Greatest Guitar Riffs

My friend Al sends me all kinds of e-mail stuff. You probably have a friend like Al. Some of it is interesting, some silly, some mildly pornographic. Chain letters, urban legends, photoshopped pictures, and "tests" on anything from cars of the fifties to the citizenship test are included. We joke that Al has too much time on his hands, but every now and then he sends something brilliant. Two of his forwards this week fit that category. One was a short film of a young woman playing with and teasing a group of about 10 cheetahs. You can watch it here Click here

The other one, which I'm writing about today, was a link to a web-site that lists someone's opinions of the 50 greatest guitar riffs ever, and includes all 50 of them. A riff, by the way, is defined as a short repeating musical theme that forms a song's framework. Most music includes riffs, whether classical or rock, by Mozart or the Beatles. (A couple of Beatles riffs are on this list, although Mozart didn't make the cut. After all, this is a rock list.) I invite you to check out the list, listen to some you're not familiar with and refresh your memory of some old favorites. It seems to me that you'll have the same reaction I did: Hey, they left off ...! If that happens, please feel free to point out the oversights to the rest of us. I can't believe they omitted the bass riff from Stevie Wonder's Superstition. After all, what's a bass but a big guitar. And how about The Temptations' Papa Was A Rollin' Stone. That was a funkified riff. And I've got a couple from Eric Clapton and Duane Allman I'd like to add. And the Doobies! Holy crap! How could they forget the Doobies?! Well, you get the message. Just set aside some time to listen to some real Guitar Heroes. Enjoy. Click here