The images have become some of the most iconic of the 20th century: A ferociously mugging Muhammad Ali (then still known as Cassius Clay) putting some mock whoop-ass on the four Beatles, who good-naturedly oblige by cowering before the fighter. The event has often been celebrated as a de facto summit meeting of the greatest artistic/sports/socio-political figures of their era. Yet, viewed from its proper historical perspective, it was but a chance interaction between two ambitious, promising forces who hadn’t yet conquered their respective worlds, let alone ours.

Album openers are a dicey affair. Too long of a buildup and you may lose a listener early on. Come out guns blazing and run the danger of losing steam before the first bridge. Finding that perfect balance is tough. Here are five essential riffs culled from the first needle drop of five essential LPs. Five career and genre defining riffs that—for better or for worse—would shape the legacy of the guitarists who first banged them out.

"Back in Black." "Hells Bells." "Highway to Hell." "Shoot to Thrill." "Whole Lotta Rosie." "You Shook Me All Night Long." Iconic songs by one of the best rock and roll bands of all time, and now you can learn to play them all on the Gibson website. AC/DC rocked the world and the imaginations of guitarists everywhere with their string of explosive hit singles, and we're proud to announce that beginning this week, Gibson is featuring detailed video tutorials from instructor Filippo Olivieri. The "semi-pro" guitarist, who was born in America and raised in Italy, will teach you to play all the AC/DC songs mentioned above, with dozens more to be added in the coming weeks. Click here for today's lesson. And don't forget to check back every day for another great lesson from Gibson Lifestyle.

Joe Perry is about to sweep yet another generation of aspiring guitar players off its feet by going digital in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, due in June for PlayStation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. So what better time to recount some of his other achievements—you know, besides selling 100-million albums?

When guitarists give any thought at all to their frets, it’s usually in the context of playability. Most often, we tend to only notice them when they’re getting too low to provide an adequate “grip,” or developing divots and ridges and are in need of a stoning and crown job at the very least. Poor frets will certainly affect your tone in the broad sense, in that the better you play—with all critical components in good condition—the better you sound. Frets, however, are also a tonal component purely in terms of their contribution to the makeup of any guitar, and frets of different types, and in different states of wear, will affect the sound that a guitar produces.

Tired of rocking out to “Celebration” and “We Are Family” at your house parties? It’s time to update your playlist. Gibson offers some fresh artists to help put your guests in a booty-shaking mood.

When you get into recording on your home computer, you quickly realize that there are an assortment of applications, loops, and hardware that can help you build that perfect song. Our aim here is to keep you up to date on all the new products.

Few bands can crank out one classic album after another—obvious exceptions being the Beatles, U2, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Nirvana, Miles Davis, the Sex Pistols … did we already mention the Beatles? But for bands whose genius is a bit more hit or miss, there is the greatest hits album, that perfectly edited compilation of singles and album highpoints that—when it all comes together just right—elevates a band from a perpetual three-star act into a stratospheric five-star favorite that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. (How do you think I got suckered into buying the entire Billy Joel back catalog?) Here’s a quick look at 10 bands whose incredible career-spanning compilations outshine any of their individual works.

This Week in Music History: February 25 – March 1

Blame Eddie Van Halen for making guitar shops unsafe for a decade. It wasn’t really Eddie’s fault. The trouble was, his “Eruption” solo was such an unprecedented hailstorm of heavy mayhem and melody that every snot-nosed kid who picked up a six-string from 1978 until the advent of Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine”—and there were plenty of us—just had to play it. Especially in guitar shops, sending all kinds of well-intentioned sonic shrapnel careening through the air.