[corrosive_nf]

Martin Gore's guitar on Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. You instantly know what the song is just by the guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48JFIv9LZ2w

 

[deathklok]

Not going to be a popular choice, but Lost to Apathy by Dark Tranquillity has a main riff which sends chills down my spine every time.

 

[Luonnotar]

Hmm and here I thought this topic was about riffs by the band Immortal

But to contribute something useful, I would say:
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower

 

[Gatticus]

Another Bowie song with a good opening riff is Queen Bitch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rk6z...elated&search=

 

[Gatticus]

Lou Reed - Vicious

This is not as good as the studio version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0c8Q6doiJI

 

[captainzoli]

Judas Priest - "Breaking the Law"

 

[AdamCalifornia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadtonowhere08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif When it comes to riffs, nobody, and I mean NOBODY touches Tony Iommi.

As I mentioned in my original post quoting someone from the Ozz Fest (DVD)

"Black Sabbath riffs were not composed by a human!"

Also when I was watching this DVD many guitarists from those new groups said that
the first riffs they had learned were riffs written by Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath:
Black Sabbath, Iron Man, Paranoid, Fairies Have Boots, ....

To me those riffs are absolutely phenomenal!

 

[GlendaleViper]

Firstly, I should make it clear that I too pray at the altar of Iommi. It takes a God of the riff to create the riffs of the Gods.

Definitely Davies (Kinks), Richards (Stones) and Young (AC/DC), as mentioned.

Not a big fan, but ZZ Top deserves mention. Jim Heath of Reverend Horton Heat is also a master of the lick.

Beyond that, I couldn't begin to list all the fantastic riffs available. I'm very partial to modern Canadian garage, so I guess I'll say the following are worth checking out for riffs alone:

Tricky Woo
The Illuminati
Preistess
C'mon
The Matadors
White Cowbell Oklahoma
The Waking Eyes

 

[elrod-tom]

What about "Space Station #5" by Montrose??

 

[jsaliga]

These are just some of the favorites from my collection...

Buddy Guy - Damn Right I've Got the Blues

Eric Clapton - Layla

AC/DC - Hells Bells

Alice in Chains - Man in the Box

The Beatles - Come Together

Big Country - In a Big Country

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Booker T & the MGs - Green Onions (though Roy Buchanan's cover was a big improvement IMO)

Boston - Their entire debut album. Tom Scholtz's catch phrase must have been "I shall play no riff before its time" Most premium French wines age and ready to drink in less time than a Tom Scholtz riff is ready to play.

The Clash - London Calling

Creedence Cleawater Revival - Green River

Def Leppard - Rock of Ages

Rick Derringer - Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo

Faces - Stay with Me

Heart - Wild Child

Jimi Hendrix - Voodo Child (Slight Return)

Pink Floyd - Pretty much the entire DSOTM album

The Rolling Stones - Monkey Man (the lyrics are dipsy but the riffs are huge).

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Say What! (the opening track the from Soul to Soul album - the best use of a pedal since Hendrix made it popular)

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused

Eric Johnson - Zap!

Journey - Stone in Love

Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Coming

U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love)

Michael Bloomfield - Stop

Gary Moore - Victims of the Future

Joe Satriani - Flying in Blue Dream

Nazareth - Beggars Day

Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls

Mountain - Mississippi Queen

Guided by Voices - Skills Like This

...and way too many more to list since a very large portion of my 2,500 CD collection is guitar-based rock.

--Jerome

 

[Ace o' Spades]

Ozzy Osborne - Crazy Train
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song, Black Dog, Rock and Roll, and of course stairway
Motorhead - Ace o' Spades

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Seven Seas of Rhye, and many others that I don't feel like listing...

Just a couple of my favorites...

 

[Night Surfer]

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing

 

[jtizzle]

Passage to Bankok....and the guitar solo in that song on Exit Stage Left is maybe the finest minute and change of guitar work ever devised ever.

 

[aiiee]

Winged Eel Fingerling ( aka Eliot Ingber) guitar on "Alice in Blunderland" from the Spotlight Kid album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.

It will unfold your mind and kiss it with starlight.

 

[jcn3]

i gotta go with the stones and zep riffs mentioned -- they're the best of the best.