Rolling Stone‘s 10 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time

vienna · 11-23-11, 01:30 PM

http://stereogum.com/888282/rolling-...all-time/list/

And a listing of personal picks by one of the magazines critics/editors:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...-time-19691231

11-23-11, 01:44 PM

jimi hendrix again. There are others, lots of them.

soopaman2 · 11-23-11, 02:12 PM

This list was clearly written by an older person with a huge bias.

I bet this guy hates todays music.

Slash from guns and Roses belongs on that list. Dave Mustaine of Mettallica and Megadeth fame. Hell Jack White spins a better guitar than freaking Allman...Come on? I'll even throw in Brian May.

Do you have to be Robert Plants age to appreciate Rolling Stone anymore. I am sorry, this reeks of generational bias.

Clapton should have been first. Jimi just tended to shred it, while Eric played with finesse and purpose. I don't totally hate the list, just think they stopped considering after a certain year, which is unfair.

frau kaleun · 11-23-11, 02:13 PM

Soooooo predictable. I wrote that list in my head before I even clicked on the link and pretty much nailed it.

It's really more like "Rolling Stone's Ten Favorite Guitarists That We Can Safely Assume Most People With At Least A Passing Interest In Late 20th Century Popular Music Have Actually Heard Of, And Probably Also Heard."

soopaman2 · 11-23-11, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Soooooo predictable. I wrote that list in my head before I even clicked on the link and pretty much nailed it.

It's really more like "Rolling Stone's Ten Favorite Guitarists That We Can Safely Assume Most People With At Least A Passing Interest In Late 20th Century Popular Music Have Actually Heard Of, And Probably Also Heard."

As my clever cousin would say...

"Cater to the ham and eggers, rubes are easily separated from their money"
Cynical but logical.

CCIP · 11-23-11, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soopaman2

This list was clearly written by an older person with a huge bias.

I bet this guy hates todays music.

I don't think he hates today's music, or favours old music specifically - it's just more biased to classic icons of mainstream rock and blues, and very traditional, 'normal' guitar technique - yeah, some of these guys were the ones who invented it, but there are other ways to play guitar that are very different. So that's a bit predictable. And even in technical terms, there are so many technical guitarists.

Aside from some of the ones you (and the others) have mentioned, one sorely missing from the list is Robert Fripp. His contribution to modern music in general and mind-blowingly unconventional guitar playing specifically is always going to be undervalued I'm afraid.

frau kaleun · 11-23-11, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

I don't think he hates today's music, or favours old music specifically

And to be fair, it is supposed to be an "all time" list - which to me implies that anyone on it has to have made music that's been around for a while and is still influencing people and considered worthwhile.

For the same reason, most "All Time Great Movies" lists don't usually have many (or any) recent films in them. "Of all time" implies a classic, and that implies an element of timeless value and appeal, which can only be assessed after a certain amount of time has passed.

The worlds of art, music, film, etc., are littered with the cast-off remains of stuff that was briefly considered OMG AWESOME for a month, year, or decade and then faded into obscurity. Somebody could release what looks to us like another "Citizen Kane" tomorrow, but it won't be a classic unless it's still regarded that way 50+ years from now.

kiwi_2005 · 11-23-11, 02:50 PM

This 14yr old busking in Auckland NZ, amazes me every time with his guitar skills.

Anyway back on topic, why is Stevie Ray Vaughan not on that list! One of the best guitarists ever imho.

vienna · 11-23-11, 03:09 PM

Quote:

And to be fair, it is supposed to be an "all time" list - which to me implies that anyone on it has to have made music that's been around for a while and is still influencing people and considered worthwhile.

For the same reason, most "All Time Great Movies" lists don't usually have many (or any) recent films in them. "Of all time" implies a classic, and that implies an element of timeless value and appeal, which can only be assessed after a certain amount of time has passed.

The worlds of art, music, film, etc., are littered with the cast-off remains of stuff that was briefly considered OMG AWESOME for a month, year, or decade and then faded into obscurity. Somebody could release what looks to us like another "Citizen Kane" tomorrow, but it won't be a classic unless it's still regarded that way 50+ years from now.

Well put...

Also to be considered is influence and change: Did the artist (in any art form) have a lasting influence not only to others in their time but also to those following long after; and, did they cause a change or shift in how the art form was viewed and/or practiced long after they are gone? Consider someone like Beethoven: after the first performance of the 3rd Symphony (Eroica) Haydn was said to have commented "Everything is different from today." And it was. Beethoven radically changed everything in classical music that came afterward as few people have in history. There are guitarists on the Top 10/Top 100 lists who, as contemporaries of Hendrix had their styles, technique and compositions altered after seeing Hendrix play, live or on film/video or hearing his music. There is a reason people like Clapton, Townsend, Santana, Vaughn, etc., all cite the affect Hendrix had on their playing and the way they viewed the guitar. Forty years plus on and Hendrix still is an awesome influence on guitarists in particular and music in general...

There was an interview I once read in, I believe, Guitar Player Magazine, where the interviewer held a dual interview with Yngvie Malmsteen and John McLaughlin in the same room. Malmsteen was very arrogant and quite dismissive of Lauhglin, whom he apparently never met and knew little of his reputation as a guitarist. Every time the interviewer would try to move the conversation away form Malmsteen, Yngvie would cut him short. Malmsteen would also interrupt Laughlin in the middle of Laughlin's responses to questions. The interviewer eventually seemed to grow tired of Malmsteen and decided to ask Laughlin "What was it like to play and collaborate with Jimi hendrix?" Malmsteen did a 180 degree turn that must have caused him severe wind burn. "Oh man, you really paled with Hendrix? I'm so sorry, I had no idea...". Suddenly, Yngvie was all apologies to Laughlin and almost bowing down to him for the rest of the interview. Malmsteen may be able to play a gazillion notes a second and may possibly be a better technical technical player than either Laughlin or even Hendrix, but even an arrogant, self-centered/serving shredder like Malmsteen recognizes the genius of someone who will continue to be a benchmark long after Yngvie's work is in the dustbins of musical history...

MH · 11-23-11, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vienna

"Oh man, you really paled with Hendrix? I'm so sorry, I had no idea...". Suddenly, Yngvie was all apologies to Laughlin and almost bowing down to him for the rest of the interview. Malmsteen may be able to play a gazillion notes a second and may possibly be a better technical technical player than either Laughlin or even Hendrix, but even an arrogant, self-centered/serving shredder like Malmsteen recognizes the genius of someone who will continue to be a benchmark long after Yngvie's work is in the dustbins of musical history...

Sounds like Malmsteen

malsmsteen opened up the whole neoclassical style and while there are people that play much better faster and cleaner than him....he is Jimi Hendrix of the style.

Oberon · 11-23-11, 03:33 PM

Yeah, Brian May should definitely be on that list.

Hendrix was fantastic though, so I can't quibble with the number one slot.

HunterICX · 11-23-11, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oberon

Yeah, Brian May should definitely be on that list.

Brian May was the first thing that popped in my mind when seeying this thread:

HunterICX

Sailor Steve · 11-23-11, 03:54 PM

This list, and the arguments for and against it, are only remotely valid if the title includes the word "Rock". Of course it's all opinion anyway, but as soon as you try to quantify opinion you run into a wall of more opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

it's just more biased to classic icons of mainstream rock and blues, and very traditional, 'normal' guitar technique

"Great" guitarists?

The only order here is the order in which they popped into my head
Chet Atkins
Sandy Bull
Les Paul
Andres Segovia
Stanley Jordan (I'd like to see anybody on that list even dream of doing what he does)
Richie Blackmore
Mike Bloomfield
Stephen Stills
Django Reinhart
Julian Bream
Ry Cooder
Buddy Guy
B.B. King
Albert King
Robert Johnson
Steve Vai
Yngwie Malmsteen
Leo Kottke
Carlos Santana
Merle Travis
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Duane Allman
Dicky Betts
Steve Howe
Robby Krieger
Blind Willie Johnson
Wes Montgomery
Jorma Kaukonen
Albert Collins
Alvin Lee
Joe Satriani
Mark Knopfler

And my brain finally started to fade. Everybody's favorite player? Hendrix was original, influential and a damn fine player. But the best ever? Not even close.

frau kaleun · 11-23-11, 03:56 PM

The biggest surprise about the RS list for me was that Santana wasn't on it.

And still no love for David Gilmour.

vienna · 11-23-11, 04:13 PM

I actually got to see Hendrix play, though not on electric, and I didn't know at the time who he was. I used to be one of the long-haired masses that huanted the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in the mid to late 60s. The Strip was/is divided into two sections: the well-known club/bar/restaurant/shopping scene on the west end and the "slums" to the east. At the time, places like the Whisky-A-Go-Go and other like places were/are on the west; lesser venues were on the east. There was a club in the east that opened as a sort of restaurant/coffehouse/general hang during the daytime hours and operated as a rock club at night. The club's building had once been a furniture and antiques store and had outer walls that were removable to easily show the inventory and encourage public access. The club would also remove these walls in the daytime and people would come and go freely. Sometimes, musicians would stop by and jam on acoustic instruments (sort of uplugged before its time). I was in there one day watching some people play and in came this guy with a couple of other people. They sat down, ordered something, and listened. After a liitle while, the guy politely asked in a lowkey voice if he could play along for a bit. Someone lent him a guitar and he played along to a few folk and blues numbers. He was an excellent player and some of the other musicians asked him a few questions about his playing. He answered them politely and after a short while, excused himself because he had an appointment elsewhere. I was impressed with his playing technique and his abilities with tones.

A few months later, I'm in a record store and there, in the new releases bin is a record with the name "Are You Experienced?" by a group called "The JImi Hendrix Experience". I looked at the photo on the cover and recognized the guy from the club a few months back. I remember thinking at the time "Wow, he actually got a contract!", and I bought the record to see what it sounded like. After I played that record, it changed the way I viewed guitars, and guitar playing, forever. I spent hours upon hours trying to get even a bit of the sound Hendrix achieved. Considering the primitive nature of guitars, amps and effects pedals (or the lack of effects pedals), what Hendrix did with what was available to him and with, mainly just his guitar and his hands, is incredible. Today a guitarist plugs into a digital wonderland of effects pedals and racks and, with a flick of a button easily summons sounds that Hendrix had to wrench out with just his talent and genius. I think a good test of the newer "flavor of the moment" guitarists would be to give them a Strat, a couple of old tube amps without effects loops, maybe a couple of old transistor or tube effects pedals with the scratchy controls, and old style patch cables, and ask them to "play like Hendrix". I wonder if they would even know where to start...

Yes, so I did see Hendrix play that day; I wish I knew who he was at the time. I never saw him play live again because something or other would always come up and I would just say "I'll catch him the next time he comes around..."

11-23-11, 01:30 PM	#1
vienna Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Anywhere but the here & now... Posts: 7,711 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Rolling Stone‘s 10 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time http://stereogum.com/888282/rolling-...all-time/list/ And a listing of personal picks by one of the magazines critics/editors: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...-time-19691231

11-23-11, 02:12 PM	#3
soopaman2 Der Alte Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 3,316 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 0	This list was clearly written by an older person with a huge bias. I bet this guy hates todays music. Slash from guns and Roses belongs on that list. Dave Mustaine of Mettallica and Megadeth fame. Hell Jack White spins a better guitar than freaking Allman...Come on? I'll even throw in Brian May. Do you have to be Robert Plants age to appreciate Rolling Stone anymore. I am sorry, this reeks of generational bias. Clapton should have been first. Jimi just tended to shred it, while Eric played with finesse and purpose. I don't totally hate the list, just think they stopped considering after a certain year, which is unfair. __________________ If Hitler invaded Hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons. -Winston Churchill- The most fascinating man in the world.

11-23-11, 02:50 PM	#8
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	This 14yr old busking in Auckland NZ, amazes me every time with his guitar skills. Anyway back on topic, why is Stevie Ray Vaughan not on that list! One of the best guitarists ever imho. __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others. Last edited by kiwi_2005; 11-23-11 at 03:02 PM.

11-23-11, 01:44 PM	#2
sidslotm Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	jimi hendrix again. There are others, lots of them.

11-23-11, 02:13 PM	#4
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	Soooooo predictable. I wrote that list in my head before I even clicked on the link and pretty much nailed it. It's really more like "Rolling Stone's Ten Favorite Guitarists That We Can Safely Assume Most People With At Least A Passing Interest In Late 20th Century Popular Music Have Actually Heard Of, And Probably Also Heard."

11-23-11, 03:33 PM	#11
Oberon Lucky Jack Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 25,976 Downloads: 61 Uploads: 20	Yeah, Brian May should definitely be on that list. Hendrix was fantastic though, so I can't quibble with the number one slot.

11-23-11, 03:56 PM	#14
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	The biggest surprise about the RS list for me was that Santana wasn't on it. And still no love for David Gilmour.

11-23-11, 04:13 PM	#15
vienna Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Anywhere but the here & now... Posts: 7,711 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	I actually got to see Hendrix play, though not on electric, and I didn't know at the time who he was. I used to be one of the long-haired masses that huanted the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in the mid to late 60s. The Strip was/is divided into two sections: the well-known club/bar/restaurant/shopping scene on the west end and the "slums" to the east. At the time, places like the Whisky-A-Go-Go and other like places were/are on the west; lesser venues were on the east. There was a club in the east that opened as a sort of restaurant/coffehouse/general hang during the daytime hours and operated as a rock club at night. The club's building had once been a furniture and antiques store and had outer walls that were removable to easily show the inventory and encourage public access. The club would also remove these walls in the daytime and people would come and go freely. Sometimes, musicians would stop by and jam on acoustic instruments (sort of uplugged before its time). I was in there one day watching some people play and in came this guy with a couple of other people. They sat down, ordered something, and listened. After a liitle while, the guy politely asked in a lowkey voice if he could play along for a bit. Someone lent him a guitar and he played along to a few folk and blues numbers. He was an excellent player and some of the other musicians asked him a few questions about his playing. He answered them politely and after a short while, excused himself because he had an appointment elsewhere. I was impressed with his playing technique and his abilities with tones. A few months later, I'm in a record store and there, in the new releases bin is a record with the name "Are You Experienced?" by a group called "The JImi Hendrix Experience". I looked at the photo on the cover and recognized the guy from the club a few months back. I remember thinking at the time "Wow, he actually got a contract!", and I bought the record to see what it sounded like. After I played that record, it changed the way I viewed guitars, and guitar playing, forever. I spent hours upon hours trying to get even a bit of the sound Hendrix achieved. Considering the primitive nature of guitars, amps and effects pedals (or the lack of effects pedals), what Hendrix did with what was available to him and with, mainly just his guitar and his hands, is incredible. Today a guitarist plugs into a digital wonderland of effects pedals and racks and, with a flick of a button easily summons sounds that Hendrix had to wrench out with just his talent and genius. I think a good test of the newer "flavor of the moment" guitarists would be to give them a Strat, a couple of old tube amps without effects loops, maybe a couple of old transistor or tube effects pedals with the scratchy controls, and old style patch cables, and ask them to "play like Hendrix". I wonder if they would even know where to start... Yes, so I did see Hendrix play that day; I wish I knew who he was at the time. I never saw him play live again because something or other would always come up and I would just say "I'll catch him the next time he comes around..."