The criteria for making my list includes a combination of the following:
1. Technical skill
2. Quality of music (this is biased, but an unavoidable one. Hey, it's MY list)
3. Emotion (kind of subjective, but refer to reasoning above)
4. Influence on other musicians
5. Stage presence
And now, on to the list:
1. Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, Band of Gypsys, Curtis Knight and the Squires, solo)
The man is a legend, and for good reason. His technical skill was off the charts; he could play guitar with his teeth about as well as anyone could play guitar period (see video). He introduced or refined a number of techniques to the electric guitar that have become staples since his time, especially the effects of distortion and feedback. He is revered in the guitar world for his complete lack of fear in trying new things, and his courage lead to the development of amplifier and pedal techniques that are still heavily used today. The quality of his music was similarly incredible; Bob Dylan may have created "All Along the Watchtower," but Hendrix perfected it, and songs like "Voodoo Child," "Fire," "Purple Haze," and "Machine Gun" deserve every bit of popularity they have acquired. Some of Hendrix's solos are boiling over with emotion, especially the anti-war "Machine Gun." It seems cliche, but few guitarists become "one" with their guitars quite like Hendrix did. His expertise had huge ripple effects; his influence casts perhaps the widest net of anyone on this list, with influences in blues, hard rock, heavy metal, and funk. Bands such as The Who and Cream, among many others, have specifically referenced Hendrix as inspiration for their music. As far as stage presence is concerned, few in any genre of music approach him (Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant come to mind). His performance at Woodstock speaks for itself, and his "Live at Fillmore East" album remains in my opinion one of the best live albums ever recorded. Given my criterion for greatness in "guitaritry," Hendrix is an easy choice for number one, as he incredible in every category.
2. Eric Clapton (The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, solo)
Often times the debate boils down to Hendrix and Clapton, and there is certainly an argument to be made for Slowhand being the best ever (or at least having the coolest nickname). His technical skill is strong, for proof of that just listen to "Layla" or "Crossroads" and prepare to be amazed by what he can do with a guitar. The quality of his music may be even stronger than Hendrix, the man has sold a gazillion albums for a reason, and what might be most impressive is his ability to churn out hits from multiple genres on one album. Clapton's strongest attribute is emotion; some of his songs are just dripping with feeling (watch him play "Tears in Heaven," a ballad about the death of his young son, and try to come up with an artist who injects more emotion into his music. Good luck.). As far as influence goes, the man is a blues legend, and he has effected psychedelic rock, blues-rock, and pop music in similar ways. When Clapton performs, even in collaboration with other bands or artists, his guitar nearly always dominates the stage, and some of his deeper blues songs can send shivers up your spine. Another plus for Clapton is how highly regarded he is among other rock legends; he has played with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Allman Brothers Band, among others. It also shouldn't go unsaid that Clapton has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three different times, once with The Yardbirds, once with Cream, and once as a solo performer.
3. Jimmy Page (The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, Page and Plant, The Black Crowes)
(note: that's a young Eric Clapton who joins Page in the middle, he's the one with the cigarette)
Stairway to Heaven, anybody? Yeah, Jimmy Page could shred with the best of them. His technical skill is rivaled only by Hendrix; he made the double-necked guitar famous (which is very difficult to play), sometimes played with a violin bow, and was one of the first to use the "tapping" technique, which is one of my favorite guitar effects. I don't have to say much for the quality of his music, the guy was in Led Zeppelin for cryin' out loud. He certainly had emotion in his music, maybe not to the level of Clapton or Hendrix, but it's certainly there to be heard. His influence on other musicians is off the charts. This Wikipedia entry probably does his influence the most justice:
"Allmusic states that "just about every rock guitarist from the late '60s/early '70s to the present day has been influenced by Page's work with Led Zeppelin".[1] For example, his sped up, downstroke guitar riff in "Communication Breakdown" is cited as guitarist Johnny Ramone's inspiration for his punk-defining, strictly downstroke guitar strumming, while Page's landmark guitar solo from the song "Heartbreaker" has been credited by Eddie Van Halen as the inspiration for his two-hand tapping technique after he saw Led Zeppelin perform in 1971. Page's solo in the famous epic "Stairway to Heaven" has been voted by readers of various guitar magazines, including Guitar World and Total Guitar, as the greatest guitar solo of all time, and he was named 'Guitarist of the Year' five years straight during the 1970s by Creem magazine."As far as stage presence goes, Robert Plant may have been the face of Led Zeppelin, but Page was its heart and soul, and his solos are legendary. Basically, Jimmy Page is just the man.
4. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
I consider that video above to be one of the greatest solo guitar performances ever, even though parts of it are repetitive and annoying. The finger tapping technique he uses in "Eruption" (above) and "316" is to me one of the coolest sounds anyone has produced from a guitar ever. While he didn't discover the finger tapping effect, he ran the farthest with it, and it is the reason I give him high marks for technichal skill as a guitarist. If you doubt his abilities, just take a gander at the above video around 4:50, 7:10 (!!), and 9:50. Quality of music is O.K., as a band Van Halen was able to put out some pretty good stuff (Panama, Hot for Teacher, You Really Got Me), but would probably be ranked 5/5 of the major bands on this list. Van Halen isn't known for emotional music, but I would contend his connection with his guitar during a solo is one of the more emotional things you're going to see on a stage, especially if you appreciate musical ability. Van Halen popularlized the finger-tapping technique, which is probably the longest reach of his influence, but he was also a model for an entire generation of rock artists. Wiki:
"Edward Van Halen's approach to the guitar involves several distinctive components. His innovative use of two-handed tapping, natural and artificial harmonics, vibrato, and tremolo picking, combined with his rhythmic sensibility and melodic approach, have influenced an entire generation of guitarists...Though rarely discussed, one of the most distinctive aspects of Van Halen's sound was Eddie Van Halen's tuning of the guitar. Before Van Halen, most distorted, metal-oriented rock consciously avoided the use of the major third interval in guitar chords, creating instead the signature power chord of the genre."Van Halen has incredible stage presence, with the ability to silence crowds during his awesome solos. He is often overlooked because Van Halen was only an above average band, so he was unable to produce some of the singles that have made the guys above him on this list rock icons. Behind the band's relative mediocrity, however, lies an incredbily gifted guitarist.
5. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
Speaking of great guitar solos, how about David Gilmour in "Comfortably Numb" and "Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2"? Few will call Gilmour's guitar skill prowess into question. Like Clapton, Gilmour's roots are in the blues, and he has a wide range of skills. He even played bass on some Pink Floyd songs. Gilmour gets four stars for his quality of music, as Pink Floyd produced some incredible records and still sells millions of copies of their albums. With Gilmour at guitar, Floyd's music can be mesmerizing; sometimes their six minute tracks seem to go by instantly because you're so into the song. Floyd's music is also teeming with emotion, largely because of Gilmour's guitar, as this is the criteria where his blues background comes into play. Great blues artists have the ability to convey feeling and meaning, and Gilmour is no exception. In the influence category, they could teach classes on Pink Floyd alone as far as setting a standard for a genre, Gilmour himself even has two "tribute guitars" designed after him. Finally, Gilmour was very good at showcasing his talents on stage. His solos are electrifying, and he makes them look almost effortless.
Honorable mentions: Allen Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Duane Allman (Allman Brothers Band), Slash (Guns N' Roses), Brian May (Queen), Neal Schon (Journey), Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Les Claypool (Primus), Buckethead, Don Felder/Joe Walsh (Eagles), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Jeff Beck (The Yardbirds), Frank Zappa, Angus Young (AC/DC), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
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