When Van Halen 1 came out, the world of rock guitar changed forever.  I remember hearing Eruption and being amazed at how anyone could possibly play that fast.  I didn’t know about tapping.  Eventually I learned how he did it, which took a little bit of the magic away.  But those first two albums had that magical guitar sound that sounded amazing and somehow different than everyone who came before him.

So when Eddie Van Halen died, the Internet was overtaken by Eddie tributes – Eddie was the favorite guitar player for so many guitarists.  I liked his playing, but he wasn’t my favorite.  Which made me wonder – would he make my top 10?  Who are currently my top 10 favorite guitar players?

To be perfectly clear, Eddie is in the top 10 guitarists of all time in terms of influence.  He’s up there with Clapton and Hendrix.  That’s not in doubt.  He was a legend.  My top 10 list has nothing to do with his legacy.  He’s the most important guitar player of the past 40 years.  I’m not talking about importance or influence.  I’m talking about the guitarists that I have listened to the most, and that has a lot to do with the music their bands play.  And I gravitate toward more non-flashy players who can deliver a wonderful melody or phrase and make a song better, without a lot of speed or tricks.  And there are some great bands where I’m not crazy about the guitar work – Genesis comes to mind.  But from the time I was 12 until now, who have been my faves?  I don’t want to rank them, so in no particular order:

  • Ace Frehley.  KISS was my favorite band and all of my early lead playing was heavily influenced by Ace Frehley.  Looking back now, I see his influence as being my baseline.  For better or for worse, those licks are still in my hands and I still like them.  BUT I’m not still listening to him for inspiration, unlike the next four guys.
  • Elliot Easton.  I am a huge Cars fan, and Elliot’s solos were always melodic, always cool, always made a song better.  I love his playing.
  • Ian Bairnson.  If you don’t know who he is, he was the guitarist for Pilot and then the Alan Parsons Project.  Go listen to the intro of the song Prime Time by Alan Parsons Project.  One of the most melodic rock guitarists ever, and probably my favorite guitarist.
  • Brian May.  If Ian is my number one fave, Brian May might be 1B or something.  He’s the other most melodic player out there.  Just absolutely amazing.
  • Stevie Ray Vaughn.  I learned “blues box soloing” by listening to Ace Frehley, who copied it from Jimmy Page.  But I never listened to the blues legends like BB King.  When I heard those old blues guys play, it seemed to me like they were just playing the same ancient licks over and over.  To be totally honest, I still feel that way, but of course I know they invented those licks and my heroes stole those licks from THEM.  That said, the blues bored me.  And when I heard Stevie on the Let’s Dance album, I heard more of the same.  I just didn’t get it.  Then I heard Stevie’s albums.  And everything changed.  I heard “Scuttle Buttin” and “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” and I was like “ho-ly SHIT.”  It was the blues, but it was so fresh and exciting and fun.  I still watch some of his concerts from time to time.  No one who plays a Strat can touch him.  He took the Hendrix thing to the next level.

The first 5 was easy.  EASY.  For the second 5, I had to do some deep thinking.  There are so many guitarists I like – Jimmy Page and Jimmy Hendrix were before my time, but both were big influences on all of my favorite players.  Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Richie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Michael Schenker, Joe Perry, Phil X, Charlie Christian, Nile Rodgers, Lindsey Buckingham, John Mayer, Angus Young, David Gilmour, Alex Lifeson, Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, Neil Schon, John Frusciante, Paul Stanley, Steven Wilson, Rick Derringer, Joe Walsh, Steve Lukather.  There are many great players that I respect but who aren’t people I listen to, like Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana.  Hell, there are a hundred other names that should be in this list.

But I said the list was the guitarists I listened to the most, meaning because I liked their playing.  That brings things into focus.  The remaining 5 are:

  • Alex Lifeson.  I got off the Rush train right after Moving Pictures, when they dramatically changed their musical direction, but up until then they were one of my favorite bands, and the band that I still listen to the most.  I listen to a Rush album start to finish at least once a month.  And while I never got off much on Alex’s guitar solos, the rest of his playing was so amazing and clever.
  • Michael Schenker.  I loved UFO, and I really like Michael’s solo work.  He’s mostly playing clever versions of the blues scale, but he does it in a way that I always enjoy and never tire of.  I just love his playing.  Even now.
  • Joe Satriani.  I’ve seen him in concert I think about three times.  It’s not like I put his music on all the time, but when I do, I hear a guy exploring what rock guitar can achieve.
  • Eddie Van Halen.  So Eddie does make my top 10 list after all.  If you want to know why, listen to the beginning of “Unchained.”  That’s why.  Even though I’m not the world’s biggest fan, Eddie’s playing was definitely an influence on me. You wouldn’t know it if you listened to my music.  I think Joe Satriani took Eddie’s style of playing to a higher level, personally, and I prefer Joe to Eddie.  But Eddie invented the style.  It’s the same reason Stevie Ray Vaughn is on my list instead of Hendrix.  Hendrix invented a lot of stuff Stevie did, but Stevie took it to another level.  But I was too young for Hendrix.  Eddie became big when I was in high school.  He was a guitar hero for me – he was the best.
  • Larry Carlton.  I’ve seen Larry play live.  His Steely Dan solos are legendary.  At spot number 10, it’s almost like a tie between everyone else on the list above.  But Larry gets the nod because of those Steely Dan solos.  I never get tired of those.

Some strange people appear on my above list – Paul Stanley?  He’s never played a good guitar solo in his life.  But he came up with some of the best rock and roll rhythm guitar parts ever.  Phil X?  Yeah.  I love his playing.  Steven Wilson is another odd choice – he doesn’t consider himself a guitarist, but rather a musician who plays guitar, and his guitar solos usually aren’t very memorable, but like Paul Stanley, he can write a killer, killer riff.  Listen to Open Car by Porcupine Tree for a great riff example.  Killer.  John Lennon, George Harrison, what about them?  Very good players, obviously.  Chet Atkins?  Not the style I listen to, but one of the greatest.  Les Paul?  Well, yeah, he was a great player in his day.

There are other players – Randy Rhodes, Rick Nielsen, Eric Clapton, Tim Pierce, Neil Finn, Peter Buck all come to mind.  Lots of great players I’ve enjoyed hearing.

Music isn’t a competition and this post is stupid – there’s no “best.”  I just felt like trying to figure out who my top 10 were.  Ask me tomorrow and it might be a different list.  I’m lucky to have been alive during a time when you could hear recordings of all of these great players.  100 years ago that wasn’t the case.  I never saw Eddie live.  I wish I had.  But I have seen 4 of my top 10 guitarists in person.  So that’s not too terrible.