Van Halen have been very quiet recently and in myopinion, have lost their way. But in 1978 a friend brought Van Halen I round my house and put the first side of the album on. The first track leapt out of the speakers but I was unprepared for the second. Eruption is less than 2 minutes long. It changed the way the guitar would be played for the next decade. If you haven't heard it and you play the guitar…you must. Firstly take into account that Eddie started out as the drummer. Then that when he recorded this, he was 23 years old. Then, turn up your stereo very loud, sit back and…listen. This track broke every rule in the book but more importantly, established the guitar in an era that was very disco. Eddie played with attitude and you could hear it in his sound. A lot has been said of his tapping technique which, is superb, but he rarely uses it and there is so much more to his style. He often quotes the fact that he never listens to other top guitarists or, current rock at all. It could be this that sat him at the top of the pile while everybody else tried to copy his licks. A true Master.

Essential listening:
'Eruption'- Van Halen I, 'Unchained'- Fair Warning,
'Light Up The Sky' 'Spanish Fly'-Van Halen II,
'Hot for Teacher'-1984, 'AFU (Naturally Wired)'-OU812

My first impression of George Lynch was 'atomic Tom Scholtz' (Boston), as every solo seemed to be exactly what you wanted to hear. You could whistle the solos (but couldn't play them!) and the sound was immense. There was a period in the '80's, when a rumour circulated the guitar world that George had given lessons to Eddie Van Halen. This was untrue but George did not have to pander to rumours to convince the guitar world of his tasty playing. Dokken were never an immense band as soloists, the drummer and bass player being adequate and the songs becoming formula-ised as MTV took hold. But they were great vehicles for Lynch to unleash a death-defying solo after the second chorus. The band disintegrated due to not liking each other very much and though Lynch formed Lynch Mob and Dokken have continued on and off, neither has benefited from the loss of the other and massive success has eluded both parties. Hearing George play is good enough but if you get the chance to watch him, you will see that he doesn't play like anybody else. Very few of his licks are standard and he does things a different way-his way.

Essential listening:
'Mr Scary',' Heaven Sent'-Back for the Attack,
'Wicked Sensation', 'For a Million Years'-Lynch Mob.

Essential listening:
'Addicted to that Rush'-Mr Big,
'I Understand Completely'-'Guitars That Rule the World' compilation
'The Drill Song (Daddy, Brother, Lover Little Boy)'-Bump Ahead

Essential listening:A sublime guitarist who, once again, knows how to inject humour into his playing. After sending a tape of his playing to one of his idols, Frank Zappa, at the age of 15, he was invited to join Zappa's band. There he embarked on one of the most fruitful apprenticeships of all time (keeping up with Frank being a musician's mark of total flexibility). He is of course famous for his stints with both Dave Lee Roth and Whitesnake but has recorded solo albums right throughout his career. There are two tracks, which I cannot speak more highly of, for completely different reasons. Firstly, 'For the Love of God' which, if you haven't heard it, is the sound of a musician in total harmony with his instrument. This song builds into a thing of wonderment where he connects with the guitar on a purely personal level, beyond technique, the title being so apt for someone who has faith and inner peace. The second is my favourite for sheer audacity, comedy, surprise and, above all¸ bewilderment. 'Big Trouble' may not be a well-known song in the Stevie Vai catalogue but it wins every time as far as I'm concerned. From the Dave Lee Roth album 'Eat 'em and Smile' this is all over the place but the humour is incredible. Guitarists are good for creating solos that evoke moods but pissing yourself laughing at something so "out there" is not on my usual list…truly incredible.

Essential listening:
'Big Trouble'-DLR, Eat 'em and Smile,
'For the Love of God'- Passion and Warfare,
'The Attitude Song', Flex-able.
'Hotdog and a Shake'-DLR, Skyscraper

Behind Vai as a coincidence only. But Steve and Joe are always intrinsically linked together for several reasons. Most notably they came to prominence about the same time and both play and endorse Ibanez guitars. They regularly play together on the G3 show that tours periodically (G3 translates to 3 guitarists, the third guy picked has been Eric Johnson, John Petrucci and Kenny Wayne Shepherd so far) and, guitar nuts will also know that Joe did actually give Steve some lessons way back. They are very good friends and admire each other's playing and they are similar in some parts of their style. If you've seen my mp3 link, you'll know that the three tracks are all Joe Satriani. It's not that he's my favourite guitarist but more that I feel I have a similar style (you may not agree-let me know). I do however love all of these tracks and I like mostly everything Joe has done because, he takes chances and evolves. His last studio album, 'Engines of Creation', has evoked strong feelings in America due to the fact that he's using drum loops and some dance culture…good for him! It'd be boring to continue chopping out 'Blue Dream' type stuff-at least he likes a change of direction. Favourite tracks are hard to pick out of such a huge bag but I'm going for a mixture of stuff that sends a chill up my spine and flash bastard histrionics!

Essential listening:
'Surfing with the Alien'-Surfing with the Alien,
'Mystical Potato Groove Head Thing'-Flying in a Blue Dream,
'Time Machine'-Time Machine,
'Cryin'-The Extremist

I've only been a real blueshound for about 10 years. Before that, it was all rock and it didn't take hold until I heard Stevie doing a song called 'Lenny'. I couldn't believe the emotion in that song and immediately started to look for other stuff. I thought he obviously had passion in his playing but then I heard 'Scuttlebuttin' and thought 'Oh, he's got this as well!' Stevie admired such a wide range of guitarists (Hendrix, Lonny Mack, Albert King, Freddy King etc) that he took a little piece of all of them. On any SRV album you'll hear Texas blues, Chicago blues, Hendrix style '60's rock, Jazz-even surf type stuff! His tone was intense due, partly, to him using the biggest gauge strings he could get his hands on. Rumour has it that he took to using something like a .70 on the bottom E which left his fingers looking like mincemeat. To remedy this he used to put superglue on his arm, apply his fingers until they had stuck and then 'rip' them away from his arm leaving nicely re-skinned pinkies but large patches of skin missing from his arm! Ouch! Not recommended. I'm such a fan of his raw sound that in my current band, Jone$ville, I use a Stevie Ray Vaughan patch on my Line6 combo (downloaded from their web-site…thank you Line6!) with the neck pick-up on my £50 Squier for 90% of the stuff we do. Stevie used a lot of different combo's both live and in the studio but he was never far away from a black-faced Fender twin and this is the sound I try and emulate. If you're new to Stevie (or you've lived on the Moon for that last 20 years!), I'd recommend you start with 'Texas Flood' but even more highly recommended is to get hold of the 'Live at the El Macambo' video from 1983. This video is absolutely smokin' and was before Stevie was a big name. Highlights include his blistering performance of Hendrix' 'Voodoo Chile (slight return)' and 'Third Stone from the Sun' (he really gives his guitar some abuse here!) and the crowning moment is to watch him, bathed in sweat (it's running off his hat!) sitting down to play 'Lenny'. Pure emotion. Buy it, rent it or steal it but see it now!

Essential listening:
'Texas Flood', 'Lenny'-Texas Flood,
'Riviera Paradise'-In Step
Also 'Live at the El Macambo' video

Dream Theater have easily been my favourite 'rock' (for want of a better word) band for about 10 years now. They pretty much cover all the bases but could be called a 'progressive' rock band. Once again, my prime reason for liking them is that they do what they like-they don't let current trends or fashions dictate what they write. Some people may find this extremely overblown but if like me, you love the likes of Rush, Yes, Deep Purple, Queen, then you can't go wrong with this band. Everybody carries influences and what comes around, goes around. As long as it's not plagiarism then I'm happy to listen. After all, the blues all comes from the same melting pot, no? It would be easy in a band as musically talented and diverse as Dream Theater to get lost in technique and show but Petrucci is now playing music rather than scales and nodes. He has become established enough to be the 'number 3' on this 2001's G3 tour with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. Praise doesn't come any higher. In my opinion his, and DT's finest moment (so far) came with the album length opus 'Scenes from a Memory-Metropolis II' but his career is littered with great playing such as the full blown chorus/delay beginning to 'Pull Me Under' and the understated start and build of the solo on 'Hells Kitchen'.

Essential listening:
'Pull Me Under'-Images and Words, 'Voices'-Awake,
"Scenes From a Memory"-every track,
'Hell's Kitchen', 'Anna-Lee'-Falling Into Infinity

· Michael Lee Firkin-'The Sargasso Sea'
· Neal Schon-Everything!
· Ian Crichton-'Intermission' (Saga)
· Gary Moore-'The Loner', 'Out in the Fields ', 'Black Rose' (Thin Lizzy)
· Alex Lifeson-'Analog Kid', 'Spirit of Radio', 'Kid Gloves'
· Slash-'Paradise City', 'Welcome to the Jungle', 'Nighttrain'
· Jeff Beck-'Cause we ended as Lovers', 'Where were You'
· Nuno Bettencourt-'Pornograffitti'
· Reb Beach-'Seventeen', All of album 'Push'
· Doug Aldrich-both Burning Rain albums, House of Lords
· Dan Huff-both Giant albums
· Jason Becker-"Showtime"-A Little Ain't Enough (DLR)
· Kenny Wayne Shepherd-"Deja Voodoo", Ledbetter Heights
· Dimebag Darrell-All Pantera stuff…attitude!