SamboraBlog

Top 10: Rock Duos

By Robert Scalia

Entertainment Correspondent - Every 2nd Wednesday

They are flashbulb targets on stage, and fresh meat for the groupies and the rumor mills the rest of the time. They write the hits, have the last word in the studio and often have egos that match their bad habits of choice.
Singer/guitarist duos have become legendary in the world of rock. Known for both their creative musical impetus and their rebel image, these rock n' roll tag teams have been the driving force behind some of the most popular bands of the last four decades.

Here is a look at the top 10 rock duos of all time.

Number 10

Axl Rose and Slash
Guns N' Roses

As far as bad-boy musicians go, Guns N' Roses had the image down to a tee -- even back in their early LA days in the mid-eighties. Too bad no one ever told frontman Axl Rose and guitarist Slash that image isn't everything.

Acclaimed for their individual talents and catchy rock anthems, their albums -- like Appetite for Destruction and the Use Your Illusions -- topped the Billboard Charts. Yet it was Rose's penchant for working crowds into frenzied riots and Slash's drunken banter during the 1989 American Music Awards (which ultimately ushered in the era of the five-second delay) that grabbed the most headlines.

Hit singles: "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City" and "November Rain."

Number 9

Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi
Black Sabbath

To claim heavy metal was an accident waiting to happen is probably a stretch. But there were definitely sinister forces at play when singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Toni Iommi formed Black Sabbath back in Birmingham, England in the late 1960s.

Iommi's signature guitar sound came about after a freak factory accident forced him to downtune his strings to accommodate his two sliced fingers. Adding to this occult charm, Osbourne's often disturbing stage antics (such as biting off a live bat's head) progressed from his simple observation that, "If people pay to see scary movies, why wouldn't they pay to listen to scary music?".

Hit singles: "Paranoid," "Never Say Die!" and "Iron Man."

Number 8

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
Bon Jovi

If the energetic '80s rock power ballads hadn't cut it, the New Jersey quartet probably could have sailed to the top of the charts thanks to the static in their hair alone. Luckily for the band, singer Jon Bon Jovi's admiration for Elton John and guitarist Richie Sambora's crafty songwriting and vocal talents gave the band an edge most other "hair metal" bands lacked.

After topping the US charts with Slippery When Wet in 1986, the duo continued to exert its melodic -- and capillary -- dominance in the '90s with highly acclaimed albums These Days and Bounce.

Hit singles: "Livin' On a Prayer," "Bad Medicine" and "Always."

The best rock, hard rock and heavy metal duos to have ever walked the Earth...

Number 7

Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth
Van Halen

Van Halen's eruption onto LA's Sunset Strip back in the mid-1970s was matched only by the eventual implosion of heavyweights Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth.

Although both men will go down in history for steering one of the most influential American rock bands of all time -- Eddie for his technical wizardry, groundbreaking finger tapping technique and god-like status among guitarists; David for his immense stage presence and keen pop sensibility -- their artistic differences and competing egos ultimately led to the band's slow demise.

Hit singles: "Eruption," "Jump" and "Hot for Teacher."

Number 6

Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield
Metallica

When a former tennis prodigy and a classically-trained singer/guitar player placed corresponding ads in LA's The Recycler in 1981, forming the most visible heavy metal band of all time was probably not in the fine print. But that's exactly what drummer Lars Ulrich and singer James Hetfield went on to do.

Establishing themselves with the thrash metal album Ride the Lightning in 1984, the duo eventually led the pack with more harmonically and rhythmically complex pieces, such as "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)," "Orion" and "One" and its accompanying famous video. In 1999, amid cries that they were selling out, the band even borrowed the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for a show.

Hit singles: "Master of Puppets," "One" and "Enter Sandman."

Number 5

Bono and The Edge
U2

One man's nickname means "beautiful voice," while the other earned his moniker by living on the fringe. The two young Christians had a common goal: They were looking to find their place on the Dublin rock scene back in 1976.

Three decades and 12 albums later, Bono and The Edge continue to resonate with fans across the globe. Bono's booming tenor and political overtures have more clout today than ever before, while The Edge continues to propel his patented slap-back delay guitar sound into the new sonic spheres of albums like Pop and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Hit singles: "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "Desire" and "Discotheque."

Number 4

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
Aerosmith

As far as frontmen and creative geniuses go, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry truly set the mold -- even if the early-'70s rock n' roll stereotypes these Bostonians helped foster nearly got the better of them.

Having battled cocaine addiction for years, Steven Tyler let his raunchy blues vocals, outlandish stage outfits and less serious but self-confessed obsession with sex do the talking. Perry's eventual transition from full-out guitar ripper to crafty songwriter also helped push the band back into multi-platinum territory with albums like Permanent Vacation and Get a Grip.

Hit singles: "Dream On," "Rag Doll" and "Amazing."

The Brits sure know their stuff...

Number 3

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
The Rolling Stones

How a British rock band formed in the early '60s on a steady diet of narcotic-induced partying still manages to tour the world after nearly five decades will forever remain one of rock's greatest mysteries.

The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are considered to be one of the most talented and prolific singer-songwriter duos of all time. Having come together after original guitarist Brian Jones was forced out of the band in 1969, the duo has written and recorded dozens of studio records, live albums and compilations through periods of intense personal hatred and trips to rehab centers.

Hit singles: "Satisfaction," "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up."

Number 2

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
Led Zeppelin

You don't become the "greatest rock band ever" without a group effort. Yet even die-hard fans can't deny the central role guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant played in forging Led Zeppelin's legendary magnetism and chemistry after the band came together in 1968.

Driven by a common love of blues, Page's ambitious songwriting and guitar work was matched only by Plant's raunchy tenor and unbridled stage presence, both of which helped forge an illustrious 12-year career that saw the band sell over 200 million albums worldwide and shatter the Beatles' record for drawing the largest paying audience.

Hit singles: "Whole Lotta Love," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir."

Number 1

John Lennon and Paul McCartney
The Beatles

If the Beatles are the standard by which all rock bands are measured, then John Lennon and Paul McCartney will forever remain the iconic singer/songwriter duo to which all musicians must aspire.

No other duo has produced as many hit singles as Lennon and McCartney or has brought as many girls to tears (and reportedly, to orgasm) with its electrifying live performances. And now, nearly 40 years and over 1 billion album sales later (another record no less), they still continue to capture the imaginations of generations of music fans with their contagious melodies, sticky harmonies and astute social observations.

Hit singles: "I Want to Hold Your Hand," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Come Together."

honorable mention

Freddie Mercury and Brian May
Queen

Forget glam rock or arena rock; what Queen really created in the late '60s in England was the blueprint for the modern rock anthem.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the compositional prowess of lead guitarist Brian May and frontman Freddie Mercury. What Mercury created with his operatic tenor and famous three-part studio harmonies on "Bohemian Rhapsody," May emulated with crunchy guitar riffs and beautifully phrased solos -- both of which fit so well into the often sterile four-minute radio format.

Hit singles: "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Bicycle" and "We are the Champions."

i love rock n' roll

With the advent of hip hop and electronic music, it is very easy to assume that the good old days of sexed-up, drug-induced guitar rock are long gone. But if the recent resurgence of the rock band and the continued success of legends like U2, Mley Cr・ and The Rolling Stones are any indication, the singer/guitarist duo will continue to be a rock n' roll staple.