After releasing the top-30 lead singers of the past 30 years I got to thinking about the best 30 guitarists of the past 30 years.Going back through I realized I missed a few singers on my last list (guys like Shannon Hood of Blind Melon and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips were probably my most egregious errors) and I will probably omit a few well deserving guitarists from this list as well.
Hey, I never said I was perfect.I’m doing these lists (and the blog in general) purely for shits and giggles and to try and improve my writing so please no castration if I miss a deserving guitarists or two.
A quick rant before I get to the list: Rolling Stone named John Mayer one of the best guitar players of our time.What. The.Hell.I do not doubt Mayer’s guitar chops, but if he truly is one of the best guitar players of our time why doesn’t he quit strumming those stupid acoustic ballads that make 15 year old girls weep? Why doesn’t he grow a pair, throw on some tight leather pants and start making guitar licks that people will actually remember? Or maybe he’s content just jamming with Eric Clapton and getting the finest women L.A. has to offer. (note: I would be extremely content doing this.)
ANYWHO, the same guidelines as the greatest lead singers of the past 30 years will apply here. Guitarists must be in bands or solo projects (but I did put more weight into a guitarists if he was part of a band) that have been formed after 1980.This means Prince (Yes, Prince) just misses the cut and same with The Edge from U2, but Jonny Marr just makes it (The Smiths were founded in 1981.)So without further ado, Wilbur Wired presents the top-30 guitarists of the past 30 years!
30. Lenny Kravitz
29. Daron Malakain (System of a Down)
28.Peter Buck (R.E.M.)
27. Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
26. Matt Bellamy (Muse)
25. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osborne)
24. Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold)
23. Dave Navarro (Janes Addiction)
22. Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam)
21. Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
20. Trey Anastasio (Phish)
19. Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule)
18. Larry LaLonde (Primus)
17. Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
16. Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth)
15. Buckethead
14. Johnny Marr (Modest Mouse/The Smiths)
13. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera)
12. Derek Trucks (The *new* Allman Brothers Band)
11. Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains)
10. Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)
9. Mike McCready (Pearl Jam)
8. Adam Jones (Tool)
7. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta)
6. Jack White (The White Stripes/The Raconteurs)
5. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) Cobain is obviously a legend of the “grunge” era but many young Nirvana fans don’t even realize he was the lead guitarist as well as the voice of a generation.Proof: “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
4. Kirk Hammett (Metallica) One of hard-rock’s most recognizable guitar gods, Hammett has been laying down the riffs for near 30 years now and it seems like he is only getting better with age.Proof: “Blackened”
3. Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave) Morello is one of the most inventive and forward thinking guitarists of his era. He uses guitar pedals to achieve kick-ass effects like no one else. Proof: “Killing in the Name of”
2. Slash (Guns ‘N Roses/Velvet Revolver) Slash has been a monster on the guitar for several decades now, debuting with Guns ‘N Roses in the late ‘80s early ‘90s, re-emerging with Velvet Revolver at the turn of the millennium and then still bringing great licks on his latest solo project.Proof: “Sweet Child of Mine”
1. John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers/Solo) The most versatile guitarists in my top-5.Simply put, the man can easily switch from fast paced face melters to simplified riff’s that accent his bands beautiful harmonies.He’s the best because he’s the most versatile and forward thinking guitarists of his time.Proof: “Readymade”
Honorable Mention: Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osborne), Albert Hammond, Jr. (The Strokes), Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket), J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Mike Eizenger (Incubus), Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine)
I love going to concerts, I love live music. Hearing and seeing your favorite band up close can give you a great sense of intimacy and closeness with the performers. Recently I got to thinking about all the live shows I’ve been to in my life and reflecting on the best of the best shows I’ve witnessed. I’ve taken into account several factors in judging live performances and where they rank on my list of best ever.
First, I take into account the bands energy level. If a band is up on stage giving it everything they’ve got you can tell and you appreciate their effort. Sometimes, a band looks and performs like they are just ready to hit the next tour spot.
Secondly, I consider how the band sounds in the venue. Even if the band is going crazy on stage and giving you every ounce of energy, if the sound is just a little off, it can ruin the experience even if the sound problem isn’t even the bands fault.
Third, audience energy is almost as important as band energy. The lead singer of a band is particularly apt at noticing crowd energy. If the band can see and hear how much their music is affecting the audience, they are more inclined to play longer, make special remarks, or just plain rock out harder than they ever have before. In most instances, the energy the band receives is equal to the energy a band will expend.
Fourth, I take account of what people were with me when I saw the show. Seeing your favorite band with your top-boys is a very different experience than seeing it with acquaintances or non-fans. With your best friends a concert is something that has been plotted out in advance and will be discussed in the future, not to mention the fact you are more likely to really get into the show and give energy when around people you are comfortable with.
So without further delay, here is the list of the top 10 concerts I’ve ever been too and what venue they played in.
10. Guster. 2003. MSU Auditorium. There is only three members of Guster (Now Four) but they sound like a big band up on stage. Sound just like they do on their albums.
9. Counting Crows. 2002. State Theatre. Intimate venue, intimate band. The Crows never disappoint live.
8. The Strokes. 2003. State Theatre. First time I ever crowd surfed in my life and I loved every second of it. Other highlights include one of the guys I was with throwing his pack of cigarettes on stage and watching as (Strokes lead singer) Julian Casablancas Picked them up and smoked one.
7. Red Hot Chili Peppers/Queens of the Stone Age. 2003. Breslin Center. The Queens played a brilliant set which included an appearance by their back-up lead singer who’s voice sounded like he had been chain smoking Marlboro Reds since he was 12. They really blew me away with their intensity. The Chili Peppers were a bit of a disappointment. Their sound was screwed up for the first 4-5 songs but after that it got better. Their energy was great as you would expect, but I couldn’t help thinking that Queens of the Stone Age really outshined them on that night.
6. 311. 2005. Some random pavillian. My buddy Chad and I convinced his younger brother to drive us to and from this concert so we could get shit-faced on the way. I woke up the next morning feeling like my neck was broken but not really remembering how or why. I soon realized it was because I had been rocking out so hard the night before.
5. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. 2003. The Palace. I have to admit, I wasn’t that huge of a Boss fan before this concert, after it, I was a true believer. Standing on the floor I witnessed heavily inebriated middle aged men and women dance, head bang and sing their way through the entire night.
4. Incubus. 2004. The Palace. This was the second time I had seen Incubus live, and the most memorable. They played their hardest rock songs, their softest radio friendly hits and everything in between.
3. Kings of Leon. 2009. MSU Auditorium. After weeks of hype I questioned whether or not the Kings could live up to everything I had built up. They did. They’re sound reverberated in every knook and cranny of the auditorium and as their energy level rose, so did the audience. It’s always a fun concert when you can sing along to every song they play, and my neck was sore the next day from all the head banging I did.
2. Aerosmith/Kiss/Ted Nugent. 2004 Comerica Park. Two titans of the rock n roll world playing back to back while we sat in a box taking it all in. Yet, my main memory from this show will be witnessing Ted Nugent running around the stage with an AK-47 in one hand and the American flag in the other.
1. Pearl Jam. 2006. Van Andel Arena. I came in expected a good show, but Pearl Jam exceeded expectations. They played for a solid three hours with limited breaks. Eddie told the crowd the band was going to “experiment” with us and they began playing some of their rarer songs, we responded with cheers until our voices were horse. Not to mention me and my friends did some things during the show (cough cough) that aided our amazement.
Honorable Mention: Jethro Tull, Incubus (Van Andel show), 311 & The Roots (DTE show), Tom Petty, The Moody Blues.
I made this list after stumbling across Rolling Stone magazines list of 100 greatest singers of all time, a list that left off Chris Cornell (Really?!) So it got me thinking about the greatest lead singers of all time, or more specifically, of the past 30 years. In order to be eligible for this exclusive list the band could not be formed before 1980. So, for instance U2 formed in 1976 so I had to leave off Bono, but Motley Crue formed in 1981 so Vince Neil can be included. So without further ado:
The top-30 lead singers of the past 30 years
30. Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) 29. Ben Harper 28. Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) 27. Bradley Nowell (Sublime) 26. Billy Corbin (Smashing Pumpkins) 25. Billy Jo Armstrong (Green Day) 24. Brandon Boyd (Incubus) 23. Adam Duritz (Counting Crows) 22. Scott Wieland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver) 21. Henry Rollins (Black Flag) 20. James Hetfield (Metallica) 19. Black Francis (The Pixies) 18. Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) 17. Zach de la Rocha (Rage against the Machine) 16. Serj Tankian (System of a Down) 15. Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) 14. Ed Kowalczyk (Live) 13. Perry Farrell (Janes Addiction) 12. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) 11. Bruce Dickenson (Iron Maiden) 10. Jim James (My Morning Jacket) 9. Thom Yorke (Radiohead) 8. Vince Neil (Motley Crue) 7. Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) 6. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) 5. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam). Spawned a new generations of imitators who tried (and failed) to recreate his throaty baritone. Proof: “Porch” 4. Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle). One of the most under-rated lead singers of his era, he did things with his voice that no one else can do. Proof: “Ticks and Leeches” 3. Layne Staley (Alice in Chains). The most distinctive voice of the grunge-era he wailed more than sang. Proof: “Would” 2. Axl Rose (Guns ‘N Roses). One of the iconic voices of the late 80’s and early ‘90’s his distinctive growl is still heard in sporting venues around the world. Proof: “Sweet Child O Mine” 1. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave). Cornell’s voice is so amazingly strong and he is able to hit high notes like nobody else. Proof: “Rusty Cage”
Honorable mention: Nathan Followill (Kings of Leon), Brandon Flowers (The Killers), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures), Liam Gallagher (Oasis). Mike Patton (Faith no More), Chino Moreno (Deftones), Dave Matthews (Dave Matthews Band)
So who did I leave out? Who did I forget? If no one complains in the comments section then I'll naturally just assume that my list is perfect and should go directly into the great-list hall of fame.
