One of the most heralded hard rock guitarists of the mid- to late '80s was George Lynch.

And while Lynch could easily keep pace with all the shredders of the era (Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc.), his roots lay largely in '70s era classic rock.

With the Shrapnel label encouraging veteran rock guitarists to revisit their past in the form of all-covers albums (Jake E.

Lee's Retraced, Leslie West's Got Blooze, etc.), Lynch also got the nod, resulting in 2004's Furious George.

Unlike his work with Dokken, Lynch's playing takes a decidedly bluesy turn here -- especially on renditions of Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs," ZZ Top's "Precious and Grace" (quite possibly the album's highlight), and even the Beatles "I Want You/She's So Heavy." But Lynch is known first and foremost as a metal guitarist, and he certainly gets to flex his muscles on covers of Deep Purple's "Stormbringer," Grand Funk Railroad's "Sin's a Good Man's Brother," and Montrose's "Space Station #5" (which sees singer Kelly Keeling do a spot-on impersonation of Sammy Hagar).

While newcomers would be best introduced to Lynch's playing via his Dokken or Lynch Mob releases, for longtime admirers curious to hear Lynch's influences, Furious George is recommended.