Down five with twenty more to go!  The next five include some minor “cheats” but hey, it’s my blog and I can do what I want to do.  This group is quite the mix.

20.  Dave Mustaine

Aggressive…  chaotic… intense…  yes, Dave Mustaine’s lead and rhythm style can be described in those three words and then some.  As a founding father of Metallica, Mustaine helped lay the foundation for the burgeoning thrash movement in the early 80’s with an often reckless yet fiercely passionate playing style before his unfortunate sacking from the band.  Not to be deterred Mustaine found some like-minded souls and went on to form Megadeth, a band still going strong today with some fellow co-pilots in the guitarist seat.  Do not be fooled though… this is Mustaine’s band and Mustaine’s vision and all others must follow.  Sure, there have been some missteps along the way but the man and band continue to forge ahead whether it be via their punk meets thrash roots to their all out mid period guitar assaults to more standard rock and metal fare.

Choice cuts:  “Good Mourning/Black Friday”, “Holy Wars”, “Hangar 18”, “My Last Words”

19.  Michael Romeo

Michael Romeo should be a household name in guitar circles.  As guitarist for Symphony X he and his band play a brand of progressive metal that’s a mix of multiple influences (I’ve always described them as Dream Theater meets Kansas meets Yngwie Malmsteen) with a group of outstanding musicians.  Sure, Romeo plays fast but there is a ton of depth in the songwriting which allows him to add a lot of texture, colors, and feel across a broad palette.  His playing never sounds too technical or robotic; he can be aggressive as needed but he plays with a lot of passion and melody moreso than some of his peers in the genre.  While mostly known for his electric work, Romeo will often incorporate acoustic passages into some songs to add a different shade to offset some of his heavier work.  And check out his interplay with keyboardist Michael Pinnella as well!

Choice cuts:  “Accolade”, “Accolade II”, “Sea Of Lies”, “Communion And The Oracle”

18.  Duane Allman/Dickey Betts/Warren Haynes

Yeah I’m cheating here but so what 🙂  Allman and Betts were the original guitar tandem with the Allman Brothers Band while Warren Haynes was one of the many guitarists that joined the band after Allman’s untimely death in the early 70’s and also leads his own group Gov’t Mule.  But I’m focusing on the ABB and leaving these guys out of any guitar discussion is hard to do.  Allman’s slide guitar and Betts’ jazzy runs were instrumental to the success of that band from roughly 1969 to 1971 and set the tone for many jam bands to come.  It’s hard to just refer to the Allmans as a “jam band” as they covered a range of styles, from country to blues to jazz to soul to a everything in between.  In the two year period between the formation of the band to Allman’s death, they were just starting to take off.  Fortunately with Haynes joining in the late 80’s, the band went through a serious “revival” (pun intended) before recently calling it quits earlier this year.

Choice cuts:  “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”, “Nobody Knows”, “One Way Out”, “Statesboro Blues”

17.  Elliott Randall/Denny Dias/Jeff Baxter

Ahhh the Dan!  I’m sorry, but I’m a big Steely Dan fan, especially the first three or four albums before they got a little too fine tuned and jazzy around Aja.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that album and those that came after but to me, those first few featuring the great work of Randall, Dias, and Baxter are on another level.  These three cats can play!  Can’t Buy A Thrill, Countdown To Ecstasy, and Pretzel Logic featured the three as the Dan broke ground with their rock n soul n jazz stylings.  Their work on these three albums can still be heard on classic rock radio today.  Their raw lead tones and how they color each song with their playing are mini compositions in their own right and are often quite memorable in their own way.  Apologies to the other Steely Dan guitarists that have played over the years, but these three are the tops in my book.

Choice Cuts:  “My Old School”, “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, “Reelin’ In The Years”, “Bodhisattva”

16.  Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page…  Led Zeppelin… what more do you need to say?  Sure, the mid to late 70s (and into the 80s) was a bit of a drug infested period for Page and his live playing often suffered, but you can’t deny the man’s talents.  Did he write classic songs?  Check…  Did he write great riffs?  Check…  Did he have memorable solos?  Check…  Did he write some beautiful acoustic passages?  Check…  Page was a master of light and shade, black and white, and tight but loose.  Even pre-Zeppelin he was one of THE go to session guitarists on the London scene.  The man had talent to spare, whether it be soft acoustic playing or layers upon layers of over the top raw electric on six or twelve string guitar.  The depth of his songwriting alone puts him on this list and his expressive and often ethereal guitar playing helped make Led Zeppelin infamous.

Choice Cuts:  “Stairway To Heaven”, “Whole Lotta Love”, “Achilles Last Stand”, “The Rain Song”