I'm with Pug, Stevie Ray Vaughn's version of Hendrix' "Little Wing".
Your Favorite, Most Outstanding Guitar Solo
Of all the musical performances I own on recorded format, whether they be LP or CD, there are certain guitar solos that are the most engaging and memorable. You know, the ones that when they're over, you just sit there speechless, wondering "How the hell did they just do that"?
As with anything, there are certain performances when everything was "just right". When the musician had that "perfect connection" between themselves and the instrument. This is not limited to acoustic or electric, live or studio, or any specific discipline of music. It also does not necessarily have to be your favorite guitarist. Very simply, your favorite guitar solo.
I would like to hear your opinions. This would be a great thread for providing exposure to other listeners, to material that they may be unaware of. If possible, also name the album that the solo is from.
My two favorites would have to be:
Jeff Beck / "The Golden Road" off of "There And Back".
John Mc Laughlin / "Every Tear From Every Eye" off of "Electric Guitarist"
Thanks for your responses.
As with anything, there are certain performances when everything was "just right". When the musician had that "perfect connection" between themselves and the instrument. This is not limited to acoustic or electric, live or studio, or any specific discipline of music. It also does not necessarily have to be your favorite guitarist. Very simply, your favorite guitar solo.
I would like to hear your opinions. This would be a great thread for providing exposure to other listeners, to material that they may be unaware of. If possible, also name the album that the solo is from.
My two favorites would have to be:
Jeff Beck / "The Golden Road" off of "There And Back".
John Mc Laughlin / "Every Tear From Every Eye" off of "Electric Guitarist"
Thanks for your responses.
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BRIAN GODDING!!! ... never thought would anyone bring him into a thread around here. His solo disc is great, maybe not the best recording. The stuff he does on Solid Gold Cadillac/Brain Damage is landmark. I ditched a copy of Septober energy about 25 years ago... probably wasn't ready for it. Gotta check it out again. |
I have two that stick out, and I bet nobody else picks them. This is a good thing because now you can go out and listen! Jimmy Hendrix "Bold as Love" Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page during "In the Light" and for sheer crazy guitar playing by somebody who owned the 90's Dave Navarro of Janes Addiction fame playing a solo on the track "Stop". Insane. |
Where to start? Some alternative cuts from the already cited Robert Fripp (try St Elmo's Fire from Eno's Another Green World) and Richard Thompson Calvary Cross (choose your version). Not yet mentioned: Todd Rundgren (Can't Stop Runnin' and While My Guitar Gently Weeps) from his new Greatest Hits LIve CD... finally a taste of TR's playing on disc. Dave Davies "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" - like Steve Cropper on "Green Onions" this one is creative and economical especially in historical context. Richard Lloyd's double LP (can't recall the Title) is full of great soloing throughout - I'd take it over anything from Television or Tom Verlaine. David Hidalgo has an interesting, distinctive solo voice - though I'm not sure any Lobos recording captures it particularly well. BTW: I was always under the impression that the lead guitar on "Baby's On Fire" was Phil Manzanera not Robert Fripp. Am I mistaken? Also Bill Kirchen (Commander Cody's guitarist on "Hot Rod Lincoln") does an hilarious solo in his live show in which he sequentially plays a brief, distinctive phrase in the style of many, many famous guitarists while calling out their names (he was up over thirty last time I saw him - maybe 10 years ago). |
Underrated guitarist who hasn't been mentioned yet: Prince. Check out the guitar work on "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain and "I Can Never Take the Place of Your Man" from Sign 'O The Times. My alltime favorite Prince solo is "Bambi" (plus the lyrics are great)...here's a link to a live performance: http://www.imeem.com/people/K3XBDeo/video/YZ1jsSh0/prince-bambi-tokyo-music-video/ Also Vernon Reid (leader of Living Colour) absolutely rocks. Love the solo on "Cult of Personality". |
One of my favorite solos was pointed out to me by a friend who asked me to watch this video of Prince stealing the show at a George Harrison tribute. The whole video is worth a look, but Prince comes in about 3:40. Pretty good stuff. |
Terje Rypdal's short electric guitar part in the very atmospheric piece "Mirage" sounds unsurpassable to me. You will find it on the Terje Rypdal / David Darling (cello and electric cello) album "Eos", released by ECM as an LP and CD. Rypdal's quite short part within "Mirage" is only the dazzling highpoint of that mysterious and lyrical masterpiece. I can listen to it several times a year and never got tired of it in 25 years. We will never know how Terje Rypdal made it. Was his lyrical, inventive, brilliant yet balanced playing a performance of something composed? Or just one of those stellar and unrepeatable moments of inspiration? By the way, the track "Laser" is the odd one on that album: Nothing but pure virtuoso mayhem on the unaccompanied electric guitar, both macho and lyrical, with screaming distortion pedal, impossible to listen to at low volume, and just a broadside, a glittering firework of music and sound when heard LOUD... |
Kirk Hammett of Metallica in Orion from the Master of Puppets album, and To Live is to Die from ...And Justice for All. Santana, Hendrix, Page and Clapton have way to many to narrow down. I heard a Frank Zappa album being played at a vinyl shop while I was out of town. The album was pretty much all solos. I wnated to buy it, but they wouldn't sell it for some reason. I can't remember the name. Anyone have any idea what album I'm referring to? |
