3 Songs From 1972 That Changed Guitar Playing Forever

Guitar playing is, and will always be, a mainstay in rock music. Though it’s taken many forms, the genre was built around the guitar. Throughout the decades, a particular guitar sound has had the power to completely change the direction of rock. One musician gets a hit with an amped up solo? Everyone else follows suit. Another gets a hit with acoustic riffs? The genre does a 180. The three rock songs below, all released in 1972, had such strong guitar moments that they shifted the tides.

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“Smoke on the Water” (Deep Purple)

Few songs have been as single-handedly influential on rock as Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” Appearing first on the band’s 1972 album, Machine Head, the titular riff in this song was a watershed moment in guitar playing. To this day, if you want to learn guitar, the first complex riff you will try out is more than likely from “Smoke on the Water.”

In comparison to some of the other solos from the ’70s, Ritchie Blackmore’s playing here isn’t the most complex. Nevertheless, the riff this song stands on is perfectly melodic and rhythmic. It helped evolve guitar playing as the ’70s rolled on.

“School’s Out” (Alice Cooper)

Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” didn’t necessarily revolutionize guitar playing, but it certainly inspired subsequent players. Guitarist Glen Buxton’s playing is attitude-heavy. The riff in “School’s Out” is one of the more colorful riffs in rock history. Buxton managed to personify his guitar, imbuing it with the bratty nature of this song.

Buxton isn’t the only guitarist to have ever used this kind of emotion-forward playing, but this track is one of the best examples of it.

“Heart of Gold” (Neil Young)

Though the acoustic guitar didn’t leave rock altogether, the late ’60s saw an increased reliance on electric tones. It’s hard to peddle psychedelia without filters and feedback. The ’70s, however, saw the acoustic guitar return in a big way. Southern rock became mainstream. As did West Coast sounds. One song that helped to start this trend was Neil Young’s 1972 release, “Heart of Gold.”

This iconic Young song was built around an acoustic guitar. As always, Young’s playing here is melodic and timeless. If you were a rocker in the early ’70s deciding which direction to take, hard rock or soft, this song might’ve swayed you to the latter.

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