Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Favorite guitar solos


Whitefang

Recommended Posts

WARNED ya!  [laugh]

No need to let us in on ALL your favorite solos.  Just a few will do.  And maybe a few words about what you like about them(also no need to be over-academic).   Personally, I do understand the difficulty in paring down so many great solos I really like to just a few "significant" ones,   But I usually go with.....

1. MAYBELLENE (Chuck Berry):   Dig that first half of the solo.  A lively groove on what's essentially one note bent and bounced to the ear's delight.  And proving a great solo doesn't need 500 notes a minute played at 11.

2.SOMETHING( The Beatles):   George's solo sounds like a combo of soulful slide and finger to string picking with a haunting effect.

3.CROSSROADS( Cream):  From the live "Wheels of fire" recording.   Many put this one on a "favorites" list.  And why not?   An excellent marriage of Blues emoting and rock sizzle.

4. UP FROM THE SKIES(Jimi Hendrix):  From the "Axis: Bold As Love" LP.   I lean towards the second "outro" solo. A clever dance dressed in some of the best early Wha work.

5.HUSTLED DOWN IN TEXAS(Johnny Winter) Sounds like to me, Johnny's "scatting" with his axe rather than  playing a standard solo.

6. SULTANS OF SWING(Dire Straits): That solo by Knopfler that takes us out of there is about the best finger picking on an electric guitar in a rock tune I can think of.   Chet Atkins truly an influence on Mark.

Whitefang

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice thread fang

I can fire a few off the top of my head

  • Hiway Star  - Deep Purple (Blackmore)  Really! What's not to love!
  • Burn - Deep Purple (Blackmore)  RB just burns (pun intended) thru the entire solo, then he starts the arpeggios, and ..mind blown..
  • Limelight - Rush (Lifeson) Nothing more to say there, just masterful
  • The Garden - Rush (Lifeson) This is off the last album, a hidden gem it seems, incredible expression and feel
  • All Along the Watchtower (Jimi) IMHO one of his best.
  • Stairway (exactly..)
  • Whipping Post Allman Bros (Fillmore East Album) Those guys were on the top of their game that night, incredible stuff.
  • Blue Skies (Betts) Melodic perfection.
Edited by kidblast
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first ones to pop into my head:

Ocean Breeze- Pablo Cruise

I've Got a Mind to Give Up Living- Peter Green

Green Grass and High Tides- Outlaws

Midnight Blue- Kenny Burrell (the whole album)

Most any of Joe Satriani's melodic playing; most anything from Jimmy Herring, Larry Carlton,  or Pat Metheny

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a few which immediately come to mind -

Hendrix - 'Stone Free' and the original short 'Red House'  (I am a STAN for Jimi[wink])

Clapton - 'Crossroads' is iconic now but 'Have You Ever Loved A Woman' off "E.C. Was Here" should vibrate your vertebrae

Peter Green - "Bottoms Up" off "The End Of The Game" - just a jam but what flow!

Jeff Beck - "Too Much To Lose" off "There And Back" - more spinal chills

Kossoff - "Songs Of Yesterday" off 2nd Free LP.

Tommy Bolin - "Stratus" or ""Quadrant 4"  off Billy Cobham's "Spectrum"

Larry Coryell -  "Treats Style", "Gypsy Queen", 1st track on "Fairyland"

Johnny Winter (good call) - "I Love Everybody"

Wes Montgomery - "Impressions"  (live at the Half Note)

Jerry Reed - "Alabama Jubilee";  I still have no idea how he came up with this.

 

And  that's part of the mystery - how did they know to do that?

 

Edited by jdgm
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I could point to this entire album, since the guitar work was all Ddick Wagner and Steve Hunter (of Lou Reed's band). 
And under Bob Ezrin's production, things are wickedly good. 
(And it goes without saying that any record with Tony Levin playing bass is going to be top-notch.)
Drumming is unbelievable. 

But this song here kind of does it for me. 
Every riff throughout is sublime, but things really heat up after the 3:00 minute mark. 
🙂

 

Edited by sparquelito
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mick Taylor - Sway (outro solo) - the phrasing. the phrasing.

Dave Gilmour - Comfortably Numb (second solo - live at Pompeii is best ever) - nod slowly, shed a tear and punch the air all at one.

Paul Kossoff - Heartbreaker - a sad and touching parting gift.

Jimmy Page - Since I've Been Loving You - immense and evocative [wink]

 

... spring instantly to mind... not bad for starters though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's the big, epic solos that always appear on "the greatest" lists. I agree with most of those. I'll list some of the solos I personally like, even if they aren't the most technical or intense etc.

One Of These Nights- The Eagles. Can't think of a more "perfect" solo. Starts on one note, follows chord progression, and climaxes on a single note which leads right back into lyrics. 

Games People Play -Allen Parsons Project. Great phrasing and awesome Tele tone.

Ricky Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan. I could make my whole list just Steely Dan solos, but this Skunk Baxter solo is just single coil bliss.

Heart Breaker (Doo Doo Doo) - Rolling Stones. Depressing song, and the solo really isn't very much. But I've always loved it for it's simplicity and feeling.

Sign Of The Gypsy Queen - April Wine. I just love the tone and the drama and how it finishes back into the final verse. 

There's so many more I could list. these were just some ones that came to my head and I figured no one else would pick 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lotta good ones up there.  But remember....

This is about guitar solos, not necessarily a "favorite songs" listing.  

JDGM:   "I Love Everybody"?   Yep.  For me that one is always in a coin toss with "Hustled Down In Texas" come solo rating.  [wink]

I could also add;

RANDY CALIFORNIA's solo in "Mr. Gramophone Man".  Pretty  good skills for a 17 year old.  And too, the one in "Girl In Your Eye."

A "great" solo for me isn't always about rapid fire notes and other "pyrotechnics".   Many times(as B.B. King always proved)  It's about what it SAYS.  Not how fast it's said.  [wink]

Whitefang

Edited by Whitefang
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of my favourites is the intro, to Miranda by the band Hustler, played by Micky Llewellyn on a Flying V.  Hustler only released two albums and I think their biggest claim to fame was supporting Queen on their 1974 tour, I also know that Queen were big fans of the band.

I really doubt anyone on this forum has ever heard of Hustler, but the track is well worth a listen:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is some difficulty to this.   We all realize(I hope) that not all "solos" are played exclusively as mid-song "interludes",  which brings up the matter of an artist like JOE PERRY of Aerosmith. Some of his best "solo" work is done as "outros" of tunes like;

WALK THIS WAY    and----

SWEET EMOTION

Add those to my list as well.  [wink]  Along with...

Neil Schon's quick appearance in Santana's "Everybody's Everything".

Whitefang

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best guitar not always in the solo section like Whitefang said

sometimes memorable things happen as a tag line like Aqualung or Talk Talk by the Music Machine or Sgt Pepper or The Immigrant Song or Purple Haze

Edited by mihcmac
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/20/2021 at 10:48 AM, Whitefang said:

...

3.CROSSROADS( Cream):  From the live "Wheels of fire" recording.   Many put this one on a "favorites" list.  And why not?   An excellent marriage of Blues emoting and rock sizzle.

...

6. SULTANS OF SWING(Dire Straits): That solo by Knopfler that takes us out of there is about the best finger picking on an electric guitar in a rock tune I can think of.   Chet Atkins truly an influence on Mark.

Whitefang

Two of my favorites as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So a few I haven't see yet:

     John Mayer "Axis: Bold as Love" (saw him do this in concert, he tore it up)

     Robben Ford "Badge"

     Los Lobos "Don't Worry Baby"  (don't know if David Hidalgo or Ceasar Rosas did it, but suspect they traded off)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never been a Ted Nugent fan on his own.   But His solo on "Journey To The Center Of Your Mind" when he was with The Amboy Dukes was, back in "the day" , a favorite solo.

And for some of the kiddies here who are unfamiliar.......

NOTE:  the '68 footage in this clip is from some TV show on which they "sync'd" and pantomimed the song to the studio track.  And for the record, at the time the band was only known as The Amboy Dukes.   NOT "Ted Nugent and The Amboy Dukes".  :rolleyes:

And dig the outfits!  \:D/

Whitefang

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...