The 25 Most Rockin' Guitar Riffs

Yahoo! ^ | May 29 2008 | Rob O'Conner

[Blind Eye Jones]

A riff is a line that is repeated endlessly, e. g., the opening to Smoke On The Water. A lick is usually in a solo, part of the solo or even a part that is played during the singing. A lick is just a group of notes that doesn't necessarily have to repeat like a riff. It can be distinctive but not necessarily. There can be many licks within a solo that flow together to create the solo. Led Zeppelin's Heartbreaker solo is a lick filled solo. Da Da Da Da.... Da Da Da Dadadadadad....etc. Anyway, I hope that helps.

[eyedigress]

Frampton, I want you to want me, Beatles Long and Winding Road. Just my thoughts off the cuff.

[stainlessbanner]

I hear you weegee. Looks like the most recent song is Sandman...that’s why the list is good

[FranklinsTower]

What no Grateful Dead? ;^)

[radiohead]

Alvin Lee- I’d Love to Change the World

Oh my, my. I thought I was the only one who remembered that song...

[pissant]

That’s not even close to their best song, either

[rfp1234]

Pink Floyd, the climactic conclusion of “Sheep”.
[I kinow, that sounds dirty].

[pissant]

No, that’s called bubblegum rock. Slightly ahead of Leif Garret and Scott Baio

[cva66snipe]

I’d swap out Born to run with Dancing in the dark {blaster mix} I’d love to find that cut on a CD. As far as I know none were made. I do have the vinyl though. It came out as a 12” single.

[radiohead]

I've seen Top several times

Back in the early '70s I went to see Alice Cooper in Detroit. Alice had an unknown band start off the night - ZZTop. No one I went with that night had ever heard of them, and we regularly went to concerts in Detroit and Ann Arbor. Man, oh Manischewitz, those guys brought the house down. Wow.

[stainlessbanner]

That’s a great story....a little unknown trio from Tejas. Those boys can play.

[Libertarian444]

Here’s a couple of pretty tasty riffs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzKczV_k6I4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5VQSdZoco

[Blind Eye Jones]

Apparently, Winter is in bad shape or was when he played here about a year ago — he couldn't climb the stairs and had to sit down while playing. But he still tours and so does Tull, though I've heard that Ian plays sitting down too. I can't confirm that but something is not good. These rockers all go to rocker heaven where there is 72 virgins and plenty of coke and the chance to meet God and tell him what a rebel they are, and how they don't like the decor and God's hair cut... and then God sends them to that other B room with the mosh pit with flames in it and they are happy as hell.

[divine_moment_of_facts]

1. Comfortably Numb ~ Pink Floyd

2. YYZ ~ Rush

3. Power Failure ~ Procol Harem

4. I Know You're Out There Somewhere ~ Moody Blues

5. Don't Fear The Reaper ~ Blue Oyster Cult

6. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ~ Genesis

7. Still You Turn Me On ~ ELP

8. Twilight Zone ~ Golden Earring

9. Lunatic Fringe ~ Red Rider

10. Boom Boom Ba ~ Metisse

11. Funk 49 ~ James Gang

12. Midnight Rider ~ Allman Brothers

13. Star Man ~ David Bowie

14. Working Class Hero ~ John Lennon

15. You're Breaking My Heart ~ Harry Nilsson

16. Evil Ways ~ Santana

17. Red Rain ~ Peter Gabriel

18. Get Over It ~ Eagles

19. Cold As Ice ~ Foreigner

20. Love Is Like Oxygen ~ ELO

21. Boom Boom Ba ~ Metisse

22. Baker Street ~ Jerry Raferty

23. Cups and Cakes ~ Spinal Tap

24. 99 ~ Toto

25. Year Of The Cat ~ Al Stewart

[Hunton Peck]

"Mississippi Queen" -- Mountain

"Barracuda" -- Heart

And I would put "Voodoo Chile" at the top. It's how I think the guitar would want to be played.

(Apropos of nothing, I once heard an orchestral arrangement of "Purple Haze", which caused possibly the most embarrassment I've ever felt for anyone who wasn't Bill Buckner).

[JimC214]

Leslie West with Mountain doing theme from an imaginary western.

[SaxxonWoods]

That’s not a riff. That’s a lick.

[Berlin_Freeper]

Green Grass & High Tides - The Outlaws

[TN4Liberty]

“Comfortably Numb” - Pink Floyd

Agree. I wonder how that did not make the list.

[21twelve]

And I’ll balance your old great classic Rush with some new Rush:

Malignant Narcissim from last year’s Snakes and Arrows album.

Geddy’s riffs (I THINK they are riffs) are done on a fretless bass (I forget the brand). The guitar company had sent him one to try it out and he was checking it out and “riffing” (or whatever). The producer got a recording of the initial riffs and persuaded Geddy to make more of it, even though the album was “done”. The big drum kit of Peart’s was already shipped off but a small one was in the studio so he and Geddy played their parts together (no mixing as I recall). Lifeson had already left, so they sent him the recording and he added in his guitar later.

ANYWAY - I love the bass lines in this (short) instrumental song, and wish it were about 2 minutes longer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwC9bW0q7o4&feature=related