Rolling Stone’s new (and always controversial) greatest guitarists of all time list

[CrowsofFritz]

It’s funny, I was thinking of their older lists just last week and I typed it up on Google only to find a brand new one released just days ago.

I haven’t gone through the whole list yet because I hate the format they do it with, but I do have some thoughts.
I first wanted to see where John Frusciante was. In the 2003 list, he was #18. Then in 2011, a while after he was gone from the Chili Peppers, he dropped way down to the 70s—right next to Kurt Kobain (which, I mean, really? Kobain? He’s one of the best songwriters out there, but putting him on the list would be like putting John Lennon on there, too. Which, spoiler, Lennon is on the list, and BELOW McCartney for some reason, and I think it’s strange because McCartney had the more memorable licks).

Now, back in the Chili Peppers, he’s a very respectable 25. That in my opinion sorta makes sense given by a poll taken from thousands of the greatest guitarist in the last 30 years, he ranked #1.

BUT, at the same time, he’s above George Harrison (yes, as far from a shredder as you can get, but what he did for the instrument was greater IMO), who is above Eric Clapton (him moreso than Harrison)—just makes me scratch my head. Joni Mitchell in the top 10 is also a head scratcher for me, but I do know she was the biggest popular innovator of strange tunings.

One thing that will never change in the foreseeable future is Jimi Hendrix being number 1.

The more I look at this list, the weirder it gets. Some picks and their placement make absolute sense, though.


Oh and here’s the list.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/musi ... 234815076/

My last opinion, Francisco Tarrega needs to be on this list.

[WhiskeyJack]

The list is 250 people deep. That is a very broad swath. I'll have to save this for my next bowel movement to read.

[Armistice]

I'm in there somewhere, I'm sure...



Andy Summers, 250? Below a bunch of people very few people have ever heard of? Hmmm...

[Greg_L]

Who the fuck is Andy Summers?

[CrowsofFritz]

The list is 250 people deep. That is a very broad swath. I'll have to save this for my next bowel movement to read.

What makes it even more disappointing is the way the list loads. Takes a while unless you have the newest phone with the best internet connection.

Or any somewhat decent computer would probably work better than any phone older than 2 years.

[CrowsofFritz]

Who the fuck is Andy Summers?

Not sure, but when I posted this on Reddit, a lot of people got outraged he was placed so low. I decided not to comment on someone I know nothing about.

But again, I think Fracisco Tarrega should be there. Yes, classical guitar, but that was the freaking instrument for 200 years before it became steel string. He made it much more popular. He had THE ringtone of pretty much any cellphone in the early 2000s. Nobody else on the planet, dead or alive, can claim that.

And if (Nuevo) flamenco guitarists are on the list, they can spare one freaking classics guitarist who made it much much more popular.

[Greg_L]

You can't take these lists seriously. At least not ranking them anyway.

They should just name the names in alphabetical order.

[Armistice]

Andy Summers is the guitarist from The Police. One of the more original electric guitar players of the last 50 years or so, and creator of the riffs of many an iconic tune.

It's still Jimi Hendrix at #1, I see.

Apart from All Along The Watchtower, there's almost nothing Hendrix that I've heard that I like.

The rankings are just stupid. How do you even do that?

Good to see Joni gets into the top 10 - wildly unappreciated as an actual guitarist.

[Greg_L]

Andy Summers is the guitarist from The Police. One of the more original electric guitar players of the last 50 years or so, and creator of the riffs of many an iconic tune.

See this is where personal preference comes in. You clearly seem to appreciate this Andy Summers guy. I can't argue The Police have many big, huge songs. I can't think of a single Police "guitar riff" though. Vocals, bass, drums...sure. To me that's not really a "guitar band" although I don't doubt he's a great guitar player..

Without knowing who he is or being a fan of the band I'd argue that he probably deserves better than dead last just by being in The Police.

[CrowsofFritz]

Andy Summers is the guitarist from The Police. One of the more original electric guitar players of the last 50 years or so, and creator of the riffs of many an iconic tune.

It's still Jimi Hendrix at #1, I see.

Apart from All Along The Watchtower, there's almost nothing Hendrix that I've heard that I like.

The rankings are just stupid. How do you even do that?

Good to see Joni gets into the top 10 - wildly unappreciated as an actual guitarist.

That’s another thing. The first list in 2003 was one guy and it was the list that made the most sense. In 2011 and now, they were compiled from many people—guitarists, musicians, people in the know.

But I don’t know the process of ranking them. Did everyone involved have their own 250 people they chose and then ranked them based on a ranked post voting system? Like Hendrix had the most people vote him number one, so he’s number one.

But say person A ranks McCartney 50 and Robert Johnson 20, and Person B ranks McCartney 20 and Robert Johnson 30, and so Johnson would be placed lower than McCartney because the averages for both of them are different (35 vs. 25)?

I imagine that’s how it went. If you have enough people contribute, you don’t even need to have everyone give 250 names.

[Greg_L]

I wouldn't rank five people much less 250. Fuck that.

[Greg_L]

Here's my ranking of greatest guitarists ever.

1) Me

End of list

[Armistice]

Andy Summers is the guitarist from The Police. One of the more original electric guitar players of the last 50 years or so, and creator of the riffs of many an iconic tune.

See this is where personal preference comes in. You clearly seem to appreciate this Andy Summers guy. I can't argue The Police have many big, huge songs. I can't think of a single Police "guitar riff" though. Vocals, bass, drums...sure. To me that's not really a "guitar band" although I don't doubt he's a great guitar player..

Without knowing who he is or being a fan of the band I'd argue that he probably deserves better than dead last just by being in The Police.

Yeah totally. He's one of the guitarists who had their own sound and different style of playing who also made it very big and so you wonder at how he's low down. The Edge, love him or loathe him, is another. All the usual suspects are there, you just wonder about the ordering process.

I think the important point is that Steve Vail is languishing in the mid 100s and that Joe Satriani is above him in the 90s, which will probably piss Vai off a lot. And there are guitarists above both of them who probably learnt everything they know from either them. And that Johnny Ramone at 44 beat both of them.

[Greg_L]

Lol I didn't even get that far to see Johnny Ramone. 44. Not to bad I guess.

[CrowsofFritz]

Lol I didn't even get that far to see Johnny Ramone. 44. Not to bad I guess.

Definitely goes to show this list placed a great deal of importance on how much the person inspired others to play.

There are countless guitarists out there in the world who are better than the vast majority of this list but obviously won’t be placed on it because most people will never hear them.

[Greg_L]

Definitely goes to show this list placed a great deal of importance on how much the person inspired others to play.

Johnny Ramone is extremely influential. He is the ultimate guitar antihero. He makes it perfectly okay to not be a virtuoso. But I'd argue that while he is not technically very technical, it's hard as shit to play like he does for a full set, never mind just one song.

I'd also be perfectly okay if he wasn't on that list at all because who fucking cares.

[vomitHatSteve]

Andy Summers is the guitarist from The Police. One of the more original electric guitar players of the last 50 years or so, and creator of the riffs of many an iconic tune.

See this is where personal preference comes in. You clearly seem to appreciate this Andy Summers guy. I can't argue The Police have many big, huge songs. I can't think of a single Police "guitar riff" though. Vocals, bass, drums...sure. To me that's not really a "guitar band" although I don't doubt he's a great guitar player..

Without knowing who he is or being a fan of the band I'd argue that he probably deserves better than dead last just by being in The Police.

He's the guy who introduced white people to skanky upstrokes, so he's pretty important without having really done anything that innovative.

This whole list is giving me the impression that someone said "frig! Last year's list was 90% white dudes who peaked in the US/UK in the 1970s and 80s. We gotta fix that or gen z will yell at us!"
"Look! Anyone who was in Lynyrd Skynrd gets lumped together in a single entry. We gotta make room for Firda Marsya Kurnia!"

Or at least the bottom half looks like that. The top half stayed a sausage feast.

[Greg_L]

He's the guy who introduced white people to skanky upstrokes,

Joe Strummer made the list?

[Lt. Bob]

Lists like this are silly and meaningless ..... always were .... always will be.

[vomitHatSteve]

Lists like this are silly and meaningless ..... always were .... always will be.

Yes.

Fun to argue about tho.