10 Best Two Guitar Bands
Six-stringed Dynamic Duos.
It's typically a dream of any rock musician to be the star guitarist of their own band. Many of the greatest bands to walk the Earth typically are defined by the solitary six-stringer who pulls off impossible feats of musical brilliance. On the other hand, there is a great advantage for bands that follow the old Spinal Tap model: why stop at just one guitar player?
Though many 4-member acts can go a long way in rock, bands that possess two different guitarists in the same band put their music a notch above the rest. These two shredders tend to be mirror images of each other with one playing rhythm, one playing lead, or even a bit of both. As these duos explored different musical territory, the guitar went from being the secondary melodic instrument to a mini orchestra within the confines of a rock song.
From the glory days of rock excess to the more modern stripes of guitar god-ery, these teams are able to bring out the best in each other even if they are vying for the position of master guitarist. Without further ado, here are some of the best two guitar bands that rock has to offer.
10. The Eagles
Out of all the bands to populate such a list, the Eagles stretch the boundaries of what constitutes a harder sounding rock group. That's not to say they didn't have their more rocking moments, though. Oftentimes, the songs on which the Eagles kicked the most ass was when they were utilizing their twin guitar attack.
Starting out as a more laid-back rock outfit, songwriter Glenn Frey held down a great groove while Bernie Leadon played riffs inspired by bluegrass and country music. It wasn't until Don Felder entered the fold that the band was taken to new heights. Given the nickname "Fingers," Felder's touch on the solos to "One of These Nights" and "Already Gone" were virtuosic showstoppers while also staying infectiously catchy.
After Leadon's departure, the band's adoption of Joe Walsh yielded the album Hotel California, with a title track that created one of the greatest trade-off solos in rock's canon. The riffs on songs like "Life in the Fast Lane" brought the edge to the band's best singles while the guitar harmonies made every other classic rock act sound quaint by comparison. As they incorporated rock, blues, country, and R&B, the Eagles's potential seemed boundless with Felder and Walsh leading the charge.