Alright, time to namedrop a bunch of albums that you like to listen to purely for the guitar work. All styles can have great guitar work so variety is encouraged.
My Top Ten:
Surfing With the Alien - Joe Satriani
Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
Machine Head - Deep Purple
Wheels of Fire - Cream
Speed Metal Symphony - Cacophony
Paradise Lost - Symphony X
Brothers In Arms - Dire Straits
Far Beyond Driven - Pantera
Back For the Attack - Dokken
pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd - Lynyrd Skynyrd
mostly jazz and I don't have a top ten list, but these are ten good albums on the concept.
Wes Montgomery - So much guitar
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (Jim Hall)
Axis Bold as Love - Jimi Hendrix Experience
ACT - Last Epic
Kenny Burell - Deliah
The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds Of Fire (John McLaughlin)
Grant Green - Ballads
Joshua Redman - Momentum
Coldplay - Parachutes
G3: live in concert ( Eric Johnsson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani)
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It's an image worth pondering for a moment. Maybe, when you cut past the instrumental and songwriting virtuosity, the funny voices and characters, what is left is a man alone in his recording studio for days at a time.
I only have Inner Mounting Flame by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and I love it. John McCaughlin (sp?) is very awesome.
Yah it's pretty awesome. Better than the next Van Halen album imo.
I was considering Vai's Passion and Warfare, but I don't find the songwriting strong enough.
Population Override would definitely be a top 20 for me. Buckethead is great.