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50 Greatest Guitar Riffs in Rock 'n' Roll -- Part 2
- Posted by Jason Persse
25
'Sing a Simple Song'
Sly and the Family Stone (1968)
Freddie Stone's ringing Telecaster helped push funk into the spotlight in the late '60s and early '70s, and Sly and the Family Stone's 'Sing a Simple Song' is his crowning achievement. Featuring a booty-swinging lead that's anything but "simple," it's become one of the most-covered funk songs of all time.
Walter Iooss Jr./Getty Images
24
'Walk This Way'
Aerosmith (1975)
Although Steven Tyler claims it was a nod to Yardbirds-style blues, Joe Perry, who came up with the strutting Aerosmith riff during a soundcheck in Hawaii, says he was going for a funk sound somewhere in between the Meters and James Brown. Perry's fears that it was "dangerously close to disco" were unfounded, but Russell Simmons and Run-DMC did notice its hip-hop potential.
Fin Costello, Redferns
23
'Jessica'
The Allman Brothers (1973)
Just over a year after the motorcycle death of Duane Allman (and just weeks after the eerily similar motorcycle death of bassist Berry Oakley), Dickey Betts and Les Dudek put together this instrumental, named after Betts' daughter. As the Allman Brothers' a tribute to legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt, who could use only two fingers on his fretting hand, Betts plays the entire thing with only two of his own.
GAB Archive/Redferns
22
'Boom Boom'
John Lee Hooker (1961)
An early inspiration to people with names like Page, Clapton and Richards, John Lee Hooker's Delta-blues milestone and its influence can't be overstated. Without this call-and-response stomp, you could forget about blues-rock bands from the White Stripes to the Black Keys.
Val Wilmer/Redferns/Getty Images
21
'I Wanna Be Your Dog'
The Stooges (1969)
When it comes to rock 'n' roll, emotion trumps artistry nine times out of 10, and the Stooges' 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' is a beast of pure, primal desire. Ron Asheton's three monstrous chords crawled out of the primordial ooze, plugged directly into mankind's collective lizard brain, and gave messy birth to the toil and trouble of punk rock.
Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
20
'Funk 49'
James Gang (1970)
Featuring the riff that launched a thousand beer commercials, 'Funk 49' was the signature song of the James Gang, a Cleveland trio that featured a young guitarist named Joe Walsh. Let's just say there's a reason Walsh appears on this list twice.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
19
'Look-ka Py Py'
The Meters (1969)
The Meters' Leo Nocentelli's head-bobbing up-high, down-low (with a little single-note funk flourish thrown in) is the quintessential New Orleans groove -- ridiculously funky, but laid-back enough for dancing in 100 percent humidity.
Gilles Petard/ Redferns
18
'Layla'
Derek and the Dominoes (1970)
For all the talk of heartache and scandal -- Clapton wrote the song about George Harrison's then-wife, Patti, whom Clapton would soon steal away -- the song's "tortured" riff came courtesy of Duane Allman. Still, he and Clapton play the absolute hell out of it.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
17
'Smoke on the Water'
Deep Purple (1972)
Talk about getting back to basics. Ritchie Blackmore originally came up with the Deep Purple riff during a jam session, but he thought it was too simple to use in a song. Maybe that's why it's Planet Earth's unofficial "First Guitar Riff Everybody Learns."
Jorgen Angel/ Redferns
16
'20th Century Boy'
T. Rex (1973)
The British glam scene may have been all about glitter and makeup, but it produced some really macho guitar sounds. In terms of pure ferocity, nothing comes close to Marc Bolan's monstrous opening chords on T. Rex's '20th Century Boy,' an uncharacteristically heavy tune that pushed his trademark Les Paul to the limits.
Jan Persson/ Redferns
15
'This Charming Man'
The Smiths (1983)
In the mid-1980s, most of the jaw-dropping guitar acrobatics were being performed by dudes in metal bands, but a pale Mancunian lad called Johnny Marr was doing things with "jangle pop" that still blow minds today. Just listening to the Smiths' 'This Charming Man' -- which sounds like the fretwork of at least two people -- makes our fingers tired.
Redferns / Getty Images
14
'Hit It and Quit It'
Funkadelic (1971)
Remain motionless while listening to this song. Seriously, try it. Yeah, we couldn't do it, either. Only one man ever challenged Jimi Hendrix for wah-wah-pedal supremacy, and that man was Eddie Hazel, master of funk guitar. Funkadelic's 'Hit It and Quit It,' with its sticky melding of funk and hard rock, can be heard in the heavy grooves of everyone from Living Colour to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Gilles Petard/Redferns
13
'Rebel Rebel'
David Bowie (1974)
A song about, you guessed it, a rebel who likes to dress up in women's clothing requires a certain amount of strut, and Bowie provides it in spades. For his first glam hit without guitar god Mick Ronson by his side, Bowie pulled out all the stops, coming up with a raunchy, ballsy riff and then declaring his independence by playing it himself.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
12
'Sunshine of Your Love'
Cream (1968)
Jorgen Angel, Redf
11
'Day Tripper'
The Beatles (1965)
At the height of their powers, the Beatles could take one person's great idea and turn it into three minutes of utter perfection. John Lennon came into the studio with lyrics and that terrific bluesy hook, and through the miracle of double-tracking and a brilliant co-lead from George Harrison, they created a guitar masterpiece.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
10
'Enter Sandman'
Metallica (1991)
'Enter Sandman,' probably the best-known metal song on Earth, was a major turning point for the band. Kirk Hammett "knew it wasn't your basic Metallica song," but at the time he had no idea what he'd created. "I used to think it'd be great to write a riff like 'Smoke on the Water.' I guess it happened!"
Mick Hutson, Redferns
09
'Money for Nothing'
Dire Straits (1985)
Dire Straits' Mark Knopffler certainly gets points for his sense of the dramatic. After a massive build-up that sounds like an orchestra tuning, everything cuts out just in time for his big entrance. But that "crunchy" guitar sound almost didn't make it to tape: A recording engineer claims it was the result of an accidental microphone placement.
Ebet Roberts, Redferns
08
'Back in Black'
AC/DC (1981)
According to legend, Malcolm Young was going to trash the tape of what would become AC/DC's 'Back in Black' opening riff, but his brother Angus persuaded him to hold onto it. When original lead singer Bon Scott died, the brothers polished up the original, and new singer Brian Johnson added the lyrics as a tribute to Scott.
Clayton Call, Redferns
07
'Sweet Child o' Mine'
Guns N' Roses (1987)
The most iconic riff of the 1980s started off as a joke and was dismissed by its creator as "completely sappy." Slash was apparently just trying to make Steven Adler laugh, "making funny faces and acting like an idiot," when he played those opening notes. Luckily for us, the rest of Guns N' Roses managed to convince him it wasn't a total waste of time.
Robert Knight Archive / Redferns
06
'You Really Got Me'
The Kinks (1964)
Two chords and a snotty attitude were all the Kinks needed to "invent" hard rock. OK, that last part is a bit of an overstatement, but Dave Davies did slash open his amplifier with a razor blade in order to maximize the crackle and distortion in those demonic power chords. That, at the very least, is punk rock.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
05
'Johnny B. Goode'
Chuck Berry (1958)
A song by a guitar genius about a guitar genius was bound to be a work of, well ... guitar genius Chuck Berry. No matter what 'Back to the Future' tells us, 'Johnny B. Goode' didn't give birth to rock 'n' roll (the riff is just a supercharged version of Louis Jordan's 'Ain't That Just Like a Woman'), but it was undoubtedly a giant leap forward.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
04
'Heartbreaker'
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Picking the best Jimmy Page riff is a lot like picking the best sexual position: You can make a convincing argument for most of them. Some involve more technique and manual dexterity ('Black Dog'), while others involve sheer power ('Kashmir'), but they all leave you tired and happy. We're going with Led Zeppelin's 'Heartbreaker' because, well, we had to pick one, and it kicks copious amounts of ass.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
03
'Iron Man'
Black Sabbath (1970)
Most songs get "played on the radio" or "come out of your speakers." Not 'Iron Man.' 'Iron Man' stalks the Earth. It lurches across continents, devouring all in its path. The riff is so mammoth, the rest of the song was written around it by Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne pointed out that it sounds "like a big iron bloke walking about."
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
02
'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)'
Jimi Hendrix (1968)
Most guitarists will tell you that, top to bottom, 'Voodoo Child' is the single greatest electric guitar song ever recorded. So there's that. The truly scary part? Hendrix and the band nailed the track on a lark, when a visiting TV crew asked them to look busy in the studio.
David Redfern, Redferns
01
'(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'
Rolling Stones (1965)
Hey, guitarists, you might consider putting a recording device next to your bed. Like many of mankind's greatest inventions, the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction' arrived in a dream. According to Keith Richards, he woke up just long enough to record three things: 1) the phrase "I can't get no satisfaction," 2) the most iconic three chords in rock 'n' roll history, and 3) 40 minutes of snoring.
Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
- Filed under: The Hit List
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Add a Comment
Andrew
#19 That's not even a picture of Leo Nocentelli, that's Art Neville, who played keys.
March 17 2013 at 8:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhole lotta love?
Purple Haze?
How Many More Times. 'Nuf said.
February 03 2013 at 1:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
J
Kashmir and Man in the Box
December 08 2012 at 10:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHey, what 'bout "Love is like oxygen" by Sweet? That riff is addictive!
November 18 2012 at 5:38 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
B5K
what about Can't Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers? John Frusciante is amazing in that song!
May 28 2012 at 12:25 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyJimmy Page could and should occupy the top ten spots exclusively. When it comes to riffs there is Page and there is everyone else in a race for a very distant second.
May 24 2012 at 9:54 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
steve.hergert
list is ok,"satisfaction" is the best,got that one right. However,where is "runnin down a dream"? / petty, "everybody wants some" / van halen, or even "long cool woman in a black dress" / hollies? with a subject like this it would be better to have a list of a 1000 rather than a 100, there is just too many.
February 23 2012 at 10:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Little Giant-5
How is "Eminence Front" not on this list?
February 14 2012 at 2:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyMuddy Waters...Mannish Boy!
January 04 2012 at 4:05 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
1158 Comments