8 Great Guitarists - 8 Unforgettable Solos
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Topic: 8 Great Guitarists - 8 Unforgettable Solos
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Subject: 8 Great Guitarists - 8 Unforgettable Solos
Date Posted: May 26 2021 at 17:27
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Firstly, what do I mean by "unforgettable"? It would be impossible to name any guitarist's one "greatest solo ever!" That would lead to unending lists of "I have a third-generation tape of a friend-of-a-friend's recording of _____ playing live 40 years ago that lays waste to everything they've ever done before or since." Let's stick to studio albums with a performance that truly captures or epitomizes these players at their absolute best. Not the longest, fastest, or loudest solo, but the most distinctive. A solo that no matter how many times you've heard it still brings a smile to your face or a "wow" to your lips. Secondly, I apologize if your favorite guitarist is not here. I chose 8 that figure prominently on this site. 1. Steve Howe: "Sound Chaser" 2. Steve Hackett: Many will pick "Supper's Ready" for the famous tapping solo, but I will go with "Firth of Fifth". 3. David Gilmour: "Dogs" 4. Jimmy Page: I'm tempted to pick "In the Light" or "The Song Remains the Same", but I will controversially go with "I'm Gonna Crawl" for capturing his blues influences. 5. Alex Lifeson: "Free Will" or "La Villa Strangiato" are the easy choices, but I've always loved what he does on "No One at the Bridge". 6. Ritchie Blackmore: I want to say "Burn", but I will go with "Child in Time". 7. Allan Holdsworth: "In the Dead of Night", and not just because it was my introduction to his playing. 8. Trevor Rabin: As great as the "Owner of a Lonely Heart" solo is, I'll take "Eyes of Love".
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Replies:
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 00:18
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Interesting selections, and hard to argue with! Mine would include: 1. S. Howe, "To Be Over" (he goes Telecaster crazy on that one!) 2. S. Hackett, "Firth of Fifth" 3. D. Gilmour, "Comfortably Numb" (one of his most emotional solos) 4. Jimmy Page, "Achilles Last Stand" 5. Alex Lifeson, "La Villa Strangiato" 6. R. Blackmore, "Man on the Silver Mountain" 7. Allan Holdsworth, "Sahara of Snow" 8. Trevor Rabin, "It Can Happen" ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: Mirakaze
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 00:32
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Off the top of my head: - Steve Howe: does "Mood For A Day" count? Otherwise I'm taking the easy route and picking "Starship Trooper" - Steve Hackett: tie between "Every Day" and "Ripples" - David Gilmour: "Comfortably Numb" - Alex Lifeson: "La Villa Strangiato" - Allan Holdsworth: TOO MANY TO COUNT. "Land Of The Bag Snake", "Back To The Beginning" and "Devil Take The Hindmost" spring into my mind immediately as some of the best guitar solos by anyone ------------- https://mirasnelder.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow - Freelance composer, accepting commissions | https://mirasnelder.bandcamp.com/album/altered-acuity" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp page |
Posted By: Awesoreno
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 01:49
| ^Thank you for including one of Holdsworth's actual solo recordings. I rarely see people discussing his stuff as opposed to his work with UK and SM, and occasionally Bruford. I would have to go with his track "Low Levels, High Stakes" for one of his best. |
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 05:03
| Good list. I would add Martin Barre, on Back Door Angels and Aqualung. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 05:15
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I'd add Mark Knopfler on Dire Straits' "Tunnel Of Love." Not prog but close enough. The most melodic and fastest solo I've ever heard. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Spaciousmind
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 05:24
During those lean 80s Mark Knopfler gave you hope for some good music. Saw him (Dire Straits) live in Rio many years ago. It was a fun concert especially with the noisy Brazilian carnival atmosphere :).
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SteveG wrote:Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 06:39
| Andy Latimer's Ice is a great choice too. |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 06:57
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I would add the solo of Roman Bunka in the track "Heartbeat" from his first solo album "Dein Kopf ist ein schlafendes Auto" ("Your Head is a Sleeping Car"). he is one of the most underappreciated guitar players on this site; only Friede and I ever mention him. and here the track. there are actually 3 guitar solos in this track; the solo I am referring to is the 3rd one in the "blues section" of it: -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 07:50
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Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 07:55
Really nice to see this get a mention. "Can't Look Away" is fantastic, and I would choose it ahead of any Yes album....
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Posted By: Spaciousmind
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 08:52
You don't believe me? Go search and compare 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003 here in PA.
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Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 09:15
It was more to do with Mark Knopfler than the 80s!
 I know he's highly regarded by many but I just find his playing and vocals to be deadly dull. Just opinons! |
Posted By: Spaciousmind
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 09:29
Ok lol... my bad... thought you were disputing that 80s were not the greatest for what is liked here :) Nick
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Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 09:51
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Bunch a good ones here......I'll add in Steve Rothery on This Strange Engine. -------------   
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Posted By: Howlett
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 10:04
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He's not a staple in most people's prog collections, but I would add Plini Roessler-Holgate (releases music under the name "Plini"). Some of his best work is on a song called Cascade from his album Handmade Cities. |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 10:18
Others.... Pat Metheny, Frank Zappa, Steve Morse, John Petrucci, Kerry Livgren, Guthrie Govan. And the criminally neglected guitarists on PA... Mike Keneally and Phil Miller.
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Posted By: Sacro_Porgo
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 12:37
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Here's some I love from some of the guitarists mentioned: Steve Howe - Starship Trooper (from part III, The Wurm) Steve Hackett - The Musical Box David Gilmore - I agree, Dogs is the one for me Jimmy Page - hard to beat Stairway no? Alex Lifeson - one of my all time favorites has always been from 2112: Soliloquy, just after the line "this cold and empty life" Ritchie Blackmore - I'm not nearly as well versed in his catalogue as the previous guitarists, but to me the solo in Smoke On The Water is one of the most well written and well performed in classic rock cannon Holdsworth - I've only got one album from this guy, it's pretty much solo all the way through, and it's all really good Trevor Rabin - not super well versed here either, but I know 90125 really well. Owner Of A Lonely Heart does it for me. Those mind bending dissonances and that angular phrasing are not easily forgotten. Martin Barre - Aqualung, that song's secret weapon Mark Knopfler - Sultans, you know the part. ------------- Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :) |
Posted By: yogev
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 13:12
I was going to say that. his best solo ever.
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 13:20
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Blimey, no mention so far of Stargazer for Ritchie Blackmore! Hackett - Firth Of Fifth Gilmour - Comfortably Numb Howe - Wurm Greg Lake (yes I'm including him!) - Battlefield Mike Holmes - The Last Human Gateway (Edited version on the Lost Attic) |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: May 27 2021 at 22:36
Bloody hell, I meant Stargazer, not Man on the Silver Mountain!!  ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: essexboyinwales
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 02:21
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Steve Rothery - Sugar Mice John Petrucci - solo at the end of The Best Of Times Mike Holmes - so many! But how about the one at the end of Zero Hours?.... |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 05:32
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Frank Gambale "The Natives Are Restless". There is a live version on YouTube where the guitar playing is even more insane. Terry Kath (Chicago) "Sing a Mean Tune Kid". Long song, solo starts around 4:19) |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 06:04
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Not Fripp no Nogbad, Babies On Fire, nuff said ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: I prophesy disaster
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 07:03
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A guitar solo that I quite like is one that I don't think would be on anyone's radar: the guitar solo in KA II. ------------- No, I know how to behave in the restaurant now, I don't tear at the meat with my hands. If I've become a man of the world somehow, that's not necessarily to say I'm a worldly man. |
Posted By: tszirmay
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 08:10
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No Santana? hahahahaha! Too many to choose from. How about Transcendence or Every Step of the Way or Europa or... ------------- I never post anything anywhere without doing more than basic research, often in depth. |
Posted By: Steve Wyzard
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 10:01
My favorite solo from the albums under his name is "The Un-Merry-Go-Round" from Metal Fatigue - truly epic!
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Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 12:07
Mike Holmes.....love the almost 2 minute one on Province of the King from Frequency.  ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: noni
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 15:03
I agree!
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Posted By: noni
Date Posted: May 28 2021 at 15:06
| Nick Barrett (Pendragon).... Breaking The Spell |
Posted By: thief
Date Posted: June 01 2021 at 15:39
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Okay I'll just stick to the original 8! 1. Steve Howe. Awaken There are actually two prominent solos off the top of my head and they both mop the floor with 95% of "classic rock" guitarists. Not even in terms of technical proficiency (although that's fantastic for 70s) but how well they fit into the song. That is a trademark sound if there is one... 2. Steve Hackett. The Lamia So I'm just being contrarian here, certainly Firth of Fifth is at least TOP3 solo of his career, but I feel The Lamia is so perfectly articulated, so yearning and full of emotion I can't leave it behind. Besides, it's one of the few iconic Hackett moments on TLLDOB, a great album that's not exactly the best display of skills. Also, for some reason, it just sounds so refreshing and original. Perhaps my favorite on this list. 3. David Gilmour. Dogs I just like Animals so much that I had to pick this one. I like Gilmour, but he never was as much of an inspiration as the guys above, perhaps I naturally followed more fiery and showoff axemen... Anyways, Dogs solo does it for me so why not? 4. Jimmy Page. Since I've Been Loving You (TSRTS) That man made me (and 80+ million other teenagers) believe that Les Paul solos are the best thing on Earth, or at least up there with tit*ies and beer. Yeah, there would be a Germany sized country if all Page fans settled there - free Rock Am Ring tickets for everyone in the constitution! Stairway, Achilles, Ten Years Gone, In the Evening, Dazed, I mean he has tons of solos. Stairway to Heaven might be the most influential and timeless of all - that's old news but true. But if I were to turn on YT today and let my jaw drop watching him go ballistic, I'd have this perfect blues rock tearjerker. Today! 5. Alex Lifeson. Limelight I know some solos are more accomplished and fascinating, but this one... this one comes to mind immediately when I think of Lifeson. What a great whammy control, what a flow... and that endless vibrato at the end, it just gets me every time! Seriously give it another shot if you can. Tight, lyrical, simply marvelous. (Ceterum censeo, Alex is underrated) 6. Allan Holdsworth. Letters of Marque What a showoff! But a genius, too. 7. Trevor Rabin. Owner of a Lonely Heart Maybe it's lazy, but this song is just iconic. That hectic, synthesized sound just screams 80s, in a good way. Bonus points for being the only solo I've heard in a mall (from this list). 8. Ritchie Blackmore. Child In Time So if Jimmy Page was like god to my teenage soul, giving my guitar dreams momentum and influencing my equipment choices for years to come... then Ritchie was like lovecraftian Ancient One, the One that started it all. The One who planted a seed, the One who had a Key. The Original Pissed-Off-Like-Titans-Thrown-To-Tartarus One. Seriously, I think he's made me ready for anything that guitar pantheon would throw at me later in life. Shredders following EVH footsteps? Okay. Thrash metal technicians, Vetterlis of the world? Gotcha. Filthy monstrosities brewed by Death, Cryptopsy, Psyopus? Sure! I mean, all of those guys are ferocious, brilliant, AND a lot of fun. But after being exposed to Ritchie's speedruns as a child, I can't be shocked anymore. To me it was Ritchie who invented TAKE NO PRISONERS approach in rock soloing, and I dare you to find pre-1970 record remotely as vicious as Deep Purple In Rock. And it's not only about balls, it's also about guitar storytelling. Blackmore solos truly are like stories, and the one told in Child In Time had so many satisfying twists and turns that would make George R. R. Martin jelly. Seriously, if I had a dime every time I was floored by Blackmore solo, I'd have like $92 in my pocket; and still couldn't afford a Rolling Stones concert ------------- TOP20 Songs https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=124211" rel="nofollow - Genesis https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=125999" rel="nofollow - Rush |
Posted By: cstack3
Date Posted: June 01 2021 at 17:50
^Thanks, this is a thoughtful post!!  ------------- I am not a Robot, I'm a FREE MAN!! |
Posted By: BarryGlibb
Date Posted: June 02 2021 at 20:18
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Tommy by Jan Akkerman has always been my favourite prog guitarist solo. |
Posted By: BrufordFreak
Date Posted: June 04 2021 at 09:25
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Jan Akkerman “Streetwalker” from Jan Akkerman Roy Buchanan “Fly… Night Bird” John McLaughlin (with Shakti) “Face to Face” from Natural Elements Pat Metheny “The Truth Will Always Be” from Secret Story Bruce Cockburn “The Tibetan Side of Town” from Big Circumstance Ray Gomez “Mating Drive” (from Lenny White’s Venusian Summer) Jeff Beck “Going Down” from “Orange” David Gilmour “Comfortably Numb” from The Wall Steve Howe “Awaken” from Yes’ Going for the One Ernie Isley “Summer Breeze” from 3 + 3 Todd Rundgren “The Last Ride” from Todd Robby Kreiger “Light My Fire” from The Doors Tom Scholz “Long Time” from Boston’s s/t debut Neil Young “Corez the Killer” from Live Rust Robert Fripp on David Sylvian’s “Upon This Earth” from Gone to Earth James Grant “Jocelyn Square” from Strange Kind of Love Mirek Gil on Collage’s “The Blues” from Moonshine Hiram Bullock on Sting’s Nothing Like the Sun “Little Wing” Adrian Belew “Big Electric Cat” from The Lone Rhino John Martyn “Small Hours” from One World Roye Albrighton “Always” from Evolution Pete Townsend “Rough Boys” Nick Barrett “Water” from Love Over Fear Allan Holdsworth “Sahara in the Snow” from Bruford’s One of a Kind Corrado Rustici “Vimana” from Nova’s Vimana Al Di Meola “The Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant” from RTF’s Romantic Warrior Frank Zappa “Black Napkins” and so many more! ------------- Drew Fisher https://progisaliveandwell.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: June 04 2021 at 09:57
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Magog2112
Date Posted: August 03 2023 at 08:12
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1. Steve Hackett: "Firth of Fifth" 2. John Mitchell: "The Visitor" 3. Alex Lifeson: "Limelight" 4. Roine Stolt: "A King's Prayer" 5. David Gilmour: "Comfortably Numb" 6. Jimi Hendrix: "All Along the Watchtower" 7. Steve Rothery: "The Great Escape" 8. Nick Barrett: "It's Only Me"
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