Alex Lifeson / Rush - Top 10 Greatest Guitar Riffs (The First 10 Albums)

Hey all! I guess we could call this the centerpiece video here in Alex Lifeson month on my channel, as it was a bit more work putting it together than most other vids I've posted thus far. Certainly hope that you enjoy it, especially you Rush fans out there.
Cheers, KDA
Paypal tip jar if you're so inclined paypal.me/kellydeanallen?coun...
support for my channel on Patreon is always greatly appreciated as well. / kellydeanallen

[@Charles53412]

Alex has the largest guitar solo catalog than anyone else in rock music and one of the most underrated players to ever record. In my opinion, Alex, Geddy and Neil are the true G.O.A.T.s in rock music!

[@JACKSHEENA]

Excellent video! I will never understand why Alex is so underrated

[@dr.p3637]

No disrespect intended but I just don't think people do think Alex is underrated.

[@JACKSHEENA]

@@dr.p3637 none taken - unfortunately I have heard from many people that think otherwise. As a guitarist I try to explain to them he is a great guitarist but they think what he plays is simple because it is not at Eddie Van Halen / Randy Rhoads speed - sad

[@timanderson9466]

He’s not under rated. He’s more guilt by association because the critics always hated Rush. I once had full access backstage pass and stood 15 feet from him while soaking in the most incredible monitor mix I have ever heard. I listed from the sound guys location and it sound like shit compared their unbelievable monitor mix. That night was a thrill and I even got a pair of Neil Pearts USED drum sticks. I felt like such a teenager!

[@Toonhead]

AMEN 👏🏾👏🏾

[@Kidgloves1984]

Probably because some people put him in the shadow of Geddy and Neil..and some people just don't know shit about playing guitar..

[@danalmas6600]

From a fellow Canadian and Rush fanatic I can’t thank you enough for the time and attention to detail you put into your videos. Love the background info you provide as well. Keep up the great work, you’re the best!

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks Dan! Glad you like it.

[@ryanlenihan427]

Alex is my absolute favorite guitar player! He was such a genius, so unique!

[@CAP21]

So glad you picked "Red Sector A" at the last second. Great riff intro, with deep lyrics👍 Always loved the originality of that song.

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Amazing track for sure. You know, who writes songs about the Holocaust (and not in a thrash/death metal sense,) and manages to make it poignant, meaningful and touching.

[@JohnEdgecombe-in9zp]

Have always loved the guitar work on Red Sector A. Spent many hours as a lad figuring that one out!

[@jimh6763]

Love how you play the parts ecxactly like Alex plays them

[@dr.p3637]

Truly loved watching this Mr. Allen. You are super talented and brought great justice to Alex's playing.

[@jricoc3475]

I concurred with all but two of your picks. I'd opt for "The Camera Eye" and "Kid Gloves", but there are no wrong answers when it comes to Alex ...

[@yafreeaccount]

+1 kid gloves

[@shamayin]

Great great job!!! Thank you!!! I am happy that you have chosen Red Sector A!!!!!

[@markhorton1718]

This is an incredible series that you're doing, Kelly!! I can't think of any better way to pay homage to our guitar heroes. Your playing is amazing and alot of fun to watch and learn from!!! Thank You for sharing your time and talents with us!!

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

My pleasure Mark, thanks for watching and following along. Having great fun doing it.

[@Terry4345.]

You can tell how much work you put into these videos. It shows. Great playing. Thank you!

[@quincee3376]

Awesome! I subscribed. Distant Early Warning is a very underrated Rush song and Lifeson really brings it even with the synthesizer. Just my 2 cents. Although i guess you're beginning of the song. But to me Distant Early Warning from Grace Under Pressure gets up and goes if that makes sense . Great stuff!!!! Thx.

[@LudwigSC93]

Great job! Melodic play and arpeggios are what makes him great. So beautiful.

[@TommyC-nj2rt]

I have been playing Rush songs since 1978. You are doing a great job on all of them. great tones and choices too.

[@dwaynejessome1728]

Caress of Steel is my all time favourite Rush album would've loved the riffs in Necromancer - but I get your concept

[@bobmcswigan6415]

Love Caresss. It's so hard to pick my favorite album. Generally, my favorite is the one I'm current listening to 😀

[@Dontfear365]

Love it and what you do. Alex, my inspiration from day one with 6 strings. Boy, I wish we had KZbin back in the 70's could have learned much faster. Thanks to you...I have learned tricks, different and sometimes easier ways to play my favs. Except, Beneath Behind Between. My way is easier than the 3 bar pull off and sounds just as good LOL.

[@petemeyers5342]

Great video as always and great choices!

[@mogsy2112]

12:46 I'm glad you included that part, also. After the tension created by the F, that A chord hits so hard.

[@sagomen3243]

What a brilliant video. This has inspired me re-learn a number of the Rush songs I used to play, after a 4 or 5 year hiatus from the guitar.

[@mdu2112]

Go for it!

[@jwrobich]

Great video and playing! I’ve always loved Alex’s style and my fingerpicking is definitely influenced by him. Love your PRS too! Beautiful guitar.

[@doubled5383]

You are crushing all these riffs. Great job.

[@thiagomcdo]

Excellent job and perfect choices on each album. Thanks!

[@johnmerrill4717]

Enjoyed this format

[@cygnus-studios]

Great picks, and man you really nail the living hell out of all of them. If you tabbed these out into a book, you’ be a rich man.

[@cygnus-studios]

Forgot to mention, I use Mackie monitors too. 😉

[@RonCraig-dy1qf]

Superb playing bub! Well done, and thank you. ❤️

[@davekogut8511]

This is really great. Thank you so much for your playing, your commentary and your selections from my favorite band over the last 42+ years

[@mjf1036]

Beautiful work and selection from Alex's huge catalog of greats. ❤

[@eoinjennings519]

Loving these videos I have been working most of these tracks last few years - trying to get the feel and sounds - he is tough to emulate - great job !

[@nikblanchard9510]

Awesome video! and amazing tone sir. Well Done

[@Yyz1971]

Great job!

[@markg996]

Alex Rules!!!

[@texasdevops3831]

Absolutely brilliant man! Great choices and well played! Love that you've amped up the sound quality on Geddy's bass lines too. Cheers !!! :^ )

[@Fred-vy1hm]

Man I love when I stumble across a video like this, if I didn't know it was you I'd swear I was listening to Alex play. Great job, subbed.

[@mablood]

Fantastic- my kind of stuff! I can sit or stand around all day and play AL.😀 You sound great.

[@rUsHiSm]

*Nice Work!*

[@hkguitar1984]

Fantastic, THANK YOU

[@carlmoretonmusic]

Cool video. Just popped up on my feed. As someone who started playing guitar aged about 11 or 12 because I heard Alex playing on 2112, Alex has been probably my favourite guitarist of all time. I am now 56 and enjoyed many years as a musician and I can probably thank Rush for that. This is a great video. I sat on my sofa earlier with an acoustic and actually some of the parts came back to me.. Makes me want to re-learn some Rush songs again for fun. 🙂 Kelly, great playing, and I will say that sound you have on this video is superb. Nice looking PRS also. Thanks for taking the time to make the video, and I look forward to watching more of your videos. Cheers, Carl. UK.

[@gregorymattice2702]

Good job!

[@garyh.238]

Great video all thru! And your take on Red Sector A was definitely the "Grand Finale"! Really nice work Kelly.

[@atomicwedgie8176]

Grand Finale... the BEST riff he ever wrote, hands down!

[@TheRealThomasPaine1776]

Red Sector A!!! Yeah,! Love the sound he gets on that song, you nailed it pretty well I'm looking forward to checking out the video on the tone that Alex gets

[@markblackman2542]

I always knew Alex was a genius , looks so complicated , credit to you playing it !

[@judithprudhomme1547]

Amazing!!!

[@CalitranoN]

Love it! Now I want to jam some rush grew up with them down here in Buffalo

[@timculp4126]

Great choices. One and all.

[@babagadoush1]

Great job.

[@derekbomar4232]

THANK YOU ! stumbled across this luckily been jamming it all morning ( Thailand time). the again

[@robert2948]

Great choices. Your axe sounds great.

[@samcoon6699]

Yep, Alex is a huge influence on my playing. Picked up a 335 although I think his was a 355. Anyway, great stuff!! Well done!

[@yafreeaccount]

Alex played both. His 335 was his first “real” Gibson and he got the 355 “old whitey” in 1976 around the 2112 timeframe. But he played a bunch of other instruments during this time, borrowed axes and rentals, such as Ric 12 strings, Stratocasters, various acoustics, and such. I’ll bet your 335 sounds great!

[@Jermfrog]

outstanding! very well done. understand your feelings about Grace but there is another filthy riff on there - Between the Wheels, which I consider some of Alex's best and also most radical work.

[@loveguitars]

Love this!🔥😍🙏

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks mate! Love doing it, haha.

[@user-hp8uz5kr9t]

The first 4 riffs sounded right out of the R30 overture. Cool

[@racebiketuner]

Great picks. Anthem and La Villa Stragiato are two of my all time faves.

[@stephenjackson4392]

I have to say you are very gifted to play like Alex. You have greatly impressed me. I'm an old man now and have always dreamed of playing guitar but I just don't have the ability to learn.

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks Stephen, appreciate that very much mate.

[@Kidgloves1984]

How do you know you have the ability or not if you have never tried..are you handicapped?

[@timmytVA]

Neat to see the (ahem) progression from simpler single note and power chord based riffs to more complicated scales and voicings. And also the tonal changes from cranked Marshalls/Hiwatts to cleaner and more effects laden. Nice job. And like all good Canadians, there's a Traynor !

[@tfoz2235]

Great choices and greatvplaying! While theres hardly any Rush songs I dont like, I have always personnaly felt La Villa Strangiato is an absolute musical masterpiece. The textures, rythems, build up, guitar solo, Neils parts....all of it, is just incredible.

[@markmajewski191]

fantastic thanks

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks for watching Mark!

[@Jhossack11]

Yes Indeed! That was Great!

[@hf8913]

Well, we *mostly* agreed... up until Grace Under Pressure. Your choice of Red Sector A was hard enough for me to agree with, but then you said it was the last album you liked for a long while - lol. Red Sector A is not, for me, a riff. Wonderful song and a bear to figure out for sure. All that said, very nice work! Alex is my very favorite guitarist and I've been learning his stuff for decades. I'm going to look to see if you have a 2nd 10 albums list right now! Subscribed.

[@daveberry342]

Witch Hunt is another good one. You play excellent, Kelly.

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks Dave!

[@extremelifeandlarydean1894]

Great vid Sir. You missed how Alex does his G# in Limelight & I think his G chord The Analog Kid. It’s been a while since I played it but it’s different than the standard bar chord with the open B & E

[@JamMan6string]

Agree 10/10 and yes it came through that you had fun. btw - my Strat is not having fun with the Limelight solo. Wrong tool for the job I suppose. I once owned Zion Radicaster that I now regret selling.

[@adampoe2797]

My choice, as well Anthem Man that riff!!!!! And Bastille for Caress Agreed with a comment on here about the catalogue of Alex

[@timanderson9466]

Great video! Rush lost me after moving pictures because of the guitar being less prominent. There was short lived hope with Show Me Don’t Tell Me from Presto. And you are right, Caress Of Steel was and is incredible under rated. What I liked about it is that that album almost sunk them and they said fuck it, we’re doing another concept album.

[@CC-qb9sm]

Hello KDA, like all things guitar and KZbin related currently, I am way behind on your Alex Lifeson month and very much look forward to catching up on all of this content sometime in the future. One tune I feel is underrated and feel the guitar work is great on despite the heavy keyboards is the song “Marathon” from the Power Windows album. So many great Rush tunes, so little time, but if your guitar Muse takes you there I’d love to see you take a look at this one. Take care Kelly.

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Hey CC, thanks as always man. Marathon is on the to-do list. Only 2 or 3 solos left to finish up before I have enough content to finish out the month.

[@Kidgloves1984]

Great choices and great playing! I thought you were going to choose Circumstances from Hemispheres!

[@TheRealThomasPaine1776]

This is awesome!! I'm trying to put together a medley and this nails a few that I wanted to use. I'll be watching every video when they come out! (What are you using as your editing program to remove the guitar?)

[@hustler3of4culture3]

Beneath the wheels has a pretty good solo too. 👍

[@gyslainbeauchamp9241]

Your tone so good Man,you nails IT,fx user?🇨🇦

[@Nile8765]

i know this is about alex lifeson, but i would love to see more opinion rankings like rush albums ranked and solos ranked. Im loving this idea of a famous guitarist per month!

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Thanks mate, but it's a hell of a lot of work doing this, haha. Great fun though. Can't do this every month for a number of reasons I suppose. Don't want to alienate the subscribers who might not actually like that particular guitarist or their music for such a long stretch of time. I think once or twice a year, I can get away with it however, haha.

[@peytoningram7961]

Would love a tutorial on the second solo in Working Man. Your video on the first is really great

[@chatter7653]

Cool!

[@lostinpa-dadenduro7555]

Xanadu is so fun to play. It’s also my favorite Alex solo.

[@Richard-cq4kv]

Middle Finger Chord Is The Best Chord To Begin A Best Riffs Vid With🤘

[@user-ny2qt9dz8v]

Yeah this points out some of the better things of the guitar playing that Alex lifeson actually does and picks out just about the most unique and best stuff he does

[@davidb5122]

Some you're playing to the song, and some you did your own backing tracks? And Spirit of Radio, was that ged, or cover.? Incredible work put into this video, quality content!

[@kremlinasset]

Alright! Nothing at all against his solos but I was hoping you'd get to some riffs too! 🤘

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Well here ya go! Had great fun putting this together over the past 2 days.

[@joshuasydnee]

Love this,what gear you playing through?

[@michaelkahlke6155]

Very nice job, and that's quite a nice selection of axes you used! I don't suppose you'd want to share what amp settings and guitar effects pedals and settings you used to get that tone on the songs you played? They all seemed quite close to actual to me.

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Well, you're in luck, because I made a video on that exact topic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6SZnWqXrZiSi6c

[@escommentss]

Great job! What rig are you using? Tone is awesome! On Xanadu, the part right after you stopped where it goes into 7/8 time is my absolute favorite part of that song!!

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

For recording my videos I always use software. Pretty much exclusively bias FX2.

[@i.p.knightly149]

13:12 The Hemispheres dilemma

[@michaelkemper6334]

I would have loved to see Rush at the Real Gasworks bar on Young Street Toronto back in the day before they got a record deal.

[@michaelflack4563]

Rush are a superb example of musical synergy between its component members, that is, the whole unit is way bigger than the sum of its parts. Alex is not underrated at all, it’s just that he’s part of a band that as a whole unit are simply off the scale.

[@TheRealThomasPaine1776]

Do you by chance have an ES355??? I'm working on matching the early tones, through Permanent Waves, but I also really want to do some of Grace Under Pressure, and for that album he was full into his Les Paul, so if you have any tips about how to recreate that Les Paul sound with the 355 that would be great!!!

[@thebluesrockers]

Not trying to blow up your comments but I do have a couple questions. 1. What year is that PRS Les Paul? It's amazing looking. 2. What FX did you use to get that Red Sector A sound? That was completely mind blowing. I never knew Alex played that riff in between the chords like that. Did you use a pedal to turn off or change FX for the riff? Amazing job. Kelly you're like a freaking walking Juke Box.. I've watched you nail so many different tones & styles. I'll be fan for life.. Keep rocking & I'll keep watching.. Peace.. Joe

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Hey man! First question is that I don't know the year. 2014? I bought it second hand. Second question is, the only modulation effect is chorus. Intensity and width at about 11:00 with the speed at about 7:00. Marshall amp with the gain on about 4. Delay at 600 Ms with 3 repeats and some plate reverb. That's about it. Since I use software, I can't change pedals on the fly as I'm not set up with midi, so I'll play it through, then change anything I need to change tone-wise in post.

[@thebluesrockers]

@@KellyDeanAllenGuitar thanks for the details. I really wasn't expecting you to say Red Sector A when you were talking about it. that really did blow my mind. again, great job..

[@tonyogrinc6895]

Can you do setting for his delay flange and phase shifting setting

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

How did he do the beginning runs in Chemistry from Signals.

[@thebluesrockers]

outstanding choices.. I think I would love to hang out with you and listen to music all night. Come over to my house and DJ for me. hahaha.. Great video Kelly

[@CalitranoN]

For the early albums what did Alex lifeson use for effects ? Did he use distortion or chorus or flanger I assume he used echoplex

[@secretjourney4815]

Isn’t the riff from Xanadu the inspiration for Slash in Paradise city???

[@thecoderofyoutube]

Is that the ESL version of Xanadu you’re playing along to there?…

[@jamesbrothers4222]

I GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS LOVE RUSH

[@Shazeen82]

You missing the high E note in Spirit of Radio intro. It should be an upstroke the picking pattern is down down up. The pull off on the B string doesnt sound right.

[@brucedickinson12]

Before and after off first album is a cracker

[@rushrulz65]

That Xanadu opening arpeggio is so much like the Slash Sweet Child of Mine riff in feel and scale... Did Slash steal it? Well played though!

[@dbrown6451]

I dont want to cuss Geddy for the synth era but I do want to cuss Geddy.

[@johndrake2729]

I'm not. He carried the 80s with that stuff.

[@dbrown6451]

@@johndrake2729 yah, ok

[@MarkandSandieInMotion]

Those are fighting words:)

[@MyCrazyDogs32]

On The Spirit of Radio, were you playing a G# power chord with open B and E Strings, or E/G# with open B and E strings?

[@KellyDeanAllenGuitar]

Yes. G# major chord with open b and e string.

[@brucedickinson12]

Love caress of steel

[@charlesdauphin3324]

personnally, i would've gone with The Weapon on Signals...

[@jamesbrothers4222]

THAT WOULD BE COOL TO PLAY ALL THE BASS LINES TO THOSE TUNES