Hendrix Guitar Riff Voted Best Ever

11/27/09 12:16pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

Jimi Hendrix's riff on The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" has been voted the best guitar riff ever in an online poll.

Musicradar.com asked its readers to pick their favourite riffs, which it then turned into a list of the 50 best guitar riffs of all time. The tune, which appears on 1968's Electric Ladyland, was the clear winner in the poll, picking up a whopping 14 per cent of the overall vote.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze" — both from 1967's Are You Experienced — also made the list.

"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" beat out Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine" for the top spot. The latter track garnered the #2 entry, and was followed by Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" at #3, Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" at #4 and Derek And The Dominoes' "Layla" at #5.

Led Zeppelin had the most entries on the list, with five riffs from their songs making the cut.

Here is the top 10 on Musicradar's best guitar riffs of all time:

10) The Rolling Stones —"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
9) Nirvana — "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
8) The Beatles — "Day Tripper"
7) Metallica — "Enter Sandman"
6) AC/DC — "Back In Black"
5) Derek And The Dominoes — "Layla"
4) Deep Purple — "Smoke On The Water"
3) Led Zeppelin — "Whole Lotta Love"
2) Guns N' Roses — "Sweet Child O' Mine"
1) Jimi Hendrix — "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"