Favourite guitar solos...and why

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:37 am

Great call on Richard Thompson! He's one of my favorite guitar players. He's solo's tell s story. I think it's related to him being a great songwriter.

I'd like to add any solo on the first Cars record. Elliot Easton is such a bad ass. Every solo is short, singable and perfect.

25 or 6 to 4 and Make Me Smile both by Terry Kath on the second Chicago record are also huge with me.

I could go on for days but I won't.

centurymantra · Post by **centurymantra** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:21 am

Hey!! Don't forget Boston

"More Than a Feeling"...

***involuntarily begins to air guitar at the stubbornly implanted trace memory of said gee-tar jam***

Johnny B · Post by **Johnny B** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:51 am

Pete Shelley's solo on the Buzzcocks' "Boredom." Completely inspired, that one.

I also quite like:

The 'Guitar' version of Zappa's "Watermelon in Easter Hay" mentioned above.
Jimmy Page - "Whole Lotta Love"
Brian May - "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Stone Cold Crazy"
Greg Ginn - just about anything, but especially the guitar breaks on "My War."
James Williamson - "Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell"
Eric Clapton - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
Probably every solo on 'Abbey Road.'
Chris Foreman (Madness) - "Our House"
Steve Jones - "Anarchy in the UK"

visible cow · Post by **visible cow** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:57 pm

I recently got back into my Hendrix recordings, the studio albums are great but the "Blues" collection has some of the greatest solos of all time. Harmonically and texturally complex and with more balls than anyone in rock will ever muster again....except for me.

bluesman · Post by **bluesman** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:59 pm

"Because We've Ended As Lovers"
Jeff Beck
Song by Stevie Wonder

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 2:04 pm

drumsound wrote:I could go on for days but I won't.

i will

as much as i hate to admit it, i have to agree with 'stairway'....i can't listen to that solo once, i always rewind it at least a couple times. also agree with elliot easton, all those solos on the cars stuff are marvels of invention and economy.

more about guitar solos later, right now i gotta duck outta work early.

curtiswyant · Post by **curtiswyant** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 2:09 pm

Anything in the olden days by James Burton, especially some of the early Ricky Nelson tunes. Also I'm always impressed by Buddy Holly's simple melodic solos. That stuff is more my style than Rush/Boston

kdarr · Post by **kdarr** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:07 pm

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
drumsound wrote:
also agree with elliot easton, all those solos on the cars stuff are marvels of invention and economy.
Oh man I love Elliot Easton - such hot shit and SO underrated.

Anyone into Roy Buchanan?

[<|>]

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 8:02 am

For those who hate guitar solos, there's always the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in which he just plays the vocal melody on the guitar - can't get much less jackoff than that ...

As for Neil Young, I'd take "Down By The River" over "Cinnamon Girl" anyday - there are all those delightful pauses and in general things are so much more phrased ...

AstroDan · Post by **AstroDan** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 11:58 am

There are solos I like, and then there are melody line/lick deals or whatever. A lot of new wave guys (and of course The Beatles) had incredible melody lines and tone. I love the tone of the solo in 'Kid' by The Pretenders, as well as anything by 'Watching the Detectives' era Elvis Costello. 'Victoria' by The Kinks had that nice Vox-y intro.

A good solo: Skid Row's 'I Remember You'. Just P.M. me a "yes!" so you don't have to agree in public about that one...

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:55 pm

Fripp' solos (interludes) From Hammond Song by The Roches. His playing is perfect for the song, which would have been very difficult.

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 2:17 pm

bgc wrote:Fripp' solos (interludes) From Hammond Song by The Roches. His playing is perfect for the song, which would have been very difficult.

MMM forgot all about Fripp. His couple of bars on "Night Watch" is pretty stellar. It's hard to imagine that song without the guitar solo.

lysander · Post by **lysander** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:51 pm

Jimmy Page on "Ten Years Gone" is probably my favourite solo. I'm glad to see some love for Elliott Easton and Richard Thompson here too! I'd add Joe Walsh, and pretty much any solo Al Anderson played with NRBQ.

bgc · Post by **bgc** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 10:21 pm

I also love Buckingham's solo on "Go Your Own Way." It's one of the most spacious things out there. More of a duet with the drums than a solo but I lurves it.

I also really like the solos at the end of Hotel California. Which is going to pre-lose all my cred. The thing that I like about them is the use of the form. They take a long time to develop and really take you somewhere instead of hitting everything in the first 4 bars.

And Eruption. DUH.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 2:53 am

+1 on:
Jockey Full of Bourbon
What Goes On

and then add:
To Hell With Poverty (Gang of Four)
almost anything David Rowlings and D. Boon have played

I guess I don't like guitar solos either. These examples are mostly guitar melodies where if you take them away, the song doesn't make much sense anymore.

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Favourite guitar solos...and why

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