After reading a recent article in Guitar World magazine, I decided to post my own list of "highlights from the 80s" guitar universe -
1) Greatest Guitar Solo - "Big Trouble", Steve Vai, David Lee Roth's "Eat 'Em and Smile"
Steve covers so many emotions, colors, and techniques here - just toooooo good!
2) Best Riff - "Sweet Child o Mine", Slash, Guns-n-Roses "Appetite for Destruction"
you know why - the riff practically plays itself!!
3) Ultimate Guitar Album - "90125" by Yes
Trevor's writing, playing, and textures are so abundant, I saw it is a re-invention of the band, and an enormous inspiration to write better.
4) Piece of gear that screams "80s" - ADA MP1
everyone had one!
5) Guitarist of the decade - Joe Satriani
helped re-invent the guitar vocabulary in a way that hadn't been done since Eddie.
6) Greatest Shredder - Greg Howe
Greg's picking and phrasing were unlike anyone else...
7) Underappreciated Hero - Steve Morse
I didn't really discover his playing until the 80s, although the Dixie Dregs stuff from before that was great as well; his playing in Kansas made me fall in love with Steve Walsh's voice all over again.
8) Best Movie - Ghostbusters
more great one-liners than any movie before or since!
9) Greatest Hairstyle - Jeff La Bar from Cinderella
his hair probably weighed more than he did
10) Ultimate 80s Accessory - Ibanez Rock-n-Play
the half-speed switch made learning those shred solos MUCH easier!
You can read the full article, and what the real stars of the 80s had to say here at the official Guitar World website.