{"id":503229,"date":"2026-03-30T10:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/503229\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T10:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T10:05:11","slug":"the-greatest-guitar-song-ever-made-according-to-brian-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/503229\/","title":{"rendered":"The greatest guitar song ever made, according to Brian May"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Brian<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Paul Williams)<\/p>\n

Mon 30 March 2026 8:21, UK <\/p>\n

Becoming an inspiration for others is always a tough gig to try and actively pull off. Some bands just manage to resonate more resolutely than others, and actively planning for such an event will only end up in disaster. Queen<\/a> are a unique band in this regard. <\/p>\n

The group are onf the best-selling artists in British history, but how many times have you heard bands refer to the group as their greatest inspiration? Not very often. It\u2019s not because they\u2019re a bad band, but because they are so unique, that to cite them as an influence is to put your singer under an unwarranted microscope. <\/p>\n

When discussing the most influential bands of all time, it doesn\u2019t take long to mention The Beatles. Rightly so, too. The way that they played, acted, gigged and their innovation in writing all set the groundwork for bands today to build upon. There is no escaping that music would have been very different without The Beatles. But this applies to other bands too\u2014for instance, The Yardbirds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though The Yardbirds\u2019 lineup changed frequently, and they never reached the same level of fame that the former band members would reach in their projects after leaving the band, without The Yardbirds, the formula for the modern guitarist wouldn\u2019t exist. All members, such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page<\/a>, contributed to this, but nobody was more important to guitar music than Jeff Beck. <\/p>\n

This is because of his playing and his attitude on stage. Jeff Beck revolutionised what people thought of the guitarist. It went from being all about the lead singer to being all about the person shredding on guitar. He brought the six-stringed experts to the front of the stage, playing extravagantly so the audience couldn\u2019t take their eyes off them.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"Jeff<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ ceedub13)<\/p>\n

This playing style paved the way for other artists to start doing something similar. Even though Beck was always incredibly complimentary of Jimi Hendrix and put the Seattle-based guitarist\u2019s\u00a0league ahead of him<\/a>, Hendrix wouldn\u2019t have played the way he did if it had not been for Beck.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came on, and I went, \u2018Oh, my God\u2019,\u201d said Beck, recounting when he first saw Hendrix perform, \u201cHe had the military outfit on and hair that stuck out all over the place. They kicked off with (Bob Dylan\u2019s) \u2018Like a Rolling Stone\u2019, and I thought, \u2018Well, I used to be a guitarist.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Of course, Jeff Beck is doing himself a disservice here. His antics and style of playing were influential, but they can only get someone so far; he needed to have the skill as a guitarist to back these actions up. Beck always had this skill. Whether in The Yardbirds or during his solo career, he won over audiences everywhere, thanks to the effort he put into his playing.<\/p>\n

Queen guitarist Brian May is a particularly big fan, always keen on preaching about the guitarist\u2019s power and the depth of his playing. \u201cIf you wanna hear his depth of emotion, sound and phrasing, and the way he could touch your soul, listen to \u2018Where Were You\u2019 of the Guitar Shop album\u2026 sit down and listen to it for four minutes.\u201d <\/p>\n

May concluded: \u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable; it\u2019s possibly the most beautiful bit of guitar music ever recorded, alongside Jimi Hendrix\u2019s \u2018Little Wing\u2019. So sensitive, so beautiful, so incredibly creative and unlike anything you\u2019ve ever heard anywhere else.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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