More mad music stats in the news again. First of all the readers of Total Guitar magazine have voted Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist of all time, just ahead of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. The magazine’s editor Scott Rowley told the BBC the poll showed his readers were impressed by true talent rather than image. "What's nice about this chart is that it's not some music critic's opinion of the best guitarists. These guys might not be cool by any music critic's viewpoint, but they genuinely are the fastest, loudest, most exciting players in rock and roll." Although the Top 5 was made up of the older names in rock, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood came in at 35 and Noel Gallagher was at 50. However female guitarists were notable absent - Tracy Chapman was the only female to be included by the magazine in a list of 440 nominees. Rowley said women were not as "geeky or competitive" about music as men. "Instead of showing off, they're trying to write a good song. Which is probably smarter," he added.
The Top 20 looks like this:
1. Jimi Hendrix; 2. Jimmy Page; 3. Eric Clapton; 4. Slash; 5. Brian May; 6. Joe Satriani (soloist); 7. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen); 8. Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd); 9. Kirk Hammett (Metallica); 10. Steve Vai (soloist); 11. Carlos Santana (Santana); 12. James Hetfield (Metallica); 13. Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine); 14. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana); 15. Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits); 16. Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne); 17. Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy and others); 18. Jeff Beck (Yardbirds, Jeff Beck Group); 19. Stevie Ray Vaughan (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble); 20. Angus Young (AC/DC)
Meanwhile yesterday the CoOp Group’s Funeral Service announced that songs by Bette Midler, Celine Dion and Robbie Williams were the most popular for play at funerals in the UK. The company confirmed that 68% of its branches have reported an increase in the number of requests for pop songs, with the most requested 10 songs being:
1. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler; 2. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion; 3. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston; 4. The Best - Tina Turner; 5. Angels - Robbie Williams; 6. You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry And The Pacemakers; 7. Candle In The Wind - Elton John; 8. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers; 9. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon And Garfunkel; 10. Time To Say Goodbye - Sarah Brightman
Despite the irony of the title of the Celine Dion track, the Titanic theme is second only to Bette Midler's ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, also from a soundtrack – for the film ‘Beaches’. The Door’s ‘Light My Fire’, Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ and Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ we’re all strangely lacking from the Top 10, though the CoOp confirmed the Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’, Queen's ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ and the Village People's YMCA had all been requested at some point.
"We are receiving more and more requests for popular music as people attempt to personalise funerals and choose songs that are relevant to them," Lorinda Sheasby of the Co-op told reporters. "Perhaps mourners want to recreate the emotion of their favourite films and ensure their loved ones receive a funeral worthy of a star."