Your 3 favorite keyboard solos?

Keith Emerson - closing solo for In the Beginning.

Martin Orford - Sleepless Incidental
Kevin Moore - Metropolis Part 1
Tony Banks - Cinema Show

Wakeman's Hammond solo, "Roundabout" 

Awesoreno wrote: Are we talkin' improvised solo? Or written solo? Because that delineation needs to be made. How can I compare the aforementioned George Duke solo from Don't You Ever... (one that sprang to mind for me as well, my cheesy friend), with The Raven solo from Slippermen (another goodie)? One was brilliantly composed on the spot, and one was crafted and honed over a period of time until the player was satisfied with how it sounded.

moshkito wrote: Cristi wrote: ... You constantly finding reasons to complain about anything has become tedious. So much negativity...  Hi, When will you start making comments that are not personal? I love music and have for all my life. My comments are not "negative" as much as they are COMPARATIVE which is something that you do not seem to understand. I don't dislike anything in music and you will rarely find a bad comment on an album or band, other than a small joke. A "solo", by its definition, is a PERSONAL/INDIVIDUAL moment within a song, and while I am not saying that it does not fit here and there, it has its places, and many folks have done it right, and made it work, however, I think ... possibly ... that we're enamored with the solo, and who gives a damn about the rest of the song, or the music? Another example, is Miles Davis ... it's really difficult to not consider what he did a "solo", almost non-stop ... and I have no issue with it, because it opened up a sort of musicianship to many folks that was not quite visible, and it is a treat to watch, and then, later, to appreciate. Another guitarist that does what could be considered "solos" in the music is Jimmy Page ... but rarely are these not a very clear continuation and a strong part of the song itself ... I like it this way ... instead of apart from the whole thing. I prefer the complete piece of music. Another example. Folks talk about opera, mostly because of the "arias", but none of these were ever mentioned as not being a legitimate part of the complete piece, and one of the most emotional moments of the pieces. That was never designed as a "solo" per se, which is used by many classical musicians as highlights of their abilities ... the sad thing being that no one spends time listening to the rest of it ... well, I have to tell you that Wagner taxes my listening hard ... but I can handle the Italians. Now you know my point about a "solo" ... it has to be clearly a part of the music, not separated.

Rod Argent on Hold Your Head Up for sure but then what about Deep Purple - Child In Time, the whole thing is an epic keyboard solo. Jon Lord had no peers on the organ (Emerson included).

Keyboard solos... as much as I love keyboards in prog, and Rick Wakeman is actually one of my top 5 artists overall, I haven't thought about which would be my favourite solos... so many really wonderful keyboard parts, really. Perhaps the Arthur one would actually be my favourite. And, could Toccata Fugue count too? Also, I'm not sure it would really be among my favourites, but there is a rather overlooked, and so underated, little piece of solo from Pink Floyd. On Echoes, just after the screeching guitars ambient section, when the melody is coming back Wright does a little piece of soloing, perhaps the most beautiful keyboard solo from Pink Floyd, and which sadly he never did again when they played the song live. There should be many other worthy keyboard solos from Wakeman himself, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield (perhaps something in Ommadawn should be another of my choices), Genesis, ELP.

Rick Wakeman—Awaken

First ones that come to mind: