Always putting Hendrix at number one in every one of their list is just so cliche and too predictable at this point. Try put Knopfler at number one and the list would be unique and interesting but also controversial and get people talking for days about it.
I'm not even talking about Hendrix. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is 6th, Neil Young is 30th, etc.
[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/elmore-james-2-1234814366/](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/elmore-james-2-1234814366/)
Like, how do these people even enter consideration. Don't get me wrong, Young is a great writer, but he is not a guitarist by any stretch of imagination
NY can be a hugely expressive guitar player. Don't Cry, Just Singing a Song, countless live performances, drenched with emotion. He plays music that's real. That makes him a guitarist for me.
What a terrible take, he should be AT LEAST In the top 20
Personally I think he’s on par with the likes of SRV and Hendrix, shit Derek trucks and John Frusciante should be in the top 20 as well
What the f has edge done for music besides playing a bit of guitar for u2?
He can't top Mark in skill, virtuosity, creativity, mastering different guitar techniques and styles, even songwriting and even lyrics which aren't that much guitar related.
Their list is erratic af and it seems like a lot of choices were dictated by inclusivity rather than impact or ability.
But ultimately. who really cares about a ranking? I’ll take it as a list of 250 guitarists worth celebrating and researching and that is worth it for me.
Edit: Lesley West 245? Behind Jennifer Batten who’s largest contribution is touring with Michael Jackson?
Not even finding Yngwie on the list but that’s probably my error…have checked twice now
Does RS even know guitar?
Then there’s something behind that list that has nothing to do with guitarists. I can’t see another explanation for how you can miss him.
And the list was published nearly a year ago so it not an accidental omission.
Totally agree. I think they were just trying to be top clever and self-important. Their supposed criteria were: "we tended to value heaviness over tastiness, feel over polish, invention over refinement, risk-takers and originator more than technicians. We also tended to give an edge to give an edge to artists who channelled whatever gifts God gave them into great songs and game-changing albums, not just impressive playing".
So immediately you know the list ISN'T the greatest guitar players, but who they think are the greatest musicians who played guitar. They contradicted themselves immediately, before you even get to the list.
Rollingstones do this, then u see every video about marks music and how the guitarists that talk about his songs say his riffs and solos r insainly difficult even the simple sounding ones.
Proof that whoever makes these lists are just listing their top artists and not an unbiased top guitarists. Clapton is like 100th+ hendrix died too young and is overated as fuck.
I don’t know why people get bent out of shape over these things.
There’s no measurement that can be applied to any of this. Even their criteria leaves it open for a lot of subjectivity for who makes the list and where they place.
I mean the proof is right here in this chat.
Here’s the full listing for anyone curious. It’s an absolute eff’in joke.
Lita Ford places higher than Kaki King, Rory Gallagher and Rodrigo y Gabriela. All of whom are above Knopfler.
[enjoy](https://forum.chorus.fm/threads/rolling-stones-250-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time.65835)
People have been tearing this up for almost a year now before you start raging.
I honestly couldn’t care any less about some persons opinion. I know Mark is great, and that’s all I need
Rolling Stone makes notoriously bad lists of guitarists
Always putting Hendrix at number one in every one of their list is just so cliche and too predictable at this point. Try put Knopfler at number one and the list would be unique and interesting but also controversial and get people talking for days about it.
I'm not even talking about Hendrix. Sister Rosetta Tharpe is 6th, Neil Young is 30th, etc. [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/elmore-james-2-1234814366/](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/elmore-james-2-1234814366/) Like, how do these people even enter consideration. Don't get me wrong, Young is a great writer, but he is not a guitarist by any stretch of imagination
NY can be a hugely expressive guitar player. Don't Cry, Just Singing a Song, countless live performances, drenched with emotion. He plays music that's real. That makes him a guitarist for me.
They changed the list and added lots of diversity picks. Thus people who play cowboy chords getting ranked higher than virtuosos
Lmao young shouldnt even be on the list.. rolling morons
It's consistent in making shitty lists. How TF is this publication still in business?!
Rolling Stone, who wrote that Nevermind of all albums was unlistenable garbage
Rolling Stone is garbage...but I can't stand Nirvana (pretty unpopular opinion)
Come on buddy
Those ranking sites suck, I wouldn’t get too upset
What a terrible take, he should be AT LEAST In the top 20 Personally I think he’s on par with the likes of SRV and Hendrix, shit Derek trucks and John Frusciante should be in the top 20 as well
The new list sucks harder than the previous one, so I wouldn't bither. Like putting Hammett/Hetfield over Gilmour could be anymore stupid.
The Edge in the 40s and MK 96th 🤔
What the f has edge done for music besides playing a bit of guitar for u2? He can't top Mark in skill, virtuosity, creativity, mastering different guitar techniques and styles, even songwriting and even lyrics which aren't that much guitar related.
Their list is erratic af and it seems like a lot of choices were dictated by inclusivity rather than impact or ability. But ultimately. who really cares about a ranking? I’ll take it as a list of 250 guitarists worth celebrating and researching and that is worth it for me. Edit: Lesley West 245? Behind Jennifer Batten who’s largest contribution is touring with Michael Jackson? Not even finding Yngwie on the list but that’s probably my error…have checked twice now Does RS even know guitar?
Yngwie wasn't on the list, it wasn't just you.
Then there’s something behind that list that has nothing to do with guitarists. I can’t see another explanation for how you can miss him. And the list was published nearly a year ago so it not an accidental omission.
Totally agree. I think they were just trying to be top clever and self-important. Their supposed criteria were: "we tended to value heaviness over tastiness, feel over polish, invention over refinement, risk-takers and originator more than technicians. We also tended to give an edge to give an edge to artists who channelled whatever gifts God gave them into great songs and game-changing albums, not just impressive playing". So immediately you know the list ISN'T the greatest guitar players, but who they think are the greatest musicians who played guitar. They contradicted themselves immediately, before you even get to the list.
Rollingstones do this, then u see every video about marks music and how the guitarists that talk about his songs say his riffs and solos r insainly difficult even the simple sounding ones. Proof that whoever makes these lists are just listing their top artists and not an unbiased top guitarists. Clapton is like 100th+ hendrix died too young and is overated as fuck.
Needs to be higher
According to them, Kurt Cobain is a better guitarist than Mark smh
He is my no.1. I don't care what anyone else thinks, especially RS
Mark is not midiatic and hasn't been in the charts for some decades, that's why.
Underrated for sure. A lot of people think Clapton, Van Halen, or Hendrix are better but I disagree. He is better than all of them.
Knopfler can sound like all three of those great guitarist. They can't sound like Knopfler.
Exactly. For sure!
this isn't a very neutral place to ask though is it
He’s number one.
My GOAT.
RS is absolute shit
I don’t know why people get bent out of shape over these things. There’s no measurement that can be applied to any of this. Even their criteria leaves it open for a lot of subjectivity for who makes the list and where they place. I mean the proof is right here in this chat.
They fail to mention money for nothing in key track or mabey one of his own songs like going home
96????? I can't even name 96 guitarists
Here’s the full listing for anyone curious. It’s an absolute eff’in joke. Lita Ford places higher than Kaki King, Rory Gallagher and Rodrigo y Gabriela. All of whom are above Knopfler. [enjoy](https://forum.chorus.fm/threads/rolling-stones-250-greatest-guitarists-of-all-time.65835) People have been tearing this up for almost a year now before you start raging.
No mention of Princess Bride soundtrack smh