Rolling Stone is highlighting iconic guitar solos in its latest staff-curated list.
The mag has just released its picks for the 100 greatest guitar solos of all time, with tunes by such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, the Eagles and more making the cut. The mag says criteria for songs making the list are that the solo “makes the song; can be sung or hummed; doesn’t repeat the main melody.”
Prince’s iconic tune “Purple Rain” tops the list, with Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” landing at #2. The mag writes that the Hendrix solo is “Hendrix at his most Hendrix,” noting it’s “the most ambitious, raw, soulful, go-for-broke expression of his musical genius.”
Coming in at #3 are the dueling guitar solos of the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” followed by David Gilmour’s solo in Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” at #4 and Eddie Van Halen’s solo on Van Halen’s “Eruption” at #5.
Rounding out the top 10 are Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” at #6, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” at #7, Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” at #8, Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain” at #9 and The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at #10.
And while Rolling Stone may think these are the greatest guitar solos, they aren’t necessarily what your average guitar fan likes to play.
According to the mag, Guitar Center recently conducted a poll to find the most-played guitar riffs at its stores, with Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” landing at #1.
Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” comes in just behind Metallica at #2, with The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and John Mayer’s “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” rounding out the top five.
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