10 Best Classic Rock Guitarists Of The '80s
7. Peter Buck - R.E.M.
Sonic Youth may have been bringing something new to the table in New York City, but something a bit stranger was happening in the American South. Instead of a boogie-flavored ride like Lynyrd Skynyrd, R.E.M. put out their debut Murmur and set the alternative wheel in motion. Though a lot of the attention is put on Michael Stipe, the band could not have succeeded without Peter Buck.
Forming the band after he met Stipe at a record store, Buck’s guitar playing feels like both a relic from the past and the sound of the future at the same time.
Armed with a Rickenbacker, the entire sound was reminiscent of something like the Byrds or the early Beatles, but the real magic came from what he did with it. Not one for soloing, the chords that Buck would create gave each song an ethereal vibe, as if the entire track was floating in the clouds.
When he eventually brought the crunch though, you could feel it in your gut on albums like Monster. Beyond just guitar, Buck’s expertise on mandolin have made for some of the most impressive musical departures in the band’s career.
He may not really fit in the realm of punk rock or anything, but what Peter Buck brought to the classic rock world was the decades’ most beautiful form of sonic chaos.