Rolling Stone's list: The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time

Renesongs

I think these top 100 lists are usually highly subjective they just shooting themselves in the foot like they did with the top hundred guitarists list. I bet you probably haven't heard of many of these songs and also bet you probably have at least 10 songs that you wonder why they didn't put on the list.

sepheritoh

I agree with Rene. These lists are usually the personal taste of whoever put the list together and rarely represents any popular opinion. That said, I still love these lists and like to see how many songs agree with my taste.

In this case I have to admit I am more than 80% off the mark. The few Clapton and Hendrix songs sounds good to make it to the list, but come on. Pink Floyd's greatest song "Interstellar Overdrive". It did not even make it to their own greatest hits!! The greatest selling album of all time could only make it to number 81 on their list. Chuck Berry #1? The guy who've put the list together was definitely over 60.

On the top 20 I know 17/20, but when it comes to the last 50 I score about 1/5!!

Renesongs

Here is a rather obvious fail - Queen's contribution to the top 100 - Not Bohemian Rhapsody or Crazy Little thing or We Will Rock you but... wait for it "Keep yourself alive" , maybe I was living under a rock somewhere but I really don't know this one at all.

sepheritoh

Renesongs wrote: Here is a rather obvious fail - Queen's contribution to the top 100 - Not Bohemian Rhapsody or Crazy Little thing or We Will Rock you but... wait for it "Keep yourself alive" , maybe I was living under a rock somewhere but I really don't know this one at all.

:-[

And me...

Bob-Dubery

Matt White wrote:
10. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Nirvana (1991)

There's the give away. Kurt Cobain was an important ARTIST, but not a great guitar player.

It's not his fault of course, but this is reminiscent of the "100 greatest guitar players" list by the same publication that had Cobain ahead of Jeff Beck, James Burton, Richard Thompson, Mark Knopfler, Stephen Stills and Peter Green (and... and... and...).

Music isn't sport, and there's no surefire way of ranking players, but all the guys I've mentioned above are quite clearly better GUITAR PLAYERS than Cobain, though a debate about artistic influence and importance would be a different matter.

Bob-Dubery

Matt White wrote: The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time, according to Rolling Stone magazine:
Whatya think? (They've got reasons and rationalisations for the list on their site. This is just the rundown.)

I am amazed that it doesn't include Hotel California. That ALWAYS makes the lists of great guitar solos, guitar songs, guitar this, guitar that.

I'm not saying it's the greatest guitar song of all time, just that I'm struck by it's absence from this list.

IMO the most significant Beatles cut from a guitar point of view was I Feel Fine. Show me an earlier example of deliberately deployed feedback.

Bob-Dubery

Renesongs wrote: Here is a rather obvious fail - Queen's contribution to the top 100 - Not Bohemian Rhapsody or Crazy Little thing or We Will Rock you but... wait for it "Keep yourself alive" , maybe I was living under a rock somewhere but I really don't know this one at all.

Well Bohemian Rhapsody had it's virtues, but it's not great for the guitar work. You're falling into the same trap as the compilers of this list, confusing popularity with greatness in the guitar stakes.

It might be fun to post our own top 10s and then collate them into a GFSA top 100, but I would suggest that we try to go for songs that are great/important/memorable for something that has something to with guitar playing. I would have no problem seeing Brian May towards the top of a list of great rock guitarists, but I'd not want to see him nominated in such a list for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Squonk

Renesongs wrote: Here is a rather obvious fail - Queen's contribution to the top 100 - Not Bohemian Rhapsody or Crazy Little thing or We Will Rock you but... wait for it "Keep yourself alive" , maybe I was living under a rock somewhere but I really don't know this one at all.

Rene , do yourself a favour and get the first Queen Album, A bit more of a hard rock edge, Some brilliant songs on the album. But I agree with you, "Bohemian Rhapsody" should be there

LMinnie

I know about 80% of the songs on this list....and I cannot agree...most of the tracks mentioned were not the best work of the artists concerned...which is why I never buy Rolling Stone!

Industry Kissasses!!!

Thats a great idea!...We should put together a GFSA Top 100 list...A list of guitarist's by guitarist for guitarist's!!! ?

Bob-Dubery

Matt White wrote:
92. "Memo from Turner" Mick Jagger (1970)

Who played the guitar on that one? My money's on Ry Cooder.

Bob-Dubery

Lawrence wrote: I know about 80% of the songs on this list....and I cannot agree...most of the tracks mentioned were not the best work of the artists concerned...which is why I never buy Rolling Stone!

Industry Kissasses!!!

Thats a great idea!...We should put together a GFSA Top 100 list...A list of guitarist's by guitarist for guitarist's!!! ?

I made a start with a top 10. But it's the wrong time of year for this kind of polling. We'd probably get a better response after the holiday season is over.

Matt-White

I agree with all of you. But these things are extremely subjective in any format. I suspect the influence of the artist, rather that straight-forward artistic ability weighed a lot, as magazine's criteria usually do.
That's why Berry and Cobain featured so prominently. If it wasn't for Chuck...

Makes one think though.

(And thats why I still think Uncut is the best mag!)

Bob-Dubery

Matt White wrote: I agree with all of you. But these things are extremely subjective in any format. I suspect the influence of the artist, rather that straight-forward artistic ability weighed a lot, as magazine's criteria usually do.

Sure. But that's why people should ask themselves what they're REALLY voting for. In this case the idea is to pick songs with "great" guitar parts. Now apart from defining "great", there's still the question of wether or not a particular song is notable in that regard. And really some of the entries in that list are not. They might be great songs from great artists, but are they great because of the guitar playing?

EG. To me "London Calling" is the opening song from a great album. And it's well performed etc etc.. but is that a great guitar part? Sorry, I think not.