Yahoo Music picks top 25 Guitar Riffs

View the whole list HERE, and download the top 3 below. One that strikes me as strange is The Beatles’ I Feel Fine. It is a great guitar part, but does it qualify as one of the greatest “riffs” ever? I’m afraid I don’t feel fine about that.  Their justification:

All said, I’d take “She Said, She Said” or “And Your Bird Can Sing,” but we’ll stick with the tunes that the band and their record company pushed on the public as hit singles. This one with its use of (gasp) feedback (were people conservative and corny back then or what?) and its string mangling complexity make you wonder why they bothered. I guess they wanted a challenge. This could’ve been a hit even without the difficult riff.

Top 3 riffs:

3. Purple Haze-Jimi Hendrix

2. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction-The Rolling Stones

1. Smoke on the Water-Deep Purple

[NOTE: I think a number of White Stripes songs could've easily made this list, but none did.  My top contender: Blue Orchid.]

MP

The Roots on The Colbert Report

Faux-conservative commentator and former correspondent of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, is spending a week in Philadelphia leading up to next Tuesday’s Democratic primary event between Bruce Springsteen-endorsed Barack Obama and Mayor Nutter-endorsed Hillary Clinton.  Last night he hosted Philly natives The Roots, as they performed a uniquely dark version of The Star Spangled Banner.  It is obviously reminiscent of Sir Jimi Hendrix’s performance of the song at Woodstock nearly 40 years ago; watch it below (mp3s below the video):

MP3: Bruce Springsteen-Born to Run

MP3: The Roots-Masters of War

MP3: Jimi Hendrix-Star Spangled Banner

MP3: Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart-America the Book, Chapter 11

MP

Dead at 27

Some months back, mid-2007, rumors were flying that Conor Oberst, the vision behind Bright Eyes (pun intended) was freaking out about turning 27 years old. After all, he allegedly claimed, there is a statistical spike in the rate of deaths for famous musicians at the age. Many prominent musicians met their demise during this time, especially during the late ’60s, early ’70s. This coincidental grouping has become known as the 27 Club. And thus, it is playlist time. Here is a countdown of the top five musicians to die at 27, with accompanying mp3s:

5. Janis Joplin-Me and Bobby McGee

4. Brian Jones- playing harmonica on Under My Thumb (Jones was supposedly heavily influenced by blues guitarist Robert Johnson, who also died at the perilous age of 27.)