Seven

Ace Frehley

Born: April 27, 1952

From: New York City dammit!

Played With: Kiss; Frehley's Comet; solo

Six

From modern metalheads like Slipknot, Rammstein, Skindred to eighties pomp like The Scoprions, Wolf, and Manowar, there would be no heavy metal without Tony Iommi. He invented it. Not single-handedly, he had a bit of help from Ozzy Osbourne and the other members of Black Sabbath. But for the most part it was him. Certainly he added the main element: metal guitar. Thirty-one years and counting, his earliest licks still sound hard.

Before he was with Sabbath, Iommi got a start as the guitarist of Jethro Tull following the frequent absences of Mike Abrahams. He played with them at the Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus, but his dark style didn't quite fit with the folky-blues-prog of Tull, so he left them.

When he came across Black Sabbath, he decided to quit his factory job and play hot licks for them. On hsi last day at work, two of his fingers (the tips of them) were smashed. With caps on his fingers, he developed a style wholly unique. With rashing blues mixed with dark arts riffs, he was on top of the guitar game. To this day, he and Sabbath still bust out classics like "Sweat Leaf" and "Iron Man" to all those dedicated fans who love the original heay metal band and the guitarist that made them.

Five

Originally a drummer, the Netherlands-born Edward switched instruments with his brother Alex, hooked up with bassist Mike Anthony and singer Dave Lee Roth. Since their debut in 1978, Van Halen has been a powerhouse of rock and roll. The biggest role is played by Eddie, with his scarred and wildy colored guitar Frankenstein(see the above pic). Eddie's style is the most unique of any guitarist. A penchant for classical music gives his hard edged stylings a progressive, artisticly elegant pomp. Today, his style is less hard and fast, but more emotional and tortured. That's what happens when a guitar genius matures! Eddie is notorious for having trouble like Van Halen's frontmen. Roth drove him nuts, pompous Sammy Hagar "suffered from LSD (Lead Singer's Disease!)" and Gary Cherone's album sucked as far as everyone was concerned.  Despite his lead singer trouble, he's kept his band on tour for over twenty years. His super licks just keep comin'.

Best Performance: Eruption (from Van Halen)

Four

Big ego, big talent, big nose. Lanky Pete Townshend (AKA Conk and Bone) popularized the windmill and guitar smashing. With a passion for jazz, pop art, and spiritualism (he is a follower of the mystic Meher Baba), Townshend derives his inspriations from all sorts of things. He was the most experimental guitarist of the 1960s, with extensive use of feedback and distortion. As he progressed, an earthy, almost country sound covered his guitar style. Then he went back to basics, only with a more artsy spin. Today he plays acoustic guitar rather than electric most of the time (due to hearing problems), but in his prime he made the guitar scream with chaotic glory. Though his playing on Who albums like Quarophenia and Who's Next show his wide range of styling, it is his live work that shows him in top form. As musical leader of the band, he could easily work within the other group members and veer off into wild territory without losing them. The original punk inspiration (in style and youthful angst), Pete's super chords and wild licks say one thing and one thing only: F*ckin' shut up and listen to the f*ckin' music! (did I mention nobody can outswear him?)

Best Performance: My Generation (live version from Live At Leeds) (with The Who)

Three

Angus was only sixteen when AC/DC recorded their first album. Since he was still in school, his sister suggested he wear his school uniform when they played. Thirty years later, he's still wearing it. Live, he's a sweat drenched maniac, bobbing his head and sliding back and forth like a spaz. Musically, his style is devilishly simple, but with sheer speed and the occasional change of pace, he ingites raw energy like never before. He's really on the blues side, but the high voltage volume of his guitar makes it 100% R&R. Few guitarists have provided us with thicker, meatier chords, all of them played on his Gibson SG. "Highway To Hell," "Rock And Roll Damnation," "Hells Bells" and countless other AC/DC songs are recognized as super guitar workouts. Even today, almost fifty years old, Angus continues to bob, shake, and make speakers bleed with the fattest rock chords yet devised.

Best Performance: Let There Be Rock (live) (from If You Want Blood You've Got It)

Two

"This black guy in a day-glo blouse playing music from hell and holding the guitar like he was f*cking it." That's how Monkee Micky Dolenz described Jimi Hendrix, and he's right. When not making sexy moves with his favorite toy, a Strat, or maybe a painted Flying V, Jimi made music. In his day, distortion was just starting to gain appeal, with proto-punk and garage rock. Jimi's passion for blues, stylin' clothes, afro-american funk style, and Indian mysticism (yeah, he's black and Indian) made him the most colorful (literally) musician of the 1960s. And speaking of color, his psychedelic lyrics made for a perfect match with his overdrive wailing and frenetic feedback. With his playing going everywhere, you could say he's sloppy. In that case, I like sloppy! Besides, when the guitar is wailing the power of rock & roll, do ya really CARE if he's in time with the music? I don't. Much of his music has the guitar jumping from left to right in the speakers. Distracting? Nah. Cool? Yeah.

Jimi was loved by other musicians. Following Pete Townshend's guitar smashing peformance at the Monteray Pop Festival, Hendrix not only smashed his guitar, but then set it on fire and bowed down, as if worshipping it. This scene would become one of rock's most famous moments. Backstage, Mama Cass Elliot said to Pete Townshend "Isn't that guy stealing your act?" Pete replied, "Yeah, but he's so f*ckin great, who cares?"

 When this guy died, we lost a major innovator and a pure genius. But his music remains powerful. Get experienced!

Best Performance: Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (from Electric Ladyland)

One

Replacing Ron Asheton as the Stooges' guitarist, James Williamson changed the group from an angry punk prophets to hard rock masters. While Iggy ranted about all kinds of crap, James played more notes in eight seconds than anyone else could in a whole song. He wailed, he snarled, he scratched, he rocked. With a ton of anger of frustration, he gave the Stooges a new lease on life. Everything about them changed. He played with more speed than Ron and more madness than Iggy displayed, and that's saying something. Raw Power would go down in history as one of rock's best. Sadly, the group would crumble soon afterward. But James kept rockin'. He joined with Iggy for a new album: Kill City. In so many ways, James is the definitive rock guitarist. Not too complex, fast, and with an edge. He's so raw he's, well.....the raw power.

Best Performance: Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (from Raw Power)