Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Ian "Shiner" Thomas of Those Damn Crows onstage playing to a festival crowd with his Gibson Les Paul. He wears a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Artists Shiner from Those Damn Crows on how to write a No.1 album and the Slipknot riff he wish he wrote
Adrian Smith on stage in 2025
Artists “He said, ‘Your upstrokes are weak!’ I’m like, ‘You effin’ what?’”: Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith never stops learning
Yngwie Malmsteen: the Swedish guitar maestro holds his trusty Fender Stratocaster aloft and screams onstage in Oakland, California, on a stage lit in red.
Artists Yngwie Malmsteen on why guitarists should look beyond the guitar for inspiration
Finneas
Guitarists “Such an emotive player... so cool": Finneas names his 5 favourite guitarists
Kirk Hammett in 1996, playing Lollapalooza with Metallica lit from behind with his ESP single-cut.
Artists “Every note counts and fits perfectly”: Kirk Hammett names his best Metallica solo
Misha Mansoor digs in on his signature Jackson Juggernaut as he play live with Periphery. The stage is lit in purple and white.
Artists Periphery’s Misha Mansoor on wild baritone tunings, high-gain theory and why he needs guitar lessons
Justin Hawkins [left] of the Darkness plays an open G on his offset electric and closes his eyes as he performs onstage; soul-reggae icon Johnny Nash [right] frets a chord on his acoustic and wears a patched denim jacket.
Artists How Darkness’ Justin Hawkins learned diminished chords from a reggae-soul icon
  1. Artists

Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale: my top 5 riffs of all time

News
By Amit Sharma published 28 October 2015

Aussie rocker picks his fave licks

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Woman, The Joker & The Thief, Love Train: some of the 20th century's biggest riffs came courtesy of Andrew Stockdale and his Wolfmother cohorts.

Now, as the band's debut album reaches its 10th anniversary, we quizzed Andrew on his five favourite riffs – and we defy any of you to disagree with his choices.

Wolfmother (10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) is available now.

Don't Miss

Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale on the band's debut album: "I was old enough to know not to blow the opportunity"

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
1. Deep Purple - Black Night (1970)

1. Deep Purple - Black Night (1970)

"I really like Black Night by Deep Purple, especially because it’s got a great swing to it. There’s a shuffle-kinda beat that I really like; it’s not your usual standard meat 'n' potatoes rock in 4/4.

“There’s almost a jazzy swing to that one. I love those drum fills; they really shine on this track."

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
2. Black Sabbath - The Wizard (1970)

2. Black Sabbath - The Wizard (1970)

"I've always loved The Wizard by Black Sabbath, from the first album. And that's another song that has these really great drum fills…

“Anything with great, jazzy, Buddy Rich-style drum fills I can't help but love it seems!"

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
3. Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker (1969)

3. Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker (1969)

"Heartbreaker’s got to be in there, too… It's no secret I love Led Zeppelin.

“Dun-dun-dun-da-da-da-dun! That’s another one with a bit of swing to it; you're probably noticing a bit of a trend here."

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
4. AC/DC - It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) (1975)

4. AC/DC - It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll) (1975)

"Okay, here’s one with no swing at all, I promise! It’s so simple, just three chords.

“If you’re looking at the greatest riffs of all time, you’re not gonna say some crap that no one’s heard of. You can’t not mention these bands… you’d be mad!"

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
5. Link Wray - Rumble (1958)

5. Link Wray - Rumble (1958)

"I’m gonna go with something different for my final choice. I'm not sure if this even counts as a riff, but I'm going to choose it, anyway.

“Even if you don't think you know it, you'll still recognise it as soon as you hear it."

Don't Miss

Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale on the band's debut album: "I was old enough to know not to blow the opportunity"

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Amit Sharma
Amit Sharma

Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences. He's interviewed everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handling lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).

Read more
Ian "Shiner" Thomas of Those Damn Crows onstage playing to a festival crowd with his Gibson Les Paul. He wears a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Shiner from Those Damn Crows on how to write a No.1 album and the Slipknot riff he wish he wrote
Adrian Smith on stage in 2025
“He said, ‘Your upstrokes are weak!’ I’m like, ‘You effin’ what?’”: Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith never stops learning
Yngwie Malmsteen: the Swedish guitar maestro holds his trusty Fender Stratocaster aloft and screams onstage in Oakland, California, on a stage lit in red.
Yngwie Malmsteen on why guitarists should look beyond the guitar for inspiration
Finneas
“Such an emotive player... so cool": Finneas names his 5 favourite guitarists
Kirk Hammett in 1996, playing Lollapalooza with Metallica lit from behind with his ESP single-cut.
“Every note counts and fits perfectly”: Kirk Hammett names his best Metallica solo
Misha Mansoor digs in on his signature Jackson Juggernaut as he play live with Periphery. The stage is lit in purple and white.
Periphery’s Misha Mansoor on wild baritone tunings, high-gain theory and why he needs guitar lessons
Latest in Artists
Beach Boys
Unpicking the Beach Boys’ classic that confirmed Brian Wilson’s creative genius
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Dennis DeYoung fronting Styx in 1983
“Now the deck is heavily stacked against old farts like myself!”: The classic rock singer exiled by his old band
Led Zeppelin
“George Harrison didn’t get it at all”: When Led Zeppelin's first LP confused a Beatle — and was ignored by Mick Jagger
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter on her musical heroes, why she decided to release a new album so soon... and Rush
Latest in News
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Ed Sheeran, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix
How Ed Sheeran generated royalties for Bob Dylan by borrowing from Jimi Hendrix
Richie Hawtin
“All my equipment kind of glowed and then shut down”: The weather event that shaped a Richie Hawtin classic
Apple's new Automix
Sack The DJ: Apple launches its new feature that can mix tracks using AI
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: My pick of Father's Day deals for musicians include $400 off the Polyend Play+, $200 off a Martin acoustic and so much more
pmt
"It’s been a tough few years": UK gear retailer PMT closes its doors, makes 96 staff redundant and sells £2.4m of stock to Gear4Music

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...