Any list such as this is subjective. I am not saying that these are the best guitarists of all time but most influential. Each guitarist on the list has had a massive influence in the way blues/rock guitar has evolved. And each one was a pioneer, daring to go where no one had before by experimenting and pushing the boundaries of popular music in their time.

 

1. Robert Johnson. Where it all began. His influence is astounding. He must be the Great Grandfather of modern blues/rock. Everyone on this list has been influenced directly or indirectly by this legend. How many versions of his great hit Crossroads have you heard?

 

 

 

2. Muddy Waters. Dubbed the Grandfather of Chicago blues, Waters has influenced some of the other greats on this list like Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and the Rolling Stones who actually derived their name from one of his songs.

 

 

 

3. Chuck Berry. Heavily influenced by Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Berry was arguably the father of 12 bar blues and boogey rock. His songs are still covered all over the world today.

 

 

 

4. Jimi Hendrix. Do I need to explain this one. Hendrix was the first to incorporate feedback into his solos in a positive way. He was also one of the first to experiment with guitar effects.

 

 

 

 

5. Jeff Beck. The man who has been a part of blues/rock forever. From his early days with the Yardbirds through to his current jazz fusion genre, Beck has influenced other guitar greats such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Even Rolling Stone magazine described him as “…one of the most influential guitarists in rock.” Check out what Jeff Beck is up to now on our forum page.

 

 

 

6. Robert Fripp. Fripp is one of the most innovative guitarists of all time. With his band King Crimson in his early career he pushed the limits of sound and music. Fripp also developed the art of cross picking and new standard tuning which he taught in his Guitar Craft serious of lectures.

 

 

 

7. Dave Gilmour. What can I say about Gilmour except he, like his band, Pink Floyd, are completely unique. Gilmour has influenced so many guitarists and bands through his feel and technical excellence.

 

 

 

8. Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen was extremely influential with his finger tapping and hammer on technique which became so popular in the early eighties. He is the pioneer in this field.

 

 

 

9. Jimmy Page.  I have said it before and I will say it again: Every guitarist that plays blues/rock solos today plays Jimmy Page licks.

 

 

 

 

10. Steve Vai. Vai would be the most influential guitarist of the modern era. His technical ability is incomparable. He has designed several guitars including his famous seven-stringer and a three neck model that he plays at his gigs. James “Munky” Shaffer of Korn, Mike Eizinger of Incubus and Tom Morello of Audioslave all cite Vai as a major inspiration.

 

 

There are of course other great guitarists and legends of rock but I can’t think of any that have had more influence then the ten above. If you can please add a comment and let me know.

- Axel

Lists of the best guitar solos of all-time will always be controversial. No one will ever be completely satisfied with the solos that are included, and important solos will always be left out. Lists of the worst guitar solos must be even more controversial. They will always include solos that some people think are great, and there are so many bad solos in the world that it’s impossible to make a truly comprehensive list.

The fact is, these kinds of lists will always be subjective. But most importantly, they’re created for entertainment purposes only, and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

With that in mind… Take a deep breath (and/or your heart medication) and check out the ten worst solos of all-time:

Peter Frampton - Do You Feel Like We Do
This is actually a great solo, but when I listen to it I can only think about the inside of Peter Frampton’s mouth. The guitar talk box is an amazing invention, but if the mouth is involved in a guitar solo, I prefer to see something more impressive and outrageous like picking guitar strings with one’s teeth.

Grand Funk Railroad - The Locomotion.
The fact that this song became a #1 hit in 1974 certainly isn’t thanks to the song’s guitar solo. In the past, it’s been compared to a flushing toilet, and it’s hard to think of any other way to describe it. The odd use of effects that interrupt the melody makes this solo more confusing than anything. If this was an experiment, can we say that the hypothesis was incorrect?

Scars on Broadway - They Say.
To be fair, there is no real guitar solo in this song. But the guitar playing is so horrid that this had to be included on the list. Throughout each chorus (and the outro) a single note is quickly bent over and over again. And over again. And then again. Granted, it’s hard to write guitar parts for bad music, but at least try to remedy the situation with some musicianship.

Oasis - Champagne Supernova.
No one wants to listen to lazy guitar players. But even worse is when a band of talent adults write a guitar solo that sounds like it was written by a 12 year old.

Prince - Te Amo Corazon.
As far as confusing guitar solos go, this eats the cake. First, the guitar doesn’t sound like a guitar. Even watching Prince play the guitar to this in his music video doesn’t convince me that a guitar is actually the instrument used to create these thin notes. But the biggest mistake is when he starts scatting over this in a falsetto voice. Creepy.

Twisted Sister - We’re Not Going To Take It.
No surprises here. This is almost always included in “Worst Solos” lists, and for a good reason. while there’s nothing necessarily wrong with just repeating the chorus vocal melody in a guitar solo, attempting to “mix it up” by using a whammy bar on the last note of every phrase is… too much for the ears.

Megadeth - Hangar 18.
The fact that this is a bad guitar solo probably stems from the fact that metal guitar solos from the 90s are generally pretty terrible. The solo starts halfway through the song and continues until the end. Unfortunately, from this halfway point there are no new dynamics and no progression. All you hear is a bunch of really fast, really high notes. While I agree that it will always look cool to play the highest frets on the guitar, I guess I’ve learned that this doesn’t always sound good.

Slash - Black or White (Michael Jackson).
Slash is a great guitarist, but apparently only when he plays in his own band. Having to live up to Eddie Van Halen (who preformed on “Beat It”) might have been too much pressure for him.

The Beastie Boys - You Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party).
This is another great example of a solo that sounds like it was written by a tween. If it wasn’t written by one of the Beastie Boys’ little brothers, at best it was written by one of the members 5 minutes before it was recorded.

Slayer - Raining Blood.
This song actually has some great riffs, but the guitar solo leaves a lot to be desired. I have a feeling this solo was written in less time than it takes to be played.

- Axel

In a recent blog (is that what they are called these days?) I wrote about rock legends and the crazy things they got up to on and off stage. Well, in the good old days when we actually had rock heroes to look up to many of their fans would copy their antics to prove that they were in fact true fans. Here are the top ten things to know that you are a rocker as follows:

You go to sleep listening to Led Zeppelin

Because you can’t get to sleep with that nagging other half in your ear, so you slip on the headphones to drown out the background noise and if you are a true rocker, its gotta be Led Zep.

You wake up listening to Led Zeppelin

Because you left the cd player on repeat.

You love stage diving

You go to great efforts to fight your way through the frenzied fans, battle with security and struggle up on to the stage simply to dive back off into the crowd. Just make sure they catch you. See my tip on stage diving. (Tip #7)

You are slightly deaf in one ear

From standing side on to the stage when attending gigs while you chat with your mates and eye off the talent, to avoid this try facing the stage and looking at the show.

You think Eminem is candy

well isnt it? I like the red ones.

You don’t mind snacking on the odd feral animal

This is for the major fans of Ozzie Ozbourne and Alice Cooper. Although, I don’t practice this myself or recommend it, I do admire those who have the guts to bite the head off a live bat.

A volume setting of 10 is not quite loud enough

This is the other reason you are slightly deaf in one ear, from leaning over and actually trying to squeeze just a little more out of that 100 watt Marshall amp.

You can only count to 4 (unlike roadies who can only count to 2)

Because you only play rock music, if you played waltzes you would only be able to count to 3. And as for the roadies, I will let you figure that out for yourself.

You have uncontrollable urges to destroy furniture

Again for the hardcore fans of Joe Walsh and Keith Moon. Don’t do this at home!

You have calluses on your forehead from head banging

Ok you really gotta step back from the stage a little or you’re gonna get brain damage.

So there you have it, a list to know whether you are a rocker or not. If you are reading this I am sure you can identify with at least half of the items on the list, if not, you are not trying hard enough.

- Axel