Jimi Hendrix tops guitar riffs list

The 1970 track beat Guns N' Roses classic Sweet Child O'Mine - which topped the poll five years ago - to the top spot in the poll by website MusicRadar,com, with Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin coming third.

Just two songs from the past decade made the list; Muse's 2001 hit Plug In Baby at 11 and The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, which was released in 2003, at 15.

MusicRadar.com's editor-in-chief Mike Goldsmith said: "Nearly 40 years after his untimely death, Jimi Hendrix is still the undisputed heavyweight champion of rock guitar.

"Of the current generation of six-string stars, only Jack White of The White Stripes and Muse frontman Matt Bellamy feature in the higher echelons of our list. No surprise given both Bellamy and White share - or have inherited - Hendrix's unique blend of experimental instincts and white-knuckle showmanship.

"Above all though, our poll seems to indicate one thing - in 2009, classic rock still rules."

Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water and Derek and the Dominos' Layla - which features Eric Clapton on guitar - made up the rest of the top five, with AC/DC, Metallica, The Beatles, Nirvana and The Rolling Stones also featuring in the top ten.

More than 5000 MusicRadar.com users took part in the poll.

Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time according to MusicRadar.com top 20:

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
2. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
3. Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
4. Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water
5. Derek and the Dominos - Layla
6. AC/DC - Back In Black
7. Metallica - Enter Sandman
8. The Beatles - Day Tripper
9. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
10. The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
11. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
12. Muse - Plug In Baby
13. Eddie Van Halen - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
14. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
15. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
16. AC/DC - Highway to Hell
17. Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
18. Black Sabbath - Iron Man
19. Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
20. Michael Jackson - Beat It

* What do you think the best guitar riff is? Post your comments below.

- Bang! Showbiz