Fans of legendary rock group The Rolling Stones have called guitarist Keith Richards a “criminally underrated” player.
Richards, who has also written with Mick Jagger on some of the band’s best songs, had a stint of solo blues rock albums alongside his work with The Rolling Stones. A fan discussion seen on the r/RollingStones subreddit saw users call Richards’ lead guitar playing “criminally underrated”. A fan wrote: “Keith Richards’ lead playing is criminally underrated. He may not be as technically gifted on guitar as Mick Taylor but Christ, that 1968/69 period where he played all the guitar is some of the greatest, most fitting guitar playing in the history of rock and roll. Jesus his solo in Wild Horses is beautiful beyond belief.
“I saw a thread the other day asking the greatest solos in Stones songs and all the answers were Taylor solos like Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, Sway, Time Waits For No One – great solos absolutely, but honestly give me Gimme Shelter, Sympathy For The Devil, Wild Horses over those all day any day. They may be a bit more basic but as far as driving the song forward and fitting like a glove they are about as good as it gets.”
His blues-like style, which was heard further on solo albums like Main Offender and Talk is Cheap, can be heard in his work for The Rolling Stones too. One user wrote: “Keith does Chuck Berry-style lead as good as anyone in rock ‘n’ roll. Then you have tunes like Bitch and Sympathy for the Devil.”
Another wrote: “Keith isn’t super technical and flashy but I think he’s really good at conveying emotion in his playing like the guitar is an extension of himself.” A third agreed, adding: “Keith understands that it’s a song not an ego-boosting exercise in finger gymnastics.”
Other users compared Richards’ subtle work and skill to The Who guitarist Pete Townshend. One wrote: “The same with Pete Townshend. People say he’s not a great lead but every guitar you hear on a Who track is Pete. And as the only guitar player in the band, he covers both parts deftly.”
Keith's lead playing is criminally underrated
byu/ballakafla inrollingstones
Some have suggested the reason Richards’ guitar work is underrated is because he does not play with a “dynamic” of his own, instead servicing the song. One user wrote: “Keith isn’t super technical and flashy but I think he’s really good at conveying emotion in his playing like the guitar is an extension of himself.”
Another added: “Keith doesn’t really believe in the rhythm player/lead player dynamic for The Stones – he practices what he calls ‘the ancient art of weaving’ where both players blend rhythmic and melodic playing and neither takes an established role.
“They experimented more with Taylor as a lead player during those years he was in the band but Keith has never been a ‘rhythm guitarist’. He’s just a guitarist.”
