Top Thirty 12-String Guitar Songs of All Time

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:51 pm

From Guitar World ....

http://www.guitarworld.com/top-30-12-st ... s-all-time

Opinions about what should have made the list that didn't ???

libratune · Post by **libratune** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:42 pm

Spoiler Alert: "Hotel California" is the greatest 12-String guitar song of ALL TIME.

Yikes!

PS: If you're having a bad day, you may want to defer reading this list. It will not make your day any better.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:49 pm

I think "You Were On My Mind" should have placed somewhere on the list.

JimK

8mileshigher · Post by **8mileshigher** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:58 pm

libratune wrote: If you're having a bad day, you may want to defer reading this list. It will not make your day any better.

manta · Post by **manta** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:10 pm

One oddity in this list (among many including #1) is that the video they offer to demonstrate "Substitute" by The Who has Townsend playing a Telecaster 6 string!!

analogpackrat · Post by **analogpackrat** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:15 pm

A Hard Day's Night is only #16? And it's behind a Rod Stewart song? Really? And Bon Jovi is #14? The bottom half seems mighty weak.

No R.E.M.? No Airplane? No Pretenders? Glad to see that Rush and Boston made the list.

Ain'tGotNoPokemon · Post by **Ain'tGotNoPokemon** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:52 pm

Pantera? I love them, but wow...

I don't buy Guitar World anymore - They used to be a really cool magazine that had a basic layout, interviewed the right musicians, and didn't have the same guys over and over (As if I care what Zakk Wylde used for the new BLS album? He's had the same rig for over twenty years!).

I'm surprised no one has made their own list.

Mine (No order):

Eight Miles High - Byrds
Green Grow the Rushes - REM
And I Feel Fine - Glen Campbell (Covering the Beatles)
Between a Laugh and a Tear - John Mellencamp
Don't Worry About the Government - Talking Heads

paologregorio · Post by **paologregorio** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:58 pm

Over half of the songs on that list make me want to throw my 12-string off a cliff or set it afire. . . and they were utterly predictable selections. Snore!

Some of the picks were killer, but others?! Come ON!

teb · Post by **teb** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:41 pm

Agreed. Plus, I'm a little ticked that none of my tunes made the list.

I used to watch Bob Gibson when we worked with him on some studio stuff and he had this sort of rolling, fingerpicking strum on his old Gibson twelve that just produced walls of sound that were amazing. Kotke has also recorded some pretty impressive twelve tunes. I guess these guys are more into the Guitar Canter mentality, but when they use the term "of all time" they might want to dig a bit deeper.

Low End Lover · Post by **Low End Lover** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 1:00 am

Have to agree with the sentiments expressed so far. Pretty unimpressive and uninspired overall.

fabandgear · Post by **fabandgear** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:11 am

Guitar World is the Tiger Beat of guitar magazines.

Ain'tGotNoPokemon · Post by **Ain'tGotNoPokemon** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:29 am

teb wrote:Agreed. Plus, I'm a little ticked that none of my tunes made the list.

I used to watch Bob Gibson when we worked with him on some studio stuff and he had this sort of rolling, fingerpicking strum on his old Gibson twelve that just produced walls of sound that were amazing. Kotke has also recorded some pretty impressive twelve tunes. I guess these guys are more into the Guitar Canter mentality, but when they use the term "of all time" they might want to dig a bit deeper.

I had totally forgotten Kotke! Brilliant guitarist.

For what it's worth, I think Guitar World believes their audience has gotten dumber, because all of their lessons, interviews, etc are geared towards beginners and intermediate players.

paologregorio · Post by **paologregorio** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:07 am

fabandgear wrote:Guitar World is the Tiger Beat of guitar magazines.

HAHAHAHA!

One would think that a major criterion for including a song on the list would be a really catchy 12 string part with a big hook to the part. A lot of these songs have clearly audible but unremarkable 12 string parts.

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:09 pm

California Dreamin' would have to be within the Top 5 of my list, whether it was the original by The Mamas & The Papas

or The Beach Boys' cover (featuring Roger McGuinn)

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:26 pm

The Searchers also had a couple of 12-string songs that would be on my list.

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