# What do you think is the greatest guitar solo ever and why?



## NIK0 (Dec 6, 2007)

Just as the title suggests, I'm looking to get you wicked GC people to post what you believe is the greatest guitar solo ever and very important...explain why?

So many greats pop into our minds when this questions comes up...from Page to Clapton to Gilmour to Hendrix to EVH, the list goes on.

Will post mine later today . Let's have fun with this one as I believe it to be one of our main reasons for picking up the guitar. I know it was for me!


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## kw_guitarguy (Apr 29, 2008)

Any solo by Brian May...

~Andrew


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

I'm *not* a Beatles fan, but it's hard to beat the solo from "Something". It's "bluesy". but not *blues*. It's practically a lesson on how to play a solo that truly suits the song. I wouldn't say I'm even much of a fan of the song, but it reminds me to listen to what's really at the heart of anything I write. Like many Beatles' somgs, the writing is good enough that it could be an instumental. Perhaps that's part of the magic to the solo.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cQijzXga0k

Shawn


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Extreme toughness on this question. So many over so many years. I can list a few that made me want to pick-up a guitar and "try" to play it. Solo's that have remained on my play-list over the years and I never get tired of hearing them. The sort of things that I used to rewind on the tape deck about 30 times before finally moving on...

Frank Zappa (although guitar solo sometimes does not apply with him as the whole song can sometimes be one long solo)
Black Napkins, Illinois Enema Bandit and Chunga's Revenge. The guitar work on those three in particular just blow my skull. His use of the entire fretboard and the change-ups just amaze me. Having the pleasure of seeing him doing it live was also something I will never forget. Dweezil also does an amazing job on these. if you close your eyes it's like being back with Frank again.

Tom Scholz
The solo on A Man I'll Never Be is probably my favorite of all time. The second solo on Hitch A Ride is probably number two. I know many of you would not even put Boston into your line-up but they were and probably still are my favorite band of all time. I am a sucker for layered guitar work and some of those songs have 6 guitars layered in there. When they play them live there are usually at least 3-4 worked in and when he had the personnel he would have all 6 parts live. His melodies are fantastic and they are just feel good works.

Slash
November Rain is just a great solo and I love it. It is a solo I will never get tired of listening to. His tone on that one is also fabulous.

Johnny Winter on Mojo Boogie is some of the best slide work I have ever heard. Another song that makes me wish I could play like that.

Zakk Wylde/Randy Rhoads on Mr Crowely. I can go with either version. They both do a great job. It's the way it was written that is great and just a fabulous solo. Zakk version on Live and Loud is wonderful. 

So those are the ones that are way up there on my list. So many more though. Gilmour on several Wall tunes are up there too.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

You're talking rock music I guess. 

Then it's *Since I've Been Loving You* from Led Zeppelin 3. It's minor blues, folk, rock, inspired, influenced and influencial rather than overly derivative. 

I really dig Leslie West's intro to *Roll Over Beethoven* from Mountain. All West, all Berry, all balls.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

Eric Clapton's solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

Carlos Santana- "Samba Pa Ti" (the whole song is a guitar solo in my mind)

Eddie Van Halen's solo on "Thriller"

...to name but a few. :smile:


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I always like Rick Emmit's solo on "Rock and roll Machine". Pure classic rock. 
Anything on Santana's Moonflower album.
Anything on Uncle Ted's Double Live Gonzo album.


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

The first solo from Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan. Pure genius.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bGUeDnqPY

i'm canadian, but i do admire people that admire their nations in guttural and honestly expressed emotional ways.

this solo redefined sound, rock, and music. this one solo. many players have pointed back to this as their OMG WOW moment that then shaped how they played and viewed music.

read the thread title, and this is what first came to mind. insane, outrageous, not confined to rules, and still full of love and respect.

younguns today, not part of those days, not growing up with parents or aunts and uncles that were a part of those days my have a different view of course, but i think if you back timed who they listen to now it would lead back to jimi at how he woke up woodstock one morning.


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

keeperofthegood said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2bGUeDnqPY
> 
> i'm canadian, but i do admire people that admire their nations in guttural and honestly expressed emotional ways.
> 
> ...


Great choice!!


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## twoonie2 (Jan 19, 2008)

Anything by Jeff Beck !!! so many other great solos by other guitarists.. too hard to pick a favorite!!!


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

Jimi Hendrix...Little Wing live...Royal Albert Hall '69...it's perfect...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nePm-L0aa-E&feature=fvw


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## AlcolmX (Oct 12, 2009)

Toss up between Brian Roberston's wild wah'd out solo on "Warrior" from Thin Lizzy's _Jailbreak_ and Ian Bairnson's tasteful, haunting solo at the end of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights".


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Todd Snider's "The Ballad of the Devil's Backbone Tavern"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRd9RwslGUk

Just a short, pissed off, "Plink!"

LOL


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...this should be interesting.

there are so many guitars solos i've heard that made time stand still for me, i wouldn't know where to start. vince gill? danny gatton? roger mcguin? chet atkins? ken greer (red ryder)? just about any bluegrass picker? doyle bramhall?

actually, there a harmony solo that bramhall and snowy white pull off on a roger waters dvd that is guaranteed to get the little neck hairs quivering.

-dh


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

David Gilmore's " Comfortably Numb", on the live "pulse" cd/dvd. It's all Goosebumps for me! Not flash, but all feel, played from the heart. That's what makes any solo, no matter who's playing it. jmho.:2guns:


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Mark Knopfler...almost anything.

Roy Buchanan..almost anything, especially The Messiah Will Come Again.

Peace, Mooh.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

not to add an obvious one....but Comfortably numb - solo # 2....but I also think the solo in another brick in the wall part 2 is GREAT....maybe its safer to say "anything Gilmour"...that guy doesn't blaze the fretboard with shredding 32nd notes....but his impeccable ability to tell a story and stick to the melody is truly fabulous....

also - the solo in Unforgiven.....unlike many of Hammet's solos - it seemed more "intentional" and planned out....if I'm not mistaken - James dreamt it up in the first place - maybe that's why its so good.

take a listen to Wynona Judd's version of Freebird......the lead in teh outro is positively fabulous......

and I REALLY dig Winwood's solo in Mr Fantasy - his later live versions (he does his live version virtually the same every time) 

SRV - Tin Pan Alley....pure fabulous SRV style slow blues with a much better tone than maybe Texas Flood for example


I saw an earlier post re: Guitar Gently Weeps.....I prefer the Healy version with his leads.....our band does that song in that style.....and it is totally epic!

really like the solo in "twilight Zone"......it's not overly complex or fast - but its a great example of "the build"...the tension that builds up with that bass line, then the solo comes in with a trickle - builds up to a nice high and finishes in a really nice launch back into the chorus.

my fav Hendrix solo(s) - the song - Hey Joe.....that whole song is one big build.



I could go on forever - haven't even touched Clapton's work yet


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

It's impossible to pick just one, and my earlier pick has more to do with pertinence than chops. When it comes to chops this guy was the king.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyjtW-rvWoQ

They didn't call him "The Humbler" for nothin'. 

Shawn :smile:


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Just picked something out of the air :smile:


but still love this .. well the final take anyway 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMiVRdr06x0&feature=related


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

There are some great guitar solos here, but the one that rings out most for me is one we put together for one of our own tunes. It fit very well and sounds good. It isn't as good as many of the ones listed here but the reason why it's our favorite is because we did it. :smile:


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## Lester B. Flat (Feb 21, 2006)

Andy said:


> The first solo from Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan. Pure genius.


No arguments here. +1


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

my list is actually pretty standard, but these were the first ones I thought of:
what I look for in a great solo is something that just takes the song to another level.

Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits (though the fills are as much of a draw as the solo)
Hotel California - Eagles
Cold November Rain - GnR
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Mr Crowley - Ozzy Osbourne
Mean Streets - Van Halen

and one off of the radar that just kicks me in the gut every time I hear it:
St James Infirmary - The Gutter Twins
there were a couple that I really dug in this thread too
http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=27799


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## fretless (Jul 3, 2009)

Mark Knopfler Sultans of Swing (the original studio one)


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

there's no way i could name one. there are just too many that i love. 
every one mentioned so far are among my favs though. 
i am surprised however, no one has mentioned the one in gerry rafferty's _baker street_. not a ton of notes, but somehow, very visceral.
there was a good one in the rockford files theme song too.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

fretless said:


> Mark Knopfler Sultans of Swing (the original studio one)


hmmm - yess...good one......definitely unique


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## Lester B. Flat (Feb 21, 2006)

cheezyridr said:


> there was a good one in the rockford files theme song too.


That was Tommy Tedesco, one of the Wrecking Crew.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Andy said:


> The first solo from Kid Charlemagne by Steely Dan. Pure genius.


This was first thought--so melodic, moving, distinct and memorable--and the tone is great too.
I played this for some of my students when I taught to let them know a fantastic solo wasn't about playing a bunch of notes quickly.



twoonie2 said:


> Anything by Jeff Beck !!!


Beck's one of my favorites as well. I love the early solo stuff on truth and the jazz stuff, and Guitar Shop and...



Mooh said:


> Mark Knopfler...almost anything.
> 
> Roy Buchanan..almost anything, especially The Messiah Will Come Again.


Both tasty guitarists.
From Knopfler I would single out Tunnel of Love from Making Movies--I wore out side one of that album on vinyl.
Buchanan was incredible-and The Messiah Will Come Again was his masterpiece. Also check out Drowning on Dry Land. 

I'll have to add Glenn Kaiser to the list as well-especially his blues stuff-and especially on the album, Carolina Moon.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Two of the best "Pop" solos that come to mind are Make Me Do Anything You Want and My Sharona - both pretty much perfect for the song in question.


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## Stonesy (Oct 7, 2008)

One word.
*Eruption.*


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

Even though I'm primarily a guitarist I'm more a fan of songs and when you see my choices you'll understand why I chose them. I like solos that aren't long, flashy or overly technical. This first one has already been mentioned by others but I'll mention it again here. My all time favourite guitar solo is the solo to "Something" by George Harrison. You can actually sing that solo. It's melodic, lyrical and it suits the song perfectly.

A very close second would be the solo to "Tonight She Comes" by The Cars. Listen to Elliot Eastons solo on that. It's got everything. It's melodic, it has some speedy stuff (which as I said, I'm not normally into but this solo is the exception), some cool whammy bar pitching tricks, harmonics and once again, it suits the song perfectly. I remember reading in Guitar Player magazine that solo was actually a pastiche that Elliot had put together on a four track recorder then he had to learn how to play it so it sounded natural, not like it was pieced together. In his words, "That's why it sounds so freaking _intense_." :smile: Another contender has also been mentioned, the solo to "Sultans Of Swing" by Mark Knopfler. Very tasty stuff.


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

There are so many great ones that have been mentioned. I usually do not listen to a song and base it on how great the guitar solo is but here are couple that have always made me stop in my tracks.

Jeff Beck - "Cause We've Ended as Lovers"

Steely Dan - "Peg" 
This one was played by a studio guy named Jay Graydon. IMHO...he just nails it.


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

It's hard to go wrong when suggesting Steely Dan...

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Amos Garrett's studio backing of Maria Muldaur on "Midnight at the Oasis". One of the most fluid solos of all time, IMO.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

ronmac said:


> It's hard to go wrong when suggesting Steely Dan...
> 
> I am surprised that no one has mentioned Amos Garrett's studio backing of Maria Muldaur on "Midnight at the Oasis". One of the most fluid solos of all time, IMO.


Because it doesn't get much air time?... awesome solo...


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

There's only two guitar solos that give me chills every time I hear them - Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" (Gilmour) and Genesis' "Firth of Fifth" (Hackett). You get the feeling that these guys have literally poured their soul into these tracks - _so cool!_


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

shoretyus said:


> Because it doesn't get much air time?... awesome solo...


LOL. I guess I am old enough to remember when that style of music ruled the air waves...


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

ronmac said:


> It's hard to go wrong when suggesting Steely Dan...


Even though I don't always like their songs, they always had excellent guitarists and some superb solos. 

(And I did list Kid Charlemagne as one of my favorites.)


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## Big_Daddy (Apr 2, 2009)

zontar said:


> Even though I don't always like their songs, they always had excellent guitarists and some superb solos.
> 
> (And I did list Kid Charlemagne as one of my favorites.)



+2 for Steely Dan. Elliott Randall's solo on "Reelin' In The Years" is my favourite of all the SD songs. Whenever I listen to that track, the solo haunts me for days.:bow: Hard to believe that the song was released in 1973.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I doubt I could identify one favourite/greatest. Certainly the Steely Dan catalog has a great many greats. That being said, I've always been partial to the brief but punchy solo on the Yardbirds' "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago" (not sure if that's Beck or Page), and the almost as brief but more melodic solo by Mick Ronson at the end of "Moonage Daydream". Why? They both achieve a dramatic feeling that increases the urgency of the song almost immediately. In Ronson's case, the first 3 notes (specifically notes 1 and 3) just nail it. The notes are superbly chosen and execution done right.

I always liked Kenny Pine's solos on the Fugs records too; specifically "The Garden is Open" (from _Tenderness Junction_) and "Crystal Liason" (from _It Crawled Into My Hand, Honest_). Both rubbery-sounding chewy-yet-violinish excursions.

Right now, I'm lovin' a recent Jeff Beck show that turned up on a site that needs to remain nameless, in which he covers a whole whack of older standards outside his usual oeuvre, including "Apache", "Sleepwalk", and a killer version of the Shangri-Las' "(Remember) Walking in the Sand".


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Just remembered, "I Can See For Miles", by the Who. I mean, it's all a matter of finding the "right" note, isn't it? Some people futz around and fly all over the fingerboard looking for it. Townsend found the note at the start of the solo, and wisely figured "If you've got it, use it." There was simply no point in looking for any other notes. Great solo that still works, to this day. :smile:


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

*aqualung*

I'll look forward to the solo from the opening riff...the acoustic comes in and the heart rate builds..."do you still remember, December's foggy freeze",, and I'm breathing faster... and finally Martin Barre comes in with the opening solo line. To me it's just so musically connected and memorable, probably because it was one of the first albums I listened to as a kid. I remember reader in GW that he was recording it in studio when in walked Jimmy Page. Barre didn't know whether to stop and wave or keep going...he kept going.
Also votes for " Highway Star" and "I've Seen All Good People".


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

GuitarsCanada said:


> The second solo on Hitch A Ride is probably number two. I know many of you would not even put Boston into your line-up but they were and probably still are my favorite band of all time.


+10000000000000kksjur



There first album is amazing, the solo in Hitch a ride is my favorite for sure I'm glad someone brought that up.

I like the first solo in metallica's master of puppets, ozy's mama im coming home and the solo in A7X's seize the day. But the solo from Hitch a Ride is certinally my favorite.

The solos in Lamb of Gods Terror and Hubris in the House of Frank Pollard and ashes of the wake are really good too.

EDIT:

I should ad the solo from Dire Straits "Sultans of swing"


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## eric_b (Dec 6, 2008)

Looking back over this thread I found most of my favourite guitar solos mentioned. Stuff by Jeff Beck, Steely Dan, (Bhodhisattva!!!), J. Page, and several others, but what still knocks me out is Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl solo. There's a lot you can do with one note.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

eric_b said:


> but what still knocks me out is Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl solo. There's a lot you can do with one note.


He was good that way--the electric version of Cowgirl in the Sand is another example of that.

That song and T-Bone are my favorite Neil Young solos--although Like a Hurricane is pretty cool too.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

kqoct

Ok, when I think "solo" I tend to thing 1 person + 1 guitar. Are we all talking different things here?

1
1 person + 1 guitar performing a piece of music beginning to end _<- my idea of a solo work generally
_ 
2
1 person + 1 guitar performing a lone introduction to an larger piece of music

3
1 person + 1 guitar performing an impromptu or planned moment inside a larger piece of music

4
1 band with 1 person shooting their volume so they become the focus for the moment playing either an impromptu or planned moment within the continuum of a larger piece of music.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

This one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKxhsd4x5u0

Or this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAnv66NDZ74

They are both different but both very, very good.


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## Pepper_Roni (May 29, 2008)

wow that steffen guy is real good thnx for the vid


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