Favorite Guitar Solos

[Prolepro]

What are some guitar solos you think of that stand out the most to you, whether they be live or in studio, rock or blues, acoustic or electric?

I think this might be a bit of a cheat since it's technically the entire song but Eddie Hazel's legendary performance on Funkadelic's Maggot Brain is haunting, bombastic, and ethereal all at once. You can feel the raw emotion behind every note.



The myth behind it also elevates it, as the rumor goes (from Wikipedia):

According to legend, George Clinton, under the influence of LSD, told Eddie Hazel during the recording session to imagine he had been told his mother was dead, but then learned that it was not true.[1] The result was the 10-minute guitar solo for which Hazel is most fondly remembered by many music critics and fans. Though several other musicians began the track playing, Clinton soon realized how powerful Hazel's solo was and faded them out so that the focus would be on Hazel's guitar. Critics have described the solo as "lengthy, mind-melting" and "an emotional apocalypse of sound."[5]

The entire track was recorded in one take.

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There's an excerpt from James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time" about how the black musician's ability to capture an emotion by playing to the absence of it is unchallenged and I think this guitar solo captures that perfectly. I can listen to that performance forever and never tire of it.

 

[Cryptosporidium]

changed my life



also changed my life

 

[Deleted member 197]

changed my life

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lol, is he playing guitar for the first time in his life?

Spoiler

jk i really like the studio version of the solo, but oh god what a sloppy player

 

[Prolepro]

changed my life

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You can see him fight the guitar to get the sound he wants. Watching his live performances at their height is like watching a live musical sex show on stage. Amazing. Page is arguably the GOAT.

 

[Mariachi507]

Comfortably Numb

It's perfect note after perfect note.

 

[Spenny]

It's not complicated but I absolutely love Marty Friedman's solo on Hangar 18

 

[haxan]

Kid Charlemagne.

 

[blame space]

 

[thecowboypoet]

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Nels Cline:

Studio version of Impossible Germany is good but it's best live, especially recently, it's evolved over the years.

 

[Kasey]

J Mascis' epic 5 minute solo from I Don't Wanna Go There

 

[hobblygobbly]

For me it will always be Bathory's "Call from the Grave". It starts at around 2:25. My top 5 band and #1 sounding solo.



Edit: And of course Nile has many great solos. "Unas, Slayer of the Gods".

 

[honest_ry]

So many small solos from Stevie Ray Vaughan I could pick.

Same applies for Joe Satriani.

 

[Uncle Sensei]

Definitely the end of The Czar by Mastodon. Pretty much the tastiest, most ascendant solo I've ever heard

 

[Sobriquet]

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As a lifer shoulder-shrugging solo-hating indie rock nerd, that was pretty rad. But that's probably because anything Titus-related is awesome.

Standard exemptions: J Mascis, Ira Kaplan and Doug Martsch

 

[EndlessNever]

Forever one of the best.

 

[Cryptosporidium]

for a recent solo, Kiko's PAW solo is siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick

fuck i love dystopia

 

[Deleted member 18407]

"Marquee Moon" by Television. It's just wild and loose but somehow builds tension until it sounds like flowers blooming after it reaches its climax. Just an absolutely amazing song.

 

[Classicrock78]

 

[PintSizedSlasher]

Deep Purple
Made in Japan
Child in Time


Oh, and the solo at the end of Nighttrain by GnR

 

[Medalion]

Very cliche answer, but the guitar solo to Hotel California is a freakin melodic masterpiece with harmonies to boot.

 

[FaceHugger]

Tom Morello in Ashes in the Fall.

 

[CloseTalker]

Rush - La Villa Strangiato has my favourite solos ever. Starts at just over 2 minutes in on this vid. The restraint and constant build up is just incredible.

 

[DanteSparda504]

I am a pretty massive Slash fanboy. I realize he is not the most technical or most amazing guitarist, but I would rather listen to his solos over anyone elses any day. Just a pleasure to listen to, but my favorite is actually his solo from This I Love in the recent GNR shows. Was always a huge fan of the original studio song/solo even if Slash wasn't the one playing it, but he came in and completely made the solo his own and vastly improved it. My favorite version was this one.

Not an Axl fan? Skip to 2:00. That's when Slash comes in amd gets the solo kicked off.

 

[Charismagik]

I really dislike those "noodler" guitarists(satriani and the like). I want a good clean melody

 

[MotiD]

Don't know that will count as a guitar solo but not enough people know of this band and the guitar work in this song is incredible

 

[Flamin' Galah]

The start of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters".



David Gilmour. Nothing else needs to be said.



This is kinda cheating, but the guitar solo from Prince during the Super Bowl half-time show is one of the greatest sounds to my ears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WYYlRArn3g&feature=youtu.be&t=9m44s

 

[macapala]

David Gilmour's solos from the song Dogs.

03:40 - 04:50
05:30 - 06:46
13:25 - 15:12



I also like his solo from On The Turning Away.

03:25

The start of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters".

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Yeah, Fade to Black is another Metallica song with a cool opening.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

I'll keep it simple.

Eddie Van Halen - Beat It

 

[blame space]

are we really gonna post Pink Floyd in this thread really

 

[Mazz]

John Mayer's "I don't trust myself loving you" from Where the light is (or really... anything from that concert).
Starts around the 8 minutes mark.

 

[Asator]

Machine Head has a few of my favorites

Halo (5:07 to 6:47)



Descend the Shades of Night (4:13 to 5:06)



And Aesthetics of Hate as well (2:20 to 3:30)

And yes, Maggot Brain is fantastic.

 

[Cockmagic]

 

[Cockmagic]

 

[blame space]

for me the right amount is the entire pound

 

[sleepnaught]

What can I say? I'm a massive Slash fanboy and there's so many of his solos that I love.

 

[uncelestial]

It's pretty much Bulls on Parade. I mean, c'mon how badass is it that he turns his guitar into a turntable?



Also, shoutout to The National Anthem by Jimi Hendrix. To satirize patriotism in the age of Vietnam by infusing the athem with the sounds of sirens and bombs falling and wailing and screaming -- ALL WITH YOU GUITAR. It's such a radical statement and I just love it.



Finally, because fuck you and guitar solos that are just there to clock a high number of notes per minute are boring as fuck, I also love Kurt freaking out during Nirvana's "Breed":

https://youtu.be/tGc8jL4dzao?t=127

 

[Deleted member 20066]

Posted this live version of the song because Jim James gives a short story behind its meaning.
I can genuinely feel all the emotion he puts in each note.

 

[uncelestial]

I don't know if this counts but this guy playing "Arabaesque No. 1" by Debussy all by himself in a self-transcribed arrangement (which is near impossible) is absolutely stunning. This guy should be playing in theaters and he's uploading to youtube from an elevator lobby.



Also, Noveller creates incredible soundscapes all by herself, with one guitar, live onstage. Don't miss her.

 

[Plague Doctor Cosby]

Don't know that will count as a guitar solo but not enough people know of this band and the guitar work in this song is incredible

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Orphaned Land is great. I need to hear their new album a few more times.

Nevermore Final Product solo by Jeff Loomis. RIP Warrel Dane

 

[Deleted member 33382]

Comfortably Numb

It's perfect note after perfect note.

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Came to post this. Just a shame you have to sit through 5:04 of mind numbing dull to get to it.

Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife



Metallica - Fade To Black



Slightly different as its one long ass solo: John Butler Trio - Ocean - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQjwkXrcUrs

 

[Speely]

I love everything about the way Slash takes Sweet Child O Mine into overdrive. It's not the most technically proficient solo, nor is it the most soulful, but it's so tasteful and fits the song perfectly. I cry evry tiem.

 

[Green Mario]

This is kinda cheating, but the guitar solo from Prince during the Super Bowl half-time show is one of the greatest sounds to my ears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WYYlRArn3g&feature=youtu.be&t=9m44s

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Probably my favorite.

 

[Deleted member 12555]

Definitely the end of The Czar by Mastodon. Pretty much the tastiest, most ascendant solo I've ever heard

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Oh yeah. Halloween, too. I love Brent's Americana style and that shit is on full display on their last EP. All of the solos he pulled off there are incredible.

 

[Viera]

 

[Jack Bonjour]

I guess you could say I like long ass songs lol. Throw Down The Sword has harmonies up the wazoo and MUST be listened to using headphones.

 

[Hamoody]

Solo starts from the middle of the song towards the end.

 

[StuBurns]

From around 2:45

Honestly, I got back and forth between thinking guitar solos are the worst thing in music though.

 

[MrS]

Free Bird

 

[Ranma]

Anything by Ritchie blackmore.
And Mark knopfler.

 

[BLEEN]

oi oi, gonna throw a bit of a curveball here;


no one ever expects that