Hendrix should be dropped this low only on those nights he took one too many hits of acid and just lost it... The list was greatest 'rock' guitarists.... ask any of the late 60's rockers about Hendrix live...
I did see him playing once on TV for a few minutes, thought it was dubbed at first, but he was over the top talented... surprised me, but I wouldn't rate him at the very top.
Here is Prince with Tom Petty and others performing "WHile my guitar gently weeps". Sick solo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ND7wSZj-L0&search=prince%2C%20guitar
So, uh....what are you implying? Verdine White (Earth Wind and Fire bassist) is the same way. Doesn't even look like he's really playing, but he is. And quite well I might add.
47. Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave.....47 is that a typo hes so creative and unique what disrespect, hes my fav guitarist his solos or just unlike so many others
1. Jimi 2. Muddy Waters 3. BB King 4. Albert King 5. Freddie King 7. Magic Sam 8. Robert Johnson 9. Peter Green 10. Terry Kath
i don't have a problem with the list because once you get past the top 20 or so there's just too many guys to rate. however just jumping out at me it seems like pete townshend is REAL low. my list has jimmy page at #1. i love hendrix but no guitar work gets to me like page's stuff in led zeppelin. page hendrix van halen clapton gilmour if it was top 100 live guitarists the list would change so correct me if i'm wrong, but prince doesn't shred as much on most of his albums as he's capable of. not meant to be a knock but probably why he's lower on the list.
I hate these kind of lists because they usually don't really define what constitutes greatness. It seems to me this is as much about a popularity contest (what good to great guitarists are other guitarists listening to right now) then it is about skill, innovation or even influence. There was a time when Eddie Van Halen would have topped the list and there would have been little argument. His playing is instantly recognizable, technically proficient, contains a number of techniques that he either invented outright or improved on drastically, and defines an era (big hair metal of the 80s). However, given his spectacular decline and the near total evaporation of his influence in guitar music, he no longer seems to matter as much. You rarely anyone using Eddie's greatest innovation (tapping), and if you do, it's a good bet that the player is being stupid or ironic. Given that his musical innovations have failed to transcend his era (big hair 80s rock), I'm not sure if he rates even as high as top 5 or even top 20 anymore. On the flip side, the Edge's guitar soundscapes have always been sneered at by the guitar shredder crowd, and pretty much anyone with two fingers (one on each hand) and a delay pedal can play his parts. Yet he's remained influential for over 25 years now and numerous popular and underground bands owe a huge debt to him and his use of delay and modulation effects. Edge is not a technical wizard, but he's outlasted most of his contemporaries as an important and influential guitarist. Of course, there is the chance that Eddie would have remained influential if Van Halen had remained as high profile as U2. Then again, the fortunes of both these bands owe much to their guitarists. Whatever the case, it's a crime that the Edge is not included The other thing that bothers me about this list is that it's made up almost exclusively (except for maybe Steve Cropper) of lead-style guitarists. Along with the Edge, you could argue that Jimmy Nolen, Roger McGuinn, Nile Rodgers and James Hetfield are far more influential (and better at what they do) than many of the lead guitarists included. Flashy technique doesn't always equal better - Kirk Hammett may shred more than Hetfield, but Hetfield's rhythm playing defines Metallica (and pretty much all metal since the mid 80s). And I don't know any guitarists who can play a funky rhythm like Nile Rodgers.
Yeah, I think it's kind of sad in a way. You don't see any up and comer for a guy like EVH to pass the torch to. Todays guitarists, it's almost like they're afraid to really show what they can do because people might think they're showing off. Too many solo's these days just double the melody, if there's a solo at all. I wonder if the age of the rock 'guitar hero' is over. Word.
33. Nuno Bettencourt - Extreme, Mourning Widows -- WTH? I mean he's a very talented guitarist and all, but he has no place at no. 33. Who wrote this list, Jim Anchower?
I guess the whole point of lists like this is to ignite the debate because, otherwise, these lists are truly worthless. If it doesn't get people debating the merits of the ranked list, then what good is it? I would like to see a list where the living guitar greats get in a big room and come up with the list. It would be the most credible list there is.
Admittedly, I know d1ck about music, but props for having the balls to not regurgitate the "safe" answer of Hendrix at number one.
Jimi is number one on EVERY (credible) list for a reason. He changed the way the electric guitar was played and sounded.
Maybe so, but it comes off sometimes as people just following the leader. It's refreshing to see a take that goes against the grain every now and then.
The thing about Jimi is that his legacy as a guitarist wasn't pumped up due to his early death. The cat was the real deal. I listen to a Hendrix album maybe once every six months, but I've never heard anyone better. Not my favorite, but I've never heard anyone merge taste and technique like him. Not Django, not Grant Green, not Eddie or the post-Eddie guys, and not the wave of Anglo blues/rockmen. I listen to Beck all the time, especially the Rod Stewart albums, but he can't touch Jimi. Comes about as close as anyone, though.
