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Ask MusicRadar: what's the best guitar riff of all time?
The poll is now open!
The MusicRadar Team, Wed 11 Nov 2009, 12:23 pm UTC
Keith 'The Human Riff' Richards © Reuters/CORBIS
Welcome to Ask MusicRadar, a section devoted entirely to you - the all-knowing, gear-buying, gear-playing and all-round music-loving community. This week we're asking: what's the best guitar riff of all time?
Why? Because - in the vein of MusicRadar's hallowed Beatles Week, Hendrix Week and Metallica Week - we're gearing up for seven days of axe-wielding goodness: Riff Week. Much, much more on that later. For now, though, what better way to kick off than with a list of the greatest guitar riffs ever, as voted for by you.
What makes a great guitar riff? Like any killer musical hook, a great guitar riff is sticky and infectious, impossible to get out of your head and irresistibly rump-shaking. A great riff destroys inhibitions and brings out the inner air guitarist in everyone.
UPDATE
After weeks of voting on the site, Facebook, Twitter and email, the top 50 greatest guitar riffs of all time will be revealed during Riff Week, which commences on the 23 November. However, you still have time to influence the outcome! The order of the top 15 will be decided by the results of our site poll, which you can see to the right of this article.
Check out the top 15 as chosen by MusicRadar users and get voting now!
User comments (59)
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I don't understand how Black Dog didn't make the list... I mean no one's going to touch voodoo child, but still it should have made the list
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I have done this already but forgot Perry Mason by Ozzy and Zakk
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There are so many John Frusciante (solo or with the Red Hot Chili Peppers) riffs that are incredible.
Frusciante: Under the Bridge, Snow (Hey Oh), Funky Monks, Purple Stain,
Snow (hey oh) is one of the catchiest ever but so many good songs with outstanding solos/outros, also.
Hendrix Little Wing, Castles in the Sand
Tom Morello/Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Freedom
Cloud Cult; Washed your Car -
1 Satisfaction Rolling Stones
2 Smell Like Teen Spirit Nirvana
3 Beat it Michael Jackson
4 Devil inside INXS
5 Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin
6 Smoke on the water Deep Purple
7 Airbag Radiohead
8 Highway to hell AC/DC
9 Money Pink Floyd
10 Do the evolution Pearl Jam
11 Show me how to live Audioslave
12 Welcome to the Jungle Guns and Roses
13 Brain Stew Green Day
14 Personal Jesus Depeche Mode
15 Symphony Of Destruction Megadeth
16 Eat the Rich Aerosmith
17 Master of Puppets Metallica
18 You Really got me Kinks
19 Vertigo U2
20 Paranoid Black Sabbath
The guitar part in plug in baby is a melody like the intro of
something (beatles), aces high (iron maiden), sweet child o mine (GnR) slow dancing in a burning room (John Mayer), it's not a riff IMO. -
The Stooges - Down On The Street
The Stooges - Search And Destroy
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
The Stooges - 1969
The MC5 - Kick Out The Jams
Tom Waits - 16 Shells From A 30-06
Tom Waits - Heart Attack And Vine
You're welcome. -
Zeppelin - The Ocean
Protest the hero - Blind Meat
living colour - cult of personality -
I agree with Realisms Plug in baby is the greatest riff of all time.
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Me again, just wanned to make sure we dont forget Motley crues's adicting and great to play riffs xP:
-Dr.Feelgood
-Kickstart my heart
-Girls girls girls
and this one i just had to add:
One vision: The Queen
good luck finding the ones...dont wanna melt my brain trying to find more :) -
Plug in Baby is an absolute amazing(and original) riff, just look what it does to muse fans...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncO5O37fNqQ&NR=1
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Found this link full of just about every suggestion on this poll.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080530130317AAhG2A9
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mcanty5
1 week ago.