10 Best Classic Rock Guitarists Of The '70s

A band like Journey tends to get pigeonholed as one of the cheesier acts to come out of the '70s. Even though they have made their fair share of perfect pop songs, most mainstream rock fans don't really see them outside of their hits like Don't Stop Believin' or Open Arms. While the soaring voice of Steve Perry may have been their lynchpin to success, all the music nerds were paying attention to the ripping leads coming from Neal Schon.

Long before Journey was even a thought in these rockers' minds, Schon was already getting an education in the rock world as a guitarist opposite Carlos Santana before he was even out of his teens. Once time came for him to strike out on his own, Journey was the rightful conclusion for Schon, giving him the opportunity to experiment with jams that went into the world of jazz, fusion, and just old school rock and roll.

Even when Journey ended up becoming the hitmakers that we know and love today, Schon's aggressive playing put an edge on the typical pop rock song, like the amazing lead runs on Any Way You Want It or the ultraspeed lick in the middle of Don't Stop Believin'. So the next time you scoff at Journey for being your bottom-of-the-barrel pop rock, just pay a little bit more attention to the sonic wrecking ball behind the fretboard.