Posts Tagged ‘Ultimate Rock Riffs’

‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’. The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Posted: March 2, 2013 in 60's Rock, Blues Rock
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This iconic piece of music is best known for its unforgettable introduction, in which Hendrix expertly used the wah-wah pedal to devastating effect. A shorter and more succinct version of the original ‘Voodoo Chile’, this classic riff is recognised and revered by rock fans the world over, and continues to influence countless Blues and Rock players decades after Hendrix’s tragic death. I love this background video with insider views of the recording.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘You Really Got Me’. The Kinks

Posted: March 2, 2013 in 60's Rock, Garage Rock, Hard Rock
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The overdriven guitar sound on ‘You Really Got Me’ is powerful stuff and has had a big influence on rock musicians. Rumours abound about the identity of the guitar solo player – was it in fact the soon to be Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page? The band and Page himself deny it, claiming you can hear Dave Davies yelling expletives to his brother on the track just before playing the solo.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Back In Black’. AC/DC

Posted: March 1, 2013 in 80's Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
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The opening riff to ‘Back in Black’ is pure genius – it’s a riff that everyone recognises and is instantly energised by. This applies to many of the riffs later in the song too: it’s a veritable cornucopia of catchiness distilled into a rock staple. The whole mid-section of the song, a clash of spiralling, duelling guitars, is solid evidence that whatever else AC/DC were, they were advanced musicians!

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Nirvana

Posted: March 1, 2013 in 90's Rock, Grunge
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‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was by far the biggest rock song to come out of America – hell, out of the entire world – in 1991. The single came with a video clip that became a cultural meme in its own right, with its dark tones and angst-ridden close-ups often copied by bands well into the alt-rock and nu-metal era. The death of Cobain aged only 27 has lent the song a certain heavyweight gravitas that the singer probably never envisioned.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Smoke On The Water’. Deep Purple

Posted: March 1, 2013 in 70's Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
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Probably one of the most, if not the most recognisable guitar riffs in rock music history.  The opening riff is played in two-string chords made up of root-plus-forth, rather than power chords made up of the usual root-plus-fifth.  Its popularity has not ceased to grow in the entertainment industry, featuring on numerous movie soundtracks and covered by a plethora of groups.

this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Frankenstein’. The Edgar Winter Group

Posted: March 1, 2013 in 70's Rock, Instrumental Rock
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Expertly showcasing the early days of synthesiser technology, ‘Frankenstein’ kick-starts with a rocky staccato riff. Perhaps the most exciting thing about this song however, was the way in which Edgar Winter picked up and strapped on his keyboard during live performances to play it like a guitar, allowing for on-stage mobility and maximum audience interaction.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Paperback Writer’. The Beatles

Posted: March 1, 2013 in 60's Rock, Hard Rock, Power Pop
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In comparison to their previous songs, the meatier guitar sound of ‘Paperback Writer’ took The Beatles’ music into the genre of Hard Rock. A memorable opening riff with a series of smooth arpeggios and flying octave fills gives way to lyrics inspired by a supposed request from McCartney’s aunt to write a song that wasn’t about love. The song’s outro again features the same riff played repeatedly as the words ‘paperback writer’ are sung over and over.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’. U2

Posted: February 28, 2013 in 80's Rock, Post Punk, Rock
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One of U2’s most overtly political songs about the appalling moments of the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry in 1972.  Taken from the aptly named third studio album War, ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ began with a martial descending riff that prefaced tribal drums and a raw bass-line.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘Foxy Lady’. The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Posted: February 28, 2013 in 60's Rock, Psychedelic rock
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There are few rock bands who can be credited with influencing generation after generation of guitar fans, but The Jimi Hendrix Experience has done just that.  ‘Foxy Lady’, with its sharp-edged riffs and Jimi Hendrix’s interesting lyrics about addressing the fairer sex led him to confirm he was, in fact, more subtle in real life!

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

‘American Woman’. The Guess Who

Posted: February 24, 2013 in 70's Rock, Blues Rock, Hard Rock, Rock
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‘American Woman’ is based on a riff characteristic of 1970s groove-rock. Although the lyrics of the song were largely interpreted as being chauvinistic and an anti-American statement about the country’s role in the Vietnam war, the band themselves denied such claims and said they were influenced by the urban deprivation they saw whilst touring the country.

Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.

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