100 Greatest Guitarists

Rolling Stone has a new greatest guitarists list compiled by an impressive number of musicians. A few personal highlights:

Keith Richards at #4.
Enough said. Take that Scott Wilson.

Jonny Greenwood at #48.
Radiohead are the consummate 21st-century rock band, and in Jonny Greenwood, they have one of the 21st century’s defining guitarists: an effects-loving wizard whose endlessly mutable style has powered the band’s restless travels – from the interstellar pomp of “The Tourist” to the misty shimmer of “Reckoner.” Like the Edge, only farther out in the art-rock stratosphere, Greenwood is a guitar hero with little apparent connection to the blues and little interest in soloing. He’s been known to attack the strings with a violin bow, and plays so maniacally that at times he’s had to wear a brace on his arm. It was Greenwood’s gnashing noise blasts that marked Radiohead as more than just another mopey band on 1992’s “Creep” – an early indicator of his crucial role in pushing his band forward. “I’ve admired him for a long time,” says Rush‘s guitarist Alex Lifeson. “The way he weaves his parts through the melody of a song is really exceptional – just amazing.” ‘

Rory Gallagher at #57.
‘”It seems a waste to me to work and work for years,” Rory Gallagher told Rolling Stone in 1972, “and just turn into some sort of personality.” Instead, the Irish guitarist, then only 23, became legendary for his nonstop-touring ethic and fiery craft. Playing a weathered Strat, often wearing a flannel shirt, Gallagher electrified Chicago and Delta styles with scalding slide work and hard-boiled songwriting. His fans included the Edge and Bob Dylan, who was initially turned away backstage at a 1978 show because Gallagher didn’t recognize him.’

Nels Cline at #82.
‘A true guitar polymath, Nels Cline has tackled everything from gothic country rock with the Geraldine Fibbers to a full remake of John Coltrane’s late improvisational masterwork, Interstellar Space. He’s best known, of course, as Wilco’s gangly guitar hero, lurching into extended seizures (“Spiders [Kidsmoke]”) or spiraling into lyrical jam flights (“Impossible Germany”). “Nels can play anything,” Jeff Tweedy said. “We struggle with his spot in the band sometimes – but we always come to a place that’s unique and interesting because we did struggle.”‘