Top Five Guitar Solos

[Crown Royal]

top 5 solos

1. Eruption (live) - Eddie Van Halen
2. Comfortably Numb - David Gilmour
3. Sweet Child 'O Mine - Slash
4. White Room - Clapton
5. All Along the Watchtower - Hendrix

[zeitghost]

Definitely "Comfortably Numb" by David Gilmour. How often I've wished that I was.

And "21st Century Schizoid Man", cracking up stuff...

[SupremeSpod]

Santana - Black Magic Woman
Thin Lizzy - Whiskey In The Jar
Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways
Cat Stevens - Lady Darbanville
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son

[AlfredJPruffock]

The heaviest guitar solo EVER and I mean ever, is Lou Reed's on the velvets "I heard her call my name" from White light, white heat (1968), preceded as it is by the immortal words "And then I felt my mind split open...". The next "song" on the LP is "Sister Ray", making this the heaviest ever side two of an LP. (Judge : me).

This however,and indeed most of the tracks mentioned so far, are actually a guitar breaks, not guitar solos, as other instruments are playing as well. A true guitar solo is when just the guitar itself is heard. Try Tony Iommi on Sabbath's "Warning" from the first LP (1969), or Steve Howe on Yes' "Sound Chaser" from "Relayer" (1974).

Bagpuss' choice is actually riffs, which is something else all together. Hendrix fans should check out "Peace in Missisippi" from the under-rated and not particularly easy to find "Crash Landing" (1975). The 1970 John McLaughlin LP "Devotion" is also a classic.

On a weirder note, try Fripp and Eno's "No Pussyfooting" (1973) for two instrumental tracks where Fripp's guitar is fed back onto itself via an Ampex tape recorder.
Other Fripp classics are the guitar break on "21st century schizoid man" from the first LP, (although I prefer the rougher live take on "Earthbound" (1972)). The following year's offering, "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" deserves the attention of anyone remotely interested in the use of the electric guitar.

(That's enough guitar solos. Ed)

Aye Fleet

Would you Adam and Eve it, whilst reading your observations about guitar solos the first song which came to mind was in fact Peace in Missipsi, I first heard this tour de force on the OGWTest and Ive never recovered from this sonic assault.

Re Jonn Mg are you refereing perhaps to the Love Devotion Surrender album which he composed with Carlos Santana ?

Speaking of Carlos Santana I would say that the Amigos album had his finest guitar playing , the hynotic guitar on Dance Sister Dance and the magnificent Europa spring to mind.

Speaking of JMg I thought his best work was Johnny MgLaughlin, Electric Guitarist and with the Mahivishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire.

Perhaps you heard his efforts with the Indian musicians in an outfit named Shakti , acoustic guitar pas excellence.

My fav Fripp guitar is the gentle melody to be heard on Book of Saturday.

Finally one of my fav gutiar tracks is the definitive live version of the Beatles Daytripper, performed by the formidable trio of Hendrix Clapton and Townsend.

Baby you just go to my head ...

[Fleetwood]

No Alf, the "Devotion" I'm on about is this one :

Devotion John McLaughlin

I think you'll like it. An acoustic tour-de-force by the same guy, which is better than Shakti IMHO, is one called "My Goal's Beyond".

As for Hendrix, I presume you have "Nine to The Universe"? Incroyable.

I have a version of Day Tripper by Randy California on his 1972 solo LP "Kaptain Kopter and the (fabulous) Twirly Birds". Other covers on the album are "Mother and Child Reunion" and an 8-minute "Rain". I think you'd probably like that one as well. Allegedly, Mitchell and Redding appear on some tracks under pseudonyms...

[AlfredJPruffock]

No Alf, the "Devotion" I'm on about is this one :

Devotion John McLaughlin

I think you'll like it. An acoustic tour-de-force by the same guy, which is better than Shakti IMHO, is one called "My Goal's Beyond".

As for Hendrix, I presume you have "Nine to The Universe"? Incroyable.

I have a version of Day Tripper by Randy California on his 1972 solo LP "Kaptain Kopter and the (fabulous) Twirly Birds". Other covers on the album are "Mother and Child Reunion" and an 8-minute "Rain". I think you'd probably like that one as well.

United States of Mind

Aye Fleet

As a Hendrix connosieur (spelling?) natch I dig Nine to the Universe.

M and C Reunion this is Paul Simons Ditty ?

As for Rain, I can tell you a funny story about that.

Aside from the Joanna I also like to bash the acoustic guitar now and again.

Back in 89 yer man went to California and I bought a really nice old Fender acoustic in San Francisco. Was in that famous park in San Francisco knocking out some Beatle songs, a wee group of us were having a singsong , then the Rain started.

So I played the Beatles song Rain which I though fitting, and you know the bit that goes Ray..ay..ay..ay...ainnn ..the Weathers Fine ... well to my astonishment the entire park joined in , must have been about 500 or so singing , getting soaked in the rain, it was surreal.

Tinsel town in the Rain.


PS To cut a a long story sort that Fender guitar was nicked whilst in San Franciso and would you Adam and Eve it I got it back the next day as I managed to catch the thief trying to flog it on the street !


I can show you that when it rains and shines
Its just a State of Mind

[Fleetwood]

It is Paul Simon's ditty, aye.

[Phoenix]

dum dum dum
dum dum dum dum
dum dum dum
dum dum

Smoke on the water...Deep Purple

[Phoenix]

You missed out Gerry Rafferty Baker STreet...a good (Hair on the back of the neck) guitar solo and one of the best Sax solo's as well.

[AlfredJPruffock]

Smoke on the water...Deep Purple

Aye Ph

Well spotted , but I thought it was more like

Dum Dum Dum
Dum Dum DEE Dum
Dum Dum Dum
Dum DEE Dum

Cue for Fleet.