albums and/or songs with ELITE guitar tone

[DISCLAIMER: I'm far from an audiophile/snob, but my OCD causes me to mention that - as I head to Planet Fitness to listen to lo fi thrash metal on some $17 Skull Candy ear buds - these songs will sound better the higher the quality stream you are using, and also better in other audio formats.]

What are some albums/songs that you find have great SOUNDING guitars. I'm such a novice (plan on learning bass this year), so I couldn't tell you if it's the effects pedal, a computer program, an amp or what that makes some guitar tones so amazing. 

I think it was "Mysterious Ways" and "The Fly" by U2 - a song where the guitars disappear, immersing into the landscape at times in the song - that made me first notice how not every guitar is gonna sound like those on Bon Jovi albums.

Anyhow, I'll start with two albums I think have INSANELY good guitar TONE/SOUND, then a few songs as honorable mentions to get the ball rolling.

Rush - Clockwork Angels 2012

I'm one of those weirdos who thinks the final two Rush albums are two of their best. From "Caravan" (which I think was re-recorded and/or tweaked between single and album) to "The Way The Wind Blows", the plugged-in guitars are BIG and OMINOUS sounding (though not as consistently haunting as on Snakes & Arrows). Here's a great example, a song that reminds me of a dusty, desolate drive to Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma (as I was jamming this at the time). My intention is to create fast, heavy thrash metal but if I were to ever do prog or arena rock, I'd want this type of sound.




Impellitteri - Wicked Maiden 2009

This album from the most-impossible-to-spell guitarist, really goes for a slightly more grimy, slightly more garage-sounding tone than the endearing and legendary Def Leppard and Van Halen sounds that were big during Chris' heyday. I think "Weapons of Mass Distortion" has some of the best-sounding fast riffs, and it really goes into synth-sounding stuff during the solos. 


"The Vision" is defiinitely another great example of the thick, crunchy tone. 



I don't think Narnia's Course of a Generation is their best album, but it did crank out two almost-techno-sounding classics.

Almost anything David Gilmour or Mark Knopfler have played on. More about tone and feel then flash.

Some of the most amazing guitar tones came out of the 70's.  
We're talking Mick Ralphs of Bad Company, Barry Bailey with the Atlanta Rhythm Section,  Jimmy Lyon (Eddie Money's guitarist), Peter Frampton, AC/DC, Yes, and ZZ Top.  Also Steely Dan, Allman Brothers, Paul Kosoff from Free, Ritchie Blackmore, The Cars, The Pretenders, and the aforementioned Pink Floyd and Dire Straits.  

And special mention has to be made for the band Boston.  That was like space-age technology back then, that guitar sound they got. Now it can be easily duplicated but back then it was revolutionary.   And then Eddie Van Halen came along with the famous "brown sound."

In the 60's there was Jimi Hendrix, Santana, and Leslie West of Mountain. 
Actually Leslie West's guitar tone in the 90's was even better than ever.  And Santana has always had an amazing guitar tone to this day.

In the late 70's going into the 80's we had a lot of interesting guitar players but some of the more notable ones that stood out for guitar tones included Stevie Ray Vaughn, George Lynch (Dokken), Slash from G 'N R, The Police, U2, Journey, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Michael Hedges (acoustic), the aforementioned Alex Lifeson (Rush), Keith Scott (Bryan Adams).  Guitar among the more New Wave-oriented bands was more heavily processed, and some standouts included Mr. Mister, Saga, The Fixx, Psychedelic Furs, B-52's, and Duran Duran.

In the late 80's going into the 90's, guitarists were also experimenting more with texture and less with lead tones.  Some very interesting players from that era were Ty Tabor (King's X), Kim Thayall from Soundgarden, Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Zakk from Ozzy's band, and Jake E. Lee with Badlands (also with Ozzy).  

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot but it's late and my brain has stopped cooperating

Master of Reality

Rush, Alex Lifeson, Limelight

Dokken - Back for the Attack

The guitar on this album is unmatched. The tone is awesome and Lynch puts on a clinic for solo fills. The opening riff to Kiss of Death, I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime

The guitars here are so clean, but punchy at the same time. I’ve always loved the guitar tone on this album.

The good ones from the '70s were named.

For thrash:

Forbidden - Twisted Into Form
Artillery - By Inheritance
Metallica - RtL & MoP

21st Century metal:
Slough Feg - Traveller
Hammers of Misfortune
Wytch Hazel

Mountain/West

Masterplan -especially Aeronautics

Falconer - I noticed this on Mindtraveler

First 4 Van Halen albums.

Deliverance s/t has the best guitar tone ever imo. RtL is also great.

I've never really focused on this as there are so many albums nowadays with great tone. But when I'm trying to emulate a great metal tone when I'm mixing or recording, I've ended up going to Harmony's Theatre of Redemption and Megadeth's Cryptic Writings.

really dig Brain Mays tone. I know people that can't stand it. BUt I really dig it quite a bit.

Great call on Brian May - he probably has the most distinctive tone.  And he did this when technology was limited and invented it himself being an engineer.

Carlos Santana also very distinctive.

Eric Johnson also has an amazing tone and I heard he's obsessed with it.

Yngwie really perfected his tone now and sounds immaculate live.  He worked with Dunlop and made them adjust their custom made pick ups some 40-something times until he thought they got it right.

George Lynch’s tone on Dokken’s “Back for the Attack” is absolutely elite. His rhythm tone is sharp, but clear. His lead tone is likewise clear and gives full vent to his creative solos and solo fills. That album is a master class on rock guitar.

He was always an innovator but Eddie achieved tone perfection on A Different Kind of Truth.  "The Seventh Seal" is also an incredible feat of tone.

I keep listening to:

Mountain - Climbing!

I can't get away from the idea that this is as good as it gets. 


Gus G isn't bad: Firewind but especially Dream Evil

Comfortably Numb (or any other David Gilmore), TBA - Metallica, 72S - Metallica, any Theocracy, Eric Johnson - Cliffs Of Dover, Steve Vai - Alien Love Secrets (especially the clean tone on Tender Surrender)