10 Best Hard Rock Guitarists Of All Time
8. Alex Lifeson - Rush
Prog rock seemed to be the moment where rock and roll started to take itself too seriously.
While there were some genuine talent amongst the pack like Yes and Genesis, other acts were so caught up in playing as many scales they could that they forgot how to write a coherent song. Even though many guitarists fell into the realm of guitar wankery, Alex Lifeson brought a whole different dimension to the realm of rock guitar.
After finally gaining their prog chops on Fly By Night, Lifeson finally had a way to explore every facet of the fretboard that he wanted to, whether it was the down and dirty solos on La Villa Strangiato or the excitement coming from the opening strains of the Spirit of Radio.
That's not say Lifeson didn't know the importance of subtlety either, with songs like Limelight making great use of the sonic space with long drawn out notes.
Even on the more off the wall experiments in the power trio's synth period, Lifeson still found ways to make his voice heard, whether it was the freakout in the middle of Analog Kid or the constant guitar stabs in Time Stand Still.
Rush might not be with us any longer after the tragic passing of Neil Peart, but the door is certainly open for one of rock's most inventive soloist to wow us all over again.