^ Great post :) Brilliant solo indeed but it´s a shame recording quality is not the highest standard, great live nevertheless. Bill Nelson is probably the most underrated rock guitarist of them all. And the most unknown, unfortunately. Gotta revisit "Futurama", "Sunburst Finish" and "Modern Music" too.
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.
182 responses Add your response
@harold-not-the-barrel ...but can I tell you by the way you walk? A fan of Genesis and Yes for decades now. I hold Steve Howe in high regard. As good as the "guitar gods" (that trinity mentioned by Shadorne) in my opinion - maybe better. Wider range of styles, though I don’t usually think of SH in any kind of "country" context, however. Are you talking his work on the Yes cover of S&G’s America from their LP Bookends? Am always interested in learning about new musicians (new to me, anyway). I will have to check out Franco Mussida and Rodolfo Maltese along with Shardorne’s Stan Webb. Do hope you will check out those FZ solos on BWS. @shadorne Ah! Stan Webb = Chicken Shack. Did not know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWIi_hr_yU&ab_channel=AllmanSister87 Hope you will give some time to Killing Floor (somewhat kindred). Notable as much for great piano by Lou Martin as good electric guitar by Mick Clarke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CAycS7OAsg&ab_channel=mandikhoras |
Since I’ve been loving you - Jimmy Page Don’t forget me live - John Frusciante I could have lied - John Frusciante Stan Webb is THE MOST underrated guitarist and stylistically my favourite - as good as Clapton, Beck and Page and then some. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn4nI8isSFo |
Thanks House the Ghost, but I´m only living in the past and am just a lawnmover. I agree Frank Zappa is a great guitarist, I need to revisit that album... My fav Prog guitarists are Franco Mussida from PFM still going strong and Rodolfo Maltese from BMS RIP, they both fall in the same cathegory like Steve Hackett playing complex textures and sounds into music´s structure not just brilliant instrumentalists/soloists. Oh dear, I almost forgot Steve Howe´s work on Paul Simon´s "America", 1971, how his progressive country style takes this beautiful yet quite simple song into another happy even funny level is sheer brilliance. He brought country guitar into Prog and that´s why Americans esteem Yes as the best Prog band IMO. As he said on Yesyears docu, Prog in the 70´s could be fun, sheer fun |
What a great thread to resurrect, Harold. Well done. There are many that deserve mention, no doubt. I’d like to submit one I suspect is generally overlooked: Frank Zappa’s solo (starting at 3:20) on Track 6 of Burnt Weeny Sandwich, "Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown". Honorable mention from the same album to his soloing throughout Theme From Burnt Weeny Sandwich (Track 4). |
It has already been mentioned a couple of times but one of my absolute favorites is Steve Hackett, Firth of Fifth, the solo just dovetails so well with Tony's keyboards. It's amazing. Also have to agree with the mention of Mr. Robin Trower on Bridge of Sighs. I also have always enjoyed Buckethead, Soothsayer, such sweetness! |
My taste runs to "musical" guitarists, ones whose both song parts and solos serve the music, not just show off their chops. Call me old fashioned! I wear the badge proudly. There are many examples of extraordinary guitar playing where the part greatly enhances the song (The Band’s Robbie Robertson comes to mind), but the topic here is solos. Here are some of my favorites: - Paul Burlinson in Johnny Burnette And The Rock ’n’ Roll Trio’s recording of Tiny Bradshaw’s "Train Kept A-Rollin’". Yes, it was later done fairly well by Jeff Beck in The Yardbirds (and also lamely by Joe somebody in Aerosh*t), but this is THE version. - James Burton in Ricky Nelsons "Young World". - Steve Cropper in Booker T & The MG’s "Green Onions". - George Harrison in The Beatles "Nowhere Man". - Dave Edmunds in his 1970 recording of Smiley Lewis’ "I Hear You Knocking". In this song, Dave creates the most intense "tension and release" I've ever heard. Very sexual! - Robbie Robertson in The Band’s "Jemima Surrender", "Look Out Cleveland", "Jawbone", "The Unfaithful Servant", and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)". All these songs are found on the best album ever recorded and released by a Rock ’n’ Roll Band, the Band’s 2nd (the "brown") album. - Ry Cooder in John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Sunset". |
1. Mick Box "Salisbury" 1971 and "The Magician´s Birthday" 1972 2. Buck Dharma "Then Came the Last Days of May" both studio and live 1972....1975, "Astronomy" certain bootleg circa 1975 and (of course) "Dominance and Submission" studio 1974, cheers twl, you´ve got taste :) Btw, did Buck ever play mediocre stuff, not my knowledge... 3. Dave Clem Clempson COLOSSEUM LIVE 1971 thruout 5. Steve Hackett many but best "Firth of Fifth" certain bootlegs 70´s 4. Leslie West Mountain Twin Peaks "Theme for an Imaginary Western" 5. Neal Schon "Of a Lifetime" and "My Lonely Feeling" + CAPTURED 1981 6. Andrew Latimer "Ice" 1979 7. Michael Schenker UFO live "Strangers in the Night" 1978 8. Robin Trower "Bridge of Signs" 1974 9. Paco De Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin live 1981 9. Joe Satriani "Surfing.." 1987 ... and of course Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower" 1968 and some Jeff Beck late 60´s... Carlos Santana early 70´s... |
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RW- Quicksilver's Who Do You Love...man does that bring back memories of freshman year in college! Of course I also blame a significant portion of my hearing loss on Quicksilver, ca. 1970 show @ Bushnell Auditorium in Hartford, CT. Loved the show; my ears rang for about a week! Wish I had a do-over on that one...shoulda packed my ears w a pound of cotton. 'course at the time I loved it. Youth is wasted on the young. |
Rathmullan, You made a great choice, but I don't think Matthew Sweet played that solo. The band that recorded Girlfriend included Ivan Julien, Robert Quine, and Richard Lloyd - three monster electric guitarists. Sweet is an underrated player and might have handled it himself, but AFAIK he has more often (tho not always) played acoustic guitar and delegated the leads to others on his records. He seems to be a true fan and has played and/or recorded with a ridiculous array of great players - including the three listed above. Sweet has certainly made records where he handles all guitars - but that's usually indicated in the liner notes. He tracked a few stunning leads on "In Reverse" IIRC and he's always acquitted himself remarkably well on the leads when he goes there, but I tend to doubt he played any of the lead parts on Girlfriend. I could be wrong and, either way, it's a great solo and a cool choice. Marty |
Walter Rossi is my fave 'not so known' awesome guitarist even though he's up there with the very best (and has been on records since late 60s) ...fat gibson tone, taste and that feel! Here's one of my faves with him... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2j6ub2x1fU ...now imagine hearing that on vinyl and decent system (as I do ;-) |
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? |
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... |
