Yeah, Gibson Les Paul's rock and so do Fender Stratocaster's. The two classic guitars. Can't go wrong with those two choices.
However, you might want to take a look at a Fender Telecaster. It's got a deeper fuller sound than a Stratocaster and it's also a classic. LIke the Stratocaster, it has a curved neck, unlike the Les Paul, which is flat. This is a matter of preference but I find when I'm playing funk or lots of high on the neck frantic chord playing (muted chords, ala Prince/Red Hot Chili players), I dig the curved neck (while I use my Ibanz guitar with a flat neck for metal/thrash songs).
You'd be surprised how many classic rock album's people think were recorded with a Les Paul or Strat and were actually Telecasters. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin is almost always seen in pictures with a Les Paul but a little known fact is that he recorded almost the entire first Zep album with a Telecaster. Also some of Jimi Hendrix classic songs, he used a Telecaster as well, and not his classic reverse strung righty-Statocaster (Hendrix was left handed but played a right-handed Start).
Or you could be like Van Halen and get his classic "Brown sound" and use a Stratocaster and change your pickup's and put a humbucker pickup in there.
But really, I'd ask yourself what 1) Guitar gods you like to emulate, 2) what type of music you like and 3) if you'd prefer a curved or flat neck.
Or then again you can be like me and what happens to every other "serious" amateur guitar player and after several years of playing you'll eventually have several guitars. =)
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