SPIN Magazine's Top 100 Guitarists - nerd baiting at it's finest

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

He was highly influential on his sub-genre at the time, but I think his influence has already largely faded off. IMO he will never have the lasting influence of people like Hendrix or EVH, and the other deserving guitar legends that are typically rightfully included in these kinds of lists. A lot of these guitarists are influential for changing the direction of rock music. I think of Cobain as an temporary unfortunate detour.
Just my opinion. (And Cozmo's. I can safely call that one. )

Also, with Ryzee's admission, I can actually put a name on the list of people he influenced.  I don't know who all these guitarists and bands were that he influenced.  Yes, he influenced lots of them.  I don't know specifically who though.  Now I could spout off a list of people Ace influenced.  And most people would actually KNOW who those people are, or at least would've heard of them.

Stop stealing my argument, Blob.   I have said that for years.  Sure, Cobain was influential...he influenced a shit ton of crappy 90s grunge and alt rock bands, most of whom's music had the shelf life of a carton of milk.  Well done.

If we're only ever going to agree on one thing, I'm glad it's this.   

The Mayans were right...

I am not denying it; I am just saying, most of the bands grunge influenced sucked swamp water.  It's like the guy who brags that he slept with tons of women, but all of them were slutty porkers...is that really anything to brag about?

Like hair metal? ;D ;D

No, not at all like that.

[Ravenheart]

I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of what the public opinion on Cobain's legitimacy of guitar prowess is, but I have to wonder if it's only music magazines these days that insist he played such a huge role in the shaping of modern guitar playing.

I always thought Cobain was more recognized for his band as a whole, lyrics, and image, not his guitar playing. I dunno.

[Ryzee]

I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of what the public opinion on Cobain's legitimacy of guitar prowess is, but I have to wonder if it's only music magazines these days that insist he played such a huge role in the shaping of modern guitar playing.

I always thought Cobain was more recognized for his band as a whole, lyrics, and image, not his guitar playing. I dunno.

Yeah, this was my impression.  He didn't influence me as a guitar player per se, but prior to '91-'92 I pretty much only listened to hip-hop music.  Then when Nevermind blew up something about it spoke to me for some reason and made 11, 12 year old me go "holy shit!  Maybe there's something to all this guitar rock business my dad has been going on about!"  So I asked my Dad to teach me how to play Smells Like Teen Spirit, then from there I discovered Metallica through Enter Sandman and the Black Album and the rest is history.  I do remember thinking even at like 13 though that I was a better guitar player than Kurt, mainly cuz I had the tab book for Master of Puppets and could play all of the songs.  I'd tell my Dad that though and he'd go "yeah, but Kurt writes awesome songs.  It doesn't matter how good you are at guitar if you can't write songs."  Fuckin fatherly wisdom and shit.

[skydivingninja]

I always thought Cobain was more recognized for his band as a whole, lyrics, and image, not his guitar playing. I dunno.

This seems pretty accurate.  Its more the image that's ingrained into everyone's mind.

I am not denying it; I am just saying, most of the bands grunge influenced sucked swamp water.  It's like the guy who brags that he slept with tons of women, but all of them were slutty porkers...is that really anything to brag about?

Like hair metal? ;D ;D

No, not at all like that.

Nah, pretty much.  Except hair metal guys actually wrote songs bragging about banging slutty porkers. 

But seriously, both post-grunge and hair metal scenes never held much water, it seems.  They were pretty self-contained but had lots of bands that were just sort of there. 

[Sigz]

I mean, EVH is certainly a more talented' guitarist than Cobain, but in the end I'd much rather listen to Smells like Teen Spirit than Eruption. Either way, I'm not sure why influence has anything to do with "best guitarists". Cobain's talent was not really in guitar like zander said, and I really don't see what Cobain contributed to the guitar world at all. He wrote plenty of great songs, but songwriting != guitar playing.

[bosk1]

I mean, EVH is certainly a more talented' guitarist than Cobain, but in the end I'd much rather listen to Smells like Teen Spirit than Eruption.

Really?    Why?

[Gorille85]

I mean, EVH is certainly a more talented' guitarist than Cobain, but in the end I'd much rather listen to Smells like Teen Spirit than Eruption. Either way, I'm not sure why influence has anything to do with "best guitarists". Cobain's talent was not really in guitar like zander said, and I really don't see what Cobain contributed to the guitar world at all. He wrote plenty of great songs, but songwriting != guitar playing.

yup

[Ryzee]

I mean, EVH is certainly a more talented' guitarist than Cobain, but in the end I'd much rather listen to Smells like Teen Spirit than Eruption.

Really?    Why?

I don't mean to speak for Sigz, but I'm going to guess that it's because Smells Like Teen Spirit is a song and Eruption is a guitar solo? 

[BlobVanDam]

I mean, EVH is certainly a more talented' guitarist than Cobain, but in the end I'd much rather listen to Smells like Teen Spirit than Eruption.

To be fair though, that's an awful comparison considering Eruption is only meant as an instrumental noodle fest. Choose any other song on VH1, and it's not even a contest at all. Every single song on that album would leave any Nirvana song for dead (no pun intended).
EVH is both one of the best guitarists of all time, AND one of the better pop/hard rock songwriters of all time.

btw I agree with the rest of your post, that was just a bad choice for comparison, unless the purpose of your argument was to choose the extremes.

[Sigz]

No you're right there, but as far as I'm concerned I'd take Smells Like Teen Spirit over most, if not all, of Van Halen's stuff that I know. I just chose Eruption cause we're talking about guitar work.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

He wrote plenty of great songs, but songwriting != guitar playing.

FTFY

[King Postwhore]

WTF!!  Sonic Youth #! ?!?!?!

NO WAY!

[MondayMorningLunatic]

This is garbage. Even worse than the Rolling Stone list. Whoever wrote this seems to have a huge bias towards indie rock. I like a lot of alt/indie stuff, but let's be realistic: those guys can barely play their instruments. Plus, any list without Lane, Holdsworth and De Lucia is invalid.

[TVC 15]

This is garbage. Even worse than the Rolling Stone list. Whoever wrote this seems to have a huge bias towards indie rock. I like a lot of alt/indie stuff, but let's be realistic: those guys can barely play their instruments. Plus, any list without Lane, Holdsworth and De Lucia is invalid.

"Favorite"  is the key word of Spin's editorial staff.  Not "best".

I'm quoting the preface before the list rattles on in the article:

To celebrate the new generation of shredders profiled in our May/June "Loud Issue," the SPIN staff decided to find some wheedle in a haystack, taking on the impossible task of ranking our favorite guitar players of all time. Traditionally, the "greatest guitarist" timeline begins with Robert Johnson magically conjuring the blues, nears perfection with Eric Clapton mutating it beatifically, and then ultimately reaches a boomer-baiting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame apotheosis with the free-spirited Jimi Hendrix shooting it into space like feedback-laden fireworks. For this list, we veer toward the alternative canon that kicks in with the Velvet Underground trying to erase that form entirely, making guitar solos gauche and using instruments as sadomasochistic tools for hammering out sheets of white heat.

[Big Hath]

This is garbage. Even worse than the Rolling Stone list. Whoever wrote this seems to have a huge bias towards indie rock. I like a lot of alt/indie stuff, but let's be realistic: those guys can barely play their instruments. Plus, any list without Lane, Holdsworth and De Lucia is invalid.

exactly

How about Al freakin Di Meola

[ZKX-2099]

They could have avoided a lot of confusion by simply titling it "100 musicians we like, most of whom play guitar."

But then again this is a list made by a magazine that I am sure most people forgot existed they probably wanted the cheap heat.

[TVC 15]

One thing I could add is that #93, Annie Clark, should really have been ranked higher.  She has these complex riffs going on while she sings her parts.  I'd most definitely recommend the latest St Vincent album Strange Mercy for all the "out there" guitar stuff.

Also...


Annie Clark


has an uncle who's most definitely a monster guitar player: Tuck Andress


That insane talent sure runs in the family.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

I know a gigantic obsessive Nirvana fanboy and even he says Kurt even being in the top 100 guitar players is retarded.

[SystematicThought]

I like how the guy that Varg Vikernes murdered, Euronymous, is on the list

[Sigz]

I like how the guy that Varg Vikernes murdered, Euronymous, is on the list

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

As shit as this list is, I gotta give em kudos for including Fred Frith. Never hear that guy mentioned in great guitarist conversations and he's fantastic. I guess RIO isn't exactly a popular genre though.

[Jaq]

Number 100 made me lol so hard. Seriously, they had to use SOMEONE ELSE PLAYING IT as the best moment for Skrillex. That's epic failure. And a rap DJ in the top ten is hilarious. This list is about 75% "people who make noise on or which sounds like guitars" with a few people who can actually play sprinkled in.

[ariich]

I always thought Cobain was more recognized for his band as a whole, lyrics, and image, not his guitar playing. I dunno.

This exactly. I completely agree that he was very influential as a general musician and rock star, but no way in hell was he influential as a guitarist. Which is why his placement on lists like this is always a bit laughable.

[ReaperKK]

I will say that Prince is a pretty damn good guitar player, have a listen to the solo at the end, it's got great bits of shredding:

"Bambi" https://grooveshark.com/s/Bambi/36hoXz?src=5

Anyway, this list certainly had some different names on here.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Prince is a great guitarist. I loathe his music though.