Great Guitar Riffs - Radio 2 Poll

[Since1982]

And Money by Pink Floyd isn't a guitar riff, its an iconic piece of bass playing. Agree the nonsense of M&A by Dr Feelgood - has to be something by Wilko.

 

[jakarta]

Good point... an oversight on my part. Blackers, however, is the only credited writer of two entries is he not?!? Just saying. It's academic anyway, it's flawed and a quality street standard BBC radio friendly selection box of acceptable niceties. Slippers, pipe and toe tapping homeliness... lovely. I prefer epic, diabolic and waking up naked in a bush somewhere in the outskirts of Newcastle.

Top Ranting Sir!

 

[jakarta]

And Money by Pink Floyd isn't a guitar riff, its an iconic piece of bass playing.

As is Fools Gold by the Roses, the more you look the crappier the list gets.....

 

[Stato]

I voted for two riffs that whole genres were based on:

It wasn't called heavy metal when they invented it



and hip hop's backing track:



Radio 2 left out a personal favourite:

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Come on, everyone knows the greatest riff ever is Living After Midnight?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzpHmbwqHLM&sns=em

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

Yeah some good choices in there but some significant omissions: no Deep Purple?! Really?! Black Night, Speed King, just about anything off Machine Head knocks lots of those choices into a cocked hat.
Entirely agree about Wilko-era Feelgoods: lots of choice there.
Would certainly have picked Whole Lotta Rosie for the AC/DC choice.
Looking forward to the BBC4 documentary mind :guitar:

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

I heartily endorse the inclusion of The Sprit Of Radio (Rush are almost always ignored in these polls) but where the hell is Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas and Crazy On You by Heart?

To omit these iconic riffs is inexcusable and everyone at Radio 2 should be deeply deeply ashamed.

 

[Trufflehound]

Not often I agree with Kosh, but I'd vote for Burn as a Purple riff over SOTW. Possibly even Highway Star.

While we're at it, Wishing Well by Free has a far better riff than All Right Now.

Hard to choose from the original list, but I'd probably plump for 20th Century Boy. Although again you could argue that Children of the Revolution should be T.Rex's entry.

 

[happypig]

nothing by the Allman Brothers ?
I'd go for this :
[yt]6VxoXn-0Ezs[/yt]

 

[Mellotron]

Not having looked at the list, it SHOULD just be full of Led Zeppelin, Rage Against The Machine, Muse (Plug-in Baby is an INCREDIBLE riff) and Death From Above 1979. Franz Ferdinand have done some NIFTY riftys as well.

 

[Mellotron]

Aussie accent: That's not a riff...THIS is a riff!

[yt]dbB-mICjkQM[/yt]

 

[Norman Potting]

Great synth riff and guitar riff in this




Drum sound not bad either.

 

[OzMike]

Motorcycle Emptiness from that lot.
There is a pretty good one in Baker Street.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

[YT]POGsy9Ru9sE[/YT]

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Any Pistols on the list?

Pretty Vacant

 

[jakarta]

[YT]POGsy9Ru9sE[/YT]

Oh Yes!!!!

Apparently Tony McPhee got so pissed off with people constantly shouting for this Song at Groundhogs Gigs that he gave up playing it for years?

 

[METALMICKY]

I heartily endorse the inclusion of The Sprit Of Radio (Rush are almost always ignored in these polls) but where the hell is Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas and Crazy On You by Heart?

To omit these iconic riffs is inexcusable and everyone at Radio 2 should be deeply deeply ashamed.

Please note I suggested Kansas but curiously I only came across that classic from listening a covers album by Yngwie Malmsteen. Which amazingly he didn't ruin by playing it too fast.

As people have stated there are a number of bands who could contribute multiple contenders. Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, deep Purple, Rainbow to name but a few.

 

[Ceej]

Stone Roses. Love Spreads.

Riffage to the power of 1000.

 

[METALMICKY]

Some really great calls on this thread.

Not a great fan of the Manic Street Preachers and came across Motorcycle Emptiness by accident. And a what a gloriously flowing riff it is helped by a really creamy Gibson tone. With regard to Wishing Well by Free I actually prefer the late great Gary Moore's version on the live 80's Japanese import album 'Rocking Every Night'.

Of riffs generally lauded but I personally hate the winner has to be Iron Man. Awful dirge!

And when it comes to twin riff age these are the masters :

Murray/ Smith - Iron Maiden
Hetfield/ Hammett - Metallica
Gorham/ Robertson or Moore - Thin Lizzy

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

And if you're talking twin guitar riffs, can I throw in an honorable mention for the mighty Wishbone Ash, who managed to combine some darn fine tunes with some monster axe work ...