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Top 20 Rock Riffs Of All Time Named

added 04 May 2004 at 15.25

A new list compiling the Greatest Rock Guitar Riff Ever has just been revealed, and includes songs by Metallica, Muse, Rage Against The Machine and Queens Of The Stone Age. But who tops the poll?

The new poll appears in Total Guitar magazine, and intends to recognise the most impressive piece of rock plank spankery ever committed to record.

While there are creditable entries for modern acts including Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’ (20), Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘No One Knows’ (18) and ‘Plug In Baby’ by Muse (13) the chart really belongs to the classics.

Guns 'N' Roses' 'Sweet Child O' Mine' tops the list with Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' just behind. Elsewhere the old guard of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix dominate the top ten.

The full list is:

1. Guns N' Roses ‘Sweet Child O' Mine’
2. Nirvana ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
3. Led Zeppelin ‘Whole Lotta Love’
4. Deep Purple ‘Smoke On The Water’
5. Metallica ‘Enter Sandman’
6. Derek & The Dominoes/Eric Clapton ‘Layla’
7. Metallica ‘Master Of Puppets’
8. AC/DC ‘Back In Black’
9. Jimi Hendrix ‘Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)’
10. Black Sabbath ‘Paranoid’Ozzy Osbourne ‘Crazy Train’
11. Ozzy Osbourne 'Crazy Train'
12. Free ‘All Right Now’
13. Muse ‘Plug In Baby’
14. Led Zeppelin ‘Black Dog’
15. Van Halen ‘Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love’
16. Aerosmith w Run DMC ‘Walk This Way’
17. Cream ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’
18. Queens Of The Stone Age ‘No One Knows’
19. Guns N' Roses ‘Paradise City’
20. Rage Against The Machine ‘Killing In The Name’

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Matt Everitt

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