Sunday, August 4, 2019

Rank the Rock Guitarists


Help me out here. I am trying to rank the top rock guitarists of the 1960s to 1980s. I want to get a Top 10 and Top 20 list, but have only managed to put then into general groups so far. (The Top 10 would be from group 1-A and some from 1-B, while 11-20 would be the rest from 1-B, plus group 2-A and some from 2-B.)

The polls from Rolling Stone, etc are nonsense. They are agenda-driven, and have ridiculous choices for some, while completely ignoring others.

Am I missing anyone? I have intentionally left off Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, because I have never heard them play. Also, IMO Keith Richards is GREATLY overrated, and Pete Townshend is more of a songwriter than a top guitarist.

I surprised even myself by dropping Eric Clapton to the 2nd group. I previously had him in my top 5.


1-A
Jimmy Page
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck
Eddie Van Halen
Ritchie Blackmore
Carlos Santana
Terry Kath

1-B
Tony Iommi
Neil Giraldo
Eric Clapton
Slash

2-A
Rod Price
Chuck Berry
Brian May
Neil Schon
Allen Collins
Duane Allman

2-B
Lindsey Buckingham
Mike Campbell
The Edge
Richie Sambora
Angus Young
Joe Perry

3
Neil Young
John Fogerty
Pete Townshend
Peter Frampton
Ted Nugent
Ace Frehley
George Harrison
Keith Richards
Alex Lifeson
Mick Taylor
Steve Gaines
Joe Walsh
Gary Rossington
Tom Scholtz
Roger McGuinn

5 comments:

larry said...

Here's a bakers dozen of mine: 1/Hendrix 2/allman 3/page 4 Alvin lee 5/robin trower 6/roy Buchanan 7/randy California 8/rory Gallagher 9/blackmore 10/jorma kaukonen 11 leslie west 12/ henry vestine 13/bo diddley.

ric_mac said...

Some of my favourites: Jeff Beck; Tommy Bolin; Roy Buchanan; Larry Carlton; Eric Clapton (if only for the Blues Breakers album and the song Voodoo Child from 2010’s Crossroads concert); Steve Cropper; Al DiMeola; Nick Drake; Robert Fripp; Buddy Guy; Bert Jansch; Albert King; BB King; Nils Lofgren; John Martyn; John McLaughlin; Pat Metheny; Bill Nelson; John Renbourn; Robbie Robertson; Carlos Santana; Richard Thompson; Frank Zappa. So many to choose from!

Jim from Downingtown said...

I've heard Robin Trower (although not his solo work), also Alvin Lee and of course Bo Diddley, but 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 are unknown to me.

Jim from Downingtown said...

I initially had Steve Cropper in my group 3, but deleted him and Don Felder because I thought the list was getting too long.

Jim from Downingtown said...

After watching this video about 5 times in the past 24 hours, I have to put Rod Price of Foghat in the top 15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWT4u_-rdeU&fbclid=IwAR2EPVfFhqNmpFcsExohWC4NyttZcozQqgmwIEcSXSfTk_bNigyzxmVAy0o

This was one of my favorite songs in the mod-1970s. I don't know what I was thinking.