CURIOSITIES

The best guitar riffs of all time according to Guitar World

Guitar World is a historic American magazine founded in 1980, which since its inception has interviewed various guitarists from the world of rock and beyond, such as Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and many others.

The magazine asked its readers to indicate which they think are the best guitar riffs of all time: a very complex question, which certainly depends a lot on the personal taste of individual readers and listeners.

Here are the songs with the ten best guitar riffs according to Guitar World readers: do you agree with this ranking?

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The best guitar riffs of all time according to Guitar World
Guitar World is an American magazine founded in 1980, which since its inception has interviewed various guitarists from the world of rock and beyond, such as Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton and many others. The magazine asked its readers to indicate which they think are the best guitar riffs of all time: a very complex question, which certainly depends a lot on the personal taste of individual readers and listeners. Here are the songs with the ten best guitar riffs according to Guitar World readers: do you agree with this ranking?
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10. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
Opening the Top 10 is 'Purple Haze', included on Jimi Hendrix's debut album, 'Are You Experienced'. This track originated from his riff. In fact, according to producer Chas Chandler, Hendrix started playing the 'Purple Haze' riff backstage at a club. After listening to it, Chandler suggested to Hendrix that he write lyrics for that riff, thus turning it into an actual song.
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9. La Grange - ZZ Top
The main riff of 'La Grange' bears a striking resemblance to the blues song 'Shake Your Hips'. 'La Grange' is one of ZZ Top's most popular tracks and owes its title to the mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.
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8. Walk - Pantera
'Walk' is a very energetic song, in true Pantera style. Wrestler Rob Van Dam has long used the cover of the song, composed by Kilgore, as his in-ring entrance track in his Extreme Championship Wrestling days.
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7. Iron Man - Black Sabbath
Seventh position for 'Iron Man2', one of the most popular songs in Black Sabbath's discography. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
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6. Enter Sandman - Metallica
First taken from the band's fifth studio album, 'Enter Sandman' is about the fears that plague a child. This is the only Metallica single to have made it onto Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best songs of all time.
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5. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
The guitar solo in 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love' was played over the sound of an electric sitar. Apparently, when he composed the song, Eddie van Halen did not think it was interesting enough to present to the band.
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4. Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Just off the podium is 'Smoke On The Water', the famous song born of a real experience in Montreux in 1971, when a flare fired towards the end of a Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention concert set fire to the famous casino.
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3. Back in Black - AC/DC
Written by the Malcolm Young/Angus Young/Brian Johnson trio, the song appears as the sixth track on the AC/DC album of the same name. It is impossible not to recognise the famous riff that opens this track, a great classic of early 1980s music.
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2. Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
Second place for 'Crazy Train', a famous single from Ozzy Osbourne's first solo album. The guitar solo performed by Randy Rhoads was recorded twice and the two versions were edited together to achieve the song's distinctive sound.
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1. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
Gold medal for 'Whole Lotta Love', which was Led Zeppelin's first worldwide hit, partly due to its iconic and unique riff. 'Whole Lotta Love' is the only song by the band to be released as a single in the UK.
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