The 20 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time

[foyboy]

A recent poll in Total Guitar magazine came up with this list as the 20 greatest guitar riffs of all time:

1. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
3. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
4. Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
5. Enter Sandman - Metallica
6. Layla - Derek & The Dominoes/Eric Clapton
7. Master Of Puppets - Metallica
8. Back In Black - AC/DC
9. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix
10. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
11. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
12. All Right Now - Free
13. Plug In Baby - Muse
14. Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
15. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
16. Walk This Way - Aerosmith w Run DMC
17. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream
18. No-One Knows - Queens Of The Stone Age
19. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
20. Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine

Just wondering on your thoughts and opinions, what should have been included but wasn't, what shouldn't be there, etc.

[Darcy321]

I cant believe there is no Pink Flloyd

[Ozeagle]

I think Walk This Way has been ripped off at #16 - that deserves top 5 status. Some of my favourites jump to mind that didn't make the list, and there's certainly plenty that did make it which I would rank below:

Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
Live and Let Die - Wings/Guns 'n Roses
La Grange - ZZ Top
Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood & the Destroyers
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

Personally I think the great guitar riffs are those which are almost more memorable than the songs - the ones that almost become entities unto themselves. Smoke On The Water being the best example - a lot of people don't know the song, but start humming the riff and everyone can join in.

[Tsargrad]

Where is Hotel California?? I'm sure that won one of these a few years ago

[Karmond]

Would Classical Gas count?

[-dan-]

Umm... if you want all of them on 3 cd's go to JB HI-FI and buy:
The Living End - Roll On
The Living End - Self Titled
The Living End - Modern Artillery
I cant believe there is no Pink Flloyd
Me too.

[Rick]

I cant believe there is no Pink Flloyd

I agree too. "Wish you were here" would have to be up there, and maybe

Stockholm Syndrome - Muse
Schism - Tool
Aerials - System Of A Down
Just Because - Janes Addiction
Purple haze - Hendrix

[Mezaroonie]

I agree about Pink Floyd.

What about Wild Thing-Jimi Hendrix?

Surely that has a guitar riff that everyone knows.

The other one is Cocaine by Eric Clapton, I think it's more memorable than Layla.

:confused:

[cam86]

stairway to heaven??

[Cowboy]

I think the riff from the "Whiskey in the Jar" is a classic - either the 'metallized' Metallica version, or the 'original' Thin Lizzy version.

[Feral]

sweet home alabama - lynard skynard

gotta be up with la grange and smoke on the water for being memorable :cool:

[Ozeagle]

sweet home alabama - lynard skynard

gotta be up with la grange and smoke on the water for being memorable :cool:
Indeed - can't believe I didn't think of that one.

[cmactrix]

agreed.. there's no Stairway to Heaven, and no Hotel California :(

[Ozeagle]

agreed.. there's no Stairway to Heaven, and no Hotel California :(
Personally I don't think either of those songs really belongs in the list. It's not that they aren't great songs, it's just that I don't really think of the riffs when I think of them, and in fact had to think hard to "find" the riff in my head. As opposed to a song like Smoke On The Water, Sweet Home Alabama, Live And Let Die or Money For Nothing, the riffs for which are the first things I remember about the song.

[Cowboy]

Personally I don't think either of those songs really belongs in the list. It's not that they aren't great songs, it's just that I don't really think of the riffs when I think of them, and in fact had to think hard to "find" the riff in my head. As opposed to a song like Smoke On The Water, Sweet Home Alabama, Live And Let Die or Money For Nothing, the riffs for which are the first things I remember about the song.
Totally disagree there oz - particularly on stairway!!

...only because when I think of Stairway to Heaven, I think of Wayne's World where Wayne strums the guitar, and the sales droid points to the big sign on the wall :-)

"No Stairway - DENIED!"

[yepp]

just saw this thread for the first time...i think foo fighters - monkey wrench has one of the greatest guitar riffs!

[JenniV]

CARCASS - Incarnated Solvent Abuse
DEEP PURPLE - Flight Of The Rat
IRON MAIDEN - Aces High
METALLICA - Harvester Of Sorrow
SLAYER - Raining Blood
ENTOMBED - Chaos Breed
BATHORY - Massacre
CRADLE OF FILTH - Desire In Violent Overture
DIMMU BORGIR - Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse
DEATH - Open Casket
DREAM THEATRE - Pull Me Under
QUEENSRYCHE - Eyes Of A Stranger
BOLT THROWER - Cenotaph
FAITH NO MORE - Morning After
SODOM - Christ Passion
GUNS'N'ROSES - Welcome To The Jungle
DESTRUCTION - Curse The Gods
MORBID ANGEL - Fall From Grace
NIGHTWISH - Wishmaster
OPETH - Bleak

:)

[ajh]

Totally disagree there oz - particularly on stairway!!

...only because when I think of Stairway to Heaven, I think of Wayne's World where Wayne strums the guitar, and the sales droid points to the big sign on the wall :-)

"No Stairway - DENIED!"

Speaking from someone who plays guitar a little (very little nowdays), the first riff that many players figure out is smokey on the water and a cheats version of stairway.

No too sure it that's because the riffs are ledgendary or they are especially easy to play. Anything with a lot of power cording is pretty straight forward - I like my distortion - it hides the hundreds of mistakes I make !!! :)

[custos]

I suppose it depends if the list is for all time best riffs based on some objective criteria like complexity, or if it's just for those memorable riffs you get stuck in your head or can't get enough of -- even if like "Smoke on the water" they are pretty easy to play. A couple that come to mind:

Led Zep - Whole lotta love
Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode
Clash - Rock the Casbah
Kiss - I was made for loving you
Status Quo - Roll over lay dawn
Creedence Clearwater - Bad moon rising
Blur - Song 2
Knack - My Sharona (one hit wonder based entirely on that riff!)
Pat Benetar - Hit me with your best shot
Pink Floyd - Money (bass riff, does that count?)
Queen - Another one bites the dust (another bass riff)