84Joe Perry

Fin Costello/RedfernsIt's hard to conceive a better musical foil for Steven Tyler than his longtime partner and occasional adversary. For more than 40 years, Joe Perry's monstrous, blues-on-steroids riffs have beenAerosmith's bedrock. And his solos, jutting out from "Walk This Way" or slashing boldly through the high-gloss production of later hits like "Janie's Got a Gun" and "Cryin'," have a caffeinated energy that's every bit Tyler's match. "He had a streamlined style that reminded me ofKeith Richards," said Slash. "And a careless style that's really cool."Key Tracks:"Dream On," "Walk This Way," "Janie's Got a Gun"

85Andy Summers

Ebet Roberts/RedfernsThe Policewere a new kind of power trio, and Andy Summers was the main reason. Quickly moving away from punk, he recast jazz chords and reggae rhythms as headlong rock & roll. Summers played as sparely as possible, constructing clipped twitches or dubby washes of sound leaving ample room forStingand Stewart Copeland. "His tone and style were just absolutely perfect he left space around everything,"Rush's Alex Lifeson said. "And he can handle anything from beautiful acoustic playing to jazz to hybrid kinds of stuff."Key Tracks:"Message in a Bottle," "Every Breath You Take"

86J Mascis

Ebet Roberts/RedfernsThe massive slabs of rock-candy noise that J Mascis heaved from his Fender Jazzmaster inDinosaur Jr.contained multitudes:Black Sabbathsavagery, melodic Neil Young soul, punk-rock pig slop. As his recent solo set,Several Shades of Why, showed, he can get shamelessly pretty with an acoustic, too. "I remember seeing Dinosaur play this soft, plaintive song and then it was just completely detonated by this ravaging solo that J did," saysSonic Youth's Thurston Moore. "The whole room was incinerated."Key Tracks:"Feel the Pain," "Little Fury Things"

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