Best Prog Guitar Solo

arcer wrote: again not really prog but Richie Blackmore 's playing on the 'On Stage' version of 'Catch the Rainbow' is wonderful.

Well done, Arcer! Blackmore is probably my all-time fave guitarist. As to Rainbow, I feel the first three studio albums and the live should be in the Archives under Prog-Metal... After all, how do you call an eight-minute track with a backing orchestra like Stargazer, if not prog?

Back to the list, I like all of the first three, but my vote went (of course) to Dave...

"Yes but my point is that a lot of the newer guitar gods have got sucked into the Eddie Van Halen thing of speed is good"

Now I see your point more clearly, and I hope I'm more capable of understanding it. You're right at pinting out the dangers of excessive and gratuitious love for speed for the sake of it, but again, speed is not in itself an enemy of emotional pouring: I listen to Holdsworth and DiMeola, and I can tell you that these guys are really fast and skilfull, and at the same tiem, their lines and phrases are really moving.

Petrucci has done a lot of stuff that was emotional and pyrotechnical at the same time: his solos on 'Erotomania', 'Another Day', 'Misunderstood', 'Scarred', I find them really motivating on a personal level, as much as impressive from the merely technical point of view. At least that's how I feel about them.

Anyway, my vote went to Akkerman's amazing performance on 'Hocus Pocus': here comes another guitarist who is fast and emotional, sometimes simultaneously.

Alex Lifeson is another guitarist who is well crafted technically and capable of expressing and motivating pure emotion. Well, I could find lots of examples like them...

Regards.

You are right of course Cesar. What I would say is that some guitarists sound more emotional than others. The sound of Andy Latimer of Camel's guitar work for example to me sounds emotional.

In what I admit is a sweeping generalisation, I don't find that Petricci's guitar work sounds like he is putting much emotion into it. I readily acknowledge however that I may well be completely misjudging him!

Reed Lover wrote: The older guitarists certainly know how to crank up the emotion in their solos:Lifeson and Gilmour are wonderfully emotive.This is one area where the likes of Petrucci and his ilk (super teccy but no feel) fall down. I defy anyone to name a single Dream Theater solo that stirs the heart (although I know this is subjective, you all know what I mean.)

'goodnight kiss' from the 'six degrees of inner turbulence' album for starters.

I'm up for the solo on Comfortably Numb. In fact, any Dave Gilmour solo does it for me, the guy's just got the best feel ever, those little double bends are such a cool trademark sound and yes, his Animals works is definitely some of his best stuff.

Also whoever said Alex's La Villa Strangiato -  for me it's his use of volume pedal on the first part of the solo, it's tasteful, beautifully played and builds perfectly.

Not really prog at all - but Page is just the business - sloppy, groovy, infiniely filthy and all about the vibe - hat's off to Jimmy Page - legend. For a perfect example just listen to how clever the guitar arrangement is on 'Ten Years Gone' or indeed the whole of 'Presence' (probably there most proggy album if you ask me) and even more amazing when you consider that Page recorded most of the arrangements in a few days. And also his acoustic playing is magic.

again not really prog but Richie Blackmore 's playing on the 'On Stage' version of 'Catch the Rainbow' is wonderful.

Brian May's guitar arrangements are also spectacular, particular up to and including The Game.

Latterly Dave Navarro is always interesting - his work on Ritual de lo Habitual and One Hot Minute is fantastic. Check out the little guitar solo on 'My Friends' with the Chili Peppers, it rocks and his work Jane's is great.

I've kind of drifted off the prog vibe here, but the above guys are the best.