GREATEST GUITAR PLAYER OF ALL TIME. Next to Hendrix of course. Beautiful Guitar riffs and soloing place him at the top. He never ceases to amaze me... I listen to queen and keep finding song after song that is just unbelievable. Friends will be friends, bohemian rhapsody, hammer to fall, the invisible man, breakthru, and radio ga ga are just a few of the amazing songs queen has put together. Along with the breathtaking vocals of Freddie mercury (may he rest in peace), the bombarding drumming of Roger Taylor, and the Steady, rhythmic bass playing of John Deacon, Brian May and Queen is the #1 band in the world.
Brain May flies a little under the radar. Everyone has heard Queen, but how many people actually pay attention to the guy that can make his guitar sound like a symphony. Next time Bohemian Rhapsody or Killer Queen pops up on the radio, actually listen to the harmonies that Brian alone can produce.
Brian May = Best Guitar Player! Very under-rated, just like Queen. People are finally starting to re-evaluate, recognize, & respect Queen & each band member for their brilliance, unique & eclectic style, & overall phenomenal talent / genius / & magic. Most amazing band ever, pioneering over 40 genres of music, including ballet & even opening up the esoteric world of opera to rock 'n' roll. Roger Taylor = Greatest Drummer! John Deacon = Greatest Bass Guitar Player! FREDDIE----There are no words for his magnificence! No superlatives are enough to describe this genius's magic! Absolutely, w/out a doubt, the BEST SINGER / PERFORMER / FRONTMAN Ever to grace the Earth... EVER! QUEEN--->>>Bold--->>>Brazen--->>>Beautiful--->>>BEST BAND EVER!
Brian is the BEST of all! Including Slash and the overrated Jimi H. QUEEN is the GREATEST BAND on Earth, largely due to the genius of Brian May, as well as the rest, esp, of course, the greatest frontman ever to have lived, FREDDIE MERCURY! They had this wonderful symbiotic relationship in which they brought out the best in each other, encouraging one another to go higher and better, which they did, thereby becoming the most awesome and absolutely THE BEST BAND on the planet, going where no other band had ventured, before or since, producing over 40 different genres of music, each so diff, so unique, so incredibly brilliant! Most innovative and eclectic band ever! QUEEN!
He's as good as Slash, Jimmy Page, Tommi Iommi, and Jimi Hendrix.
This guy is simply awesome, has a brilliant and isntantly recognisable tone, and great virtuosity & technical skill. He can rock hard (Stone cold crazy, the riffing in keep yourself alive, brighton rock, I want it all) he can create very beautiful emotive work (Last horizon, bijou, friends will be friends, love of my life) & playing which can be simply described as: Brian May (Killer Queen, lazing on a sunday afternoon, the solo in keep yourself alive, march of the black queen). He is a rock guitar genius.
For all the creative genius of Roger Taylor and the dramatics of Freddie Mercury, it was Brian May's musical talent and in particular his amazing talent on guitar that made Queen one of the greatest bands ever. It's harder to make a statement with the guitar in the style of Queen than with the heavier metal but May achieved it in spades.
Come on, people! You can't forget forget May! I mean, besides being an awesome guitarist, he's an awesome songwriter. He's not a showman like Hendrix, he's a pure musician. He doesn't need speed to impress, he focused on making the music sound good. Guitar is accompaniment, and that's all it needed to be for him. Of course, he had some awesome solos too.
Brian May is a musical genius, he has a home made guitar which he's been using since a teen, he plays with such precision and concentration and the sound is just like no other, you immediately recognize a Queen song from Brian's guitar, his solo in Brighton Rock blows every guitarist out of the water. Watching him play is amazing. He also has a PHD which he put on hold to pursue his music career, the man is truly the 8th wonder of the world!
For me the greatest guitarist race is like the knights of the round table and Brian is Arthur. He may not have the talents of Lancelot(Eddie Van Halen), but so long as he wields Excalibur(The Red Special) he will always be king. Plus he masters solo construction, is the king of effects(especially delay) and knows when to be more present and less, accompanying a song in the finest manner. He is the man!
The last reason is that I think that guitarists are FIRST OF ALL musicians. He can play guitar, piano, bass, drums, harp, synths and sing. These are skills that guitarists like Slash or others don't have and that's why Brian is a better musician (so he is a better guitarist too) than them. The Best Song Ever By this Top Ten Lists is played by Queen with Brian May on the Guitar
How can he not be any higher on this list? I mean he literally made is own quitar, The Red Special, from an old mantelpiece and other junk, along with his father. His sound is instantly recognizable, he is incredibly fast, and he has written nurmerous #1 songs! ;D oh han he uses a 6-pence when he plays! XD
The top 5 should be this (in no particular order, they're too awesome for me to decide): Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Brian. May can do everything from flamenco to hard rock (plus he can play piano! ) Honestly, him and Red Special just make magic together. Like I said, these GODS of guitar need to be the top 5. Like, right now.
Someone once said, "With Freddie Mercury as your front man, You're lucky anyone even notices you play guitar". Brain May is so underrated. He built that guitar, the Red Special, with his father when he was 17. He pulls out of it the most unique sounds. And even when he's just shredding it... It still sounds melodious.
Brian may was and is still the greatest guitarist ever to go into the music buisness. He built his guitar and unlike many guitarists, he is calm while he is playing yet he is amazing. He is not like, for instance, Angus Young and his "spasms". Brian May should be number one on this list.
Okay, Hendrix is good, but he's no May. Brian May was the best. My favorite. He wrote so many great songs, too, like 'Hammer to Fall', and 'Fat Bottomed Girls', 'Save Me', and 'Stone Cold Crazy'. And I think 'SCC' is underrated; I know only one other person who actually knows and loves this song.
Amazing guitar player. This man played his guitar like a angel! He should be at least number 5 on this list. He deserves to be right next to Jimi Hendrix and Bob Klose at the top of the chart! He is often underrated or unnoticed because he played in a band with the most successful and greatest singer of all time.
Plays with feeling and for the song, rather than to show off. His tone, timing and insight into music is really second to none. Steve vai said "he plays on higher ground, I can copy anyone, but not brian may. " Jeff beck said "he is the govnor, people steal his licks, when they should be stealing mine"
Immediate distinctive and never relied on sheer speed just to impress. His virtuosity and creative talents are incredible and he is also a great songwriter
Brian May is a great guitarist because he doesn't do some solos with as many effects they can have and rely on a speedy repeating solos. He writes real music and it's so disappointing that he's so underrated and underestimated. For me he is the greatest guitarist of all times.
The fact that he's always been behind the scene with Freddie in front should not diminish the fact that he's a great guitarist and hell, creating riffs and awesome solos for songs of musical complex as any of Queen's songs is enough to rank him higer than 19. Definitely.
You can always recognize him after few notes, because he has his own, unique style and his guitar sounds like no other in the world. Mayby not the fastest in the world, but it is about art, not sport. It is amazing how sounds of his guitar made harmony with Freddie's vocal.
If you listen to the early albums, they are completely laden with his signiture red special guitar. He was just as much the reason for Queen's sucess as Freddie Mercury's stage persona and ageless vocals were. Crank up the volume and be amazed.
May is very unique, very disciplined unlike Eddie. I really wonder why he is so underrated. Most guitar player explore one genre while Brian succeeded just about everywhere. Gosh just listen to the big band he created on Good Company from the Opera album, superb.
Sir Brian Harold May. A legendary guitarist.he's much better than other ones on the list My top 5 guitarists would be: 5.Sanatana 4.Jimmy Page 3.Mendaro(uruguayan player of the band Hereford) 2.Brian May 1.Jimmi Hendrix
Very under-rated, just like Queen. People are finally starting to re-evaluate, recognize, & respect Queen & each band member for their brilliance, unique & eclectic style, & overall phenomenal talent / genius / & magic.
Most amazing band ever, pioneering over 40 genres of music, including ballet & even opening up the esoteric world of opera to rock 'n' roll.
Roger Taylor = Greatest Drummer!
John Deacon = Greatest Bass Guitar Player!
FREDDIE----There are no words for his magnificence! No superlatives are enough to describe this genius's magic! Absolutely, w/out a doubt, the BEST SINGER / PERFORMER / FRONTMAN Ever to grace the Earth... EVER!
QUEEN--->>>Bold--->>>Brazen--->>>Beautiful--->>>BEST BAND EVER!
QUEEN is the GREATEST BAND on Earth, largely due to the genius of Brian May, as well as the rest, esp, of course, the greatest frontman ever to have lived, FREDDIE MERCURY! They had this wonderful symbiotic relationship in which they brought out the best in each other, encouraging one another to go higher and better, which they did, thereby becoming the most awesome and absolutely THE BEST BAND on the planet, going where no other band had ventured, before or since, producing over 40 different genres of music, each so diff, so unique, so incredibly brilliant! Most innovative and eclectic band ever! QUEEN!
My top 5 guitarists would be:
5.Sanatana
4.Jimmy Page
3.Mendaro(uruguayan player of the band Hereford)
2.Brian May
1.Jimmi Hendrix