UK Total Guitar lists "the best"
 

According to something I read on a newsgroup, a UK guitar magazine - Total Guitar - has compiled another one of those "100 best guitar player" lists. I know these lists don't mean anything, but I was frankly surprised that Lindsey actually made one of these lists for a change. He's constantly overlooked. I was particularly surprised too since this is a British mag. Peter is in there as well.

You may not want to examine it too closely because, as with any of these lists, you'll be scratching your head over why some of these people are placed where they are on the list.

Here it is:

100 - Nile Rodgers
99 - Steve Cropper
98 - Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)
97 - Deryck Whibley (Sum 41)
96 - Kelly Jones (Stereophonics)
95 - Tom Verlaine (Television)
94 - Paul Simon
93 - Richard Thompson
92 - Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
91 - Marty Friedman (Megadeth)
90 - Peter Buck (REM)
89 - Walter Trout
88 - Johnny Ramone (Ramones)
87 - Mucky (Korn)
86 - Robbie Krieger (The Doors)
85 - Lee Gaze (Lost Prophets)
84 - Steve Howe (Yes)
83 - Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac)
82 - Neil Young
81 - Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
80 - Janick Gers (Iron Maiden)
79 - Tommy Emmanuel
78 - Steve Morse (Deep Purple)
77 - John McLaughlin
76 - Stuart Adamson (Big Country)
75 - Chet Atkins
74 - John Squire (Stone Roses)
73 - Django Reinhardt
72 - John Petrucci
71 - Eric Johnson
70 - Paul Gilbert
69 - Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
68 - Graham Coxon (Blur)
67 - Nuno Bettencourt
66 - Paul Weller
65 - John 5 (Marilyn Manson)
64 - Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
63 - Head (Korn)
62 - Frank Zappa
61 - Mick Ronson (David Bowie)
60 - Paul Kossoff (Free)
59 - Robert Johnson
58 - Nick Drake
57 - Alex Lifeson (Rush)
56 - Peter Green
55 - Kerry King (Slayer)
54 - Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)
53 - Daron Malakian (System Of A Down)
52 - Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters)
51 - Dave Baksh (Sum 41)
50 - Noel Gallagher (Oasis)
49 - Mike Einziger (Incubus)
48 - Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
47 - Johnny Marr (The Smiths)
46 - James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers)
45 - Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
44 - Steve Jones (Sex Pistols)
43 - Tom Delonge (Blink 182 / Box Car Racer)
42 - Rory Gallagher
41 - BB King
40 - Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
39 - Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
38 - Hank Marvin (The Shadows)
37 - Wes Borland (Limp Bizkit / Eat The Day)
36 - Chuck Berry
35 - Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
34 - Yngwie Malmsteen
33 - Pete Townshend (The Who)
32 - Mick Thompson (Slipknot)
31 - The Edge (U2)
30 - Noodles (The Offspring)
29 - Matt Bellamy (Muse)
28 - Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi)
27 - Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)
26 - John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
25 - Dave Murray (Iron Maiden)
24 - George Harrison (The Beatles)
23 - Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple / Rainbow)
22 - Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
21 - Randy Rhodes (Ozzy Osbourne)
20 - Angus Young (AC/DC)
19 - Stevie Ray Vaughan
18 - Jeff Beck
17 - Gary Moore
16 - Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society / Ozzy Osbourne)
15 - Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
14 - Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
13 - Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine)
12 - James Hetfield (Metallica)
11 - Carlos Santana
10 - Steve Vai
9 - Kirk Hammett (Metallica)
8 - Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
7 - Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)
6 - Joe Satriani
5 - Brian May (Queen)
4 - Slash (Guns N' Roses / Snakepit)
3 - Eric Clapton
2 - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)
1 - Jimi Hendrix

Wow, he actually made the list! :eek: I was reading something about this on Teletext earlier and wondering if he would. I guess I'll have to go and hunt down a copy of Total Guitar magazine then... haven't bought that for a while.

But I am definitely doing some head scratching over that list. There are a lot of guitarists from punk bands in there, and as much as I love them, I'm not sure that they are technically good enough to be in the 100 greatest of all time. And, uh, how many albums have Sum 41 actually made? One? Whatever... that's definitely not enough music to establish a guy (kid?) as one of the greats.

And is it me, or are there no girls in that list? Surprise surprise. :rolleyes:

Laura.

Re: UK Total Guitar lists "the best"
 

I know you warned us Les to not take the list too seriously but........
who the hell compiled this list?!?!? A monkey who spies on Earth from Pluto using a toy telescope could have made a better list!!!

Somebody, ANYBODY, please explain to me how the $@!% "The Edge" comes 42 places ahead of Django Reinhardt...and 44 places ahead of Chet Atkins?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?:mad:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

FINALLY!!!!
 

Well, it's about FREAKIN time Lindsey got recognized!!! :blob1::blob2::blob1: Yeah, Chet Atkins is awesome, seteca!!! Dumb lists...even tho I love lists! LMAO!!

A guitarist from Blink 182 gets in the top 50? He plays like 2 chords and thats about it! I don't understand.

But at least Lindsey is on this list...I just don't understand how like Carlos Santana and Peter Townsend are not in the top 10...weird list.

Haha Janet...2 chords??? You give them waayyyy too much credit. :D
I saw the thread title and went "oh great, another list Lindsey didn't make, whoopee." I guess I'll just have to be happy that he squeaked 4 places past the second guy from Korn on the list. LOL C FRICKIN MON MAN haha
-Brian

"Man, Oh Man..."
 

There is ALOT of jokes on this list. Whatta sad waste of a "Top 100":

How is Steve Howe only #84? Definately top 25

Steve Morse only #78? He's in my top 10...

John Petrucci should be in the top 20...

Frank Zappa at #63 is sad as is Peter Green at #56 definately deserving much higher praise

Dave Grohl at #52??? He's a great drummer not much of a guitarist..."Nigel Tufnel" of Spinal Tap is WAY better than Grohl...LMAO

BB King at ONLY #41??? THEY gotta be kiddin'...

Pete Townshend at #33 while Richie Sambora is #28...Whatta a joke...lol

#16 Zakk Wylde (Who I do like) rated better than Jeff Beck #18 & #17 Gary Moore...ridiculous

Sorry to rant, But this is a very cruddy Top 100 list...lol...Brian

I would have to agree with that statement.

Laura.

Look, folks, our man Lindsey is never going to get his due. Let's face it, if he got out a little more often, he would get noticed more.

But these lists always crack me up. Paul Simon? Noel Gallagher? Johnny Ramone? I love the Ramones, but...

I think Brian summed it up best. When you rate The Edge higher than the likes of Djanog Reinhardt, it can only mean you've inhaled too many sprayings from aerosol cans.

Getting out more would help, but I don't actually think it would help much. Lindsey's just never exactly been in style because he's never fit easily into any sort of "rock guitarist" mold. He's too much his own person/musician - which I admire, frankly. And in that way, he remains a bit more like my secret. My pleasure.

I read something about this list that said, if I recall correctly, the only woman who even made it close to the list was Tracy Chapman. Odd.

I really have tried to resist comment on this list, due to KNOWING that these are popularity polls and NOT true indication of the aptitude of the listed.


As I peruse this list, I see that a good 60% of the names listed have no business being on this list.

MIAs:
George Van Eps
Les Paul
Andres Segovia
Charlie Christian
Tony Rizzi
Joe Pass
Herbie Ellis
Howard Roberts
Joe Walsh
Bob Welch
Danny Kirwan
Rick Vito
Robbie McIntosh (Pretenders, Paul McCartney Band 1987-1993)
James Honeyman-Scott (Pretenders)
Mick Taylor
Ron Wood
Andy Summers (the Police)
Albert King
Elmore James
Freddie King
Albert Collins
Eddie Cochrane
Duane Eddy
Dick Dale
Paul Johnson (the Challengers, Bel-Airs)
Johnny Winter
Jimmie Vaughan
Buddy Guy

I agree...
 

with the MIA's that chiliD listed.

I would also add Albert Lee (Great player ala-Chet Atkins), Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy), John Sykes (Thin Lizzy & Whitesnake), Allan Holdsworth (U.K.), Frank Gambale (Great jazz fusion player) & Kazumi Watanabe (Another great jazz fusion player).

Has anybody here seen a Stanley Jordan concert?

If you haven't I would *highly* recommend it, it will blow your mind:

He plays two guitars at the same time (one strapped to himself, the other on a stand) using the "tapping" technique on ultra-low action electric guitars.

The man is the definition of PURE TALENT.

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

I agree...
 

Stanley Jordan is VERY talented...I've always thought he should do an album with Stanley Clarke, (They MAY have already done one, But I havent heard anything), Who is basically in the same catergory as Mr.Jordan, But uses the bass guitar instead...Brian

Great additions...Albert Lee is phenomenal! Stanley Jordan, his style is SO unique!! Allan Holdsworth...great!! Scott Gorham...yeah, there's a plethora of Thin Lizzy guitarists who belong on the list...who's the TL guy who's last name is Robertson...was in at the same time as Scott Gorham, I think?

They're so good on their instrument and since it's a FORM of guitar playing, both Stanley Clarke & Jaco Pastorius, though bass players, COULD be considered for inclusion! Don'tcha think? :nod:


More MIA's I thought of (and I'm ashamed I didn't think of them on my previous post)

Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Duane Allman
Warren Haynes (Allman Bros)
Dickey Betts (ex-Allman Bros)
Brent Mason (#1 Nashville session ace!)
Clarence White (latter incarnation of The Byrds)
Peter Frampton (don't let the teeny-bopper image fool ya...he's a fantastic guitar player)
Jerry Garcia
Dave Davies (Kinks)
Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
Al DiMeola
Mike Bloomfield
Stephen Stills
Robert Cray
Bill Nelson (Be-Bop Deluxe)
Robbie Robertson (The Band)
Lowell George (Little Feat)
Steve Lukather (Toto)
Neal Schon (Santana/Journey)
Tommy Shaw (Styx)
Brad Whitford (Aerosmith), Joe Perry gets all the glory, but Brad's his equal.

and, let's not just keep this a "guy's club" what about...

Bonnie Raitt? She's one of the best slide guitarists around...or ever!

Vicki Peterson of the Bangles was no slouch on guitar
Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's was a decent player, as well
Long-time studio ace, Carol Kaye is incredible both on guitar AND bass. She played on most of the Beach Boys mid-60's hits.

Yeah...
 

Jaco Pastorius is one of the GREATEST bassist ever IMO, Way ahead of his time and definately with an original style...even Billy Sheehan could be added to this list

The "Robertson" of Thin Lizzy you mentioned is Brian Robertson...Even Eric Bell, The original guitarist of Thin Lizzy, Has a great playing style. Mr. Bell was hugely influenced by Peter Green, (As was Gary Moore...)

A couple more guitarist I would add to the MIA list:

Pat Metheny
Pat Travers
Robin Trower ("Bridge Of Sighs")
Frank Hannon (Tesla)
the late Steve Clark (Def Leppard)
Brad Gillis & Jeff Watson (Night Ranger...Watson has the great 10 finger tap style)
Steve Hackett (Ex-Genesis)
Ty Tabor (King's X)
Keith Urban (He may be country...But he can play the hell outta a guitar...Seen him live, IMPRESSED me!!!)
Michael Schenker (UFO & MSG)
Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest)

Yes! Billy Sheehan!! I've seen him in concert twice...once with the original incarnation of the David Lee Roth Band and once with "Mr. Big" when they opened for Rush on the "Roll The Bones" tour.


Anyone heard his cover of "Oh Well"?? He's the only person I've heard even ATTEMPT to cover part 2, as well. His version is one of my favorite covers of the song. It's included on the "Rattlesnake Guitar: tribute to Peter Green" album.

!
 

And what a brilliant cover that is...!

I downloaded it ages ago by your recommendation...it's also my favourite cover!

I highly recommended it to any fellow "Oh Well" lovers..part 1 is a sort of "upbeat" and super-cool version, and part 2 has been covered really well, quite similar to the original but some parts are a bit more technically advanced than Peter's original version (that's not to say that Peter couldn't have played it like that if he'd wanted to!)

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Oooh, Steve Hackett...good call!


A few more that I thought of:

Lee Ritenour
Larry Carlton
Randy Bachman (Guess Who/BTO)
Nils Lofgren
Mike Campbell (TP & The Heartbreakers)
Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music)
Les Harvey (Stone The Crows)...sidenote: after Les died, Peter Green was supposed to be his replacement, but backed out at the last minute.
Steve Hillage (Gong...replaced Andy Summers)
Peter Banks (original guitarist in Yes...formed the group "Flash" after leaving Yes)
Jan Akkerman (Focus)

A few more...
 

to add to the list:

Stuart Hamm (Maybe a bassist, But he plays like a guitarist...)

George Lynch (Ex-Dokken)

Steve Miller

the late Micheal Hedges (Awesome acoustic player)

Robben Ford

the late Tommy Bolin

and how the hell did I leave off Eric Johnson???

Eric Johnson was on the original list of 100 (#71)...believe it or not! One of the few who DESERVED to be on the list.

"Oh well"...
 

I must've missed his name during all the laughter I had as I read this list...lol...Brian

What about the top three?
 

Just out of curiosity, how does everyone feel about the top three (Hendrix, Page and Clapton) being ranked as they are?

There's no question these are legendary talents, but are they there moreso because of their notoriety? Just wondering what those in tune with the music business (I'm not) think about this.

Top 3...
 

Well it really depends on what is meant by "best guitarists"...firstly it should be remembered that everybody who's on this list is *famous*, (which is obviously how we know about them.) It doesn't mean that these are necessarily THE best guitarists in the world...there could always be some guy who plays in some unknown bar in some unknown town in some country somewhere in the world who'd make Clapton, Hendrix etc etc look like amateurs...but he's not famous and so we'll never know about him.
However, out of names on THIS list, I personally think (and I know I may be at the risk of being attacked by literally millions of people for saying this), the only name that I think deserves to be placed in the top 3 is Eric Clapton.

Jimmy Hendrix was an incredibly talented guitarist, but I feel that he achieved his world-famous status as "the best of all time" by things that he did that hadn't been done before and blew everyone's minds at the time. I think there are guitarists alive now (both on and off this list) who can do what he did, and possibly better. So if this list is totally about technical ability only, then I would not put him in my top 3. If it was about "originality" then yea, he would definitely be in my top 5, if not top 3.

Jimmy Page...once again, a very talented guitarist (not anywhere near as much as Hendrix though), who out of the famous guitarists definitely deserves to be in any "best" list, but not in the top 3. I think his presence in the top 3 is almost completely due to the massive fame and popularity of band he was in and the songs that he played, rather than a measure of his true technical ability. (The presence of people like "The Edge" or "Kelly Jones" in this list is the epitome of what I'm talking about.)

Eric Clapton plays with a "feel" that I have never seen/heard from any other guitarist. He has an absolute (completely subconcious) calm control over the instrument...he's so damn fluid, he's just an absolute pleasure to hear (and preferably see) him play every single time I have ever done so as far back as I can remember.

All just my very humble opinion....this question obviously has no (and will never have) any "absolute" answer(s). I'm not actually sure who'd I'd put in my top 3...but Clapton would definitely be one of them. I'm *really* interested to see what some other guitarists here have to say about this...good question Rainman!:nod:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Hendrix deserves the #1 slot, just out of "innovation"...think of what rock guitar was BEFORE Jimi, and then after...nobody played "outside the box" before Jimi...nobody was playing at such volume to create feedback, and then corral the feedback...nobody used the whammy bar like Jimi. From a structured technical standpoint, no, Jimi wasn't that proficient, but from the standpoint of expanding the boundaries of "technical", Jimi was the pioneer.

Also, someone who's NOT on the list at all, who is the FATHER of multitrack recording AND who IS magnificently technically proficient on guitar is Les Paul...at 90+ years old still playing every Monday night at some restaurant bar in NYC. And, this is some 40 years after having his right arm shattered in a car accident and "set" in guitar playing position. The man is really a genius...and could've been a standup comedian, too, he's hilarious.

Jimmy Page is geared toward the studio (much like Lindsey)...Jimmy is a master of layering & overdubbing...well, I guess you could call it "orchestrating"...guitar parts...but, LIVE? He's one of the sloppiest guitar players I've ever heard. He would barely make my top 10, much less be #2.

Eric Clapton...they didn't and don't call him "god" for nothing...he'd far and away be my #1...let me qualify this as it would probably seem like a contradiction to what I said above about JMH...I said that Jimi would DESERVE the #1 slot for innovation alone...but Clapton is my favorite. ;)

Ok, so here's my top 10:

1) Eric Clapton
2) Peter Green
3) Chet Atkins
4) Les Paul
5) Jimi Hendrix
6) Duane Allman
7) Ry Cooder
8) Stevie Ray Vaughan
9) Buddy Guy
10) Rick Vito

That's pretty much what I meant, only better put!

Here's my top 10 (*favourite* guitarists, not necessarily who I think are "the best") :

1) Lindsey Buckingham

2) Slash
3) Eric Clapton
4) Mark Knopfler
5) Django Reinhardt
6) Dave Gilmour
7) Brian May
8) Peter Green
9) Prince
10) Jimi Hendrix

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Another one...
 

Speaking of which....

there's another member of the M.I.A. club.....

Prince, one of the most underrated *musicians* (not just guitarists) of all time...

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Best, according to who?
 

I went to the Total Guitar magazine site and found this:

Collector's special: Total Guitar's 100th issue!

We've reached 100! Yes, it was back in the mists of time (well, 1994 actually) when Total Guitar began, when Britpop and Oasis and Blur reigned supreme. Since then, we've seen the re-emergence of metal, punk-pop not to mention rock music in general. To celebrate, we asked you, the readers, to vote for the 100 greatest players, the full results of which you'll see in TG100. We also asked some of your favourite players (Vai, Satch, Sambora, Malmsteen, Brian May and the guitarists of Nickelback, Sum 41, System Of A Down, Puddle Of Mudd and more) to nominate theirs, also revealed this issue.

So this is a Total Guitar reader and guitarist survey which represents a pretty esoteric group. I'm assuming only the readers voted on the top 100 and there are "nominations" from the guitarists.

Anyway, it's just another popularity poll, but I'm still surprised and happy that Lindsey made it! :nod:

Barbara

I agree with Seteca - "favorite" would have been a more accurate description for this list.

Has anyone actually bought a copy of the magazine yet? I should have looked for it today when I was in London, but had other things on my mind...

Laura.

My favorite "Top 10" list...
 

1.David Gilmour
2.Brian May
3.Steve Vai
4.Stevie Ray Vaughan
5.Steve Morse
6.Mark Knopfler
7.Gary Moore
8.John Sykes
9.John Petrucci
10.Edward Van Halen

Yep!
 

Well here's my "weirdness" shot for the day..!! I was sitting at home bored so I decided to go out and actually buy the magazine from Tower Records...the section on Lindsey was so pathetically small that I didn't bother buying it......I just got back now and I see your post!

I remember Lindsey's section perfectly though:

There's a picture of the cover of the Rumours album followed by:

"The tasty fingerpicker ushered in Fleetwood Mac's most successful period, playing on Rumours and Tango In The Night"

Wow...talk about "in-depth" huh!:rolleyes:

Also in the same magazine there was a "guest's article" about some good fingerpicking guitarist called "Colin something" and he had Lindsey in his top 5 guitarists, saying that he was addicted to listening to his elder sister's copy of Rumours and his favourite track was Never Going Back Again. He's written an acoustic tribute to The Chain (which when I had a glance at the tabs for in the same article looked like it was The Chain just in a different key!).

There ya go Laura...and anyone else who cares!:cool:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Here's another...
 

"Top 100" list from "Guitar World", "The Top 100 Guitar Solos":

http://www.guitarteacher.com/lessons...ion/top100.htm

Re: Here's another...
 

And "The Chain" and "Go Your Own Way" are missing from this list because.....?:confused:

There's a list of "Greatest 100 Guitar Solos And How To Play Them" in the magazine Guitar Technique this month but I couldn't find a copy of it today, I'll try to find one soon and see if LB's listed.

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

Hmm... I don't think I'll bother buying it then... :rolleyes: They could at least show some respect and put a picture of Lindsey himself, as opposed to the usual Rumours cover showing Stevie and Mick.

Laura.

Thanks Seteca and ChiliD
 

Seteca and ChiliD, thanks for the response on the top 3 issue.

Now, about those 100 top guitar solos . . . what about So Afraid?:confused:

Re: Thanks Seteca and ChiliD
 

I'm pretty sure this list is album/original versions only, and to be honest, looking at the songs on the list, I don't think the original I'm So Afraid end solo from the White Album is worthy of being in the top 100.
If the Dance version (which so obviously is not an "improvised" solo anyway, it sounds waaay too rehearsed.....would make sense though seeing as he knew they were gonna make an album out of it) was the original studio version, then I personally would have placed it in there, as it's one of the most powerful solos (and pieces of music) I have ever heard, but I could understand if it was missing simply because of lack of fame.
However, what I don't understand is why The Chain and/or Go Your Own Way are missing from the list...by the looks of it the list is a mixture of technically amazing solos and/or simply worldwide famous solos....and both those solos definitely qualify for the latter.

Oh well.....:rolleyes:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

This top 100 guitarists thing is, as usual, totally different than any one person would agree with. Some REALLY strange choices and positions on this one though.

I've got to say I think James Marshall Hendrix is probably the most influential and innovative guitarist ever, does this make him the greatest guitarist? Probably, but not top on my list.

I'd have to say, the players that have influenced ME the most are :-

Eric Clapton
Mark Knopfler
Slash
Lindsey Buckingham
Peter Green
Jimi Hendrix
George Harrison

Technically, Knopfler and Buckingham are for me, the best. Emotionally, Peter and Eric are my "best" they ooze emotion, as do Harrison and Knopfler. Slash has the most amazing speed and fluidity I've ever seen plus he is the "coolest" of the bunch with the best stage aura.

All of the above have their own "tone". Listen to a song and you can just tell who it is. So distinctive.

Overall EC has to be top of my list. As much as I love the others, I really do, they don't call him "God" for nothing. He's played with them all, been around for ever (for me) and been to hell and back. Everything he plays live is quite outstanding and just when you think he's faded from the scene, he's back with something fresh. Total Genius.

Mark Knopfler even decided to play for him on a tour because of the stature of the man, even Jimi was in awe of him in the 60's.

But then Eric himself openly bows to Peter Green!


:laugh: :laugh:

WTF???
 

Neither a Johnny nor a Bucky Pizzarelli anywhere?

(BTW: Chili, nice call including Ry in your list!):nod:

Re: WTF???
 

Yeah, Chili, Ry Cooder, slide legend extraordinaire!

Come to think of it, where are Chris Rea and Sonny Landreth???

:confused: :confused:

So Afraid solo from The Dance
 

I'm pretty sure this list is album/original versions only, and to be honest, looking at the songs on the list, I don't think the original I'm So Afraid end solo from the White Album is worthy of being in the top 100.


Seteca, I'd say this is a good call. Yes, the version from THE DANCE is extraordinary and rich with emotion. So are Big Love and Go Insane (the latter not necessarily being a blazing guitar solo but nonetheless some pretty expressive guitar work).

Thanks for a thoughtful reply.