ZAKK WYLDE Weighs In On ROLLING STONE's 'Top Guitarists' List

[Bunbury]

OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde recently spoke to Sleaze Grinder about Rolling Stone magazine's much-criticized list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

"Put it this way," Wylde began. "When Eddie Van Halen is number 70 and Randy Rhoads is number 85, I mean, bottom line is I have to play Randy Rhoads' shit every night. I idolize Randy Rhoads. I still got posters of Randy Rhoads in my garage right now, in my weight room. I carry them on the bus. I love Randy Rhoads to death man, so I mean, the whole thing is just like, I've got to play Randy's shit every night. Last time I checked, Joan Jett can't play fucking 'Mr. Crowley', you know what I'm saying?

"You've got to laugh at the thing," Wylde continued. "I mean, Joe Satriani isn't in there. Steve Vai isn't in there. Yngwie Malmsteen isn't in that fucking list. Slash isn't in there. They are some of the sickest guitar players that have ever walked this planet. I mean, I'm a guitar player. Do you know how good fucking Yngwie is? It's beyond fucking sick. The fact that Yngwie isn't in it is just fucking mind-boggling to me. People can say what they want about Yngwie, but it's just like naming the 10 greatest singers of all time and not putting Pavarotti in it, you know what I'm saying? Yngwie is a virtuoso.

"Obviously Jimi Hendrix is going to be the patron son of guitar, like Babe Ruth. No matter who hits more home runs than The Babe, The Babe is going to be, you know, The Babe. But the thing is, Jimi Hendrix couldn't play 'Spanish Fly' or 'Eruption'. Technically. I'm telling you. Flat out. Just couldn't do it. Jimi got a bunch of gear that nobody ever had before, you know what I am saying? So, he was able to do it before anyone else, and I understand that, but Eddie brought it to a whole other level technically.

"As far as I'm concerned, Eddie Van Halen should be number one. And then Randy Rhoads would have to be in the top three or top five. He'd have to be."

I agree with most of what he says. This list is an overall joke RS doesn't have a clue about rock music

 

[Dorian Gray]

I don't know... in 30 years, I really don't think anybody is going to give a shit about Eddie Van Halen. Yeah, Eruption is mad, but it doesn't strike me as musically incredible. It's not the sort of thing I would put in the player and listen to 1000 times. It doesn't take me on a journey the way so much good music can. It's cool, but for me, that's it.

Yes those guitarists should have been on the list, I'm not debating that, but I think Wylde's missing the point. It doesn't matter what Joan Jett or Jimi Hendrix can't play, it's what they did play that's important. Shouldn't he recognize that?

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Does anyone have a link to the original list? I wouldn't mind seeing it.

 

[dsmith2904]

Here's the list...

1. Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG's
37 Bod Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Qeen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin' Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred "Sonic" Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

 

[dsmith2904]

I don't know... in 30 years, I really don't think anybody is going to give a shit about Eddie Van Halen. Yeah, Eruption is mad, but it doesn't strike me as musically incredible. It's not the sort of thing I would put in the player and listen to 1000 times. It doesn't take me on a journey the way so much good music can. It's cool, but for me, that's it.

I have to disagree with you, I think people definitely will care about Eddie Van Halen 30 years from now, even more, because he has made an undeniable mark on music. As much as I admire The Edge and U2, for all that people talk about how inspirational "The Edge Sound" has been on music, I really don't hear it that much but I do hear Van Halen. Ever since Van Halen first hit the scene, boys and girls across the US (and probably the world) have locked themselves in their bedrooms trying to crack how the hell he did it.

Granted, the stuff Edddie Van Halen did back in the day isn't as Earth-shattering now as it was then because it was 25 years ago, much like Hendrix's, Clapton's, Richards's and so on's aren't, but that doesn't make these guitarists any less talented, iconic or important, today and for years to come. There are a lot of people who can do the Van Halen thing today, maybe even as good as Eddie did it, but he did it first and he will always be remembered for that. A lot of the other people on Rolling Stone's list probably will not.

 

[Dorian Gray]

I have to disagree with you, I think people definitely will care about Eddie Van Halen 30 years from now, even more, because he has made an undeniable mark on music. As much as I admire The Edge and U2, for all that people talk about how inspirational "The Edge Sound" has been on music, I really don't hear it that much but I do hear Van Halen. Ever since Van Halen first hit the scene, boys and girls across the US (and probably the world) have locked themselves in their bedrooms trying to crack how the hell he did it.

Granted, the stuff Edddie Van Halen did back in the day isn't as Earth-shattering now as it was then because it was 25 years ago, much like Hendrix's, Clapton's, Richards's and so on's aren't, but that doesn't make these guitarists any less talented, iconic or important, today and for years to come. There are a lot of people who can do the Van Halen thing today, maybe even as good as Eddie did it, but he did it first and he will always be remembered for that. A lot of the other people on Rolling Stone's list probably will not.

fair enough, I admit my opinion of his guitar work is based upon my own experiences listening to his music. But I'm not denying his influence on music; I do think he deserves to be higher on the list. I guess what I was trying to say is while he may have pioneered a new sound, it wasn't one that did anything for me. I just think that in terms of musical ability, he did less to inspire new creativity, and more in garnering copy-cats who try to work out Eruption note-for-note.

I guess it all depends on what a person gets out of music. I get more from George Harrison, Edge, Hendrix, Neil Young because I draw something from their playing. This might sound like BS, but I find what they're playing is evocative of feeling/emotion. To me, that's the mark of a great guitarist... using the instrument to express music, and not as a showpiece. Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" for example, Edge in Streets... Eddie gets close to this in songs like 316, but not close enough.

Again, this is just me. Please don't think I'm saying my opinion is better/truer than yours.

 

[dsmith2904]

fair enough, I admit my opinion of his guitar work is based upon my own experiences listening to his music. But I'm not denying his influence on music; I do think he deserves to be higher on the list. I guess what I was trying to say is while he may have pioneered a new sound, it wasn't one that did anything for me. I just think that in terms of musical ability, he did less to inspire new creativity, and more in garnering copy-cats who try to work out Eruption note-for-note.

I guess it all depends on what a person gets out of music. I get more from George Harrison, Edge, Hendrix, Neil Young because I draw something from their playing. This might sound like BS, but I find what they're playing is evocative of feeling/emotion. To me, that's the mark of a great guitarist... using the instrument to express music, and not as a showpiece. Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" for example, Edge in Streets... Eddie gets close to this in songs like 316, but not close enough.

Again, this is just me. Please don't think I'm saying my opinion is better/truer than yours.

I completely agree, I dig Van Halen so much but their music definitely doesn't have the same emotional intensity of U2's or The Beatles'. That being said, I don't think the Rolling Stone list was based on emotional connections but on ingenuity, inventiveness and influence, and in all those areas Eddie Van Halen definitely kicks ass.

 

[Dorian Gray]

I completely agree, I dig Van Halen so much but their music definitely doesn't have the same emotional intensity of U2's or The Beatles'. That being said, I don't think the Rolling Stone list was based on emotional connections but on ingenuity, inventiveness and influence, and in all those areas Eddie Van Halen definitely kicks ass.

I understand you now

It definitely would have helped if Rolling Stone had been a little clearer in defining what criteria they were judging by! It seems as though they printed the list to spark debate more than anything.

 

[Jack In The Box]

17 Jack White of the White Stripes

I like The White Stripes but this is a great stupidity

all of them are great guitar players, but the order is wrong, absolutely

 

[Basstrap]

I am very glad to see the blues giants in the top ten...without the likes of robert johnson who knows where we'd be now!
and ry cooder play a nasty slide!

 

[Flying FuManchu]

I agree with Wylde but Hendrix is first b/c he is the Babe Ruth of rock guitar...

Guys like Satriani, Eric Johnson, Malmsteen, and Vai should be in there... they are just as inventive/ creative and technically awesome as all of those guitarists listed and repected by many who play guitar. Hell, their chops alone blow away almost everyone on that list if we're comparing it on a technical standpoint. Feeling/ emoting is somewhat overrated b/c its so hard to define and fairly subjective.

These guys have also accomplished a lot with the music industry and a lot of it was through primarily the guitar and not a frontman...