Best Air Guitar Album In The World...ever Vol.1, The - Various Artists

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	It rocks
Disadvantages:	A few iffy tracks

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Have you ever been driving along in your car, on your way out/bak home in the evening and had Bohemian Rhapsody mamaaa-ooo-ooo-oo-oo-ing onto your radio?

If you have, then that's probably not surprising as with most classic rock stations, it would've been played aout 400 times previously throughout the day.

If we ignore this sad fact of commercial overkill, however, is it not a moment of sheer rock 'n' roll ecstacy when Brian May rips into his solo, causing you involuntarily to convulse in your seat, in a scarily accurate recreation of Wayne's World?

I thought as much.

Well evidently so did Brian May, when he included the track at the end of his compilation of amazing guitar riffs and solos ever devised by man: The Best Air Guitar Album In The World... EVER!

Along with the ubiquitously hounoured Bohemian Rhapsody, the album is made up of two CD's, featuring 42 great hits by a myriad of various different artists, spanning five decades of rock music.
The first CD comprises 20 songs (more than the average single CD compilation contains), each with individuality and plectrum melting flair:

Queen - Tie your mother down

A classic Quen rock hit, featuring the compiler himself, Brian May. One of Queens greatest riffs of all time.

Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water

This had to be there. Everyone knows the riff, and the solo has some brilliant moments that are signature of Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple .

Blur - Song 2

Modern rock with a subtle verse and headbanging chorus. A great and memorable tune but lacks a screaming solo.

Aerosmith Ft. Run DMC - Walk This Way

Rap on an air guitar album??? You must be kidding! But this collaboration of styles really works. Aerosmith pull it off well with chunky riffs and funky solos.

Derek and the Dominoes - Layla

THE air guitar track. The intro is as famous as Posh Spice, but at least Eric Clapton's masterpiece is something worth putting on CD...

The Kinks - You Really Got Me

The song that defined commercial rock forever. Unforgettable track that fits in whether you're at Donnington or having a party with your mates.

Rainbow - Since You've Been Gone

One of my personal favourite tracks from both disks, from the band that practically created big hair and mike-stand-throttling live performances. A stunning rock ballad.

Def Leppard - Photograph

Another screaming ballad, this time from Def Leppard. Featuring enough effects to fill a small Landrover, this song features some incredulously high singing and a guitar solo of simply epic proportions.

The Troggs - Wild Thing

Three chords. Just three chords. Magnificent.
Covered by huge signed acts and garage bands alike, this record is one of the best known songs on the planet.

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

Ziggy rocks us hard and fast with this fantastic display of remarkably 'un-fancied-up' guitar tones (Very unlike Mr. B...), vocals are particularly memorable, and undeniably Bowie.

Jeff Beck - Where Were You

This track slows it down to a long and melodic trip through wailing harmonics, beautiful slide guitar, and psychodelic reverberations. Woah dudes. Trippy.

Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way

Driving rock at its best. This formidable track beats the monkey of all other chugging guitar riffs. You can almost hear the trucker horns just thinking about it...

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing

Seemingly endless runs of bends, scales, modes and twiddly bits, the Knopfler brother excel themselves to present a legendry tune with more solos than Charles Lindbergh. They ain't no trumpet playing band!

The Surfaris - Wipe out

De-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-De-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne-ne, know the one? Surf rock gone wild. Gnarly stuff bro.

Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench

Taken from their album, 'The Colour and The Shape', this is a fantastic modern track from one of my favourite and most respected bands of the moment: the foos.

Thin Lizzy - The Boys are Back in Town

Reappearing on the air guitar album, nearly 16 years after Phil Lynott's tragic death in '86, brought the immensly popular track, 'The Boys are Back in Town' back to a new generation of fans, showing everyone that rock and roll didn't always exist with only three power chords looped over and over (cough...blink 182...), and that music was all about passion. The boys really are back in town.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

Ozzy Osbourne rocks our socks with this classic heavy metal hit. Emulated but never repeated, Paranoid remains one of the greatest guitar-orientated songs ever produced. Securing Black Sabbath's well deserved place on this CD.

Joe Satriani - Surfing With the Alien

The hairless speed-meister himself, Mr. Joe Satriani, wows us all with his impossibly fast licks and runs. A solid and catchy riff in the background makes this a true hit but with oodles of effects and 'whammy-bar' action, Satriani takes the show.

Status Quo - Whatever You Want

Contrary to popular belief, 'Whatever You Want' is one of the few tracks by the Quo that doesn't sound the same as all the others (in all ways, that is, apart from being truly amazing). Which is just as well to be honest, as 'Down Down' features on disk 2.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird

Starting slow and building up, the way any good driving rock ballad should. 'Free Bird' is one of those songs that really does make you stand up on your seat and start shredding on your invisible 'axe'. Shame it isn't the full 10 minute long version...

After that long list of rock superstars and supertracks, I expect you're all quite bored and tired of my review already. Well tough, cos there's more.

Bring on disk 2:

Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile

Yes it's Voodoo Chile, not Voodoo Child (I had to clarify that, before anyone trys to argue), and it's ace. Wah pedals, fuzz, crazy psychadelia, playing with your teeth and burning Stratocasters. It must be the one and only, Jimi Hendrix.

The Who - My Generation

Cars in swimming pools? TVs out of windows? Whatever next! That all points to the rock and roll animals that are: The Who. With their signature track that inspired MANY a generation, to stand up, be counted, and rock!!!

T-Rex - 20th Century Boy

A typical T-Rex song, backing singers going 'ooo', retro 60s sounding guitars and some brilliantly odd lyrics. Fantastic.

Paul McCartney - All Shook Up

He may have too many c's in his name, and he may be covering an Elvis song, but Sir. Paul has all the credability an ex-Beatle deserves, and rocks this classic Presley track with finesse.

Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode

Widely regarded as one of the coolest and best know introductions ever, this is how it all started. Chuck Berry twanging along on his guitar, bass and drums in the background, you just gotta sing along.

Weezer - Hash Pipe

Heavying up the tone a bit, Weezer come in with palm mutes and modern vocals to produce an excellent grunge hit. Deserves its place on the album simply because it's so different to everything else on there!

The Shadows - Apache

Hank Marvin and co blind the world with a dazzling and shimmering instrumental soft rock fantasy. If galloping horses or tingling guitars are your thing, check this out.

Motorhead - Ace of Spades

Earlier I said Voodoo Chile was ace. Well this is THE Ace! And it ain't taking no crap from anyone! Hardcore music with hardcore moustaches, this is a brilliant heavy metal biker tune that'll rock you off your Harley.

Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

As with many 50's rock songs, the lyrics tell a story. Of a teenager in America who doesn't 'work a lick' and so doesn't get to borrow his dad's car. Aw. Poor Eddie. Oh well, at least we can all get on the floor and party to this one!

Free - Alright Now

It hasn't been on a car ad for a while so it's likely to come up on our screens again soon. 'Alright Now' is classic rock purified, distilled, and refined. From the absolutely indefatigable main riff to the fast paced solo. This is Rock!

Robbie Williams - Let Me Entertain You

OK, so it doesn't sound right. How can HE get on an air guitar album? Basically 'Let Me Entertain You' is the perfect fusion between the worlds of rock and pop, catchy and commercial yet with bucketloads of overdriven guitar. I'm not convinced that you can air guitar to it, but you gotta admit, he's got the attitude.

Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well

Acoustic guitars, prog like feel, and a wierd woodwindy soloey thing. A far cry from 'Don't Stop'. But maybe that's a good thing. Who knows.

Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls

Thrash guitar extravaganda of shredding, moshing, and generally shouting in a low voice. This conglomeration of heavy riffs and outbreaks of Kirk Hammett's tapping and wailing calls for a right honerable metal track. Definately air guitar.

ZZ Top - Gimme all Your Lovin'

Billy Gibbons decides to show everyone how it's done with a typical classic commercial rock hit. It's got to be goos, it's got 'Lovin' ' in the title.

Boston - More Than a Feeling

Twin guitars, simply awe inspiring solos, heavy chorus and spangly arpegios in the verses, this is a REAL rock ballad. How can you drive without it???

Cream -Crossroads

Clapton's back and this time it's personal. Rumoured with the rock myth that this song is cursed; whenever the song has been covered in the past, wither the covering artist or someone close to them has died not long after; this song was alledgedly written about fraternizing about with the devil. Spooky stuff. Who cares, it's a fantastic rock song, with a brilliant riff.

Status Quo - Down Down

See 'All other Status Quo songs'

Only joking, this is one of their most succesful hits, featuring the trademark chugging guitars and drumbeat.

Bad Company - Can't Get Enough of Your Love

Typical classic rock, can't say much more. Think ZZ Top with an abslutely awesome leadbreak.

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

Wooooo!!! Whitesnake!!! I shall have to try and control myself for this one, I could write three pages on this song alone and my love for David Coverdale's band goes on unconditionally, but I shall try to keep this brief. An 80s hard rock ballad with synthesisers in the background, big hair, hard hitting chorus and the kind of guitar solo that makes you want to cry with emotion. Overpoweringly awesome.

Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

Teenybop pop-rock act Wheatus kicked arse on this one. It's by no means a heavy or driving rock song but it works. And that's what matters. Unfortuneatly I am still dubious about how much guitar there is in the dong to warrant being included on the disk.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Bla bla bla, said it all already. If you don't know what this sounds like, buy the album and be forever in shame for you have blasphemed against the name of rock.

So, as we draw this item to its end, I would like to quickly mention the cover art on the inside of the caricatured guitar playing blokey in lots of wierd and wonderful positions, it's really good, need I say more? On the subject of really good, get this compilation cos it is, at only a tenner, that's one hell of a 'riff to pound' ratio, you can't go wrong.