Didn't see any accompanying text but this is another poor job from RS, If putting together a list like this is your job (what you are supposed to be good at), less head up the ass should be expected. This one fails to prioritze based on levels of cultural influence, technical ability or even (surprisingly) units sold.
7) SRV... Hendrix is already on the list at #1. If you take the Hendrix out of SRV he's at least 80% reduced as a guitarist.
8) Ry Cooder is generic stuff... wall paper... has not expanded the vocabulary while dozens of unlisted players have. He also hasn't got the chops or sales to be #8.
11) Kirk Hammet... not even close to the most fire breathing metal guitarist. May have sold about the most units, but Dimebag, Chris Poland, EVH, Vai, Michael Schenker, Y. Malmsteen, U. Roth and many others dwarf him.
12) Curt Cobain... I dig Nirvana, but isolating Cobain as a guitarist and putting him in the top 50 of a 100 player list is an ignoramus move even for a junior high kid.
13) Jerry Garcia ... this is a folk hero and cultural figure, he just was not one of the top 100 guitarists by any rational yardstick.
17) Jack White has done some cool stuff still WAY less than many other players who are lower on the list or not even on the list.
21) Geo. Harrison... another cultural icon who may have made a big crater, but not as a guitarist.
23) Warren Haynes... G.T.F.O. HUNDREDS are higher when intelligently evaluated including Dickie Betts.
25) Freddy King does not whup Albert Collins, Eddie Guitar Slim or Clarence Gatemouth Brown, (a fact stronger than gravity).
26) Tom Morello... Reeves Gabrels, David Torn, Nels Cline, Holdsworth and at least 50 other guitarists better or equal his depravity.
27) Knopfler is a good craftsman, but there are too many real greats out there for this choice to stand as 27.
28) Steve Stills...same problem... mostly pretty generic stuff, Michael Hedges who cited him as an influence was light years past him.
29) Ron Asheton, I like the Stooges, but this is wrong in a list that excludes, Brian James, Buck Dharma and Hugh Cornwell, besides James Williamson was the guitarist on Raw Power.
31) Dick Dale... he's done some good stuff, but Hank Marvin, (Shadows), Bob Bogle/Don Wison (Ventures) and especially Jim Thomas of the Mermen belong higher.
45) Zappa... putting FZ this low is dumb all over and ugly on the side.
48) More blatant stupidity... this has a particularly vile aroma when seeing #49 is the vastly superior John McLaughlin (RS basically claims that a cat fart is more powerful than a volcano w/ this one).
50) Pete Townsend... You morons put Warren Haynes, SRV, Edge, Jack White, George Harrison and Ron Asheton higher... please pay attention, you really suck.
52) Lou Reed... For sure put out some cool stuff and a lotta crap... not really a guitar player.
55) Richie Blackmore... Randy Rhoads, Yngwie and a whole vein of guitar playing was largely pioneered by this guy (Kirk Hammet is #11 and Blackmore is #55... couldn't get it much worse by picking names from a hat.
61) Ike Turner (where's David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman)... if the list can only go to 100 there's no room for Ike.
69) Steve Howe maybe should be higher. Omission of Terje Rypdal, Steve Hillage, Holdsworth, John Etheridge, Larry Coryell, Sonny Sharrock and gobs of others is a bigger gaff.
70) Van Halen like it or not changed what was possible and kicks the poop out of most RS top 50 choices.
75) Adam Jones (Tool)... Might be room after Raoul Bjorkenheim, Ron Thal, Buckethead, Michael Karoli (CAN), Kido Natsuki, Steve Tibbets, Fred Frith, Marc Ducret, Marc Ribot, Tsuneo Imahori, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, Django Reinhardt, Peter Wolbrandt, Jukka Tolonen, Jan Akkerman, David Tronzo, Warren Cuccurullo, Brian Godding, Andreas Willers, Christy Doran, John Abercrombie, Volker Kriegel, Ax Generich, Roman Bunka, Radim Hladik, Greg Howe, Uwe Kropinski, Derek Bailey, Brian Goodsall... No there isn't enough room. Same goes for (78) Robbie Robertson, (81) Derek Trucks (good but not unique or great) (87) Joan Jett (not even in the top 1000).
Any widely published top 100 guitarist list would probably stir up a lot of stink... why not make a list that mostly annoys poorly informed people or weirder yet make one that might get people to check out stuff they haven't heard before.
7) SRV... Hendrix is already on the list at #1. If you take the Hendrix out of SRV he's at least 80% reduced as a guitarist.
8) Ry Cooder is generic stuff... wall paper... has not expanded the vocabulary while dozens of unlisted players have. He also hasn't got the chops or sales to be #8.
11) Kirk Hammet... not even close to the most fire breathing metal guitarist. May have sold about the most units, but Dimebag, Chris Poland, EVH, Vai, Michael Schenker, Y. Malmsteen, U. Roth and many others dwarf him.
12) Curt Cobain... I dig Nirvana, but isolating Cobain as a guitarist and putting him in the top 50 of a 100 player list is an ignoramus move even for a junior high kid.
13) Jerry Garcia ... this is a folk hero and cultural figure, he just was not one of the top 100 guitarists by any rational yardstick.
17) Jack White has done some cool stuff still WAY less than many other players who are lower on the list or not even on the list.
21) Geo. Harrison... another cultural icon who may have made a big crater, but not as a guitarist.
23) Warren Haynes... G.T.F.O. HUNDREDS are higher when intelligently evaluated including Dickie Betts.
25) Freddy King does not whup Albert Collins, Eddie Guitar Slim or Clarence Gatemouth Brown, (a fact stronger than gravity).
26) Tom Morello... Reeves Gabrels, David Torn, Nels Cline, Holdsworth and at least 50 other guitarists better or equal his depravity.
27) Knopfler is a good craftsman, but there are too many real greats out there for this choice to stand as 27.
28) Steve Stills...same problem... mostly pretty generic stuff, Michael Hedges who cited him as an influence was light years past him.
29) Ron Asheton, I like the Stooges, but this is wrong in a list that excludes, Brian James, Buck Dharma and Hugh Cornwell, besides James Williamson was the guitarist on Raw Power.
31) Dick Dale... he's done some good stuff, but Hank Marvin, (Shadows), Bob Bogle/Don Wison (Ventures) and especially Jim Thomas of the Mermen belong higher.
45) Zappa... putting FZ this low is dumb all over and ugly on the side.
48) More blatant stupidity... this has a particularly vile aroma when seeing #49 is the vastly superior John McLaughlin (RS basically claims that a cat fart is more powerful than a volcano w/ this one).
50) Pete Townsend... You morons put Warren Haynes, SRV, Edge, Jack White, George Harrison and Ron Asheton higher... please pay attention, you really suck.
52) Lou Reed... For sure put out some cool stuff and a lotta crap... not really a guitar player.
55) Richie Blackmore... Randy Rhoads, Yngwie and a whole vein of guitar playing was largely pioneered by this guy (Kirk Hammet is #11 and Blackmore is #55... couldn't get it much worse by picking names from a hat.
61) Ike Turner (where's David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman)... if the list can only go to 100 there's no room for Ike.
69) Steve Howe maybe should be higher. Omission of Terje Rypdal, Steve Hillage, Holdsworth, John Etheridge, Larry Coryell, Sonny Sharrock and gobs of others is a bigger gaff.
70) Van Halen like it or not changed what was possible and kicks the poop out of most RS top 50 choices.
75) Adam Jones (Tool)... Might be room after Raoul Bjorkenheim, Ron Thal, Buckethead, Michael Karoli (CAN), Kido Natsuki, Steve Tibbets, Fred Frith, Marc Ducret, Marc Ribot, Tsuneo Imahori, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, Django Reinhardt, Peter Wolbrandt, Jukka Tolonen, Jan Akkerman, David Tronzo, Warren Cuccurullo, Brian Godding, Andreas Willers, Christy Doran, John Abercrombie, Volker Kriegel, Ax Generich, Roman Bunka, Radim Hladik, Greg Howe, Uwe Kropinski, Derek Bailey, Brian Goodsall... No there isn't enough room. Same goes for (78) Robbie Robertson, (81) Derek Trucks (good but not unique or great) (87) Joan Jett (not even in the top 1000).
Any widely published top 100 guitarist list would probably stir up a lot of stink... why not make a list that mostly annoys poorly informed people or weirder yet make one that might get people to check out stuff they haven't heard before.