Running On Empty by Jackson Browne.
Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty.
Since I don’t really listen to much music other than metal, here’s my suggestion:
Walk - Pantera
Slanderous - Machine Head
Highway to Hell - ACDC
Back In Black - ACDC
Sad but True - Metallica
Foxy Lady - Hendrix
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
Heartbreaker is another great Zeppelin riff.
Layla
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Enter Sandman
Smoke on the Water
Sweet Child O´Mine
Purple Haze
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Pride and Joy
Wipe Out
Iron Man
Under the Bridge
Opening of ‘Great White Buffalo’ by Ted Nugent.
Ending of “Waiting to Take you Away” by Leslie West on ‘Mountain Live’ Album.
From the “You too can learn this riff in 5 minutes” category…
Wipeout, by the Surfaris
Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen
And let’s not forget Chuck Berry’s riff from Johnny B. Goode, without which most of rock and roll wouldn’t exist
Overall, it’s sort of a generic song, but I really love the opening riff on This Town by O.A.R.
Whatever this guy plays:
Guitarist of megalomaniacal speed seeks audience who won’t combust
Seconding Whole Lotta Love and Purple Haze
Adding Floorshow and Anaconda by Sisters of Mercy
and Terror Couple kill Colonel and She’s In Parties by Bauhaus
I think the opening of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ should be in there as well
Life in the Fast Lane-Eagles
Tumblin’ Dice
Honkytonk women-Stones
Interesting* that two** of the riffs in th OP are nearly always played wrong (anyone care to guess which and how?)
Obviously Whole Lotta Love wins, there are loads of other Zep riffs that are a hoot to play. In no particular order.
The Immigrant Song
The Wanton Song
Custard Pie
Black Dog both the obvious one and the trail-out riff.
Rock and Roll
Communication Breakdown
OK that’s enough of them. Some others:
Burn is a better Blackmore riff than Smoke on the Water
Pleasant Valley Sunday The Monkees (really)
What Difference Does it Make Johnny Marr.
Any number of AC/DC tunes. I’m not a fan particularly but they have some great riffs.
Gotta go, got work.
*oh, or that other thing. Tedious.
**Maybe three, I’m not fully aufait with all of them.
I was going to say The Bazaar (or was it The Grand Bazaar?) by The Tea Party but for some reason I figured no one would know/ remember them.
Most of the good ones have been taken, but there’s still Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Up Around The Bend.
Superceded by the middle riff on Hendrix’s “Ezy Ryder”, which is where Kravitz stole that riff from.
I’m a big fan of both the riffs from Aces High and Wasted Years by Iron Maiden.
Amen, brother. I can’t believe it took 28 posts to get this. Really, it should be 28 posts of Chuck Berry before then moving on to anyone else.
Anyway to complete the “Big Book of riffs that all beginning guitarists want to learn”, I’ll throw in the opening riffs from “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull and (with two guitars) “China Cat Sunflower” by the Grateful Dead.
Do bass licks count? (“My Girl”, the Talking Heads’ version of “Take Me to the River”, the Clash “Brand New Cadillac”)
Shine by Collective Soul
Money for Nothing by Dire Straights
If either of these songs consisted of nothing but five minutes of guitar riff I would be perfectly fine with that.
Secret Agent Man
Young Man Blues