20 Best Classic Rock Guitar Riffs Of All Time

As the Eagles reached the end of the 70's, they knew that they had set a high bar for themselves. With each record outdoing the other in terms of success, the band had their backs against the wall to deliver what would be their best work. There was no room for any filler, but one riff from Joe Walsh brought the sessions into high gear.

While the band were rehearsing for their latest day's work, Walsh started warming up his fingers with a riff that would test his coordination. After he was finished, the entire band came to a halt and insisted to make a track centered around that riff. "Life in the Fast Lane" took off from there, with Glenn Frey penning lyrics that had to do with life on the wild side.

Living up to the title, the nonstop energy from the riff gives the listener the feeling of being handed the keys to an old sports car and letting it rip on the highway. Other tracks on Hotel California may have had better songwriting, but this barrage of notes may be the single heaviest piece of music these sunshine rockers had ever touched. It's easy to write the Eagles as just another soft rock band, but riffs like this will really make you think twice.