Best Guitar riffs

Love Maid In Heaven, played it a lot on the juke box.

great intro kennyand a great song to boot

Joe Walsh Hotel California was voted best of all time a few years back, but there are so many to choose from.

Summerlove Sensation from 1974 by The Bay City Rollers

Impossible to pick a "best", so I'll start with a favourite -

Sweet Jane by Lou Reed (the 4 chord version)

"ADVENTURES IN A YORKSHIRE LANDSCAPE"
It doesn't have a guitar riff in it? It's got what sounds like a Hammond Organ with a bit of lead?

For actual straight in your face riffs I'd probably be going for something by AC/DC or .. wait a minute looking at the list above, it looks like Dragon isn't listing riffs, he's listing solo parts, a very different thing.

If you're talking actual riffs GnR themselves have far better than that. Toss on Appetite for Destruction, take your pick

for any guitarists wondering what I'm prattling on about with "Sweet Jane" ....

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i48YSd-EPFo

Hard to get excited about that tbh.

Take it no ones heard of my band

Aka tell this lot how good it is my support gigs so far

Don't think they've been that great tbh.
I know Mick Jagger, Tom Petty and Rod Stewart have all been begging to get a gig with you but lets be honest they are all getting on a bit.
Okay you'll say what about Kylie Minogue and Ricky Wilson but I think their maybe short of a bob or two.

Has to be gary moore, parisian walkways

November rain a close second though

blue  oyster cult....dont fear the reaper

sex pistols.....pretty vacant

saturday night special by skynyrd

George Formby

Leaning on a Lampost.

Unknown band with 'special' guitarist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVoEb5Rm5eo

Leaning on a Lampost.

Inspired.

I loved Formby as a kid. Turned out grand again.

This is good (skip to about 1:10 in)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O72lItS4OA
Not sure if it's a "riff" though!

Dinosaur Jr - Sludgefeast
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi1LrNtVltg

this makes the hairs on my boll0cks stand up.

Smokestack Lightnin' - Howling Wolf ,the riff played by Hubert Sumlin.

eruption - van halen - eddie van halen

Blowin Free - Wishbone Ash

Could list many.

Great riffs in Bob Seger`s, Like A Rock.

In younger days, 10CC and Feel The Benefit.

Black Sabbath - Tomorrows Dream / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Not sure whether we are talking about riffs or solos but Who's That Lady ( album version ) qualifies on both counts.

I was assuming there was nobody ignorant enough not to know that was the Isley Brothers but I suppose you never know.

Sweet Child Of Mine - G&R

Sweet home alabama-skynnyrd
Shadow Play-rory
Dont fear the reaper-boc
Back in the night -dr feelgood
Doctor Doctor-ufo
Its a long way to the shops if you want a sausage roll-acdc

A truly shocking omission

.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1i5coU-0_Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiC__IjCa2s

An interesting selection.....Paranoid, Black Sabbath for me

Yes I agree Salmon, it seems people are confusing riffs with solos.
A riff is something like .. One Vision by Queen. That's a good example actually .
Or back in black by AC/DC.

In simple English could someone please explain what a riff is?

It's like the above examples, a repeated identifiable (guitar) hook line that generally makes up the main rhythm body of the song.

Smoke on the water being another classic example.

Since You've Been Gone - Rainbow

Jack and Diane Mr Melencamp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04CH9YZcpI

Lindsey Buckingham has to be right up there with the best ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYAoJ2QfKE0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cempJSZTDu0

19.50...

Yet to meet the person who dislikes this monumental track by Jefferson Starship..JANE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmrMMYpQL4

great track. That album cover tho

doesn't look very rocknroll, they look like a bunch of IT guys

Death Letter Blues - Son House

The Pusher - Steppenwolf

"Yet to meet the person who dislikes this monumental track by Jefferson Starship..JANE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmrMMYpQL4 "
That reminds me a lot of something else and now I'm seething as I can't put my finger on it. I can hear it in my head but can't remember any lyrics.

Volunteers by Jefferson, another classic riff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SboRijhWFDU

'Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC' is on BBC4 now

some great calls on here

The intro to that JANE sound a bit like the intro to Owner of  a Lonely Heart - Yes.

Yes - a bit but I don't think it's that i'm thinking of, it might also have the plinky piano bit as well.
I'm wondering if it's Journey or someone like that.

When I heard "Jane" I thought it was the woman singing, it's briliantly sung but the comments on that song seem to say it's a guy, which would make more sense with they song, but an Ozzy Osbourne or Lemmy clone he aint!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/playlist/greatestriffs

White Stripes.... Seven Nation Army...