Best Guitar Riff?
 

Since I saw this survey in a local newspaper recently, I thought it'd be interesting to pose the question to all of you. Which song do you think has the best guitar riff? Heh, fun.

Layla
Birthday
Day Tripper
I Feel Fine

Wow, good call. For repeated riffs, my bets have got to be:
Van Halen - 5150
Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) the Reaper, Godzilla, and ETI
Iron Maiden - The Trooper, Powerslave, Back in the Villiage, and Phantom of the Opera

For solos and incidental riffs, two spring right to mind:
Frank Zappa - The Opening and Incidental Leads for Po-Jama People
Dread Zeppelin - The hook in Baba O'Reilly

It's not a sophisticated answer, but I consider the Rollings Stones to be the kings of riff rock. Take pretty much anything, Street Fighting Man, Satisfaction, Paint it Black, etc.

I think my favorite riff would probably be Opeth's song "Closure." So well composed and has a great sound to it.

I would have to vote for Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird. But I may be biased because I love that band so much.

anything from children of bodom, i can't get over how amazing some of those scandinavian guitarists are

There are so many, its hard to say which one is best. IMHO, Zep and Sabbath rule as far as riffs are concerned. My fave riffs are as follows:

Enter Sandman
Cult of Personality
Free Bird
Black Dog
Iron Man
Wasted Years
Whole Lotta Love
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Come As You are
Master of Puppets

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
GNR - Sweet Child o' Mine (yeah yeah cop out)
Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
Iron Butterfly - In a Gadda da Vida
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Megadeth - In Our Darkest Hour
Metallica - Some Kind of Monster
Metallica - All Within My Hands
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Simple Man
Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
Metallica - Call of Ktulu
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Megadeth - Hanger 18
Powerman 5000 - Nobody's Real


there are many many more but this is hard :)

Who's Dread Zeppelin? I've accidentally downloaded a track by them i think.

Dread Zeppelin is a Led Zeppelin cover band that does everything in a reggae style and is fronted by a 400lb Elvis impersonator. I can't reccommend all of their music, but their version of Stairway is, IMHO every bit as good as the original, and they have a bunch of disco standards to zeppelin tunes in a reggae style that are definitely worth a listen (Jive Talkin', for one.)

Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Dismemberment Plan - Academy Award

Those would be my current two favorites.

Zeppelin - The Ocean

Zepp's "Dancing Days," Beatles "Across the Universe," and SRV "Life by the Drop"

Iron Maiden - Hallowed be thy Name
Metallica - Seek & Destroy

Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows

That's all that's coming to mind. For now.

Wicked Game by Chris Isaak comes to mind. Though not really a fan when I hear it I am haunted by it for days.

Rolling Stones - Satisfaction!
and of course, Duane Allman's Classic Riff in Layla.

And Free Bird doesn't have any god damn riffs in it!

the sweet riff in Episode 666 by In Flames. If you have heard the song you will know what im talking about! :)

AFI - The Last Kiss

Iron Maiden - Dream of Mirrors, Rainmaker, Fear of the Dark, Dance of Death
Yengwie Malmsteen - Ships are Burned, Black Star
Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn
Steve Vai - For the Love of God
Joe Satriani - Summer Song
Hey the list just keep goin on ... and it gets better and better ...

Black Dog- Zeppelin
Lords Of Karma-Satriani
Master Of Puppets-Metallica
Hierate Mich-Rammstein
I Believe In A Thing Called Love-The Darkness
Are You Gonna Be My Girl?-Jet
Are You Gonna Go My Way?- Lenny Kravitz

A Led Zeppelin tribute band.

prolly the one that really gets me going, would be HIM - Right here in my arms, prolly not one of best but my favourite

Black dog (Led Zep) and Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Hendrix) both mentioned already, are definately in my top picks. I'd throw in White Room, Sunshine of your Love...well shit, just about anything by Cream.

pantera's cowboys from hell

UFO - Lights Out
Lenny Kravitz - Are you gonna go my way
Joe Satriani - Surfin with the alien

Ill second every one of those :thumbsup:

The solo in the middle of heartbreaker - Led Zepp
Or White mountain/Black summer - Led Zep

My two favorites.

Oh you kids! not one mention of the single greatest opening riff of all time-easily recognizable and known by any serious guitarist....i remind you all of...
Doobie Brothers-Long Train Running :D
(also one of the all time best classic rock segues ever!)

I'd have to say that Voodoo Chile's intro is one of my all time favorites.

The others would have to include:

Little Wing (Hendrix or SRV)
Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam)
Alive (Pearl Jam)
Layla (Derek and the Dominoes)
Black Dog (Zep)

Obviously the best riffs in all of those would be the intros.

Jimi Hendrix- 1983
Traffic- Dear Mr. Fantasy
Led Zeppelin- No Quarter

Pantera, Cowboys from hell. oh yeah

I second those too, but you're missing Megadeth's songs 'Peace Sells' and 'Holy Wars'.

besides the obvious led zep and hendrix
i think the stone roses - love spreads has a pretty mean guitar throughout the song

and check this song if you can find it...nice solo toward the end
dungen - du e for fin for mig