50 Greatest Guitar Riffs in Rock 'n' Roll

geckogecko Posts: 1,712
edited January 2011 in The Porch
Spinner - 50 Greatest Guitar Riffs in Rock 'n' Roll

http://www.spinner.com/2011/01/13/rock-guitar-riffs/

I thought it's a good list.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • maj4emaj4e Posts: 605
    Definitely an eclectic mix. Not sure I agree with most of it but it's not my list.
  • BinauralJamBinauralJam Posts: 14,158
    The Trooper made it!!! Nice!
  • cool list but
    dig me out
    is greater than
    alive?

    i like sleater - kinney but i think it should have been the other way round
    heck, if it was my list alive would be lower
  • BALLBOYBALLBOY Australia Posts: 1,035
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke. That is for me with these so called polls they have no credibilty at all with the last 2 i have seen. I had to go back & have another look to make sure that i was not seeing things, well i was Whole Lotta Love not on a greatest riffs list. They must be fucking kidding.
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  • Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke.

    The above statement is true...but it is a pretty damn good list. I would have never thought of My Girl from the Temptations.
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  • whygohomewhygohome Posts: 2,305
    That was fun
  • FifthelementFifthelement Lotusland Posts: 6,965
    I think that's an awesome list. Very eclectic. If you go through it and imagine each song in your head without listening to it first I bet you could hear all the riffs without even really trying. They are definitely memorable. There were only a couple I hadn't heard before: 'Look-ka Py Py' by The Meters (1969); 'Hit It and Quit It' Funkadelic (1971)

    I think I'm going to make a new playlist :mrgreen:
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  • BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke. That is for me with these so called polls they have no credibilty at all with the last 2 i have seen. I had to go back & have another look to make sure that i was not seeing things, well i was Whole Lotta Love not on a greatest riffs list. They must be fucking kidding.

    Couldn't agree more. I was thinking Whole Lotta Love was in top three (my list would have it as 1). If you`re ranking a list with riffs... the Stones and Zeppelin have got to dominate. Cant You Hear Me Knocking and numerous other Stones songs should be on this list. Thin Lizzy with Jailbreak was an omit. Blue Oyster Cult and Godzilla would appear underrated as well. Rage has numerous riffs that are pretty awesome.

    Loved Girl You Want from Devo on the list- Soundgarden plays the hell out of that song.
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  • MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,840
    BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke. That is for me with these so called polls they have no credibilty at all with the last 2 i have seen. I had to go back & have another look to make sure that i was not seeing things, well i was Whole Lotta Love not on a greatest riffs list. They must be fucking kidding.

    Couldn't agree more. I was thinking Whole Lotta Love was in top three (my list would have it as 1). If you`re ranking a list with riffs... the Stones and Zeppelin have got to dominate. Cant You Hear Me Knocking and numerous other Stones songs should be on this list. Thin Lizzy with Jailbreak was an omit. Blue Oyster Cult and Godzilla would appear underrated as well. Rage has numerous riffs that are pretty awesome.

    Loved Girl You Want from Devo on the list- Soundgarden plays the hell out of that song.

    In a lot of cases of the Stones, Zeppelin, etc... I knew the riffs as a young child before I had any clue what the music was.
  • Let me add Saturday Night Special from Lynyrd Skynrd to my list of omits!
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  • Back_PedalBack_Pedal Posts: 1,171
    Hey guys, classic rock is the best music ever and there's been no good riffs that aren't classic rock.
    Thanks EPOTTSIII!
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  • Jerome230Jerome230 Posts: 903
    Without looking at #1, I already knew that "Satisfaction" would be there.
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  • spatspat Posts: 644
    holy crap, did anyone else have a eureka moment listening to day tripper and enter sandman back to back?? sandman is just a darker version of day tripper!
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  • KloddzKloddz Posts: 2,573
    In-a-gadda-da-vida, honey!
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  • Kloddz wrote:
    In-a-gadda-da-vida, honey!
    this deserve to be in Number 1...is the total riff of all times...
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  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 96,042
    Only 42 for Beat It by Michael Jackson? Top 20 in my book.
  • tremorstremors Posts: 8,051
    demetrios wrote:
    Only 42 for Beat It by Michael Jackson? Top 20 in my book.

    Is that Mr Van Halen? That sure is a great riff.

    Edit

    'But Eddie contributed only the solo; the song's distinctive riff was played by Toto guitarist and session musician Steve Lukather.'

    Didn't know that!
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  • demetriosdemetrios Posts: 96,042
    tremors wrote:
    demetrios wrote:
    Only 42 for Beat It by Michael Jackson? Top 20 in my book.

    Is that Mr Van Halen? That sure is a great riff.

    Hell yeah! Even http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI did a great cover on this song. Guitar riff? This song has it.
  • tremorstremors Posts: 8,051
    demetrios wrote:
    tremors wrote:
    demetrios wrote:
    Only 42 for Beat It by Michael Jackson? Top 20 in my book.

    Is that Mr Van Halen? That sure is a great riff.

    Hell yeah! Even http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI did a great cover on this song. Guitar riff? This song has it.


    Can't see your vid in my country :(


    I was reading that list and laughing, cos I can remember learning smoke on the water when I was first learning to play the guitar - played it too when I switched to bass, along with 'Wild Thing' (I wasn't very good, as you can probably tell!! :lol: )

    Not one piece of Zeppelin? Criminal.

    I remember when I was in the states I heard a radio show special that boomed out "Jimmy Page wrote the riffs that rocked the Western world!!"

    Heartbreaker's a good one too
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  • KravenKraven Posts: 829
    BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke.

    I think they were staying away from multiple bands on the list and decided that Heartbreaker was the best representative of Jimmy Page. Honestly, you could probably populate that list with all songs from The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, "Satisfaction" still being number 1 every time.
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  • tremorstremors Posts: 8,051
    Kraven wrote:
    BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke.

    I think they were staying away from multiple bands on the list and decided that Heartbreaker was the best representative of Jimmy Page. Honestly, you could probably populate that list with all songs from The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, "Satisfaction" still being number 1 every time.


    Oh I missed Heartbreaker when I read down. Better go back and read it more thoroughly!! The audio by the side is great. That's a proper way to do an article like that.
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  • Dirty FrankkDirty Frankk Posts: 4,274
    The Trooper made it!!! Nice!

    I love this one

    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke.
    1+
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  • Dirty FrankkDirty Frankk Posts: 4,274
    demetrios wrote:
    tremors wrote:
    demetrios wrote:
    Only 42 for Beat It by Michael Jackson? Top 20 in my book.

    Is that Mr Van Halen? That sure is a great riff.

    Hell yeah! Even http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI did a great cover on this song. Guitar riff? This song has it.

    I never saw this one, so funny and still sounds great :lol:
    thanks for this
    CAN'T KEEP CRAZY MARY IN MY TREE NO WAY NOT FOR YOU. ALL THOSE YESTERDAY JEREMY is ALONE, SAD with RATS & BUGS it's HARD TO IMAGINE a JEREMY a BETTER MAN.
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  • The Trooper made it!!! Nice!

    I love this one

    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke.
    1+
    "...Dimitri...He talks to me...'.."The Ghost of Greece..".
    "..That's One Happy Fuckin Ghost.."
    “..That came up on the Pillow Case...This is for the Greek, With Our Apologies.....”
  • tremorstremors Posts: 8,051
    Tom Morello knows how to get a guitar sounding good! He should get bonus points for some of the sounds he gets out of that thing
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  • pjamaholicpjamaholic Posts: 1,225
    BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke. That is for me with these so called polls they have no credibilty at all with the last 2 i have seen. I had to go back & have another look to make sure that i was not seeing things, well i was Whole Lotta Love not on a greatest riffs list. They must be fucking kidding.

    I agree. Cant believe there was nothing from Zeppelin on that list.
  • tremorstremors Posts: 8,051
    pjamaholic wrote:
    BALLBOY wrote:
    Whole lotta Love not even on the list what a fucking joke. That is for me with these so called polls they have no credibilty at all with the last 2 i have seen. I had to go back & have another look to make sure that i was not seeing things, well i was Whole Lotta Love not on a greatest riffs list. They must be fucking kidding.

    I agree. Cant believe there was nothing from Zeppelin on that list.

    I missed it first time round too - don't know why. Heartbreaker is number 4 I think. If you are going to include one Led Zep riff, then Heartbreaker is pretty hard to argue with!!
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