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Spin's 100 Greatest Guitarists Ever


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They admit that Skrillex never touched a guitar, but of the millions of people that have, he is the 100th best to ever do it.

 

That kind of inclusion is meant to stir up some controversy and nothing else. I'm also kind of confused by what they are focusing on - if they are focusing on everything Lou Reed and forward, how are Robert Fripp and Frank Zappa included?

 

Some great names on the list, but Skrillex ruins it and robs it of any credibility whatsoever.

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Keep reading ...

 

Duane Denison (the Jesus Lizard)

 

 

another great inclusion.

Jansch and Barr, too. so far, so good.

 

Eugene Chadbourne

Rowland S. Howard and Mick Harvey (The Birthday Party)Mick Ronson (David Bowie/Morrissey)

Wino

 

 

 

this list is definitely working for me.

 

Greg Sage (Wipers)

Robbie Basho

 

 

this list is awesome.

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Honestly, I think that it's a pretty cool list, with a lot of more-outside inclusions than you usually see in stuff like this. Some of my favorites who are never/rarely mentioned get mentioned here, or get much higher ranking than you usually see.

 

Best inclusions:

Ira Kaplan

David Pajo

Annie Clark

Curt Kirkwood

Greg Sage

Nile Rodgers

Dr. Know

ROBERT QUINE!!!! (my all-time fave)

Steve Albini

Sonny Sharrock

d. boon

Andy Gill

Verlaine/Lloyd

Moore/Renaldo

 

The biggest oversights, in my eyes:

Elliot Easton (The Cars)

Chris Difford (Squeeze)

Those guys can play!

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They admit that Skrillex never touched a guitar, but of the millions of people that have, he is the 100th best to ever do it.

 

That kind of inclusion is meant to stir up some controversy and nothing else. I'm also kind of confused by what they are focusing on - if they are focusing on everything Lou Reed and forward, how are Robert Fripp and Frank Zappa included?

 

Some great names on the list, but Skrillex ruins it and robs it of any credibility whatsoever.

 

Yep, these lists are not intended to gain credibility; they're for generating page views. And they obviously think putting a controversial pick on page 1 will do that for them.

 

I hope they fail, because it's pretty insulting to the hundreds of skilled guitarists for whom an argument could be made for deserving to be on a top 100 list like this one.

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that was certainly dumb.

Dumber than Jam Master Jay at #10?

 

But I agree that overall it is not a bad list as these things go. They are certainly trying to think differently and included a lot of people who I really like and who are rarely included in these sorts of things. Kristin Hersh? I love her guitar playing ...

 

(And I also never knew the story of Tom Tom Club screwing over Adrian Belew.)

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Oh, and did I see Richard Thompson in there, or was he another huge oversight?

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Did they lay out some parameters that I missed? I agree there are lots of "lesser known" guitarists getting some props there (frith, quine, toure, Verlaine/Lloyd, Ribot) and while that is undoubtedly nice, any lists that omits Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, and George Harrison simply can not be taken seriously.

 

Also, they did not touch any country, blues or bluegrass guitarists and as they did not call it "100 best rock guitarists," it's just silly.

 

edit to add: oops, i guess it helps to read the intro.

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Did they lay out some parameters that I missed?

 

This was the intro:

 

To celebrate the new generation of shredders profiled in our May/June "Loud Issue," the SPIN staff decided to find some wheedle in a haystack, taking on the impossible task of ranking our favorite guitar players of all time. Traditionally, the "greatest guitarist" timeline begins with Robert Johnson magically conjuring the blues, nears perfection with Eric Clapton mutating it beatifically, and then ultimately reaches a boomer-baiting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame apotheosis with the free-spirited Jimi Hendrix shooting it into space like feedback-laden fireworks. For this list, we veer toward the alternative canon that kicks in with the Velvet Underground trying to erase that form entirely, making guitar solos gauche and used instruments into sadomasochistic tools for hammering out sheets of white heat.

 

As you will see, our list embraces outsiders, trailblazers, outliers, and Eugene Chadbourne playing a rake. We don't worship "guitar gods," but prefer our axe-wielders to be resourceful, egalitarian, flawed, and human. We're not drawn to Olympic feats of fleet-fingered athletics, unless they're used for unique and exploratory ends. We see the mewling histrionics of Jeff Beck as tyranny instead of catharsis. The name Derek Trucks is practically alien to us.

 

But maybe we're overthinking all this. Shut up 'n play yer guitar!
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I love this list! If for no other reason than it does not trot out the same tired Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Beck, Santana, Allman... as every other. This list is as silly and as equally valid as any other Greatest guitarists list.

Including Malkmus, PJ Harvey, Andy Gill makes it at least more interesting.

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what's so controversial about giving Ranaldo and Moore their due?

Think he's refering to Windex, Shrillex or whatever was at the start of the list.

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I love this list! If for no other reason than it does not trot out the same tired Hendrix, Page, Clapton, Beck, Santana, Allman... as every other. This list is as silly and as equally valid as any other Greatest guitarists list.

Including Malkmus, PJ Harvey, Andy Gill makes it at least more interesting.

I agree with this. Whenever someone puts together one of these lists, it is usually some baby-boomer-centric recycling. This one dares to be different, cerebral and relevant. Sure there are odd choices and some overlooks, but it is the most interesting list I have read in a long time.

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Think he's refering to Windex, Shrillex or whatever was at the start of the list.

 

ah, yes...page 1 instead of 11. my misunderstanding.

 

 

that said, i agree completely w/ Moss and Anthonyc007 on this list. for sure it's self-conscious and pandering, but at least there are some interesting and very notable names here.

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what's so controversial about giving Ranaldo and Moore their due?

Not sure if that's a joke or not, but I was referring to Skrillex getting #100 -- the first "page" of the article.

 

edit... didn't see the subsequent clarification. :yes

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