10 Most Underrated Guitarists Of All Time
4. Greg Ginn
When the casual rock fan thinks of Black Flag, they’re most likely picturing a shirtless Henry Rollins, bug eyed and sermonising in a small sweaty club. While Rollins fronted the group in their most successful period, though, the brains of the operation was leader and chief songwriter Greg Ginn.
Ginn took the stripped back style of hardcore to the extreme. As the main source of raucous noise for Black Flag, he eschewed distortion pedals, instead plugging straight in, cranking it up, and churning out game changing music. From the opening notes of "Rise Above", Ginn lays bare his style, playing with ferocious pace beneath the melody; he sounds like he’s chasing Rollins across the track.
It’s fair to say most serious punk guitarists have taken a lesson or two from Ginn, from the unshowy nature of his riffs to the sheer physical energy he puts into his playing. It’s good, honest, hard working guitar playing, the stuff a scene is built on.