As a serious music listener and a musician,(although I am a drummer) nothing makes me shiver like a good guitar solo. It's seems to be a dying art,at least in popular music. Still lots of good guitar in blues and jazz. Some of my favs : Dear John by Jack Semple ,La Grange By Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Aqualung By Martin Barre with Jethro Tull and Bluest Blues by Alvin Lee. I'd love to check out some other peoples favs, a couple old and maybe a couple new??
There are so many fantastic solos out there that I tend to slowly cycle thru a list of (I think) hundreds. Of late, these have been the "Go To" electric guitar solos for me:
George Harrison - "Something" Billy Gibbons - "Sharp Dressed Man " SRV - "Pride and Joy" Todd Rundgren - "Unloved Children" (also possible that it's Jesse Gress who takes the solo on recent versions. Both are great.) Richard Thompson - "Calvary Cross" David Hidalgo (Los Lobos) - "Bertha" Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) - "Man of the World" Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) - "Come" Rusty Anderson (Paul MacCartney's lead guitarist, in this case performing on a record by P. Hux) - "Mile High Fan"
All of the above players have numerous other solos that I love - I just picked the one that I seem to be going back to most often these days. Many of the above solos are available in multiple live variations. A few probably make the list because I'm learning to play them at the moment.
•Eric Gale's solo on Grover Washington Jr.'s "Mr, Magic" •George Benson's solo on "Take Five" from "Bad Benson". •Stevie Ray Vaughn's solo on "Tight Rope" from "In Step" •Carlos Santana's solo on "Oye Como Va" from "Abraxas" •Grant Green's solo on "Idle Moments" from "Idle Moments" •Johnny Winter's solo on "Mojo Boogie" from "Third Degree" ...where to stop???
No heat at all. I like the "beat it" solo from EVH also. I think the 80's had the best guitar solos.
The 90's got a little out of control with virtuosity (if that's a word?). I prefer music for music's sake rather than hearing "look how fast I can play this practice etude" in the middle of a song.
As talented as SRV was and I think he was amazing. His solos just sounded redundant to me after awhile.
I'm surprised there are only a few SRV mentions. Probably because most already know of him is my guess. Regardless, I think "Lenny" is one of his greatest.
Good thread, solos are much harder to come by these days. I agree with the EVH, Vai, and Satriani comments above. They have so many great ones that it would be hard to pick a favorite. One of my favorite albums for rock guitar solos is by (yes, a hair band)Dokken on Back for the Attack. George Lynch has an incredible guitar tone on this album and the album contains his sig. piece, "Mr Scary", an instrumental.
"Why does love have to be so sad", off Clapton's '73 Dominoes live album at the Fillmore, Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer" off Zuma, Jimi's "Little Wing" and believe it or not I always liked Craig Chaquiso's solo on Jefferson Starship "Ride the Tiger"
There's some exceptional performances by some serious shredmasters on this album. Check out Jeff Beck's work on 'Rollin' Stone', his sound totally sets the mood for the entire song. Also, David Gilmour on 'Standing Around Crying' - I never would have known it was him. Great stuff.
Eddie Hazel on "Maggot Brain" (on Funkadelic's Maggot Brain and Live Albums NOT the version on One Nation...) Good (and sad) enough to make you cry! The studio version, the legend has it, was one long impro that George Clinton coaxed out of Eddie by asking him to imaging his mother died and just play what comes naturally. Ten minutes later one of the best rock guitar solos was in the can! They just don't make'em like that anymore!
Duane Allman on "You don't love me/Soul Serenade" from the Allman Brothers "Crossroads" compilation. An amazing fifteen or so minutes of guitar. Several other previously unreleased nuggets on this box set as well.
Mike Bloomfield's guitar breaks on Dylan's Tombstone Blues. Each one longer than the previous. His solo on Paul Butterfield's East/West is something to hear as well.
Hey Dawgfish: Ditto on the Steve Howe solo on Yes "Relayer", but on the piece "Sound Chaser".. loved this as a teenager and it still ranks in my mind now, 25 yrs. later.
One of the first that I paid real attention to was Carlos Santana's in "Waiting," the first track on the debut album. I was hooked -- and then blown away a year or so later when I saw his solo on "Soul Sacrifice" during the "Woodstock" movie.
Over the years, many others have caught my ear: Duane Allman on "Statesboro Blues" (does that count as a solo; who knows, but it's awesome); Steve Howe in "The Gates of Delirium" from Yes' "Relayer;" George Harrison (or was it Clapton?) on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" -- and of course, the acoustic WMGGW from the Beatles' Anthology album is almost ghostly; Al Dimeola; the first chords of "Baba O'Reilly" and on and on and on...
Amongst many others, Brian Jones (or maybe it was Keith Richards) on The Stones' version of "It's All Over Now," off their I think second LP. Short and crazy, all-over-the-map solo, with excellent internal logic. Makes me smile every time.
"Valley of the Kings" by Steve Hackett on the following cds: 'Watcher Of The Skies, Genesis Revisited' & 'Genesis Files' and on the dvd 'Once Above A Time, Live In Europe'.
i saw Via with zappa when he was about 18. not quite HS but close enough. what a killer player. Nuno Bettencourt from extreem is another producer of tastey killer rock solos. Blues and Jazz is just so loaded with solos i couldn't make a pick on the best ones
Since we're on a Steve Vai streak here, how about 'whispering a prayer' from Live in the Ultrazone. Hey Rich, if you check out the Steve Vai website he has a diary about his high school band days, and asks for information about gigs he has no record for. Maybe your friend could help.
Speaking of Steve Vai, his solo on "Ease" by PIL (Public Image LTD.) 'generic white covered' lp titled ALBUM/CASSETTE/CD depending on the format with the legendary Ginger Baker. Also my friend/bandmate Pam, played with Steve during their high school days.
There is one track one the first (actually second, but his first real) record of Joe Satriani. I can't remember the name of the song, but its the fourth (or third? Damn you, alcohol!) track of the album. It already is a great solo, but the way he continues it when you think he's done is pure genius! Hang on, as soon as I'm home I'll provide you guys with the name, and the neighbours with some annoying noise!
Frank Zappa, both solos in King Kong, from "You Can't Do that on Stage Anymore", Volume 3. Also, his solo in"The Torture never Stops", from the CD release of "Live in New York". And dozens more.
Stone Crazy-Buddy Guy, Since I've Been Loving You BBC Rec.-Jimmy Page, Alvin Lee-Woodstock Album, Eric Clapton on Roger Waters Pros & Cons Of Hitchicking-Sexual Revolution, Chris Duarte-Shilo, SRV- ALL, Roy Buchanan, Robben Ford, Bill Perry, Micheal Bloomfield, KWS, Larry Coryell, Link Wray, Freddie King, Albert King, Hendrix, Ronnie Earl, Walter Trout, Luther Allison, Albert Collins, Peter Green, Duane Allman, Mato Nanji- Indigenous, John Mclaughlin, Phil Keaggy, Robert Johnson, Otis Rush, Jonny Lang, Brian Lee, Debbie Davies, Susan Tedeschi!
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