time... that everyone has heard of and have made millions of dollars."Comment
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Re: Top 10 Rock Guitarists of All Time
Triple post!
If you want to include a well known guy that played a similar genre as Hammett did, why not Darrell Abbott? He was far superior in terms of ability, style, riff writing, soloing, stage presence, innovation, consistency and versatility. It doesn't matter to me that he died an untimely death, the guy blows Hammett (as well as the vast majority of their contemporaries) out of the water.
Hell, both guys from Slayer (Hanneman and King) crap all over Hammett too.Comment
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