20 Best Classic Rock Guitar Riffs Of All Time
4. Layla - Derek And The Dominoes
By the time Derek and the Dominoes arrived on the scene, Eric Clapton was already a guitar genius. From his work with supergroup Cream to the Yardbirds to even contributing guitar solos to Beatles records, the phrase 'Clapton is God' had become fairly common before the 60's had even ended.
That kind of run would be able to cover most guitarists' entire career, but songs like "Layla" showed that Clapton was just going into his next phase of rock godery. At the time, Clapton was in emotional turmoil as he lusted after Pattie Boyd, who was currently engaged to George Harrison. Instead of just confronting his feelings head on, Clapton poured his heart and soul into "Layla," with a riff that sent shockwaves through the rock scene. In addition to Clapton's trademark licks, the song also features impressive slide guitar by then-fresh-face Duane Allman.
Even when not being played by a distorted guitar, the version of this tune from Clapton's Unplugged performance shows just how well the song works even without all the bells and whistles. The need for love must have been hard to fathom at the time, but the legendary status of the riff proved that that type of heartache is something that resonates with millions of people around the world.