There are many, many great guitar riffs among which these ones stand out tp me, in no particular order:
Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Sweet Child O´Mine - Guns N´Roses
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
Money - Pink Floyd
So, fellow Dopers, which are your favorite guitar riffs of all time?
Ace of Spades - Motörhead
Breadfan - Budgie
San Quentin - Johnny Cash
Sweet Leaf - Black Sabbath
Driving South - The Stone Roses
Layla - Derek and the Dominoes
Long Train Running - Doobie Brothers
See The Light - Jeff Healy Band
Those are the three great hooks that popped into my head.
George Harrison’s riff in I Feel Fine.
Not too much, not too little. Just right.
definitely, absolutely, the best.
The most distinctive opening notes of any song, ever.
On that front is there a more distinctive opening note, singular, than Satisfaction?
The beginnings of: Take it easy by the Eagles and
Do you fee like we do? by Peter Frampton
Thought of another one:
While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles
How about Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz?
I dislike most of the Rolling Stones’ catalogue, but the guitar in Beast of Burden is one of the greatest grooves on the guitar ever played.
Actually, I’d venture that the most distinctive opening note ever is not a guitar note at all, but the opening organ note of “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” The snare drum thwack at the beginning of “Like a Rolling Stone” is up there, too.
“Crazy Train” – Ozzy (but Randy Rhodes’ riff)
The chorus riff from “Master of Puppets” – Metallica
“Iron Man” – Black Sabbath
“Purple Haze” --Jimi Hendrix
“Satisfaction” – Rolling Stones
“Stranglehold” – Ted Nugent
I suppose you’d also have to consider “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zep as one of those definitive guitar riffs…
The Beatles - “Day Tripper”
The epitome of cool!
Oh, definitely something from Queens of the Stone Age… I like the riff behind the chorus of “Do It Again”, it’s doubled by the bass and it sounds like 90 feet tall. I love that.
“Reelin’ In The Years.” (Steely Dan)
“The Boys Are Back In Town.” (Thin Lizzy)
Oh, and Robin Trower!!! “Bridge of Sighs” or I really like “Little Bit of Sympathy.”
“And Your Bird Can Sing.” (Beatles) “Hey Bulldog.” “Helter Skelter.”
Surely the White Stripes have done something on the List, too.
My all-time absolutely favorite ever: “Shake Some Action.” (Flamin’ Groovies)
p.s. Lenny Kravitz, seconded.
I think probably Satisfaction is the standard. You Really Got Me is a contender too.
Sister Ray by the Velvet Underground
Kick Out the Jams and Black To Comm by the MC5
Jet Boy by the New York Dolls
The River by The Tea Party
(can’t play youtube at work so I don’t know if the sound on this link is any good. Apologies if it isn’t.)