Rolling Stone top 100 Guitarists

MichaelB

MichaelB

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The Rolling Stone Magazine just released their list of the top 100 guitarists of all time. 100 Greatest Guitarists: Ry Cooder | Rolling Stone

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Jimmy Page
Keith Richards
Jeff Beck
B.B.King
Chuck Berry
Eddie Van Halen
Duane Allman
Pete Townshend

My favorites after the top 2 - Stevie Ray Vaughan came in at # 12 and Carlos Santana at #20. Paco de Lucia was not mentioned even though he is the best Flamenco guitarist alive and easily (and really) one of the top guitarists. I like Rolling Stone but, like occasional other aspects of US culture, they do seem to suffer from a narrow and inward view of the world.
 
I know Jimi Hendrix is considered a ground breaker but for me he just made a lot of dischordant noise. Now I know this will raise a lot of noise here but we are all entitled to our opinions. My wife knew Hendrix and she was a big fan of his while I thought Clapton was/is the best. We argued about that for 35 years.

I don't think that Chuck Berry belongs on that list, during the 50's Bo Diddley was the top R&B guitarist and there many blues guitarists far superior to Chuck Berry.

Was Derek Trucks on the list?
 
I'm flashing back to the raging debates on rec.music.makers.guitar... :LOL:
 
I know i'm from the wrong generation to get any agreement on this forum but if Jimi Hendrix is #1 then I think Slash should be #2. When Hendrix was inducted into the UK Hall of Fame in 2005, Slash was selected to do the tribute because he's the best living guitarist of that style. How he could be 65th on this list is a mystery to me when he's considered the best alive by a whole lot of people:confused:
 
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Did I/they miss Sonny Landreth?

[youtube]Pf2k7WpkIxQ[/youtube]
 
MichaelB said:
The Rolling Stone Magazine just released their list of the top 100 guitarists of all time. 100 Greatest Guitarists: Ry Cooder | Rolling Stone

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Jimmy Page
Keith Richards
Jeff Beck
B.B.King
Chuck Berry
Eddie Van Halen
Duane Allman
Pete Townshend

My favorites after the top 2 - Stevie Ray Vaughan came in at # 12 and Carlos Santana at #20. Paco de Lucia was not mentioned even though he is the best Flamenco guitarist alive and easily (and really) one of the top guitarists. I like Rolling Stone but, like occasional other aspects of US culture, they do seem to suffer from a narrow and inward view of the world.
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I was sure to see SRV in top 10 too.
 
What a bunch of know nothing panelist to not include John McLaughlin's with the Mahavishnu Orchestra

In 2010 guitarist Jeff Beck called him "the best guitarist alive".[1] The Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain has called him "one of the greatest and one of the important musicians of our times". In 2003 McLaughlin was ranked 49th in Rolling Stone magazine list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[2] Wikipedia
 
Good list but it's kind of jumbled IMO. Best live guitarist SRV. Best studio Jimmy Page. Best alt guitarist, live and studio, Johnny Ramone. I didn't see Cheetah Chrome in there at all and I think he would easily be in the top 100.
 
grasshopper said:
What a bunch of know nothing panelist to not include John McLaughlin's with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
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Saw him just a few months ago; effing amazing.

I would likely include Hendrix, Page, Clapton, and Beck; the rest are good, but "greatest"?

Page and Clapton have talent in a range of styles unmatched by most.
 
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HFWR said:
Saw him just a few months ago; effing amazing.

I would likely include Hendrix, Page, Clapton, and Beck; the rest are good, but "greatest"?

Page and Clapton have talent in a range of styles unmatched by most.
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I'll see your list, and raise you Duane Allman.
 
I's just fun going through the list and recalling old memories. We all have our favorites, but "TOP 100" is very subjective. As always, YMMV.
 
Pretty funky list, Chuck Berry shouldn't even be in the top 50 much less the top 10. And no SRV in the top 10, I'm calling BS.
 
Onward's subjective top ten:

Eric Clapton
Ritchie Blackmore
Tom Scholz (Boston)
Michael Schenker (UFO, Scorpions, MSG)
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Tony Iommi
Jake E. Lee (Ozzy, Badlands)
Slash
Alvin Lee (10 Yrs After)

Eddie Van Halen doesn't even make my top 50. I always considered him as more an exhibitionist than a musician.
 
I kind of hate any sort of list like this. There are great musicians that are great in their own way, and trying to claim one is 'greater' than the other gets silly pretty fast.


Tiger said:
I know Jimi Hendrix is considered a ground breaker but for me he just made a lot of dischordant noise.

... we are all entitled to our opinions.
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And sometimes that sense of entitlement is unwarranted! :ROFLMAO: :cool:

Or, for an alternate reply:

Tiger said:
I know Jimi Hendrix is considered a ground breaker but for me he just made a lot of dischordant noise.
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But it was such an amazing and beautiful dischordant noise!

-ERD50
 
Most lists like this are usually so far from my reality that they are a waste of time. This one got some things right (for a change). Pretty subjective except for the Hendrix on top.

Best living MichaelB? Pretty good. Thanks for the tip.

 
I don't know much about rock music and it seems like most in the 100 list are rock guitarists. But, I am glad to know there's at least another member who likes Paco de Lucia.

MichaelB said:
Paco de Lucia was not mentioned even though he is the best Flamenco guitarist alive and easily (and really) one of the top guitarists. I like Rolling Stone but, like occasional other aspects of US culture, they do seem to suffer from a narrow and inward view of the world.
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I always knew of Paco de Lucia as a flamenco guitarist, but recently I ran across his performance of Concierto de Aranjuez. I will not claim to know much about classical music either, but being a fan of the guitar and the woodwinds, I never get tired listening to this Concierto's Adagio, and as recorded by different orchestras.

For many years, my preference was the one recorded by Carlos Bonell with the Montreal orchestra by Charles Dutoit. That is until I ran across Paco de Lucia in a recording with the Orchestra de Cadaques. This is now my favorite. The composer Joaquin Rodrigo himself attended the performance.

For people who do not know of this guitarist, here's the young Paco de Lucia in 1976 in one of his own compositions.

<Deleted> Oops, I cross-posted "Entre dos aguas" with Free to Canoe.
 
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NW-Bound said:
But, I am glad to know there's at least another member who likes Paco de Lucia.
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Count me as another Paco fan. I was lucky to see him when he toured with John McLaughlin (also mentioned by others on this thread) and Al DiMeola - all acoustic. Each great in different ways.

Amazing to see three musicians of that caliber on the stage together. The "Friday Night in San Francisco" CD captures that tour very well.

-ERD50
 
Friday Night in San Francisco is an excellent CD because it showcases three musicians with totally different styles, training and musical backgrounds playing each other's music. Well thought out and executed.

I am pleased to see others here agree that Paco de Lucia should be on the list. http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Night-San-Francisco-Live/dp/B000002AHM
 
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