In this issue they had a list of 25 Greatest Rock Guitar Recordings.
The editors of the magazine worked out a criteria and tried to find albums that met the criteria.
- The players technical brilliance
- The originality of the performance
- The magnitude of the works influence on subsequent artists
So here is there list. I will list the first 10 with my summary of what they wrote.
- Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Interested (1967)
Everything that Rock and Metal would become is here on this album. And it’s all influenced by Jimi Hendrix’s deep knowledge of Blues and R&B, acquired during his years on the club circuit.
- Van Halen – Van Halen (1978)
Another game changer album for originality in sound and experimentation with equipment plus pushing forward the techniques of guitarists in lead playing and riff structures.
- Derek And The Dominos – Layla (1970)
This is the outcome of when Eric Clapton and Duane Allman got together. Get into a studio, play live and get the tape rolling. You get a lot of blues rock and some celestial slide playing.
- Chuck Berry – The Cheese Box (1989)
When you get a blues player, rocking out with string skipping, chicken picking and a primitive two hand tap approach, then this album is seen as the next progression from the blues music that came before.
This box set released in the late 80s is from previously released recordings made between 1955 and 1973.
- Led Zeppelin – IV (1971)
This is Jimmy Page pushing his abilities as a composer, orchestrator and studio wizard. It’s got all the styles in here that would be known as hard rock, heavy metal, acoustic folk rock and blues rock.
- Jimi Hendrix – Band Of Gypsies (1970)
This album showcased the two different sides of Hendrix. For all of his pursuits of relentless perfection in the studio, Hendrix liked to jam when it came to playing live and throw caution to the wind. This album captures that live spirit.
- The Allman Brothers – Live At The Filmore (1971)
Duane Allman reinvented electric slide guitar. Dicky Betts introduced melodic Western swing and country-tinged lines. Together they gave The Allman Brothers a twin firepower not seen in other bands at this point in time.
- Elvis Presley – The Sun Sessions (1976)
Scotty Moore contributed greatly to improving Rock and Roll playing by combining jazz and blues and playing the songs with a pick or his fingers or moving in between both during a song.
- Jeff Beck – Blow By Blow (1975)
Pushed the boundaries of what instrumental guitar albums should sound like.
- Steve Vai – Passion And Warfare (1990)
A fusion of styles and techniques into a psychedelic hard rock instrumental album.
The rest of the list is made up of the following albums;
- The Beatles – Meet The Beatles (1964)
- Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard Of Ozz (1981)
- Bo Diddley – The Bo Diddley Box (1990)
- Metallica – Ride The Lightning (1984)
- Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble – In Step (1989)
- Black Sabbath – Paranoid (1970)
- Yngwie Malmsteen – Rising Force (1985)
- The Velvet Underground And Nico (1967)
- Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien (1987)
- The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street (1972)
- The Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds Of Prey (1973)
- Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle (1976)
- Yes – Fragile (1971)
- AC/DC – Back In Black (1980)
- Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
I didn’t see the point in having two Jimi Hendrix albums in the Top 10.
And I was confused to see Steve Vai in the list as I don’t think his “Passion And Warfare” album met the third criteria within 2 years.
And being a rock and Metal fan, I would definitely have AC/DC, Blizzard Of Ozz and Malmsteen further up the list.
So what’s your view?