25 Greatest Rock Guitar Albums

	Are You Experienced? is the most focused effort by the man who is unquestionably the greatest and most far-reaching instrumentalist that rock has ever produced. This stunningly prophetic album eerily anticipated (or defined ) every trend in modern rock guitar. But what makes Are You Experienced? such a monumental achievement is that each lick is encoded with the deep knowledge of blues and R&B Jimi acquired on countless club dates on the chitlin circuit with the likes of Little Richard, the Isley Bothers and Curtis Knight. One of the greatest debuts in the history of recorded music. Jimi Hendrix Experience-Are You Experienced? (Reprise) RELEASED: 1967
	Eddie Van Halen is the polar opposite of the other voice of a guitar generation, Jimi Hendrix. The latter was an ethereal, otherworldly "voodoo chile", while Eddie is clearly the product of California's sun drenched rock and roll hedonism and "hey dude" garage-band culture. Ironically, not since Are You Experienced? had another guitarist made a statement as dramatically original as Van Halen. The album's volcanic tapping extravaganza, "Eruption", is easily the most influential solo of the last decade. Ingenious, powerful and innovative. If Thomas Edison was a guitarist, this is what he would've sounded like. Van Halen-Van Halen (Warner Bros.) RELEASED: 1978
	This album marks Clapton's finest hour as a guitarist. On nearly every lead he aims for the heavens--and he hits the mark nearly every time. His blues playing, particularly on "Key To The Highway" and "Have You Ever Loved a Woman", is commanding, and virtually devoid of any clichés or predictable phrases. And few songs in the annals of rock can jolt with the force of "Layla". For all of Clapton's brilliance here, he is almost matched by Allman. The slide master's searing solos transform what is an already masterful album into the highest rock art. His celestial, calm-after-the-storm playing on the instrumental section of "Layla" is perhaps the most memorable segment of an altogether memorable album. Derek And The Dominos-Layla (Polydor) RELEASED: 1970
	While there is no denying that Chuck Berry's dynamic guitar style was very much influenced by bluesmen such as T-Bone Walker and Pee Wee Crayton, he is nevertheless the unique and holy father of rock and roll guitar. Berry's clean lines, boogie woogie rhythm playing and dazzling assortment of variations on his classic theme licks inspired countless would-be Johnny B. Goodes to pick up and play their guitars just like a ringin' a bell. Johnny is still going--whether it be via two-hand tapping, chicken picking or string skipping--and the credit belongs as much to Chuck Berry as to anyone. Chuck Berry-The Chess Box (Chess (MCA)) RELEASED: 1989
	If it is true, as Carlos Santana once said, that Jimmy Page is "the Stravinsky of rock guitar", then this album is Page's The Rite Of Spring. Though not as dexterous as Van Halen, Page more than made up for his deficiencies with his talent as a composer, orchestrator and awesome studio wizard. Every track on this rock masterpiece reveals some new facet of Page's peerless imagination. The exaggerated metal macho strut of "Black Dog" is countered with the achingly beautiful "Battle of Evermore"; the celestial "Stairway To Heaven" gives way to the brooding "When The Levee Breaks"--a relentless blues that beats the listener into submission and then sucks them into hell's abyss. The Sgt. Pepper of heavy metal. Led Zeppelin-Led Zeppelin IV (Atlantic) RELEASED: 1971
	Jimi Hendrix was two guitarist in one. In the studio he was a relentless perfectionist. But in live performance he threw caution to the winds, spontaneously creating wild, free-wheeling nuclear explosions of sound. Of his many live albums, this scary, New Year's performance is arguably his best. The troubling anti-war vehicle, "Machine Gun", exemplifies Jimi's uncanny telepathic communication with his guitar and amplifier, as he manipulates feedback to create terrifying waves of electronic noise. It is a breathtaking combination of technique and intuition. This is the way blues will be played in the 22nd Century--on Pluto. Jimi Hendrix-Band of Gypsys (Capitol) RELEASED: 1970
	Duane Allman reinvented electric slide guitar playing, abandoning chordal blues clichés in favor of a single-note, horn-like approach. Dickey Betts injected melodic, western swing and country-tinged lines into his mellow leads. Together, Betts and Allman combined to give the Allman Brothers the kind of awesome twin firepower not witnessed since Gehrig followed Ruth in New York Yankee lineups of the late 1920's. The Allman-Betts interplay that set a standard for dual-guitar bands was in peak form on At Fillmore East. The Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore East (Polydor) RELEASED: 1971
	With a little flatpicking a la Les Paul and jazz great Tal Farlow, and a little fingerpicking a la Chet Atkins and Merle Travis, Scotty Moore contributed mightily to the development of rock and roll guitar. Moore's improvised solos on "Good Rockin' Tonight," "That's All Right Mama" and "Mystery Train" were the basic, wholesome fair studied by Keith Richards, George Harrison, Jimmy Page, John Fogerty and other greats. Moore's fusion of blues, country and jazz made him the ideal guitarist for Elvis Presley, whose vocal style was likewise a powerful blend of homegrown and more sophisticated musical elements. Elvis Presley-The Sun Sessions (RCA) RELEASED: 1976
	Jeff Beck never created a definitive album--they've all been brilliant. But this George Martin-produced instrumental tour de force is generally acknowledged to be his most varied and consistent effort. Not one note is wasted. Like a rock and roll Thelonious Monk, Beck punctuates each tune with undeniably quirky, yet ingeniously melodic phrases that burrow into your skull after a single listening. The British guitarist's tender arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Because We've Ended As Lovers" is one of the most moving instrumental ballads in rock history. Jeff Beck-Blow By Blow (Epic) RELEASED: 1975
	In this outrageously psychedelic song cycle, Steve Vai celebrates his cosmic corning of age with an all-out assault of ideas and chops that is as colorful as a fireworks display. Steve's amazing catalogue of taps, sweeps, arpeggios, special effects, overdubs and squeals render this the last word in shred. Guitarists of the world, eat your heart out. Steve Vai-Passion And Warfare (Relativity) RELEASED: 1990
	Demonstrated convincingly that with the aid of a couple of electric guitars, four working-class stiffs could change the world. The record that launched a million bands. The Beatles-Meet the Beatles (Capitol) RELEASED: 1964
	In many respects, Blizzard Of Oz was an attempt to recreate with a modern slant the gothic hard rock sound pioneered by Black Sabbath. Randy Rhoads, a young and extraordinarily gifted guitarist, was Ozzy's point man. Rhoads played ambitious solos that heavily reflected his love for the classical guitar, an approach he tempered with the riff ethic of his former band, Quiet Riot. This technique became a blueprint for young guitar players looking to break free from metal's blues-based constraints. His distinctive and explosive guitar runs elevated such standard rock fare as "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" to heavy metal extravaganzas. The song "Dee," an intricate, passionate guitar piece written for his mother, hinted at Rhoads's staggering potential. His untimely death remains one of rock's great tragedies. Ozzy Ozbourne-Blizzard Of Oz (Jet) RELEASED: 1981
	The existence of a universally recognized "Bo Diddley beat" says much about the influence and staying power of this classic rocker. Bo Diddley (Ellas McDaniel) understood that rock guitar playing was not simply a matter of flash and fancy riffs, but of rhythm and texture as well. Along with his famous beat (subsequently borrowed by rockers from Buddy Holly to ZZ Top), Bo also pioneered the use of effects-in his case heavy tremolo and some distortion to get his chordal point across on classics such as "Bo Diddley," "Who Do You Love?" and "Ride On Josephine." Bo Diddley-The Bo Diddley Box (Chess) RELEASED: 1990
	In much the same way that Bo Diddley reinvented the role of the rock and roll rhythm guitar in the Fifties, so did Metallica do for metal in the Eighties. Ride The Lightning represented a maturation of Metallica's pioneering fusion of punk and metal on their previous effort, Kill 'Em All. Where the 1983 album marked a shift from grandstand soloing to thick, taut rhythm work, Lightning is a full-blown, devastating masterwork. James Hetfield's wrist-whipped guitar riffs are buried nerve-deep, working repetitively for maximum destructive effect. And Kirk Hammett burns in multiple layers of melodic, harmonized solos. Students of the genre regard this as Metallica's best. Metallica-Ride The Lightning (Elektra) RELEASED: 1984
	Stevie Ray Vaughan almost single-handedly rescued blues-rock guitar from an ignominious oblivion, and contributed mightily to the current blues revival. His slashing style and muscular tone were the product of a profound familiarity with the classic electric bluesmen, white instrumental masters like Lonnie Mack and, above all, Jimi Hendrix-all of whose influence he graciously acknowledged time and again. On In Step, his final and finest effort with Double Trouble, Vaughan played with an authority worthy of his stellar forbears. Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble-In Step (Epic) RELEASED: 1989
	Even those who find the distinction a dubious one must acknowledge that Black Sabbath are the founders of heavy metal. The band's dark and weighty influence transcended many musical boundaries-as well as any semblance of good taste. Paranoid is quintessential Sabbath. Tony Iommi's riffs-big, sludgy, and dipped-in-demonic swill-helped fashion "War Pigs" (the greatest HM song ever) and other timeless classics, such as "Iron Man" (featuring opening riffs to make your molars abscess) and the colorful "Rat Salade." Black Sabbath-Paranoid (Warner) RELEASED: 1970
	Though the neoclassical bandwagon has been derailed for some time now, this record remains enormously influential. It's easy to see why Rising Force is an album of hair-raising virtuosity. Yngwie's sophisticated use of speed, arpeggios, sweep-picking, harmonic minor and diminished scales, and violin-like vibrato introduced a fist-full of exciting, classically derived ideas to throngs of technique-hungry, post Van Halen rockers. A bizarre, forceful footnote in the development of rock guitar. Yngwie Malmsteen-Rising Force (polyGram) RELEASED: 1985
	Lou Reed is the godfather of all things noisy and alternative. His intentionally nervous rhythm/lead chatter has inspired and influenced everyone from modern grunge heroes like Sonic Youth and Mudhoney to atmospheric English art rockers like Love & Rockets and Nick Cave. With their hypnotic repetition, jagged slabs of feedback, nerve-jangling rhythm guitars and droning harmonies, the ugly/beautiful guitars of "Heroin," "I'm Waiting For The Man" and "Run Run Run" helped make The Velvet Underground And Nico the greatest cult album of all-time. The Velvet Underground And Nico-The Velvet Underground And Nico (Verve) RELEASED: 1967
	What do you get when cross the Ventures melodic sense of fun and pop sensibility with a guitarist sporting a black belt in music theory? One of the most satisfying and listenable guitar records of the Eighties, Surfing opened the door for a world of would-be Satches. Joe Satriani-Surfing with the Alien (Relativity) RELEASED: 1987
	Exile On Main Street represents the full flowering of everything that made the Stones a great guitar band. Keith Richards's rhythmic genius, Mick Taylor's blues power, the band's innovative mix of electrics and acoustics-all these were manifested in glorious abundance on Exile. On such landmark tracks as "Tumbling Dice, " "Sweet Virginia," "Sweet Black Angel" and "Happy," Richards and Taylor pooled their blues, country, and Fifties rock influences and came up with a completely original sound that many have sought to emulate but few have equaled. The Rolling Stones-Exile On Main Street (Columbia) RELEASED: 1972
	When ex-Miles Davis sideman John McLaughlin decided to mix the rock and roll grit of a Marshall amp with the free jazz speed and harmonic sophistication of John Coltrane, he retained the saxophonist's deep emotional commitment-unlike too many of the hacks playing so-called "fusion" music. McLaughlin's playing on this pioneering jazz-rock gem is transcendent, and his solo on the title cut is one of the most gut-wrenching outpourings ever captured on tape. The Mahavishnu Orchestra-Birds Of Fire (CBS) RELEASED: 1973
	If a Hall Of Fame for a lifetime of tasteful, economical and memorable rock guitar playing were to be established, Creedence's John Fogerty would very likely be the first inductee. Nearly every one of the huge hits featured in this definitive collection-such as "Proud Mary," "Green River" and "Up Around The Bend" -is graced by Fogerty's rockabilly-based and eminently tuneful solos. Their staying power speaks volumes for the virtues of self-editing. Creedence Clearwater Revival-Chronicle (Fantasy) RELEASED: 1976
	Offers a convincing argument that J.S. Bach, not Chuck Berry, was the father of rock. Fragile is a dazzlingly eclectic showcase for guitarist Steve Howe and bassist Chris Squire, who incorporate flamenco, jazz, classical and space riffs throughout-sometimes within the same measure. Almost perverse in its avoidance of anything remotely resembling a blues lick, this album is probably responsible-for better or worse-for the bulk of Seventies art rock, Eighties alternative music and thousands of misguided rockers who spent the best years of their lives pursuing music degrees at community colleges. Yes-Fragile (Atlantic) RELEASED: 1971
	This album should be stickered: "McHeadbanger, over ten million sold!" One can safely assume that every single metal-loving teenager in the world, past and present, owns a copy of Back In Black. What's the big deal? Like James Bond and his perfect martini, Angus and Malcolm Young discovered how to concoct the perfect power chord. Awesome in its might and frightening to behold, this album's patented crunch remains hard rock's Platonic ideal. AC/DC-Back In Black (Atco) RELEASED: 1980
	David Gilmour is one of rock's most underrated bluesmen, but that is not the reason for this album's inclusion here. Dark Side is one of rock's most innovatively recorded albums. In fact, almost 20 years after its release, it still sets the standard for sheer six-string sonic brilliance. The guitars on the hit "Money" run the gamut from thunderous power chords to the squeakiest of wha-wha, whoopee-cushioned hiccups. And smack dab in the middle is a wonderfully crafted solo by Gilmour, played by what sounds like an army of 1,000 Stratocasters. In terms of studio craft, every bit as influential as Hendrix's Are You Experienced. Pink Floyd-Dark Side Of The Moon (Harvest) RELEASED: 1973