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What in your opinion is the greatest guitar solo?
From time to time, i think about great solos in music. And when i do i always want to make a compilation playlist with songs featuring these beautiful solos.
Some of the solos that come to mind is the building crescendo of Unforgiven by Metallica, that ends in a beautifully unforgettable cacophony of sound that elevates the song to another level.
Or Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, which have a fantastic wonder-scene that gives great attention to the incredible mastering of the song.
I would love to hear what song featuring what you believe is the most unforgettable solo.
Thank you all in advance, and have a great day!
I LOVE this question! Thank you for asking. I was obsessed with guitar solos for years. Here's my favourites, unranked (just pulling random youtube videos of them):
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrOQC-zEog
I feel like this solo is so emotional and you can totally ride the guitars emotions through the solo. The many parts also gives it time to evolve and climax at the end.
The very same explanation goes for my other favourite:
Fade To Black - Metallica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZ_tx8aWuA
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X791IzOwt3Q
It's tough not to include a song that is sometimes called the best or the greatest rock song of all time, just a perfect ending to a very good song. I love that solo because it's kinda "hopeful" in way. Whereas Fate to Black and Comfortably Numb are just raw, sad emotions, I feel like Stairway to Heaven conveys a lot of happiness, kinda like "yeah, it happened, but I made it through, I'll keep going strong".
Eruption - Van Halen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Czx8EWXb0
I so freaking love this one, because it's so pure. Eruption is just a guitar solo. There's no drums, no lyrics, no build-up. It's just a man, his guitar, his amp and the result is just pure goodness.
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fAQhSRLQnM
This one is not really emotional, I just cannot help but imagine myself lost in the desert, happy as hell, or just riding a car, enjoying my day. Kinda like a "fuck yeah" attitude. The earlier parts really help the ending too. (EDIT: Ah, I just saw you put it in your post too, as you can see, I totally agree!)
Comfortably numb is so memorable. I always felt like the solo to Young Lust was somehow related—like a more lively and aggressive variation in a way.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond in its entirety is amazing too, sends me to space everytime.
I think you nailed it there with 'Comfortably Numb' but I'm going to get even more specific and go with Gilmour's final solo from Pulse in 1994. The studio version was already an emotional rollercoaster but here he pushes it way up into the stratosphere, absolute perfection.
Though there is one other contender for the crown, and it comes from that same show - the lap steel guitar solo from High Hopes. That thing just pierces your heart and there ain't no wall thick enough to stop it.
For my money he somehow managed to top his '94 Pulse solo at Pompeii in 2016. ;)
I respect that choice, it is easily a top tier rendition, and, in the interest of science, I A/B'd the two - with the studio version as my control, of course ha - but it's the mad whammy bar section that kicks in about 7:49 on the Pulse version that clinches it for me.
As an ex-listentothis mod I'd be lynched by the entire subreddit's membership for not putting forward Maggot Brain by Funkadelic. This was always the number one voted answer when this topic came up for ten years running, and if you listen to it you'll see why. Eddie Hazel can run with the best of them. This one is not about speed, it's about ripping your soul out. ;)
For myself, of course I'm going to plug Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn. This man can evolve a melody. I've been hunting for anyone to compare to him for almost forty years, and so far, I've struck out. If you're not familiar, start here. The man can play just about every instrument.
As for some other honorable mentions...
Derek Trucks needs far more love for his phenomenal skills. Check out Midnight in Harlem by the Tedeschi Trucks band.
I'd say Luca Stricagnoli still has the best cover of Thunderstruck by AC/DC. If the Green Arrow had picked up a guitar instead of a longbow it'd have gone something like this.
I'll also plug Andy McKee in general, but Drifting is the best example of his particular skill set. Candyrat records has a lot of epic guitarists on their label and Andy is at the top of their catalog. This track is sublime, chilled acoustic goodness.
Here's one everyone overlooks - Roy Clark's Malaguena. Yeah, that funny fellow from Hee Haw is an absolute beast on the guitar, who knew? :)
Just for fun we're going to let Warren Haynes and Joe Bonamassa duel for the title of best bluesman. You tell me who won.
Maggot Brain will always be the first to come to mind for me. I can think of others but not before Maggot Brain. That whole album is worth a listen.
Having seen George Clinton's various bands 6 or so times, Maggot Brain doesn't even register as a guitar solo to me anymore, it's something of just an experience.
Also in a pedantic thing, my brain can't categorize it as a solo since the whole song is the guitar. It's definitely a solo though.
Definitely wanted to mention Midnight in Harlem if it wasn't already. I've always been partial to this version: https://youtu.be/OMHKOvvGuO4
If you're going to include live performances, then Stevie Ray Vaughan's rendition of Texas Flood at El Macambo deserves consideration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC5H9P4F5Uk
Normally I prefer the studio versions of songs, but he’s one of the few artists where I prefer the live versions of most of his songs (especially his covers of Give Me Back My Wig and Voodoo Chile).
Ride the Lightning - Metallica
Analog Kid, Limelight by Rush
Three of my favorite solos, but I'm not much of a guitar solo kind of guy.
I'm not qualified to make the case for THE GREATEST guitar solo, but I'm definitely qualified to share my favorite: Bat Country, Avenged Sevenfold
I assume answering Polyphia is cheating.
November Rain has to top 3, if not top 1.
I’m really surprised no one has mentioned Prince’s show-stealing solo in this performance of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Absolutely legendary.
Definitely best looking guitar solo lol, man that guy could do some stuff—Prince's guest spot on New Girl is probably the greatest media mashup moment in my lifetime
the camera work on that solo cracks me up. it’s cut like a Taken fight scene — especially that one quick zoom in. solid gold.
Ten Years Gone - I'd Love To Change The World
Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Collective Soul - Shine
There's nothing technically outstanding about any of these. They aren't exceptionally intricate, complex, or a display of true virtuosity. What they do for me, different from any other solos, is make me feel, deeply, something that I have a hard time articulating. It's an upwelling in my soul, a divine grace piercing my heart, it brings me to a different emotional level every time.
That's what makes them great, for me.
Edit: I'd love to explain what it is about these solos that gives me chills, but I don't think I have the musical know-how to do it justice.
I'd Love To Change The World
The percussive strings of the rest of the song are offset by the smooth grace of the solo. It sets it apart as something magical and special, in a way few other songs do.
Aqualung
Again, it's contrast. The solo builds slowly, coming to a head in a flurry of sound that gracefully moves into a solo that ends as suddenly as it began.
Shine
More contrast. The solo is such a different vibe to the rest of the song, a whirlwind of runs that ends with us back where we started. It is the shine to the rusty vibe of the rest of the song.
While it may not be your favorite guitar solo, and it's probably not even my favorite guitar solo of any given moment, I think the greatest guitar solo of all time has definitely got to be Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover, specifically the live version, specifically with this super-1980s Austin City Limits TV camera VHS-ass recording lol; it's probably your dad's favorite guitar solo, at least, and I feel old just watching it but after listening for a few minutes I start feeling young again.
I was hesitant to put this forward because the line between "guitar solo" and "entire guitar song" is arguable, but it's such a good track and it's so happy and playful.
yeah I guess it may not be fully in the spirit of a guitar "solo" as OP intended, but I mean it's just Eric soloing on a guitar so i thought it would work : )
I truly believe that Billy Corgan is one of the most underrated guitarists in history. I might be biased as an enormous Smashing Pumpkins fan but I truly believe he's one of the greatest.
Soma is a beautiful song but the guitar solo that starts around 4:20 is a shredder, that guitar is screaming!
Geek USA is a high energy rocker with a guitar solo to match that starts around 2:50.
The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right) is a dark, broody alt-rock b-side from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and it's epic guitar solo starts around 4:45 and runs through the final chorus and then gets some space of its own to truly rip for a couple minutes.
Starla (Live) is a great rendition of a Siamese Dream b-side released on Pisces Iscariot. The solo is a dreamy, psychedelic monster starting around 5:30.
Untitled was the last song released by the Pumpkins in 2000 before they initially broke up. It was a drastic change from the dark rock and metal infused concept album Machina and Machina 2 (released for free on the internet, quite a revolutionary concept for the year 2000). It harkened a return to dreamy Siamese Dream pop/arena-rock which we then found in Billy Corgans next project, the supergroup Zwan. The guitar solo here is catchy, shreddy and a ton of fun, starting at 3:00.
Tarantula is the lead single from the first album released after the Pumpkins reformed in 2006, Zeitgeist. This song rocks hard, full of sick riffs, tight drums and some crazy fun guitar solos at 1:30, 2:10, 2:30, and 3:10.
And a bonus non-Pumpkins solo
Megadeth - Tornado of Souls is one of the best there is, unbelievable.
i don't seem to be very pre-occupied with guitar solos specifically like i was when i was younger ... however, one that springs to mind is the cover of cortez the killer by Built to Spill on their live album. also i guess various grateful dead performances. if i had to pick one, playing in the band from Veneta 19720827, there's something really transcendental about it. wow! others here have mentioned Dire Straits, my favourite solo is probably on Telegraph Road, though the song is more of a slow burn, it really adds to the feeling of it.
I'm so habituated into expecting Jerry Garcia to be overlooked in threads like this that I was surprised by your comment. And I just happened to be listening to a nice version of Sugaree when I saw it. That's clearly a sign.
the dark star lingers! i've been trying to work out an acoustic guitar arrangement of unbroken chain the last few weeks, so they have been on my mind... i agree though, i'm also surprised that despite GD's evident popularity, they don't tend to make discussions like this. i suppose it's that the best 'solos' are on live versions which are v. voluminous and have other barriers to entry... do you have some fave heady v.s to share? :)
"Why isn't Jerry on the list?" has pretty much become a meme in response to any "greatest guitarists" lists. Heh.
I don't have any hidden gems to recommend, but I also love their early 70s recordings. A friend gave me Hundred Year Haul in the late 1990s and that was my first exposure to the Dead. I listened to it so many times before I moved on to other recordings that it still exists as the "archetypal Dead" in my head. When I haven't listened to the Dead in a while and I hear the opening guitar on Bertha from that one, it practically brings tears to my eyes.
I also like that Haul has a bunch of Robert Hunter songs; and am as obsessed with Hunter/Garcia songs as I am with anything from any other form of art. They were an absolutely magical combination.
I feel like so many guitar solos are just great in their own ways. One that always comes to mind is Digital Love by Daft Punk. Such a great album too.
Queen - Innuendo apparently played by Steve Howe from Yes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlhsrIzmpo -- starting at 3:35.
Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlhsrIzmpo -- solo starts at about 5:07.
Liquid Tension Experiment - Acid Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLQnSULW2zI is a guitar solo that lasts over the whole song.
And now that I'm reminded of Dream Theater, I like the solo at the end of In the Presence of Enemies 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=methQx40Vd8 -- around 8:05
Ooh Owner of a Lonely Heart is up there too, also Steve Howe from Yes (while playing with Yes lol)
My vote for the greatest guitar solo (and performance) is Jimi Hendrix performing Red House live at the Isle of Wight Festival in August 1970, just three weeks before his death.
Sorry for the Reddit link, but it's the only full version of the song I can find online. https://old.reddit.com/r/ClassicRock/comments/raoed4/jimi_hendrix_red_house_isle_of_wight_festival/
If you don't want to watch the full thing, jump to 3:45 and start from there. It's the best thing I've ever heard.
For me, the riff and solo opening to Dinosaur Jr's "Out There" and no one else is even in the parking lot.
It--like most of J. Mascis' guitar work, really--is kind of unconventional for a hard rock solo. It's kind of all over the place, all over the fretboard, and with so many bends it constantly feels like it's on the verge of going off the rails, but it completely swings. It's got a driving rhythm that gets me hype every time and makes me want to run through a wall.
Man these guys were opening for Weezer & I missed them, hadn't really heard of them before & now I'm bummed about that particularly! Rivers was wonderful but he is not known for his soloing abilities haha
Ernest Ranglin - 54-46 Was My Number This guy is considered the “Daddy” of Jamaican guitar. His work is filled with crazy solos, as well as some legendary piano from Monty Alexander. This track in particular stands out.
Although Jeff Buckley didn’t really perform what you’re traditionally considering as solos, his jangly guitar work on pieces like Grace (live from Chicago) stand out innovative enough to be considered.
Which brings me to my favorite guitarist, D’Jango Reinhardt where the dude only had three fingers on his left hand. The solos that stand out to me are probably from Minor Swing and Improvisation.
Definitely not the greatest by my personal favorite is Buckethead's Siege Engine at 4mins+.
Yeah he's got a crazy amount of stuff, and I've not listened to all that much of it yet. I think Electric Tears is one of his more popular, a really solid album.
He's an experimental artist more than he is a musician, music is simply his preferred medium. Buckethead is a genius but yeah he's happy to release a lot of very raw, weird stuff. I'd liken it to the many sketches Picasso did or Jackson Pollock's drip paintings: it's undeniably art and skillfully done, it's interesting, but it isn't necessarily pleasant to experience.
Nottingham Lace off of "Enter the Chicken" is my favorite track of his, btw. We Are One and Three Fingers are also on that album and are excellent.
This is a little harder than the most iconic song, because while a lot of them have really good solos, it's harder to fish them out of my brain than just going "what song has a really good riff?" Money for Nothing starts out with some really nice guitar, but I wouldn't call it a solo, especially at the front... Meanwhile Don't Stop Believing is a really iconic opening and it builds to a powerful solo moment, but it doesn't really indulge in it that much.
If no one has picked Free Bird, I'll take it, and whatever jabs you have at my lack of rock culture.
It's overmemed but the fast half of Freebird really is just sick guitar the whole way through.
I'm going to be perfectly honest with you: I don't have one. I've listened to so much great music with fantastic guitarists doing amazing things.
I will tell you, however, that the guitar solos that have given me the highest highs have never been part of the studio album. Live improvisations have way more power to them, always. Especially when they aren't limited to a click track and the drummer is playing around with the rhythm.
Because great guitar playing is relatively commonplace, I've honestly come to appreciate bass guitar playing more. Sometimes they can be doing really crazy impressive things and because it's in that bass range people tend to overlook it.
One of my favorite examples has great lead and bass guitar playing in it, and the whole song goes into this crazy cacophony of brilliance towards the end of it. Gotta Knock a Little Harder by Yoko Kanno.
I adore Yoko Kanno. The various Cowboy Bebop OSTs are a regular for me, although the Ghost in the Shell OSTs are even moreso for me.
My favorite guitar-related song is this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm0Vds38scQ&list=PL01FEFECDCC70CD0E&index=2 — Yakitori.
Curious as to your thoughts. :)
What gets me is how many sections of the song there are. They all feel so different, but it weirdly ties together so well.
I finally took a moment to listen. It reminds me a lot of Yes, which is a very good thing to me because I'm very into that specific subgenre of progressive rock. Maybe it's a bit closer to Motoi Sakuraba's arranged albums in a way. But one thing Kanno does better than Yes and Sakuraba is layering sound together until it's almost but not exactly overwhelming. But that's something I can only really say because I lost my Yes albums and haven't heard them in a long time. :)
That's one area (of many) where I know my talent for making music pales in comparison to so many, and one thing I do adore about her work. An old friend gave me a tip about making music - to try and cover all the various parts of the spectrum for a more full and completed sound. And it makes sense.
But I just cobble together things I like. And sometimes it sort of happens a bit by accident - again telling me I am an amateur.
But at least I've gotten largely happy with what I can produce, although I have trouble finishing things. And I have trouble getting enough interesting one-off things. I've gotten the idea of the ebb and flow of a song, and getting some decent grooves.
The thing that truly gets me about Yakitori is that while there are many repeating riffs, it is almost exactly the opposite of my own way of composing, and that drives me crazy. I want to make things as awesome as that, and I don't have the chops. lol.
Greatest is hard. While I ponder I'm going to present something a little different: the extended intro to Crazy On You from this live performance that really showcases the talent of the Wilson sisters.
Great question! I don’t know if I can choose, I have so many favourites.
Currently I am most obsessed with:
I think the question of 'Greatest' has already been answered (cough Gilmour cough), but I want to give a shout out to Jerry Garcia who has so many goddamn unbelievable solos that I'd need a month to come back with an anyway decent answer.
Other than that, I just want to pump up the metal representation with a couple of my all-time favourites that had an immense influence on me as a young guitar player. Rock on, Tilderinos \m/
Dimebag Darrell, Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (2:25-2:59)
Dimebag Darrell, Pantera - Cemetary Gates (0:53-1:33,4:51-5:33)
Dimebag Darrell, Pantera - Walk (3:01-3:34)
Andy LaRoque & Chuck Schuldiner, Death - Trapped in a Corner (2:01-2:50, 2:50-3:11)
Chuck Schuldiner & Shannon Hamm, Death - Scavenger of Human Sorrow (3:27-3:49,3:50-4:14)
Andy LaRoque, At the Gates - Cold (1:54-2:16)
Bill Steer, Carcass - Carnal Forge (1:02-1:25)
Chris & Michael Amott, Arch Enemy - The Immortal (2:01-2:32,2:33-3:03)
Muhammed Suiçmez, Necrophagist - Fermented Offal Discharge (3:00-4:30)
Warren DeMartini, Ratt - Round and Round (2:24-3:03)
Jeff Loomis, Nevermore - Believe in Nothing (2:51-3:34)
Jeff Loomis, Nevermore - Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday (2:52-3:29)
Alexi Laiho, Children of Bodom - Kissing the Shadows (2:52-3:07,3:21-3:37,3:51-4:18)
For me, it’s Marquee Moon by Television (starting around the 4:50 mark (but the whole song is worth it!)).
Definitely not a face-melting solo, but such an interesting cadence and melody that you don’t hear often. The solo swells from an arrhythmic pitter-patter to sweeping runs and the song swells to match it. It’s a long solo too at around 4.5 minutes, but doesn’t feel like it overstays its welcome.
It’s always the very first song that jumps to mind when I think of a guitar solo. Such a great record overall.
Prince's album Purple Rain solos are a take your pick of greatness, but I will have to single out the eponymous track in particular.
Purple Rain
It is so expressive and, to me, transcendent.
What a great thread--lots of listening for me here. Started with the Metallica link at the top and am pleased to listen to them again. They were one of my favorite bands as a teenager, but then their anti-Napster shenanigans made me boycott them for many years.
Anyway, I don't have much to add to this thread, but wanted to recommend John Paul Jones's "The Thunderthief". Not as the "greatest guitar solo" (and maybe not even as a great song in general), but the guitar part is pretty rocking. Definitely worth a listen.
Not the greatest but my favorites are:
Soothsayer - Buckethead
And something very unconventional, from one of my favorite games of all time now: Expedition 33.
Une vie a t'aimer - Lorien Testard
Guitar Solo + Violin starts at 7:12-7:57
...i'm going with jeff beck's introduction to the ballad of bill hubbard: immediately compelling the first time i overheard it in the background at hasting's records, absolutely no idea what i was listening to, but i knew that i had to hear more...
...the entire amused to death album is rife with jeff beck moments like that; the coda from it's a miracle says so much with so few notes that i doubt any musical catharsis has ever hit more profoundly, but then the title track ends as the album began and i collapse, emotionally exhausted, into the quiet chorus of night...