Slash Ranks #2 Among World's Top 10 Electric Guitar Players

Time Magazine's list of "10 Greatest Electric Guitar Players" named Slash number two, just behind Jimi Hendrix.

1. Jimi Hendrix
The greatest of all time? Maybe. No one merged the blues, rock and psychedelia with as much ease, or wielded his guitar with as much charisma.

2. Slash
A remarkably precise player who had to put up with more crap from his lead singer than any guitarist on this list. Does he make the cut partially because of the hat? Yes. Yes he does.

3. BB King
He doesn't call his guitar Lucille to be cute. With King's emphasis on vibrato, she sounds like a real woman singing the blues.

4. Keith Richards
The most notable of Chuck Berry's many disciples is also the creator of more memorable riffs—"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Gimme Shelter," "Start Me Up," etc.— than anyone in rock and roll.

5. Eric Clapton
Fluent in every blues style, Clapton is probably best known as the king of the Tulsa Sound. He's also among the most melodic of guitarists, using his solos to move a song along instead of stopping it cold.

6. Jimmy Page
Page's guitar sounds like six guitars, and the heaviness of his right hand is key to the instant recognizability of Led Zeppelin's sound.

7. Chuck Berry
The father of rock and roll guitar, his staccato influence is still heard on most songs today.

8. Les Paul
An amazingly talented guitarist, Paul had a series of futuristic sounding hits in the 1950s. But his music has been superseded by his invention: Paul pioneered the design and construction of the modern electric guitar, which made everyone else on this list very rich.

9. Yngwie Malmsteen
The Swede's superfast "neo-Classical" style —he credits Bach and Paganini as influences—is a blur of scales and technical precision. It almost makes you forget that the great bulk of his music is so fast that it's unlistenable.

10. Prince
He does a little singing, but Prince also plays a mean lead guitar. The solo on "Let's Go Crazy" is a frequently cited example of his frenetic style, but covers of "Just My Imagination" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" prove he can also play under control.

11. Johnny Ramone
No one hated guitar solos more than Johnny Ramone, so it's not surprising he perfected the Punk style, packing chords together tightly and leaving no space for freelancing.

TIME

Slash at Quart - Today's Main Stage Lineup

• Slash & Friends
• McQueen
• Skambankt
• Juke Kartel

Opening the show today will be Melbourne, Australia-based band Juke Kartel.


Hand-picked by Slash himself to open the show "Juke Kartel is about one thing only. Forget the branding, strip away the hype. All that matters is the music.Rocking loud and hard, with a respectful nod to the blues, Juke Kartel is a charismatic blend of talent, passion and dedication with a downright mischievous streak."

Next up is Skambankt, a Norwegian hard rock band from Klepp.


They play a mixture of classic rock'n'roll, punk and hard rock in the tradition of bands like Motörhead, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Ramones and The Stooges. All the lyrics are in Norwegian, and they convey the real spirit of punk: against the state, against the system, against corruption, capitalism, monitoring, religious fanaticism, and generally hate and treachery. (Wikipedia)

Playing the penultimate slot is Brighton's own McQueen.


One of Slash' own personal favorites, in 2008 McQueen signed-up with new Manager Tom Zutaut, former head of A&R at Geffen Records and the man who signed Guns N' Roses.

"Zoot" wasted no time getting McQueen on the bill with Velvet Revolver for their UK tour before shipping the band out for a bullet tour of Australia and New Zealand, supporting Finnish band HIM.

Slash told Classic Rock Magazine that "the main band that I am excited about at the moment is McQueen. They’re one of those off-the-wall sorta left-field bands, all-girls, sorta heavy metal, but they’re really fucking committed - they take their shit very seriously. I played Nightrain with them in Nashville - and I haven’t played that song since before I left GN’R - and the singer, Leah, sang Paradise City at a Camp Freddy gig. It was impressive - she sang in key; there was no auto tuner on her voice. They have a lot of attitude, but if you don’t fuck with them, they’re very well behaved!"

However, the biggest star of this show may be the stage itself. The largest stage ever built in Norway - 576 square meters not including support stages or ramps - is situated at the base of the "Amfiet," a 10 acre lawn with spectacular view of the skerries outside Kristiansand.