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'hallowed be thy name' by iron maiden has gotta be mentioned.

http://contactmusic.com/news.nsf/articl ... ll_1006522

PINK FLOYD track COMFORTABLY NUMB has topped a poll of the world's greatest guitar riffs. The song beat off competition from GUNS N' ROSES hit SWEET CHILD O' MINE and LYNYRD SKYNYRD's FREEBIRD, in second and third place respectively. The chart was conducted by UK digital music channel Planet Rock in honour of a return to guitar-based rock - with sales of the instrument in the country rocketing to a staggering GBP100 million ($189 million). The top five guitar riffs are as follows: 1. PINK FLOYD, COMFORTABLY NUMB 2. GUNS N' ROSES, SWEET CHILD O' MINE 3. LYNYRD SKYNYRD, FREEBIRD 4. VAN HALEN, ERUPTION 5. GUNS N' ROSES, NOVEMBER RAIN.
28/08/2006 12:11

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Comfortably Numb just happens to be my all time favourite track, bar none. I don't know how it got voted the world's greatest guitar riff though... the greatest guitar SOLO maybe...!

That is strange, i love Floyd too but think the solo is more the key issue than the riff.

How can you put Eruption in a greatest guitar riffs poll? A guitar solo list - yes, riffs - no.

Not to bash Floyd (though I have never really been a fan), Comfortably Numb is hardly worthy of being at the top of ANY list, let alone guitar riffs. The guitar work throughout that song is average at best.

My problem with current music trends is that all the wrong people are being hailed. Nothing drives me more crazy than seeing Billy Joe Armstrong on the cover of a guitar magazine (though my low opinion of him extends far beyond just his mediocre guitar playing). Third-rate bands with fourth-rate "guitarists" are given such a massive level of exposure, when true masters and innovators of guitar playing are left in the dark.

I used to be a big fan of green day but not anymore because I think they sold out when they went mainstream (like a lot of bands do) and Billie Joe Armstrong is so lazy he feels the need to have a second guitarist (to play the harder parts) and gets the credit for it cause his band is popular right now.

I can relate to what you say about bands with mediocre guitarists being hailed as the next best thing cause they're the flavour of the month as there are a lot of indie bands over here which I think are complete c*** (not the best) but they get coverage cause they are whats popular at the minute.

I think Ritchie Blackmoore is one the of World's best guitar players

Dick Dale's -- Wipeout
Dire Straits -- Sultans of Swing
Eric Johnson -- Cliffs of Dover

Ahh..... Cliffs of Dover. One of the most beautiful guitar instrumentals I've ever heard. Hell of a lot of fun to play, too.

I wouldn't rank it high on a "riff" poll, though.

Comfortably Numb is hardly worthy of being at the top of ANY list... The guitar work throughout that song is average at best.

Sure it's not fast and flashy but is one of the most haunting and emotive guitar solo's I have ever heard. I have some musical knowledge having played keyboards in local gigging bands for many years (we even covered Comfortably Numb at one time!) so like to think that I have a bit of an ear for the track.

I'm sorry to disagree with you, Demitri, but so it seems would the readers of 'Guitar World' magazine who voted it the fourth greatest guitar solo of all time:

http://guitar.about.com/library/bl100greatest.htm

Surely they can't ALL be wrong?

I never said they were wrong, I just said I didn't feel it was good enough to top any lists. Opinion, sir - that's all.

I never said it was about flash - I too find emotion to be a strong part of a solo. That is why I would place a piece like For the Love of God by Steve Vai WELL ABOVE Comfortably Numb. Anything by Joe Satriani would rank higher (for me), as well.

I have seen the Guitar World top 100 - and I have many, many problems with some of the choices on their list. (Joe Satriani NOT in the top 20? BB FREAKING KING NOT IN THE TOP 20????? Nirvana even being ON the list? Radiohead placing AHEAD of someone like Yngwie Malmsteen? - just to name a few).

I was only stating my opinion. Just because you happen to like the song, doesn't make my opinion wrong, sir. Just a different opinion.

...just about anything from the two Taste albums...even if you only kinda like 60s rock stuff...please try these two albums...its Rory Gallacher before he went solo...genius...

clapton's over rated, shoulda hung up his guitar after Blind Faith in my opinion...

green day...pffft...psuedo punk rubbish in my opinion...all that fake posturing and hard-done by mentality...ooooooh makes me boil inside...

peter green when he was with Fleetwood Mac, now theres intensity and soul...

and lets not forget, Hendrix did do Crash Landings, Midnight Lightning and a few other albums worth of stuff after/during the Experience, and of course the Band of Gypsies...all lovely stuff...

modern day? who needs it...though Gabriella y Rodrigo es muy bueno...

No need to keep calling me 'sir', Demitri... we're all chums here!

In my mind, Black Dog by Led Zeppelin takes the cake! Jimmy Page is the KING!!! Plus he lived in Alastor Crowley's house

Got to agree with 'Cliffs of Dover'. Vera Lynn rocks!!!

I love For the Love of God. It's Mr Vai on fire and Steve Vai is the most technically gifted rock-based guitarist around today in my opinion. He was born to play guitar. Most of his stuff isn't very listenable though, but this track is the exception.

But better than Comfortably Numb? No, no, no, no, no! Opinions don't come into it - that's just wrong-diddly-wrong.

Neither song has a riff.

Malmsteen has technique, ego and nothing else. Great fingers, rubbish ears. He can't put a tune together to save his life because he has no taste and never will have. He'd be a good session guitarist with someone telling him exactly what to play and when to shut up.