DIDDELY-DOW-OWWWN! Best guitar riff ever?

iGavin · 02-14-2008, 6:13 AM

What's yor favourite guitar solo/riff ever? Say the song and the band/singer who sings it, and the name of the guitarist who plays said awsome riff.

For me, it would have to be Tenacious D-The Metal, with Kyle Gass as the lead guitarist. It's just sick guitar playing all the way through.

Also like the one in Wishmaster by Nightwish. The guitar playing in that is pure skill, it sounds so hard to do. Emppu Vuorinen is their lead guitarist.

Android · 02-14-2008, 7:13 AM

So are you wanting the best guitar riff, or the best guitar solo? The difference is, a guitar riff is a catchy musical line the song is based around i.e. the main riff of Smoke on the Water.

The guitar solo on the other hand, is the part of a song near the end when the guitarist plays an original series of notes not played throughout the rest of the song.

iGavin · 02-14-2008, 7:16 AM

either. that's why i said riff and solo.

fabz · 02-14-2008, 8:27 AM

My favorite guitar riff of all time is "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain. The beginning is so awesome and then the actual verse is sweet too. I think the cowbell has something to do with it.

Best Guitar solo? That's a toughy.

My favorite metal guitar solo hands down is in "Battery" by Metallica. Kurt just destroys his bridge. Technical and emotional as well.

Quadros · 02-14-2008, 8:33 AM

Slash's solo in sweet child of mine is the best solo I've ever heard. Best riff is in Pimping the Funk (Draining the Blood) by Adequate Seven. It's AWESOME.

Hats of! · 02-14-2008, 9:15 AM

I don't really have any favorite riff. But my favorite solo is without doubt the ones on Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd.

Rui · 02-14-2008, 9:41 AM

Best solo: Johnny Greenwood's total annihilation of pop music's conventional structure in Radiohead's "Paranoid Android".

Best riff: Hmmm... I'm gonna go with Motorhead's Ace of Spades, for now, because I can't think of something better.

Deflicted · 02-14-2008, 10:24 AM

The most catchy for me is the recurring tune in Ironman by Black Sabbath. I'm not sure if that's what you meant , if not I apologise.

Rui · 02-14-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deflicted

The most catchy for me is the recurring tune in Ironman by Black Sabbath. I'm not sure if that's what you meant , if not I apologise.

Oh lord yes!
Tony Iommi, king of the monumental riffs!

Virtually every song on those first 6 albums has a classic riff. But here's a little selection:

Black Sabbath (from s/t)
War Pigs (Paranoid)
Electric Funeral (Paranoid)
Iron Man (Paranoid)
Paranoid (Paranoid)
Sweet Leaf (Masters of Reality)
Wheels of Confusion (Vol 4)
Supernaut (Vol 4)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Sabbath Bloody Sabbath)
Symptom of the Universe (Sabotage)

Can't go wrong with any of them.

Hickabod · 02-14-2008, 3:01 PM

I keep finding myself drawn to the Riff from Devil in a Midnight Mass by Billy Talent, it's certainly not the best by far but it's my current favourite.

Tempest · 02-14-2008, 5:52 PM

The guitar riff from I Ran (So Far Away) by Flock of Seagulls is all sorts of awesome.

Simple yet catchy.

Second solo in War Pigs by Black Sabbath is my favorite solo. The one right before the end of the song.

Idioteque · 02-14-2008, 6:10 PM

Favorite Riff would have to be the guitar line to Bulls On Parade by Rage Against the Machine, it gets stuck in my head for days.

Favorite solo would have to be the solo to Paranoid Android, I don't think I've ever heard a more unconventional and creative solo in my life. Jonny Greenwood is god.

Ice_Mel · 02-14-2008, 10:41 PM

Guitar riff in Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Yeah, you know which I'm talking about.

Off the top of my head, one of the most badass solos I've heard is the solo for Walk by Pantera. Not most technical, or difficult. Just badass (R.I.P. Dimebag)

Profane Methane · 02-14-2008, 11:12 PM

Riff: War Inside My head - Suicidal Tendencies.
Thrash usually has the coolest riffs.

Solo: Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr.
J Mascis is my favorite guitarist.

SLjimbolian · 02-15-2008, 2:39 AM

You guys gotta dig deep for the best stuff.

Riff: Symphony X -The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Solo: Toxik - Greed

Shmuh · 02-15-2008, 4:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rui

Best solo: Johnny Greenwood's total annihilation of pop music's conventional structure in Radiohead's "Paranoid Android".

Just about to say this. Also, I think it's... Electioneering where Johnny Greenwood goes completely NUTS and has a different solo for the song everytime he plays it.

Idioteque · 02-15-2008, 4:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shmuh

Just about to say this. Also, I think it's... Electioneering where Johnny Greenwood goes completely NUTS and has a different solo for the song everytime he plays it.

I've never heard Electioneering live, but I love that song.
You have any linkage? That sounds awesome.

Dime · 02-15-2008, 5:59 PM

Theres a couple opening riffs for me. One being 'The Trooper' by Iron Maiden. Two being 'Temptations Wings' and three is "Ghosts Along The Mississippi' both by Down.

SODA · 02-15-2008, 7:01 PM

I favorite solo will always be the one from Freebird.

That's by Lynyrd Skynyrd by the way, in case you suck at life that much.

timbot · 02-17-2008, 9:17 AM

I always liked the riff from Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love."
And the solo in "White Room" is pretty killer.

History · 02-17-2008, 5:38 PM

Mississippi Queen definately has a badass riff that you just have to turn up when it comes on, but my favorite is Can't You Hear Me Knocking by the Rolling Stones. My favorite solo is in Jimi Hendrix', Bold As Love.

Random_Hero · 02-17-2008, 6:58 PM

Carl's from the ATHF episode where he gets the wig.

timbot · 02-17-2008, 8:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random_Hero

Carl's from the ATHF episode where he gets the wig.

That's seriously what I thought this thread was gonna be about when I saw the title.

February Stars · 02-17-2008, 9:07 PM

I think anyone who's heard this riff would agree that it's pretty badass and catchy and deserves some sort of recognition.

CKY - 96 Quite Bitter Beings.

I'm personally no fan of CKY at all, but they have a pretty magestical riff in that tune. It's quite catchy. I find myself humming it a lot.

Anyway, for the solo, it really swings into many different directions, but to atleast name two or three, I'd say..

Bark At The Moon - Ozzy Osbourne (Jake E. Lee).
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)
Hangar 18 / Return to Hangar - Megadeth (Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman)

Jallen · 02-17-2008, 10:03 PM

Comfortably Numb is my favorite guitar solo.

Favorite guitar riff would probably be Lateralus by Tool. So many different time signatures.

Rui · 02-18-2008, 10:24 AM

Oh, another great great guitar solo:

Van Halen's "Eruption". the name says it all

badumpbumpbump · 02-20-2008, 7:29 PM

Riff: "Das Modell" covered by Rammstein
Solo: Phantom of The Opera (Iron Maiden)

GreenCrows · 02-21-2008, 10:43 AM

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin, played by Jimmy Page for riff. very fun to play, sounds awesome, great composition.
Moonage DayDream- David Bowie, played by Mick Ronson. This solo sounds way different from any other guitar solo I've heard.

fabz · 02-21-2008, 3:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badumpbumpbump

Riff: "Das Modell" covered by Rammstein
Solo: Phantom of The Opera

I'm guessing you're talking about the Iron Maiden version? Because Andrew Lloyd Webber didn't write a sick guitar in that opera.

Pelican Man · 02-21-2008, 5:33 PM

For riff I'd probably have to say Fixation on the Darkness (the intro riff) by Killswitch Engage. It's my favourite riff, even though it's probably not the best out there, I'd say it's the best hardcore riff. Plus, KSE's pinches are mint.

For guitar solo, the clean solo in Mordecai by Between the Buried and Me is my current favourite, being that they're such a heavy band, yet quite competent musicians, as this solo proves, being a jazz-ish solo.

TheHighwaySong · 02-22-2008, 8:18 AM

One of the greatest riff's has to be the bass line to Jerry Was A Racecar Driver by Primus. Or DMV.

Kenneh · 02-25-2008, 8:28 AM

Favorite riff has to be from Sweet Child O Mine. That one's been stuck in my head for like, forever.

Favorite solo is pretty hard to pick.

P0K3M0N_MA5T3R · 02-25-2008, 9:05 AM

Theres too many to pick a favourite of all time but at the moment I love Sootsayer by Bucketheads riff, it's calm but catchy and I can actually play it on guitar (which is amazing since I'm shit.)
I also love the solo to Jordan by Buckethead (yes I've been listening to him a lot lately) just because of how mad it is, and because unlike fast solos by other bands (Dragonforce I'm looking at you) he can actually recreate it live almost as well as in the studio recorded version.

Exodus · 02-25-2008, 10:55 AM

I'd say the opening riff to orchestra of wolves by gallows. And as for solo I would say sweating bullets by megadeth.

Iiro · 02-25-2008, 11:12 AM

Here's a great solo:
Megadeth - Tornado of souls

exetra · 02-25-2008, 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLjimbolian

Riff: Symphony X -The Divine Wings of Tragedy

Okay, and which riff out of the several that feature in this 20 odd minute song is your favourite? The riff after the verse that starts "The prophet cryyyyyyyyys" is a good one in paticular.

I'm really digging Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division right now (riff is played on bass too). Motherless Children by Eric Clapton is an all time favourite riff of mine too.

I'm going to be an asshole and say C-Town Smash by Squarepusher has my favourite solo. Bass solo's count, and it doesn't have to be rock music.

SealPunter · 02-26-2008, 5:00 PM

(One of my)Favorite Riff(s)- Ratatat's Seventeen Years
(guitarist I dunno, but it's like halfway through the song [1:05] and then listen, it is guitar)

Another would be Red Hot Chili Peppers' Under the Bridge

Favorite Solo- Muse's Knights of Cydonia

HappinessMan · 02-26-2008, 5:56 PM

Favorite Riff: Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses

Favorite Solo: Call of Ktulu By Metallica

DieHard · 02-26-2008, 6:39 PM

Favorite riff: Orion by Metallica

Favorite solo: Orion by Metallica

It's both James Hetfield playing most of the riffs and Kirk Hammett playing the solos, though Cliff Burton comes in and plays a bass solo halfway through the song.

Pelican Man · 02-26-2008, 7:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieHard

Favorite riff: Orion by Metallica

Favorite solo: Orion by Metallica

It's both James Hetfield playing most of the riffs and Kirk Hammett playing the solos, though Cliff Burton comes in and plays a bass solo halfway through the song.

Hetfield has first guitar solo, I believe.