The greatest guitar/musical solos ever

[TiScape]

4 hours ago, Socrates said:

I recently used that in a hockey forum to describe Evander Kane's ex wife. 

 

I am not a hockey fan, so obviously don’t follow it closely. But I live in the Bay Area and do get exposed to some SJ Sharks news. Have seen some bits and pieces of what’s gone on with him. It’s a laundry list! Sexual assault charge, got into a fight with a bouncer at a bar and assaulted a woman out front while he played for the Sabres, sued by the Cosmo hotel/casino for walking out on a huge debt, busted for a fake vaccine card, accusations he betted on his own games… What’s that guys deal?! Trouble seems to follow him around! 😣

Edited December 10, 2021 by TiScape

[Socrates]

10 hours ago, TiScape said:

I am not a hockey fan, so obviously don’t follow it closely. But I live in the Bay Area and do get exposed to some SJ Sharks news. Have seen some bits and pieces of what’s gone on with him. It’s a laundry list! Sexual assault charge, got into a fight with a bouncer at a bar and assaulted a woman out front while he played for the Sabres, sued by the Cosmo hotel/casino for walking out on a huge debt, busted for a fake vaccine card, accusations he betted on his own games… What’s that guys deal?! Trouble seems to follow him around! 😣

He's a typical person who is really good at a sport (hockey) and got a lot of money early.  Can't take responsibility for his own actions and blames everyone else for the poor choices he makes.  Really liked to play the "race card" when he was in Winnipeg.  Couldn't understand that he was disliked because he was a poor human being.

[DaveLeeNC]

I'd have to put this in the category of Greatest Guitar Solo from someone you've never heard of and almost certainly never will. 

 

 

The guy is David Schaub and he is some kind of special affects artist with a Academy Award nomination in the Visual Effects category.

 

If you are not familiar with the song Roundabout by Yes, see 

 

 

 

 

to understand what he is trying to do with one classical guitar and two hands. Pretty impressive given that this is not even his full time job. 

 

dave

Edited December 25, 2021 by DaveLeeNC

[joostin]

Bumping

 

Another vote for SRV - Texas Flood, my all time favorite.  Love blues, from his non stop blistering soul solos to BB King.  SRV - Lenny too.

 

Comfortably Numb of course

 

Giving love to Santana's sound, style, feel - Europa

 

Also gonna give some props to John Mayer for keeping guitar alive in current pop music.  This vid was crazy cool for a fan who brought a guitar to the show:

 

[miamistomp]

 SRV soundcheck better than most guys on stage

 

 

[DaveLeeNC]

Re: Stevie Ray Vaughan Sound Check 

 

This one, 

 

 

starting about 2 minutes in it is truly as good as any live footage of SRV that I have ever seen. It is kind of a legend in some guitar worlds (this video was covered in Guitar World at some point in time. 

 

dave

Edited January 8, 2022 by DaveLeeNC

[rainkingjr]

Big fan of Jeff Skunk Baxter's solos on Steely Dan's My Old School

[rainkingjr]

 

My favorite Pink Floyd tune and this performance is awesome.

Edited January 15, 2022 by rainkingjr

[stevopagolf]

On 2/19/2021 at 9:15 PM, MtlJeff said:

So , working from home during Covid for literally the past 12 months now...One thing that MtlJeff has become re-acquainted with is great music. I often spend 2-3 hours a day working while listening to the classics. After a year of this i am confident saying the great solos ever are, in order:

 

1) 2nd solo , Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd: If you disagree with this i will fly to your house, in violation of Covid protocols, and punch you in the face. Then fly back and pay 2000$ at my own expense to quarantine in a hotel. And it will be worth it. It's perfect, there's nothing more to say

 

2) ending solo (5:05 onward), Fade To Black, Metallica: It's really a perfect end to the song. Similar to comfortably numb, the music itself seems to say more than the lyrics of the song do, if you know what i mean

 

3) 1st solo (1:55 onward) , While my guitar gently weeps, the Beatles: Admittedly, this solo literally on it's own might not be the 3rd best. Overall i love the music in this song, and i always listen to it waiting for the solo. it's not like "hard hitting" or anything, the song just flows so perfectly. 

 

Note: I tend to like "flowing" solos more than hard hitting bad*ss solos like Van Halen's "Eruption" if you know what i mean

 

Note 2: so yeah you can disagree with me, just not on the Comfortably Numb at #1, otherwise as mentioned i will punch you in the face at my own expense

 

I like your picks!  I do prefer the Canadian Jeff Healey's version of While my guitar gently weeps...

[MtlJeff]

7 hours ago, stevopagolf said:

 

I like your picks!  I do prefer the Canadian Jeff Healey's version of While my guitar gently weeps...

 

A couple of things i've learned over the course of this thread:

 

-I stand by my original picks mostly. Though if i'm being honest "Fade to Black" is my alltime favorite song and i'd probably have it #1 on my personal list

 

-Whoever recommended "Tunnel of love" to me , thanks. Because the outtro on that is really fantastic.

 

-Megadeth's "Tornado of Souls" is definitely a bit harder than most solos we talk about. But another one i'd forgotten about , got reminded of, and love.

 

-Prince's solo of WMGGW at the rock and roll hall of fame probably all things considered deserves way more love

[Murphy76]

 

While perhaps not the greatest guitar solo in history, the following is jaw-dropping:

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Levine owns this performance.   The DB from Train comes in for a few lines, and its' very clear he isn't needed or welcome. 

 

He then is faded out.  Finally, at the very end of the song, his manager must have pushed him back on stage.  He is just doing 'wooo-hooos' while trying to dance with a butt-plug gently inserted.  Levine just keeps going and ignores him.  Train-boy is shredded-out of the performance. 

 

I laughed so hard....

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Murphy76

[Argonne69]

Under the category of musical solos, if Clare Torry's vocal performance on "The Great Gig in the Sky" doesn't move you, then you must be dead. Solo at 1:07. 

 

 

 

[ChrisLC40]

While I typically look for guitarists like Alex Skolnick, Gary Moore or Marty Friedman, this Dean Magraw song I could listen to over and over. It's nothing virtuosic but it gets to me.

 

 

[touch]

 

[Bob Cat]

Not favoring any particular section... the whole enchilada.

 

 

[Socrates]

2 hours ago, Bob Cat said:

Not favoring any particular section... the whole enchilada.

 

 

[aloha b.]

Jed Clampett - Well Baby Oh Baby Yeah Baby

 

 

[MtlJeff]

OK---2 solos that have really climbed up the ranks the more i listen to stuff.

 

Tunnel of Love Outtro---I mentioned this. It's amazing

 

Running down a dream Outtro---Those first few notes get you so pumped. I didn't think i'd be pitching Tom Petty in this. But that outtro is really good

[Soloman1]

I always thought that Christopher Cross just stood around and played open chords to his hits on records and live. Who knew that the man could flat out play?

 

Completely underrated.

 

Listen to this from over 40 years ago… 40 years ago!

 

 

[nitram]

On 1/15/2022 at 4:04 PM, MtlJeff said:

Prince's solo of WMGGW at the rock and roll hall of fame probably all things considered deserves way more love

This totally changed my perspective on him and the respect meter is "pegged out" because of it.

[Soloman1]

Oops, meant to choose like, not laugh.

 

[me05501]

Knopfler is my kind of player. His extended solos go somewhere. They’re memorable and singable. You can’t imagine the song not including those parts. They’re as important as the vocals. 
 

Another guy I really enjoy is Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes. He was sort of forced into the lead guitar role cause that’s what his band needed. He plays with a real lyrical style, like Knopfler you can easily remember and sing his lines back. But he also plays with a ton of energy. 
 

I saw them in a club once when he was playing an acoustic with a capo and broke a string. His roadie swapped in his backup acoustic mid-song but took the capo with him. You could sort of see Taylor thinking for a sec and then he just immediately transposed the chords to play the right ones on the capo-less guitar, all while continuing to sing. Amazing. 
 

There was also a time when their keys guy left the band in the middle of the tour. Taylor swapped to keys for the remaining dates. Duane Betts was in the band at the time so he carried the guitar load. 
 

 

[me05501]

As a player, the Prince RRHoF solo has never really done much for me. I love Prince and his talent was immense, but that was an example of him giving in to his ego and sort of mindlessly wanking without any goal but drawing attention to himself. What he played kind of stepped all over the song without respecting it. 
 

Just my opinion as a player. I can understand why people who didn’t realize Prince could rip are awed by it. I think the Purple Rain solos are much more memorable. They’re melodic and fit the song. 

[Soloman1]

Pretty tough to solo on Telecasters with so little sustain and the bridge pickup is so twangy.

[me05501]

13 minutes ago, Soloman1 said:

Pretty tough to solo on Telecasters with so little sustain and the bridge pickup is so twangy.

That may be their rep but it’s only true of Teles set up to play and sound that way. With the right pickups and setup they’re just like any other electric.
 

Plenty of people rip on them with no issues. 

 

 

[touch]

12 hours ago, me05501 said:

As a player, the Prince RRHoF solo has never really done much for me. I love Prince and his talent was immense, but that was an example of him giving in to his ego and sort of mindlessly wanking without any goal but drawing attention to himself. What he played kind of stepped all over the song without respecting it. 
 

Just my opinion as a player. I can understand why people who didn’t realize Prince could rip are awed by it. I think the Purple Rain solos are much more memorable. They’re melodic and fit the song. 

 

Great take. 

I agree with you that the Purple Rain solos were a far better example of his extra special artistic ability. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by touch

[Argonne69]

Don't recall if this one has been tossed out there, but David has multiple solos in it. The opening one at 2:10 is simple, but oh so tasteful. 

 

 

[vandyfan]

"Libra" by Intervals has a solo that starts at 3:10 (on studio version) that will melt your face off. 

 

Pretty much any solo by Tim Henson from Polyphia will be, from a technical perspective, impressive. Though I will fully admit that their musical style will not be most people's cup of tea. 

[iGolf67]

Comfortably Numb

Texas Flood

Stairway to Heaven 

Suite Madame Blue

 

 

[Bob Cat]

Slack Key Soquel Rag by The Doobie Brothers