POLL: SPIN's Greatest Guitarists of All Time

I would automatically disqualify ALL punks no matter how much they practiced. I'm voting Zappa in protest.

Neil

Ended up voting for Asheton.

Where the hell is Ted Falconi?
Paul Westerberg?

i thought james williamson played lead guitar on raw power?

He did. Ronnie played bass. Is that what it says in the article?

nnnnevermind

Voted Carris Brownstein.

Chet Atkins

Where are Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, authors of the song "Karis"?

I voted Prince though I had second thoughts and tried to voted for Ron Asheton

Algorithm for voting in these polls
1) Is there somebody I actually think is the best and is he on the list? If so vote for him
2) Is there somebody who deserves better but is probably going to get zero votes unless I step up? If so, vote for him
3) Is there somebody who influenced or blazed a path for half a good number of the other jokers people in the running? If so vote for him.
4) Keep clicking on the thread from time to time until the spirit moves me to pick somebody.

Sorry forgot 3b)
Is there someone whose vocalist said of their band: "If someone told us we had to play Chuck Berry or die, we would have to die," vote for him.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

RIP The Blues I guess

Luckily the blues had a baby

Kurt Cobain


The "solo" that snakes through the final third of Nirvana's course-changing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is little more than a sly rip of the song's chorus melody.

EVERY Cobain solo is that. Was it always a "sly rip" when he did that bullshit?

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

nice rhythm guitarist tho

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

yes - people who are really into the Cobain mythos/memories of the 90s imagine they hear something v. great in his playing

DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking sly

http://www.thisheartsonfire.com/images/SlyFox03.jpg

The funniest part of that line is that Cobain actually plays the verse's melody. He plays it over the harmony and rhythm of the chorus, which is the sly part, I guess.

I'd never claim the guy to be a lead guitar genius or anything but I think there were only a couple of songs where he actually just played the verse's melody for the 'solo'. IIRC there was a highly chromatic solo on one of the In Utero album tracks.

(Definitely wouldn't rank him as the 4th greatest guitarist of all time though.)

I'd never claim the guy to be a lead guitar genius or anything but I think there were only a couple of songs where he actually just played the verse's melody for the 'solo'. IIRC there was a highly chromatic solo on one of the In Utero album tracks.

― EveningStar (Sund4r), Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:13 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

well he didn't have that many guitar solos. Unfortunately he put them on some of his best songs.

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

In Bloom is probably my favorite 90s guitar solo

EVERY Cobain solo is that.

I'm pretty sure he only did that on Teen Spirit and Come As You Are.

youre dumb

heart-shaped box?

You're right that he did bother to actually write a solo for In Bloom though, good for him.

nah "heart shaped box" solo does not copy the vocal melody. pretty sure he only did that in 2 songs. :)

although you could be referring to the part that copies "i got a new complaint" but that's not really the solo section.

EVERY Cobain solo is that

Please see "Serve the Servants."

The funniest part of that line is that Cobain actually plays the verse's melody. He plays it over the harmony and rhythm of the chorus

The chord progressions for the verse and chorus are identical, only the rhythm changes, and the chorus has a brief turnaround at the end.

although you could be referring to the part that copies "i got a new complaint" but that's not really the solo section.

― billstevejim, Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:30 AM (27 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Don't follow you here... I don't know what part of the song could be seen as copying that melody OTHER than the solo.

But yes, not EVERY cobain solo was just the vocal melody... But doing it in three different singles is a bit much don't you think?

Surprised Keith Rowe and Kevin Drumm aren't on the list.

Annoyed Pete Townshend and Bo Diddley aren't.

^ this. Except for Kevin Drumm, never heard him.

Oh nvm bill you meant that outro part right?

ok ok the heart shaped box solo is really more just him playing the bass line from the chorus than the vocals. Kinda hard to separate the two in my mind.

voting Wayne Kramer & Fred "Sonic" Smith (MC5) cause at their best lead/rhythm merge and they function as ONE. also cause Sonic's wall of sound and songwriting skills paved the way not only for Sonic Youth but Nirvana too

wayne kramer is the most effortlessly cool guy on this list as far as i can tell

voted for Nile Rodgers.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, May 19, 2012 6:20 AM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

listen to his solo on "savoir faire" it fuckin shreds!!!!!!!!!!

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

In Bloom is probably my favorite 90s guitar solo

― billstevejim, Thursday, May 24, 2012 2:31 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

god yeah in bloom solo is so good

Like does anyone ever go "DAMN that Cobain solo is fucking rad"

I love the one in 'Pennyroyal Tea'.

i thought this list was just greatest guitarists, though, not greatest solos or greatest lead guitar parts? obviously cobain wrote d0pe ass riffs

But yes, not EVERY cobain solo was just the vocal melody... But doing it in three different singles is a bit much don't you think?

Well, there's kind of a point to doing it that way which is a whole anti-guitar-heroism thing but I don't really feel like getting into it.

its true the in bloom solo is awesome

voted for Nile Rodgers.

― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, May 19, 2012 6:20 AM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

listen to his solo on "savoir faire" it fuckin shreds!!!!!!!!!!

― he bit me (it felt like a diss) (m bison),

or "Real People"!

truth be told i was on the wrong side of history in '92 and was a Pearl Jam fan who was lukewarm on the first three Nevermind singles and then "In Bloom" hit and i was like holy shit this is great

The chord progressions for the verse and chorus are identical, only the rhythm changes, and the chorus has a brief turnaround at the end.

You're right. I should have said he plays it over the rhythm and arrangement of the chorus.

dudes how come now one is talking about his flight of the bumblebee between the speakers on "breed"