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Your favorite guitar solo.

27K views 139 replies 68 participants last post by  Rogerx 
#1 · (Edited)
What is your favorite guitar solo in a song.

Here's mine, at about 1:40. Marc Ribot in a Tom Waits song:

 
#2 ·
Obvious and safe choices, but my favourites
Steve Howe Yours is no Disgrace
Eric Clapton Crossroads
Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child
Jimmy Page The Song Remains the Same
George Harrison While My Guitar Gently Weeps ( did he actually play it?)
Manfred Mann Blinded By the light (who's the guitar player?)
Peter Frampton Do you feel like I do?
Van Halen Spanish Fly
We Are the Champions Brian May
Wish You Were Here David Gilmore
 
#65 ·
#5 ·
Bradley Nowell - Badfish
David Gilmour - Comfortably Numb
David Gilmour - Time
The Edge - Miracle Drug
Frank Zappa - Uncle Remus
Frank Zappa - Watermelon in Easter Hay
Graham Coxon - Country Sad Ballad Man
Graham Coxon - You're So Great
Jimi Hendrix - May this Be Love
Jimi Hendrix - Bold as Love
Jimmy Page - The Rain Song
Jimmy Page - Ten Years Gone
Martin Barre - Minstrel in the Gallery
Mike Oldfield - Hergest Ridge Part 1
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn Part 1
Trent Reznor - Ruiner

a few of my favorites ^^
 
#6 ·
Here's mine, at about 1:40. Marc Ribot in a Tom Waits song:
Hoist that rag is one of my favorite Ribot solos. My favorite one and one of my favorite solos ever is the one on Clap Hands (from 2:04)


Mick Goodrick at 4:43 with Gary Burton on The colours of Chloe


Tisziji Munoz - Spiritual journey (but there are a lot of outstanding solos of him, he's like the Coltrane of the guitar)


Peter Green - Bottoms up


Sonny Greenwich - Peace


Captain Beefheart - Bat Chain Puller (Jeff Moris Tepper at 2:02, this one blows my mind every time)


El Nino Miguel - Vino y Caballos (I don't know if it could be considered just a solo, but anyway it's incredible)


Allman Brothers - In memory of Elizabeth Reed from the live at Fillmore (Duane Allman from 7:47)


White Lion - Wait (Vito Bratta at 2:11). The song is embarassing, the solo is fantastic


Megadeth - Tornado of Souls (Marty Friedman at 3:09)


Pat Martino - Just Friends


Massacre - Killing Time
 
#9 · (Edited)
A third vote for Ribot's edgy solo on a Hoist that Rag, and a second for While My Guitar (Clapton, not Harrison).

A personal favorite is Duane Allman on I Am Yours, with Derek and the Dominoes.


Edit: and if course, Nigel Tufnel's violin-enhanced solo, but only when he takes the time to tune the violin.
 
#11 ·
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Coldshot, give it until around 3 mins


Tony Iommi, with Black Sabbath
From around 3.20


A bit left field, but Tony Levin on bass on this masterpiece

Best played on a good hifi, it's a great test to see if your setup handles BASS, with a capital B

Here's Tony again, this time playing the "Chapman Stick" with Goatika
 
#14 ·
Jimmy Page - Stairway to Heaven
Slash - Sweet Child O' Mine'
Kirk Hammett - Shortest Straw
Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower
Don Felder, Glen Frey and Joe Walsh - Hotel California
Eddie van Halen - Eruption
Steve Vai - Blue Powder
David Gilmore - Dogs
Jerry Garcia - Let It Grow
Vito Bratta - Little Fighter
Santana - Europa
Dickey Betts - Jessica
Robbie Krieger - Light My Fire
Brian May - Bohemian Rhapsody
Yngwie Malmsteen - Black Star
B.B. King - Thrill Is Gone
Joe Satriani - The Crush of Love
Randy Rhoads - Crazy Train
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Pride and Joy
Mark Knopfler - Sultans of Swing
Allen Collins and Gary Rossington - Freebird

So many solos, so many players...these are just a few that came to mind.
 
#20 ·
This (from c. 0:41 to 0:58)



But seriously...

Contenders from Rock royalty would include:

Santana - Europa (from 'Amigos') and the full solo from She's Not There (from 'Moonflower')
Hendrix - Star-Spangled Banner (from 'Woodstock' film) and Machine Gun (from 'Band of Gypsies')
Clapton - Spoonful (from 'Fresh Cream') and the second solo from Crossroads (from 'Wheels of Fire')
Steve Howe - Clap (from 'The Yes Album')

Maggot Brain's an excellent suggestion. Michael Hampton also did a great live version (bonus track on 'One Nation Under a Groove').
 
#24 · (Edited)
Three guitarists from King Crimson:

Adrien Belew. Beginning at 4:56. Hard to pick just one by Belew:



Robert Fripp. At 3:40. What effortless precision!



Trey Gunn at 4:50 on "reclining guitar." (Also Fripp has great solo at 2:40):

 
#26 ·
My favorite is J. Mascis - "Get Me" by Dinosaur Jr. The 2nd solo. Usually when discussing guitar solos with "Guitar Guy" friends, they start talking about chords and speed and difficulty and blah blah blah. That's usually where I turn around and walk in the other direction, whether they've finished or not.
 
G
#27 · (Edited)
Another vote for Hendrix's "Machine Gun." Also, the solo that Ritchie Blackmore played in "A Light in the Black" when I saw Rainbow in 1975/76...just jaw-dropping. As good as the studio version is, it pales next to that one--he was just on fire that night.
 
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