Back in Black 'best guitar intro riff'
Gibson Guitars have put AC/DC's Back in Black in number one spot on their list of the five best guitar intro riffs of all time
Guns n'Roses, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Cream make up the rest of their chart, which celebrates "riffs that make us remember why we love the guitar, and rock'n'roll, so much."
Gibson's Top Five
1. AC/DC: Back in Black - "Signalled the band's return after the sudden death of singer Bon Scott six months earlier, this chugging riff let everyone know they had channelled profound loss into a more furious sound than ever before."
2. Deep Purple: Smoke on the Water - "Simple but incredibly commanding. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has said: 'It was a case of keeping it simple - I remember Pete Townsend saying to me, keep things simple and take the audience with you'."
3. Guns n'Roses: Sweet Child O'Mine - "The swirling opening captured the grandeur of 80s rock within seconds. Duff McKagan said: 'It was kinda like a joke because we thought, what's this song? It's gonna be nothin' - it'll be a filler on the record. Slash was just messing around when he wrote that lick."
4. Led Zeppelin: Heartbreaker - "Aggressive power-chord arrangement that's been stuck in our heads ever since. It was the first recording to feature Jimmy Page's now-iconic Les Paul and Marshall stack duo. We can see why he stuck with the combo thereafter."
5. Cream: Sunshine of Your Love - "Inspired by a 1967 Jimi Hendrix concert, bassist Jack Bruce and lyricist Pete Brown went home that night and cranked out the band's most popular song during a jam session. It ended up capturing one fan of particular note: Jimi Hendrix."
In November Music Radar reported the results of a poll which revealed Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return) was the best rock riff of all time, regardless of its position in the song. Sweet Child o'Mine, Smoke on the Water and Back in Black were also in their top ten, at No.2, No.4 and No.6 respectively, while Sunshine of Your Love made No.31. Heartbreaker was at No.17 but Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love was No.3.
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