"Whole Lotta Love" Voted Greatest Guitar Riff

"Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin features the greatest guitar riff of all time, according to listeners of BBC Radio 2.

The 1969 classic, which is the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, topped a list of 100 riffs complied by a panel of Radio 2 and 6 Music DJs, music critics and producers.

Also included were Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses, Back In Black by AC/DC and the Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple.

Jimmy said: "I wanted a riff that really moved, that people would really get, and would bring a smile to their faces, but when I played it with the band, it really went into overdrive," he said.

"There was this intent to have this riff and the movement of it, so it was menacing as well as quite sort of caressing."

"Whole Lotta Love is one of the most important guitar riffs of the 20th century," said record producer and panellist Steve Levine. "The moment you hear literally two notes of it, you know exactly what it is."

"Whole Lotta Love" was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, having sold one million copies in the US. 

Top 10 Guitar Riffs Of All Time

BBC Radio 2 listener vote – August 2014

01 - Whole Lotta Love – Led Zeppelin
02 - Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
03 - Back In Black – AC/DC
04 - Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple
05 - Layla – Derek And The Dominoes
06 - How Soon Is Now? – The Smiths
07 - Down Down – Status Quo
08 - Money For Nothing – Dire Straits
09 - You Really Got Me – The Kinks
10 - Money – Pink Floyd

 Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love