The
upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine is all about fiery
solos, dreamy melodies and powerful riffs, as it features a revamped list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Along with members of its staff, Rolling Stone invited a host of lauded guitarists, including Phish front man Trey Anastasio, to pick their favorite ax masters.
Jimi
Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Kieth Richards and Jeff Back top the list.
But from there, some of the rankings and selections come across as, at best,
questionable and, at worst, ludicrous.
Notably
missing from the list of lick kings was Anastasio himself, who ranked 73rd on David Fricke's 2003 version. (At the time, Fricke was a senior editor for the
magazine.)
Being
that he was a part of the panel who compiled the list, Anastasio's absence
could be explained as a mere conflict of interest -- though that did not seem
to keep Eddie Van Halen (No. 8), Derek Trucks (No. 16) or Tom Morello (No. 40),
all of whom given a vote, off it.
As
expected, Phish fans showed up to express their outrage at Anastasio not making
the cut. They were
not the only sect to find flaws in the list, however, as others wondered why
the panel left out or poorly ranked their favorite guitarists.
Yet one
should never view these lists -- though supremely entertaining -- as without
flaw or set in stone. In some
ways, it's fruitless for a publication to even compile one; people will always find
reason to gripe about where their favorite musician ends up.
In dealing
with such lists, then, the best course is to let fans -- not artists and
certainly not editors, reporters or critics -- decide the rankings.
So, to
this end, I welcome you to post your list of guitar gods in the comments section below. Go
crazy.
