Gibson votes 'Back in Black' #5 guitar riff of all time
AC/DC's 'Back in Black' has won 5th place in Gibson's 'Top 50 Guitar Riffs of All Time' readers poll.
Gibson Also voted the riff '#1 riff of the '80's' in last year's November poll.
"Angus Young channeled the rock and roll gods when he conjured the opening riff for the title track to AC/DC’s Back in Black album. The song was their way of paying tribute to the band’s fallen singer, Bon Scott. Three staccato-hard, crunchy chords – E, D, A – then a sliding, bending scale back down to E. The riff is unique, bone-crushing, and it instantly grabs your attention. Angus has created some sick riffs in his day, but none sicker than this ode to a lost friend. – Sean Patrick Dooley" (Gibson Article)
The full list is as follows:
| Rank | Riff | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” | The Rolling Stones |
| 2 | “Smoke on the Water” | Deep Purple |
| 3 | “Whole Lotta Love” | Led Zeppelin |
| 4 | “Iron Man” | Black Sabbath |
| 5 | “Back in Black” | AC/DC |
| 6 | “Smells Like Teen Spirit” | Nirvana |
| 7 | “You Really Got Me” | The Kinks |
| 8 | “Day Tripper” | The Beatles |
| 9 | “Walk This Way” | Aerosmith |
| 10 | “Sunshine of Your Love” | Cream |
| 11 | “Crazy Train” | Ozzy Osbourne |
| 12 | “Sweet Child O’ Mine” | Guns N’ Roses |
| 13 | “Layla” | Derek and the Dominos |
| 14 | “Purple Haze” | The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
| 15 | “Enter Sandman” | Metallica |
| 16 | “Heartbreaker” | Led Zeppelin |
| 17 | “Black Dog” | Led Zeppelin |
| 18 | “Oh, Pretty Woman” | Roy Orbison |
| 19 | “Johnny B. Goode” | Chuck Berry |
| 20 | “Foxy Lady” | Jimi Hendrix |
| 21 | “I Feel Fine” | The Beatles |
| 22 | “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” | Van Halen |
| 23 | “Seven Nation Army” | The White Stripes |
| 24 | “Ticket to Ride” | The Beatles |
| 25 | “Highway to Hell” | AC/DC |
| 26 | “Shakin’ All Over” | Johnny Kidd and the Pirates |
| 27 | “Rebel Rebel” | David Bowie |
| 28 | “Mannish Boy” | Muddy Waters |
| 29 | “Bo Diddley” | Bo Diddley |
| 30 | “Welcome to the Jungle” | Guns N’ Roses |
| 31 | “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” | The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
| 32 | “Wild Thing” | The Troggs |
| 33 | “T.V. Eye” | The Stooges |
| 34 | “Rock You Like a Hurricane” | Scorpions |
| 35 | “Rock and Roll” | Led Zeppelin |
| 36 | “Panama” | Van Halen |
| 37 | “Rumble” | Link Wray & His Ray Men |
| 38 | “Teenage Kicks” | The Undertones |
| 39 | “Sultans of Swing” | Dire Straits |
| 40 | “I Can’t Explain” | The Who |
| 41 | “I Fought the Law” | Bobby Fuller Four |
| 42 | “Susie Q” | Dale Hawkins |
| 43 | “Somethin’ Else” | Eddie Cochran |
| 44 | “Peggy Sue” | Buddy Holly |
| 45 | “Cat Scratch Fever” | Ted Nugent |
| 46 | “Revolution” | The Beatles |
| 47 | “Born on the Bayou” | Creedence Clearwater Revival |
| 48 | “Louie Louie” | The Kingsmen |
| 49 | “School’s Out” | Alice Cooper |
| 50 | “Guerilla Radio” | Rage Against the Machine |
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BACK IN BLACK ROCKS . HIGHWAY TO HELL should also be in the top 5 .