Beatlemania inspired millions of kids to pick up guitars. And with the dawn of the rock era and the elevation of the album as an art form, a golden generation of guitar heroes emerged – Clapton, Beck, Page, Santana and Hendrix...
10 REVOLVER
(1966)
With the burden of Beatlemania weighing heavily on their shoulders, the Fab Four channelled their energies into expanding the possibilities of studio recording on Revolver. As well as incorporating elaborate orchestrations, tape loops, sound effects and exotic instruments, the band updated their guitars from the early Rickenbacker-dominated sound.
Harrison, Lennon and McCartney introduced the Gibson SG, Epiphone Casino, and Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 into their arsenal, beefing up their tone in line with the more rock-orientated sounds brought to the fore by the likes of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck in 1966. The experimentation yielded stunning results, like the raucous psychedelia of She Said She Said and the harmonised twin lead guitar lines of And Your Bird Can Sing, courtesy of Harrison and McCartney. George Harrison was starting to experiment with Indian music, and his sitar playing on Love You To brought something new to rock music, but it’s McCartney’s electrifying solo on Taxman that provides the album’s greatest guitar moment. The result was one of the highlights of The Beatles’ career. After Revolver, guitar music would never be the same again.
09 WHEELS OF FIRE
(1968)
Cream’s third LP was released at the apex of their short career, showcasing everything that made them special. It became the world’s first platinum selling double vinyl album, consisting of two sides of new studio recordings and two sides of live recordings. The opening track and hit single White Room is the quintessential Cream power rock sound, with Eric Clapton’s wah solo a highlight of the album. Born Under A Bad Sign and Sitting On Top Of The World present British Blues at its finest, and the live rendition of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads features arguably Clapton’s greatest guitar solo.
08 TRUTH
(1968)
Beck’s first solo album is a cornerstone of the heavy rock sound of the late 60s, pre-empting Led Zeppelin’s debut by a few months. Indeed, the cover of Muddy Waters’ You Shook Me bears remarkable similarities to Zeppelin’s version of the same song. Two of Zeppelin’s lineup even appeared on Truth, with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones joining Beck, The Who’s Keith Moon on drums and Nicky Hopkins on piano for the fearsome Page-penned instrumental Beck’s Bolero. The album opens with a slowed-down, rockier version of his former band’s Shapes Of Things, featuring some virtuosic lead guitar work to kick things off. Elsewhere, Morning Dew and I Ain’t Superstitious showcase his dexterity with a wah-wah pedal, Blues
