10 Greatest Hard Rock Guitarists Of The '70s

When Aerosmith first started to make waves on the scene, their brand of blues rock was pretty much a played out trend. As opposed to the groov-centric kind of rock and roll we had gotten used to from this band, their original attempts at being a second-rate Yardbirds wasn't winning them any favors with the hard rock fans around the world. Though Joe Perry might not have started out as a guitar god, he quickly turned himself into one with every other show.

Compared to the more songwriting mind of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry always seemed to be the personification of the modern rock outlaw, who wielded his guitar almost like a weapon. While the technical side of the guitar sound was always on Brad Whitford, there is something undeniably awesome whenever you hear Perry take the lead. Instead of laying down Yngwie Malmsteen licks, his style always goes for the throat, as if he's attacking his guitar every time he plays.

Even though there is some debate as to what the lead guitar does in Aerosmith, the licks that Perry has come up with over the years have been an encyclopedia of what makes rock awesome, with phrases that sound like they could work just as well with James Brown as they could with Led Zeppelin. It's not too flashy, it's not really all that complicated...it's just right where it needs to be.