80s Guitarist Everyone Should Know ... BUT DON"T!

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[@RobertBakerGuitar]

80s Guitar Giveaway right HERE - kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2eagqOBq9qDb9U

[@gottlicherhammer]

Chris DeGarmo of Queensryche is insanely talented and underrated.

[@leejohnson7293]

ABSOLUTELY!!!

[@gscgold]

Queensryche as a band was ahead of the times and underrated..saw them in concert back in the 80's and it was legendary.

[@MrGordy41]

Without a doubt! DeGarmo was an amazing riff master. His departure form Queensryche was the beginning of the end for QR. Saw them in October in Lansing MI on their origins tour which is the first 2 albums. Even though there are only 2 original members of the five, the music was amazing and it was mostly in part due to DeGarmo's music writing.

[@guitarchique]

They were never the same after he left! Empires most overlooked album of that time! Love that album!

[@lowdz68]

I always thought Wilton was the better soloist. DeGarmo for the songwriting.

[@paintmonster1]

Rik Emmett of the band Triumph never gets on these best or underrated lists. Plus an amazing singer with range!!

[@qtheband751]

Incredible talent.

[@lioninthesun8833]

@paintmonster1 100% truth !

[@SteveC-Shaman]

Also an amazing person to talk to. I had a chance for about an hour at the Montreal F1 race probably 25 years ago. Such a nice dude.

[@benjaminaxselholm]

Yep

[@flowjesticmotion8253]

Vivian Campbell on the first two Dio solo albums.

[@talk844]

Yeaahhhhhh🤟

[@talk844]

Don't know why his name isn't as popular whereas people are commenting on Tesla guitarist 😅

[@kevrosas1]

@@talk844viv is very popular he rocketed to fame since Def Leppard

[@Ilurk247]

​@@talk844He's a great guitarist but kind of a jerk , that's why (imo).

[@gun_toting_lefty]

OMG, YES! As far as the "L.A. type" shredders he and Randy Rhoads were leading the way.

[@bastianogr4960]

I love that you’re giving shout-outs to Reb Beach whenever you can. He’s a friggin’ hero! For the last couple of years, Winger is the band I‘m listening to the most, by far. He‘s an incredible guitarist, but together with Kip Winger (who‘s, too, criminally underrated on every musical level) he‘s an insane song writer. All of their albums are formidable pieces of music. Yeah, they tend to sound a little cheesy on the surface, but once you REALLY listen to songs and start to grasp all the different layers and nuances, you never want to stop listening.

[@claywinn32]

that's what I tell people. Ignore the cheesy 17 lyrics and listen to the music. All the guys in that band are super talented. Pull is one the best albums of the 90's.

[@steved758]

Dave meniketti of Y&T. A true legend

[@brianfalls7128]

Dave Meniketti a true duel threat frontman! His guitar work and lead vocals are 2nd to none

[@drjd22]

@@brianfalls7128 John Sykes Blue Murder

[@WineSippingCowboy]

Being a San Francisco native 🌁, I heard many songs from Y and T in the 1980s.

[@Blr57]

@@brianfalls7128I agree wholeheartedly

[@edster612]

Forgot about Y&T... great band!

[@gilguisler2215]

Gonna go 80’s non shreds -Neil Geraldo. Crazy vibrato and one of the most iconic tones (is it clean, is it dirty?) that no one has dated tried to emulate. -Keith Scott. Tasty leads with just the right amount of feel and flash. Cuts Like A Knife is gotta be one of the best solos of all time and is that a Strat he’s playing on? What pickup. So thick and warm but not wooly. -Chris Hayes. Anyone who could write a lead melody like “So this is it” needs to be looked at. New Drug had some tasty licks too.

[@GosselinCreative]

Chris Hayes of Huey Lewis and the New is way underrated. He brought so much fire to that band and kept them from becoming milquetoast. A lot of fun to watch live, too.

[@aieahi1]

Neil was the guitarist on Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl and I’ve Done Everything For You recordings. Tim Pierce toured with Rick for several years. He said he never played the solo to Jessie’s Girl right. Didn’t know how Neil did it. Neil has been on stage with Rick and he said that the other guitarists will look to see how he plays the solo, and he hides it from them.

[@MookieMaroni]

I remember thinking "Why don't we hear anything about Neil Geraldo?".

[@gilguisler2215]

@ yep. And he was also the player on Don’t Fight It by Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry

[@christophergray42]

If I may...I'm adding Neil Schon.. love his stuff and Freight Train Heart absolutely Rocks.. truth is, virtually every 80's guitar player was fantastic.. 🤘

[@trendpimp1]

For me, the quintessential 80's guitarist is Steve Stevens. He doesn't really fall into the shredder category with his Billy Idol stuff (although he has been let loose since reuniting with Billy in the early 2000's) but he certainly showed he could give his contemporaries a run for their money with Atomic Playboys and Vince Neil "Exposed". Plus, I'm pretty sure he still holds the title for "Biggest Hair of a Dude Who Has Won a Grammy".

[@voivode2591]

His stuff was in a category of its own. I remember the first time I seen accurate tabs. He always rank in my top 5 favorites.

[@GeneralTHC]

Steve Stevens is awesome. Always loved that guy's playing.

[@bigfootmouse]

Steve made the most memorable music of any guitar player of that Era in my opinion. He was more of a pure musician fist and a guitar player second.

[@RobertSmith-lg7jp]

He had one of the best live solo IMO.

[@charliedillon1400]

The acoustic duet stuff he and Billy did was really cool. Seeing Stevie recreate those highly produced songs on just an acoustic guitar with no pick is awesome. It really shows how versatile he can play.

[@WineSippingCowboy]

Add Andy Taylor of Duran Duran. He played solos for Belinda Carlisle and Sir Rod Stewart. Keith Scott. Mostly with Bryan Adams. Scott also played with Bryan Ferry, Tom Cochrane, Britney Spears and Lara Fabian. Late Eddie van Halen said Scott was 1 of his favorites. Luckily, they did meet each other.

[@Incountry]

Kieth Scott, not Underatted in anyway just not in the limelight light as many others but his tone is clean clear and very strong when he plays hard, people need to know this guy..

[@metalplaylist]

Victim of Love track, we can ear all his feeling and energy.

[@Metallian81]

Kieth Scott is great, I love his tasteful solos. I do wish they were a bit longer because I love them, but they serve the songs and that's what matters.

[@amoore-zd9zv]

That solo album he did was really good.

[@matthewservice267]

Frank Hannon, still the lead guitarist of the band Tesla!

[@jmangi6221]

Yep,was gonna mention him.

[@ianorourke6320]

@@matthewservice267 definitely

[@alanlatimer1024]

@matthewsservice267 Frank is co lead guitarist

[@GeneralTHC]

This is SPOT-ON!

[@ianorourke6320]

@alanlatimer1024 kinda

[@jmeakin4]

Elliot Easton from The Cars had some stellar solos.

[@gun_toting_lefty]

His greatest stuff was in the late 70s. They got way too Poppish for my taste in the 80s.

[@jmeakin4]

@gun_toting_lefty - Their premier & Candy O were late 70s and super popular, more "poppish" than ever. Heartbeat City was when they returned to that initial formula used in their first two LPs. It's hard to imagine someone liking the 1st 2 and not HC or vice versa. That 80s album had some serious rockers, too, like 'It's Not the Night'.

[@betoreyes8167]

Jeff Watson from Night Ranger was another underrated shredder, his solo on 'Don't Tell Me You Love Me' is a monster.

[@LilBertha]

The second half of that solo is nasty. I've tried, many times, and failed to learn it. He also invented eight finger hammer-ons.

[@stevesheroan4131]

I personally much preferred his style to Brad Gillis’.

[@williamreichold1545]

@@stevesheroan4131 Brad Gillis?

[@williamreichold1545]

I just watched Night Ranger concerts 2 weekends in a row. Still enjoying their stuff. A bit pop rocky but still enjoyable.

[@stevesheroan4131]

@@williamreichold1545 Stupid auto-correct. Thanks, corrected.

[@vmathias2023]

Most underrated, easily Mathias Jabs. The guy was and is still phenomenal.

[@Proganaut1989]

I definitely agree

[@glaucosouza1971]

Akira Takasaki!!

[@Gunny_101st]

Rock and roll crazy nights!

[@reverendg5937]

Japan's EVH Baby "LOUDNESS"

[@throughmusicislife3315]

​@@reverendg5937And so much more...he also had some prog sounding riffs but just an overall riff machine, I still rock out to Loudness stuff especially the first 3 releases.

[@jakelee7639]

He was freakn awesome,…both as a rhythm player and lead….should be near the top of this list easy!!!

[@HJ-jy7fw]

@@Gunny_101st You are the heroes- Tonight!

[@Stevo_Drums]

Alex Lifeson - ALWAYS sort of sat in Geddy and Neil’s shadows, but a masterful guitarist!

[@markn4526]

I don't think there were any shadows in RUSH.

[@mikewalton2546]

Alex Skolnick is always overlooked when it comes to 80s guitar players. He ripped on Testaments' The New Order and Pratice What you Preach in the late 80s.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

That's Thrash. This was more general 80s style shredders. Otherwise we'd go down a slippery slope.

[@thefog7067]

Joe Satriani student

[@Lemonhead0014]

Yes!!! Alex will always be one of my favorites!!! Bad ass!! and very underrated!!! Even his "AS-Trio" he's doing now with the jazz stuff is awesome!!! 🤘

[@bruceallen9413]

Loved seeing him with testament in the 80s and again last winter. No difference whatsoever.

[@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145]

I vividly remember his Ibanez 540-PII… MAN I wanted that thing badly!

[@mikewilliams7042]

Michael Schenker, Dave Meneketti, Wolf Hoffman, and Rik Emmett are a few early 80's guitarist that rarely get mentioned

[@sirrealistic5625]

John Sykes!!!

[@larslevinberget9558]

He's been the guitar god he is all the time .D

[@michaelbujanda8785]

John Sykes is a freaking monster on guitar!!!! He can shred with the best and also play slow and melodic with soul and good taste!!!

[@PrimitiveNoiseVideos]

I don't think there is anyone as good as John Sykes. Period. I saw Jeff Beck three times, and John Sykes wears the King's Crown of guitarists in a royal class all his own!

[@vesaparkkonen4279]

Biggest let down is that he stopped playing.

[@eskemeldgaardkrogh4145]

I wholeheartedly agree that Sykes is amazing… but I wouldn’t call him underrated.

[@2livedrew337]

Carlos Cavazo! He was the first guitarist I heard in the 80’s that made me want to play guitar. There is a KZbin video still available if you search for it where he goes through his licks and solos from Quiet Riot’s Mental Health album. He was very underrated in my opinion.

[@gun_toting_lefty]

I loved him in Ratt more than QR. I liked QR though.

[@ChrisAcheson]

What about?: Matthias Jabs (1978-present) Lead guitarist is known for his technical prowess and creativity. Jabs has been instrumental in crafting the Scorpions’ classic hits, like "Rock You Like a Hurricane."

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

YES!!! I always forget to mention Jabs. He is such a great guitarist.

[@chefy37]

Jabs is absolutely phenomenal.

[@StevenMikel1]

Matthias Jabs played some of my favorite guitar solos

[@brentcopson1532]

Michael Schenker wrote and played most of Lovedrive. Jabs wasn't up to it.

[@StevenMikel1]

@brentcopson1532 I was talking about from Love at First Sting on. Nobody said anything about Lovedrive.Jabs played 2 or 3 solos on Lovedrive.

[@michaelduessel8965]

I met Ritchie Kotzen 2 month ago. He is an incredibly friendly and attentive person. He answered all my questions in detail and thanked me for the conversation.

[@jessemayra]

Ty Tabor of Kings X was a hero of mine …his playing was so cutting edge …I was Glad to see Dan Huff on your list…both these guys were innovative

[@davedecker1725]

@@jessemayra Was a hero??? IS A HERO!😎

[@SeeCSeesCC]

❤❤❤❤❤Sweet Dann Huff

[@edster612]

Very cool band, so ahead of their time... kinda like prog metal with a soul twist.

[@216Numbskull]

No bout a doubt it my friend. Ty Tabor is a 6 string Axe slinging shredder. I can't stand when people use the term underrated/overrated to grade any musician in music. Just for the fact that music is subjective to one owns personal preference & vibe, plain & simple. There's no right or wrong answer on who the best or greatest player is definitively of all-time in music history. What I will say to someone who's not hip to Ty Tabor of King's X yet is giddy up MF, you're missing out on some kick-azz shlt. Mic drop... Let's keep it a buck ya dig? +Peace Funk & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul My Friend+ 🤘😜🤘

[@billsterling1321]

On the ty tabor train

[@23ograin53]

Yes! Thank you for talking about Warren Demartini's phrasing. He also has a gift for playing solos that are utterly perfect for the song.

[@Jeffgrigsby1]

I would say Jason Becker, depsite his short Career. I am still in awe of Altitudes, so much, passion, energy, and technical prowess.

[@raven5679]

Short career is an understatement! He had most of that under his fingers and recorded by age 21! Absolute phenom, Jason was.

[@joeylodes]

Jason Becker ❤️

[@surfdigby]

He wasn't just technical either. He had a great sense of melody and composition. Later tracks like Primal are incredible.

[@lukeb9812]

I've been listening to the album he played on for David Lee Roth and I was really impressed by his work on there. I preferred his playing to what Vai did with DLR

[@OZRIC1985]

I was always in awe of Jason Becker since he was such an advanced player at an early age. And, I'm just blown away by Jason still creating music despite suffering with ALS for such a long time. He was always a very energetic and enthusiastic guy, and his perseverance in continuing to create music is just incredible!

[@lkmetal1977]

Adrian Vandenberg, his namesake band was overlooked

[@baimun]

Great list!... the main one overlooked for me is Ronni LeTekro. His work with TNT combined with Tony Harnell's vocals. Unbelievable. They deserved much more attention in the era!! ☮💜🎶

[@SonicVR12]

Absolutely! Thank you foe mentioning him. He is an all time top 5 for me. He's a wizard!

[@micwalt]

Word!

[@ELVH1984]

Exactly!!! Ronni is an ULTIMATE UNDERRATED guitarist! He is a beast!!!

[@pathadley9945]

100% agree!!!!

[@mazukakai]

Can't agree. They were lame

[@StealthMockingbird]

You can never give Glenn Tipton or Randy Rhoads too much credit. Most of these guys learned from them.

[@damonsdeliberatedetour492]

Rik Emmett, Vinnie Moore and so many to list!

[@SinisterSash]

Yes

[@ChipSchoneberger-j3f]

Rik Emmett for sure. Not a shredder but so tasteful!

[@Voiceinthewoods]

rik fpr sure

[@humanactivated1017]

I’ve never heard of ‘Somany to list ‘ is he middle eastern or something ?

[@mapother4]

Vinny moore is still killing it, I love his modern albums.

[@scottgroves5204]

Brad Gillis...Wolf Hoffman...Nick Geraldo...Rick Neilson...Ted Nugent...Nancy Wilson...Glenn Tipton...Pat Travers...Aldo Nova...Gary Richwrath...Uli Joh Roth So many! :)

[@barrybjerke9353]

Red Beach is a riff master!!!!

[@christopherparsons3224]

Totally underrated also

[@davem4250]

Red ?

[@davem4250]

Red ?

[@djh6970]

Roses are Reb Violets are blue

[@VancouverJeff]

The best!

[@61john2112]

Harry Cody from Shotgun Messiah.. beast of a player.

[@gordocojones]

That Second Coming record they did was 🔥. Sadly it came out too late for them to benefit like they should have.

[@seanhennessey5945]

a truly awesome guitarist

[@kennethcarlin9629]

You left out Criss Oliva of Savatage

[@MCSA210]

👏👏👏

[@SonicVR12]

YES YES YES 🙌

[@franksravitch9688]

He was amazing!

[@davidnoy3964]

Good call!!!!

[@MrPx93]

Dude was bad ass. From the school of EVH.

[@TomT-r2s]

Kane Roberts!! Kane almost never gets talked about and was extremely overlooked due to how he looked. The guy was apart of 3 Alice cooper records and had two extremely successful solo records in that time period and is pretty much responsible for the rebirth of Alice cooper. The guy was an incredibly talented player and a very good singer also! In my opinion he is up there with all of the greats from the 80s.

[@licksnkicks1166]

I love Vito Bratta White lion. Vito has something wrong with his fretting hand. He is also looking after his very aged mother. I love him. You can hear Eddie. ❤❤

[@dragongoff]

Yes he got it caught in something and it mangled his hand.

[@gordocojones]

We always thought that when they were in their heyday too.

[@royleenelsontx]

Bill Leverty! All day long, Bill Leverty. Bill suffered the same thing as a couple of the guys you mentioned: the fact that his band Firehouse didn't hit the scene until 1990. In addition to his unique use of the standard techniques, his phrasing is is incredibly clean. You can tell that he spent a lot of time practicing on synchronizing his left & right hands. Plus, he can incorporate a sweep into his solos without making them sound gratuitous - when he does it, it actually serves the solo & song. So yeah - Bill Leverty. Highly underrated for guitarists of the era.

[@i5150v1]

The most overlooked and underrated guitarist of the 80’s, Dave Meneketti.

[@meghankerins6215]

Seen Y&T 37 times since 1983 and he melted faces every time and still does to this day! Meniketti is mind blowing!

[@gregoryhodge9452]

I was hoping someone would mention Dave.😊

[@MrClassicmetal]

Damn good vocalist too.

[@daviddavis9835]

Ronni LeTekro from TNT, Derek Frigo from Enuff Znuff, both of the guys from Stryper and King Diamond, Tony McAlpine, Greg Howe. It was a great time to learn guitar!

[@stevesmith5198]

Derek Frigo was amazing, unique and like enuff znuff, never given the credit he deserved

[@zigzag8949]

Derek 🎉 Andy LaRocque is amazing also from KD

[@SanDimas234]

Ronnie LeTekro needs more shout outs.

[@SEILLC]

Ronnie & Derek were always on my radar.

[@peteyuckly4628]

You are right on the money!!!!! Nice!!!

[@docmiles7]

Tony Palacios- Guardian Bruce Swift- Sacred Warrior Michael Sweet & Oz Fox- Stryper Jaime Cramer & Michael Cutting- Holy Soldier David Zaffiro & Paul Jackson- Bloodgood Ken Tamlin- Shout, Magdalla, Tamplin Rex Carroll- Whitecross Ray Parris- Barren Cross Mark Amrose- Idle Cure Randy Thomas- Allies

[@nathanlansford1882]

The late Joshua Perahia, too! I think he's considered like the 1st Christian Rock/Metal-oriented guitar 🎸 virtuoso... Bobby Smith from Eternal Ryte, Bill & Bruce Menchen of Redeemer, Final Axe, Rev Seven & other Las Vegas bands, too--etc., et. Christian Metal in general is under-rated as quality music--and even by other Christians. The best of those bands have really good players...

[@nathanlansford1882]

*"et." should be etc. (sorry! ;) ).

[@docmiles7]

@@nathanlansford1882 I could I forgot Bobby Smith, P.K. Mitchell, and Jeff Schetz.

[@scottdunn1371]

Yeah Tony! Great player.

[@nathanlansford1882]

*Larry Dean, too--from TRYTAN. TRYTAN are from Chicago. They're basically considered the RUSH of Progressive Christian Hard Rock & Heavy Metal!

[@laz288]

Warrens solo in "Nobody Rides for Free" is amazing and to date I have NEVER seen anyone play the neck pickup portion of the solo correctly.

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

YES! And loving you is a dirty job is another amazing solo

[@SD-kp1yk]

great song and his tone is amazing on this tune.

[@johnmarshall3903]

​@SD-kp1yk Totally agree, his pure plexi tone was impeccable on that one.

[@johnquinn8796]

Yes I agree. I love his solo on In Your Direction from out of the cellar. Pretty much all the solos on that album are amazing. A great blend of speed, phrasing, and melody. Warren is my favorite 80s guitarist

[@egiarrusso4472]

Warren could rip a solo with the best. But what I loved most about his playing was he was never afraid to play different styles. One minute he's Riff master. Next he's Blues master. Then southern twang. Always had a versatile sound. But you can always tell it's him.

[@RobertYacobozzi]

I love the recording process Ratt had with Warren DeMartinni coming out of of side and Robin Crosby coming out of the other. Gives you the chance to hear what each of them are doing, and they rarely played the same thing, but it went together perfectly. You can only do that with two great great guitarists

[@davidturleyeastcta1899]

Actually Jeff Watson AND Brad Gillis from Night Ranger were both great guitar players by themselves , and together.

[@OZRIC1985]

Oh, I definitely agree with you! :)

[@dragongoff]

Night Ranger is still playing but without Jeff. Jeff had two brain operations recently so hope he's doing well. But Brad and Jeff played phenomenal solos to Jack's and Kelly's vocals. A great energetic band of patriots.

[@bigjermboktown6976]

We can't leave out the great Steve lukather either

[@pmacfto]

underrated?

[@dragongoff]

Steve apart from TOTO pop is a deep thinker. Check out his solo album Ever Changing Times, from a depth perspective makes Toto and Rosanna sound like a teeny bopper band.

[@TheSpydersBand]

Andy Timmons is also the nicest guy in rock.

[@LilBertha]

Was not impressed with the guitar work on the Danger Danger album/cassette. Talked briefly with Mr. Timmons after watching him demo Boss pedals at 2014 (?) NAMM. Legend guitarist. Like, watch a guy play, and your fist instinct is to go home and burn all your gear good.

[@LordPhynnyx]

Criss Olivia-Savatage, Akira Takasaki-Loudness, Stevie Blaze-Lillian Axe, Harry Cody-Shotgun Messiah, Jon Drenning-Crimson Glory

[@m4rkw2]

Harry Cody from Shotgun Messiah for sure.

[@AlexandreCriado]

Now THAT'S relevant with the video title.

[@EL_DUDERIN0]

I listened to "The Explorer" so many times in a row when I was a kid. Damn.

[@countzero5150]

Bop City is such a great riff.

[@ericsylvester3638]

Shout it out

[@stevesmith5198]

Yeeeessss!!!!

[@erikvoima2701]

Steve Lukather may be more talked about than some people on this list, but I still feel he gets passed up too often. Absolute legend, that one.

[@HevyMetlDave]

I was in high school in the 80s, none of these guys were underrated, they were in the guitar magazines at the time and got plenty of respect. Guess you had to be there.

[@2DclanSnipingTeam]

Agreed. I think Rob is about 10 to 15 years younger than us. He wasn't there to see all the attention these players actually received .

[@unknownk8284]

You are correct. If anything, Warren Demartini was overrated. Shawn Lane was underrated.

[@waynesmith-r8c]

100%

[@joshmarksberry2274]

Talking about modern players not knowing majority of mentioned players

[@robp775]

Same. What's funny to me is back then if you wanted to be one of those guys, it was because you believed the ability to play like that got you the (perceived) girls/partying/money.... respect of your contemporaries or other up and coming musicians was a distant fourth pace at best! "Oh no, I'm not being respected as a musician, so I will cry myself to sleep on my mattress of money if I can find room between these groupies covered in Bolivian marching powder!" Yeah, I'm sure that got said a lot... 🙄

[@path9494]

Criss f***ing Oliva! Very unique and creative riffing as well as soloing. Sadly, passed away way too early.

[@A24ny]

Andy Laroque of king Diamond is very underrated guitarist and had a very unique style of 80’s shred

[@CheshireGrinGuitars]

Hell yes! While I have a love/hate relationship with King Diamond overall (I gotta be in the right mood to listen to his vocals), Andy's riff writing and playing style is both distinct and consistently awesome

[@xerxese7909]

Got to do a show with KD & Merciful Fate in '94. Very intimidating to have them there during our soundcheck. But they were super easy going.

[@Lemonhead0014]

So crazy!!! I just mentioned him right after I asked about George Lynch!!! Andy will always be one of my top 5!!! He is so bad-ass and very unique!!! His licks aren't just simple shit either!!! His solos on King Diamond albums are so from the heart and thoughtfully melodic!!! Very different than all the others!! 🤘

[@hvacpro4215]

And hank sherman

[@andrecombrinck1454]

King Diamond has always had great guitarists. Andy is phenomenal.

[@iceman2796]

I like your list, definitely some of my all time favs were included. My list goes as follows. George Lynch, Mark Kendall, Reb Beach, Warren Demartini, Jake E Lee, Mick Mars, Vito Bratta, John Sykes, Doug Aldrich, and Pete Willis

[@stevestrang2376]

So glad to see Ritchie Kotzen and Doug Aldrich on your list!

[@Guitar19774]

Dio Guitarists Vivian Campbell and Craig Goldy

[@srogers500]

I wore out 2 VHS copies of Sacred Heart Live and I'm never opening my DVD copy. Goldy should have been at the top of list for bands looking for a virtuoso in the 80's

[@Montyhugo]

I was looking for them to be on the list 🤘

[@spartan6005]

@@srogers500me too

[@kellyguillory3403]

Yes sir.Holy Diver and The Last in Line will be in my rotation as long as I'm still kicking.

[@talk844]

Not sure why they didn't get much recognition here... their riffs and fingering is beautiful

[@GosselinCreative]

A couple of guitarist that nobody has mentioned yet are Bruce Kulick of Kiss and Warner E. Hodges of Jason and the Scorchers. Kulick was the perfect guy for Kiss in the non-makeup years, seamless transitioning between the blues-based early material and the more shreddy style of the 80s. His work on the Revenge album was particularly tasteful, although I liked his work on Asylum also. Hodges had the misfortune to be in a band that was ahead of its time (cowpunk) and didn't neatly fit into traditional categories. He can play both melodic country leads and high-octane, rip-your-face-off leads. An amazing guitarist who has flown under the radar for way too long.

[@kellornmap4457]

While not a shredder I think Steve Clark of Def Leppard should be on here as a song / riff writer. I definitely don't think he gets enough credit. Glad you had jake e lee on here. Definitely sucks you have to get shot to have the conversation come back around to you. He is awesome.

[@stevestrang2376]

I agree on Steve Clark! He was a phenomenal riff writer!

[@waynesmith-r8c]

goat,nothing more needs to be said

[@GeneralTHC]

Great comment! I literally wore out High N Dry. Had to buy that cassette 3 or 4 times because I just kept wearing it out. I bought the album too. I'm not exactly sure what Steve Clark played and what Pete Willis played, but that album is basically the Bible of hard rock lead guitar as far as I am concerned.

[@Caturday123]

He’s the reason I started playing guitar.

[@christopherparsons3224]

Loved his style, similar to my own. The perfect compliment to Phil Collin. It is a shame he died so young.

[@BrokenStrings231]

I would add Vivian Campbell, Chris DeGarmo, John Sykes/Adrian Vanderberg, Reb Beach and so on. EDIT: I also think that Akira Takasaki deserves a lot more recognition too, altho Loudness started in the 70s.

[@rocwould]

heres a few you didnt menton. Akira Takasaki of Loudness, Vivian campbell of Dio, Yngwie Malmsteen, Greg Howe or Vinnie Moore. thanks for the vids Bro !

[@skullheadwater9839]

I agree with all but Takasaki, He sounded like he was picking as fast as possible and hitting every note randomly.

[@ktmeric1985]

I think the purpose of this video is to bring up some names that were awesome in the 80’s but a lot of people don’t know or remember them. Malmsteen wouldn’t fit in that category since pretty much everyone knows him

[@johnstrika9170]

The list is UNDERRATED guitarists. On what planet is Yngwie underrated

[@midnight-2021]

​@@johnstrika9170Yngwie Malmsteen is usually in most people's top 5 or even #1. This guy that said underrated 😂😂😂😂. He must be on Crack 😂😂😂😂!

[@achoice2bmade]

​@@johnstrika9170 No doubt. Saying Yngwie was underrated is like saying Yngwie lacks confidence.

[@erickmartin5667]

Criss Oliva, Alex Masi, Shawn Lane, Adrian Vandenberg, Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Amir Derakh, Blues Saraceno, Brad Gillis/Jeff Watson, George Lynch, Vivian Campbell, Rowan Robertson. There's a lot of ground to cover in the 80's

[@1EyeInTheSky]

Mark Diglio(XYZ), Mick Sweda(Bullet Boys), Dave Meniketti(Y&T) Mark Kendall(Great White). Doug Aldrich - one of my all time faves. His stuff in Bad Moon Rising is awesome too.

[@MrBluesMessiah]

Doug Aldrich is featured in this video.

[@jour-crazy]

Mark Diglio for sure!!

[@Montyhugo]

Michael Schenker 70s,80s...........& still killing it🤘

[@stuartwilson6939]

A few I'd add are Chris Impelliteri, Oz Fox, Michael Sweet and Bob Hartman

[@tennywood8721]

Michael Sweet and Oz Fox are both really good.

[@ericpegram9737]

I still have Rex Carroll's solo from The Hammer and the Nail (whitecross) on the brain.

[@mightywings76]

Joshua Perahia, Bloodgood

[@nathanlansford1882]

*PETRA's Bob Hartman, for those of you who don''t know it ...

[@raf249hg]

Came here to mention Oz Fox as well

[@Socomite]

Hi Robert and first off many, many thanks for the great work you're doing here on your channel! I've really enjoyed your lesson videos and your taste in guitarists is exquisite! This is a great list of players, but what really warmed my heart is that you have Kee Marcello on the list. He is definitely not so well-known, which is a real shame as he is just sublime. Kee is one of my absolute favorite players as well, with the guitar work on Europe's Out of This World being particularly tasty. His timing is very, very musical, with many of his lines having that accelerando-ritardando thing where it's not all just even subdivisions, which is something that when done well elevates a line to greatness. The done well part really does require a very keen sense of time and pocket, though. Another player who always manages to do this and land on his feet would be Yngwie, although his music is very different from Kee's. Dann Huff of course has so many superb parts, but if to pick just one album where his chops really shine, Giant's Time to Burn would probably be it.

[@evalex71]

Jeff Kollman, Chris Oliva, Bruce Bouillet, Alex Skolnick- monster players from the ‘80s that are often overlooked

[@MCSA210]

Prime Savatage was so Damm good!

[@joebalusikiii5811]

Toledo's Own Jeff Kollman! Edwin Dare for the win!

[@052RC]

Bruce Bouillet was just as good as Paul Gilbert.

[@evalex71]

@ 100%

[@JasonSway]

Steve Clark. Constantly overlooked. If people talk about Def Leppard, they tend to talk about Phil Collen-which is deserved. But Steve was not only a better player, he wrote most of the guitar parts Phil gets credit for. Absolute genius guitarist and it’s bloody criminal how often he is forgotten.

[@PasquiDente]

Vito Bratta is more forgotten tyan underrated. Those who know him know how good he was ;)

[@beatlesforever69]

You can make a case for Bruce Kulick. He kept Kiss together in the mid 80s till he was let go because of the reunion in 1996. Also, what about the thrash metal guitarists? DANNY SPITZ of Anthrax? Come on now. The guy is gold!

[@geraldhartley]

Dann Huff at 5:30 is a MONSTER. Not only a killer session guitarist, but a legit singer that sounded very much like Lou Gramm of Foreigner. The band GIANT should have been huge, but sadly Nirvana ruined the party.

[@larslevinberget9558]

Everyone you mention here Robert, are very well renown, played everywhere and very visible in Guitar magazines, instructional videos, Headbanger's Ball, Monsters of Rock, the Power Hour, VH1 and so on. Now, if I say Mandy Meyer, Ronni Le Tekrö, Stevie Blaze, Anders Wikström, Hans Ziller, Angel Schleifer, Gunnar Westlie, Staffan William Olsson...I don't name-drop bands ;) If you don't know'em, go look'em up, and keep up the good work - you rock bro! :D

[@JefAlanLong]

Agree. This is a list of a young and keen enthusiast who was not actually there at the time. But you can’t fault the enthusiasm. And it’s probably the position of the audience to this video. So dinosaurs like you and I already know this stuff, that doesn’t make it irrelevant and perhaps younger guys will find something new (to them) here. Because perhaps these guys are underrated to the thirty-somethings crowd, nevermind happened and all this great stuff disappeared. I endorse this video 👍

[@PeterOptional]

I think one of the most underrated guitar monsters is David Meniketti from Yesterday & Today . Listen to his Songs and you will have fun.

[@martintucker2825]

Yep totally agree saw him in the 80s ,Reading rock festival England Y & T stole the show

[@RickWalton71]

Came here to say the same.

[@Montyhugo]

One of my all time favorites 🤘

[@t.sewell1513]

Many of these guys certainly weren’t underrated in their day.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Vinnie Moore, Tony Macalpine, Joey Tafolla.

[@pmacfto]

Just Shrapnel guys basically - Tafolla was (and is!) great. Great technical but also musical players - I'd add Greg Howe to the list :)

[@midnight-2021]

Malmsteen clones!

[@gun_toting_lefty]

​​@@midnight-2021 Maybe at the time, but all of them evolved into their own players. Now I personally appreciated Vinnie Moore because he was a humbucker player and didn't need a scalloped fretboard. That gave guys like ME a lot of hope. Tony Mac showed me it was OK to "cheat" if you needed to tap those arpeggios instead of sweeping.

[@Frankserpico84]

Criss Oliva-savatage MONSTER player, r.i.p Criss (gone, but never forgotten) These others might be branching out genre-wise but they can PLAY and deserve more recognition Kendall jones-fishbone Pete anderson-dwight yoakham Charlie Baty-little charlie and the nightcats .....and gotta throw some props to the most underrated player of the 90s Peter Klett-candlebox BEST vibrato in the game then, CRIMINALLY underrated player

[@richieismyhero]

Kee Marcello is a beast. So underrated, the out of this world album has some awesome solo's. Kee's live solo is so cool!

[@jasenmoyle3722]

Yes his rippin version of flight of the bumblebee into that blues outro was wicked

[@djh6970]

Love Kee. Superstitious is my favourite solo of all time👍

[@pmacfto]

Even though I live in Scotland - I still managed to see Jake E Lee with Badlands, Vito Bratta with White Lion (Tyketto supporting), Kee with Europe (that Superstitious solo is one of the most perfect solos written), Andy Timmons on their first UK gig with Danger Danger at the Marquee - he did not play a lot on that 1st album but I think he did also play on the Saraya album, never got to see Giant with Dan Huff :(, Kotzen I only saw with Winery Dogs The most important thing back then was all the Shrapnel guys - thank Mr Varney for giving us all these amazing players. We should add in Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson - the Nightranger albums had some smoking guitar playing! Great list!

[@Tomekkplk]

There's hundred of guitarists from the 80's that deserve much more credit. People need to open their minds and search. Also, Criss Oliva from Savatage, Jeff Waters from Annihilator, and finally Craig Wells from Metal Church.

[@spideradda]

Check out Kane Roberts - ex Alice Cooper guitarist from 86 to 89. He was on the albums Constrictor, Raise Your Fist and Yell, and Trash. Solo albums - self titled from 87, and Saints and Sinners 1991. Kane was pure 80s flash. He looked like Rambo and played a machine gun guitar.

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

Let 80s week BEGIN!!!

[@mars6433]

Quentin James was big in the 80's. #BakerRules

[@davedecker1725]

Ty Tabor!

[@phillippitts6294]

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

[@rocknrollguitar]

Whoop whoop! Can you do a special vid on Shawn Lane? Thats the guy who humbled Malmsteen and Eddie van Halen!

[@TomChopperGuitar]

Psyched!

[@elephantsnod]

Harry Cody of Shotgun Messiah is massively underrated!!!!!

[@GNXXRAY]

I don’t know how old you are…but if you’re over 50 and played guitar back then. You would not say that most of these guys are “overlooked”. DeMartini was a God. Beau Hill did the first 4 RATT albums. DeMartini had so many amazing riffs…Hill told him it would take several albums to get them all on vinyl. Like Way Cool Jr, that riff could have been on Out of the Cellar…but didn’t make it out for 3 more albums. DeMartini, Lynch and Lee all shared an apartment together in LA for a time. Imagine the sound coming out of that place. They should put that apartment building in the R&RHOF.

[@killedbycoconuts]

80s in the house!!! We need to live every week like it's 80s week!!

[@brendenthomson7146]

Great to see Kee Marcello get some focus!! His tone, phrasing, and clarity is amazing!!!

[@Bbbbad724]

Rory Gallagher 60s- 80s

[@workingorder2189]

My picks are Chris Olivia, Carlos Cavazos, Kai Hansen, Michelle Meldrum, Nicole couch , Larry Mitchell and David Chastain.

[@greekfreak1980]

Mike Slamer, major studio guitar player in the 80's, he actually played the guitars on the first 2 Warrant albums. Highly recommend checking out his project Steelhouse Lane.

[@georgealdredge2806]

Not to mention all the City Boy albums………

[@greekfreak1980]

@georgealdredge2806 Yes! Seventh Key with Billy Grier is another great Slamer band.

[@GosselinCreative]

His playing on the two Streets albums (that he made with Steve Walsh from Kansas) are some of my favorites from that time period. Definitely underrated guitarist with major chops.

[@MrShane5150]

Dan Huff!!! ABSOLUTELY

[@sedition4267]

Akira Takasaki from Loudness and Harry Cody from Shotgun Messiah were another 2 influences on my playing.

[@jasongoad1084]

This is a GREAT list! One of my other favorites that I haven't seen mentioned in the comments is Bruce Kulick. He is not only a great guitarist but he is a super nice guy.

[@GeneralTHC]

Jake E Lee, Warren DeMartini, Vito Bratta, Reb Beach etc. didn't get the attention they deserve? What are you talking about? How old are you? Hell yes they did! Maybe you can argue they don't get the attention their work still deserves now, but they were all raved about in the 1980s. I still have a stack of guitar magazines that will prove it. And I don't know how anyone can talk about Jake E Lee and not mention Badlands, which was his best work by far. I mean, dang dude. And how could anyone possibly think Jake E Lee could play guitar for Ozzy for 5 years of the 1980s and not get the attention he deserved? That's a wild take, bro. Sure he did. It made him a legend.

[@2DclanSnipingTeam]

Agreed, I think Rob is a bit young to remember the 80's.

[@justingibson508]

Pretty sure Rob wasn't even born until the 90's. So yeah he wasn't around for it.

[@SD-kp1yk]

not a single mention of Jake at the Silly Rock and Roll Hall of fame thing. SO yeah its discouraging

[@SD-kp1yk]

Have the sudden urge to bust out the old Charvelle 475 and play some good old fashion 80's. Lol. Love your material

[@Incountry]

I was an amazing shredder, people watched in awe when I did but now as I age fingers aren’t as fast anymore so I just use a mandolin to shred the onions…. Brings tears to my eyes.

[@DARIOSKYNYRD63]

Where is Ty Tabor: the Genius!!

[@godawg1023]

This ….100%

[@gun_toting_lefty]

YEP! I think of him as the Brian May of The 80s.

[@angrybabka9483]

Well check out Pete Lesperance from Harem Scarem. The guy started in 80s, and his style is something between Nuno and Steve Vai, but not so crazy. And the thing I love about him is that his solos are always finished musical pieces, but never stupid shreddy fill for the song

[@MCSA210]

Chris Oliva, Savatage Rob Castevany, Death Angel

[@chrisa1125]

Hell yeah, Criss Oliva is one of my favorites, so underrated

[@larswillsen]

Haha, yeah, here I am-15+ albums and 50+ singles/EPs later-not as a guitar player, but as a synth guy. Back in the day, we were hidden behind the curtains. For some reason, the primadonnas of that era were ashamed to have keyboards in their bands, haha. Imagine standing behind the curtains, in the dark, as the support act for Dio. But hey, at least I got to sneak some bottles and cans without anyone noticing! :)

[@modular182]

Jeff Watson of Night Ranger... He deserves an Honorable Mention.

[@DarrenNecker]

Michael Lee Firkins is extremely talented and is a great instrumental song writer.

[@pdxpete48]

Mick Mars is extremely underrated, I love his new solo release, it opens up his true potential aside from Motley days. "lay it down " was a riff I practiced over and over Warren has some really fast fingers, Jake E. Lee stepped into some massive shoes and did not disappoint, his solo on suicide solution live was next level. I must give a shout out to my Friend Rudy Sarzo , his talent is amazing as a bas player, his much more versatile.

[@SJ-ty5rw]

I agree 100% on Mick as well . I've never understood why many say he's not a good guitarist ? Most who say this could not come up with the catchy driving riffs he did . Or even play at the same level as lead as him in his day . Mick is a Great ! player , and very underrated .

[@johnwalter6410]

yeah. that chord stretch on the opening riff of lay it down took me forever to learn.

[@manonbassguitar]

If you’re going to do 80’s week, You have to episode Andy Summers

[@sean8470]

Summers is amazing

[@phillippitts6294]

Adrian Smith and Robb Crosby .

[@neutronstar7803]

Adrian is in Maiden. He is a well established and well recognised guitar player

[@MaxTorringa]

John albani of wrabit and Lee Aaron is the most criminally underrated player imo, as well as George Bernhardt who was also in Lee Aaron, their work on the song Deceiver is so unbelievably good

[@elizabethgarrison8928]

George Lynch, Ronnie Le Tekro, Chris DeGarmo, Vivian Campbell, Randy Rhodes, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Michael Angelo Batio, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Gary Moore.

[@johntiger5]

He is talking about underated players. George Lynch is a well known great guitarist. Hardly underated.

[@derklavierspieler7491]

@@johntiger5 Most of the comments are from dopes who can't comprehend what 'underrated' means.

[@64siskat96]

bro read the title. the guys you named are some of the most famous guitarist. Bro put steve vai as unknown guitarist 😂😂

[@216Numbskull]

​@@derklavierspieler7491 That's pretty rich of you don't ya think? I'm just saying, "Pot Meet Kettle." Most of the comments aren't just by dopes who can't comprehend the meaning of underrated. There's also many others along with them in comments as yourself, who are just a bunch of dipsphlts babbling BS! It's silly & stoopid really to use a term such as underrated/overrated in the same sentence when it pertains to music, don't ya think? Not only do both of those terms have no true credible meaning in music, they've also become very annoying. Anyone with a little plain common sense understands that ALL music is subjective to one owns personal preference of opinion, period. There's no definitive right or wrong answer to base any claim off of any piece of music or musician owning the top spot of anything. Nor should anyone want too try to box music in by doing something like that. Especially when music is one of the last true art forms we have to express ourselves. Forget about all the analytical BS by believing some talking heads list as fact. Be grateful for all the music we have now to enjoy & share with each other around the world in life. Just saying... +++Peace Funk & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul My Friend+++ 🤘😜🤘

[@quentinbroome2778]

​@@64siskat96and Satriani, and Malmsteen, and Randy Rhoads.....surprised he didn't mention that no name Van Halen guy.

[@randyromano7331]

Great list Robert! Here are some others: Brad Gillis from Night Ranger, John Sykes, and Steve Lynch from Autograph.