10 Greatest Hard Rock Guitarists Of The '70s

The '70s also gave way to the age of guitar duos. Even though having two guitarists in a band was certainly nothing new at this point given the success of acts like the Beatles and the Stones, you had to bring something new to the table to stand out. Instead of just pumping out your standard bunch of riffs together, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson brought another sonic layer to Thin Lizzy through their dual leads.

In lieu of the typical rhythm guitarist/lead guitarist dynamic, Gorham and Robertson would often trade off solos within the span of a single song, oftentimes even playing in harmony with each other. Plenty of bands had tried to use vocal harmonies before, but having two guitarists creating a practical symphony just with their six-strings was a sight to behold at the mid '70s mark.

This trademark would not only end up distinguishing Thin Lizzy from their peers, but also become the inspiration for future dual harmony guitarists, from the guys in Slayer to James Hetfield citing them as a clear inspiration for all of Metallica's harmonied breaks. In a world where there seemed to be only one guitar god per band, this was the one moment where these hard rock slingers asked "why stop at one?."