How I judged:
Technical Ability - Their ability to move around on the instrument.
includes: versatility(10) control (10) and quality of tone (10). - 30 points
includes: versatility(10) control (10) and quality of tone (10). - 30 points
Unique-ness - How different their view of the instrument was than others at the time.
includes: rhythm voicing (10) lead voicing (10) and tonal uniqueness (10) - 30 points
includes: rhythm voicing (10) lead voicing (10) and tonal uniqueness (10) - 30 points
Influence - How many current guitarists are/were influenced
includes: shortly after (10) currently (10) - 20 points
How well they work/ed with others - Did they make their band better
includes: previously (10) currently or towards the end (10) - 20 point
1. Tom Morello - 93 - Without a doubt one of the geekiest men to ever wield a guitar, Tom played less like a guitarist and more like a DJ. Morello with Rage Against the Machine was able to successfully invent and popularize a whole new way of approaching the guitar. Using the whammy pedal, normal guitar controls, and thoughts about the instrument Morello forever changed the way people will think of the guitar and the guitar solo.
2. Josh Homme - 92 - Today, Homme is best known know as the guitarist vocalist for Queens of the Stoneage, but he's been a Stoner rock pioneer since 1985 when he formed the cult favorite Kyuss. He also did session work with Screaming Trees, and started Queens of the Stoneage in 1997. He has single handedly developed an iconic complex form of hard rock guitar style, as well as popularizing a super rare ovation electric guitar.
3. Ian MacKaye - 91 - MacKaye was the front man for Bad Brains influenced Minor Threat, and in 1987 created the seminal post-hardcore Fugazi. Fugazi wasn't just a band they were a movement. They actually made the world a better place, and along the way gave a lot of upcoming bands their big break. Before alternative rock was called alternative rock it was called post-hard-core. Music would probably be pretty boring today without the contribution of MacKaye and Fugazi did. If you're scratching your head listen to Fugazi's Waiting Room. MacKaye revolutionized guitar and he did it all, with one Gibson SG and a JCM 800.
4. Kurt Cobain - 90 - Whether he was a really lucky a great plagiarizer or supremely gifted is completely irrelevant, Cobain forever changed the guitar, and rock music, with 4 chords. I'd love to see you try and do that.
5. Billy Corgan - 90 - Corgan wanted to play rock music in an era in Chicago music history when rock was very unpopular. Well, he not only played rock music, but in the course of 4 years created two of the best albums the city has ever birthed. But that wasn't enough in order to be the best he had to create a double disc manifesto on what Corgan thought guitar could and should be. Every song brought in new approaches to rock guitar, from the sweeping epic Tonight Tonight to the ballsy brooder Bodies to the sparse heart breaking acoustic ballad 33. No guitarist has ever done anything quite as ornate and gotten away with since.
6. John Frusciante - 89 - Once Frusciante realized who he was on Blood Sugar Sex Magic, the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally moved past cult funk-punk rockers to the alt-rock superstars they are today. He had his flip-out where he couldn't deal with being a super star, but he eventually accepted it and has gone on to help create enough hits to keep RHCP on the radio for decades to follow. No guitarist will ever sound as good with Flea, or vice-versa as John Frusciante. If you're a bass player you better hope your guitarist likes him.
7. Dean DeLeo - 88 - The originality of Stone Temple Pilots aside, Dan DeLeo is a brilliant guitarist. If he wasn't the lead guitarist of STP he would have been the guitarist for the most popular cover band in San Diego history. DeLeo should have his picture next to versatility in the guitar dictionary. His sounds covered the complete spectrum of what Rock guitar was in the 1990s, and he pulled off every bit with style and poise.
8. Mike McCready - 88 - Without McCready Pearl Jam wouldn't have been quite the band they were. McCready was the flashy blues guitar soloist which gave Vedder's vocals a musical equivalent. Few people have been able to rise up from the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Jimi Hendrix School of guitar playing and develop their own voice. McCready is one of them.
9. Kim Thayil - 87 - Thayil helped form the hard-rock variant of the Seattle sound in 1984, with Soundgarden. Thayil's guitar playing is the perfect synthesis of Iommi style heavy riffs and Gilmour style psychedelic atmospherics.
10. Rivers Cuomo - 87 - Cuomo formed Weezer in 1992. Weezer is the most important post-grunge band that has ever existed, and Cuomo along with guitarist Brian Bell have created some of the most enduring and imaginative guitar riffs of the 1990s, and they were able to do it with just 2 albums. With their first self title album (the Blue one from 1994), Weezer mixed Cars style pop anthems with 70's style hard-rock guitar. On their second album Pinkerton (1996) they unveiled a raw honest sound that rivals many guitar rock albums to this day.
includes: shortly after (10) currently (10) - 20 points
How well they work/ed with others - Did they make their band better
includes: previously (10) currently or towards the end (10) - 20 point
1. Tom Morello - 93 - Without a doubt one of the geekiest men to ever wield a guitar, Tom played less like a guitarist and more like a DJ. Morello with Rage Against the Machine was able to successfully invent and popularize a whole new way of approaching the guitar. Using the whammy pedal, normal guitar controls, and thoughts about the instrument Morello forever changed the way people will think of the guitar and the guitar solo.
2. Josh Homme - 92 - Today, Homme is best known know as the guitarist vocalist for Queens of the Stoneage, but he's been a Stoner rock pioneer since 1985 when he formed the cult favorite Kyuss. He also did session work with Screaming Trees, and started Queens of the Stoneage in 1997. He has single handedly developed an iconic complex form of hard rock guitar style, as well as popularizing a super rare ovation electric guitar.
3. Ian MacKaye - 91 - MacKaye was the front man for Bad Brains influenced Minor Threat, and in 1987 created the seminal post-hardcore Fugazi. Fugazi wasn't just a band they were a movement. They actually made the world a better place, and along the way gave a lot of upcoming bands their big break. Before alternative rock was called alternative rock it was called post-hard-core. Music would probably be pretty boring today without the contribution of MacKaye and Fugazi did. If you're scratching your head listen to Fugazi's Waiting Room. MacKaye revolutionized guitar and he did it all, with one Gibson SG and a JCM 800.
4. Kurt Cobain - 90 - Whether he was a really lucky a great plagiarizer or supremely gifted is completely irrelevant, Cobain forever changed the guitar, and rock music, with 4 chords. I'd love to see you try and do that.
5. Billy Corgan - 90 - Corgan wanted to play rock music in an era in Chicago music history when rock was very unpopular. Well, he not only played rock music, but in the course of 4 years created two of the best albums the city has ever birthed. But that wasn't enough in order to be the best he had to create a double disc manifesto on what Corgan thought guitar could and should be. Every song brought in new approaches to rock guitar, from the sweeping epic Tonight Tonight to the ballsy brooder Bodies to the sparse heart breaking acoustic ballad 33. No guitarist has ever done anything quite as ornate and gotten away with since.
6. John Frusciante - 89 - Once Frusciante realized who he was on Blood Sugar Sex Magic, the Red Hot Chili Peppers finally moved past cult funk-punk rockers to the alt-rock superstars they are today. He had his flip-out where he couldn't deal with being a super star, but he eventually accepted it and has gone on to help create enough hits to keep RHCP on the radio for decades to follow. No guitarist will ever sound as good with Flea, or vice-versa as John Frusciante. If you're a bass player you better hope your guitarist likes him.
7. Dean DeLeo - 88 - The originality of Stone Temple Pilots aside, Dan DeLeo is a brilliant guitarist. If he wasn't the lead guitarist of STP he would have been the guitarist for the most popular cover band in San Diego history. DeLeo should have his picture next to versatility in the guitar dictionary. His sounds covered the complete spectrum of what Rock guitar was in the 1990s, and he pulled off every bit with style and poise.
8. Mike McCready - 88 - Without McCready Pearl Jam wouldn't have been quite the band they were. McCready was the flashy blues guitar soloist which gave Vedder's vocals a musical equivalent. Few people have been able to rise up from the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Jimi Hendrix School of guitar playing and develop their own voice. McCready is one of them.
9. Kim Thayil - 87 - Thayil helped form the hard-rock variant of the Seattle sound in 1984, with Soundgarden. Thayil's guitar playing is the perfect synthesis of Iommi style heavy riffs and Gilmour style psychedelic atmospherics.
10. Rivers Cuomo - 87 - Cuomo formed Weezer in 1992. Weezer is the most important post-grunge band that has ever existed, and Cuomo along with guitarist Brian Bell have created some of the most enduring and imaginative guitar riffs of the 1990s, and they were able to do it with just 2 albums. With their first self title album (the Blue one from 1994), Weezer mixed Cars style pop anthems with 70's style hard-rock guitar. On their second album Pinkerton (1996) they unveiled a raw honest sound that rivals many guitar rock albums to this day.
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