The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--59-50

59.) "Yellow Ledbetter" (Pearl Jam)



Besides having, as this video demonstrates, the most unintelligible lyrics in all of rock history, this also boasts the most emotional guitar solo of mainstream '90s music. I may not be sure what the fuck Eddie Vedder is singing about, but God does that solo ever express a lot of heartache. One of the few times I've ever heard a non-virtuoso guitarist make great use of the whammy bar. His tone is just so raw (similar to "Call It Sleep"--again, listen to the studio version of that somewhere). I love the trill fade-out of the solo. After "Black," this is my favorite Pearl Jam song. ("Black" is in the running for best overall '90s song, along with such staples as "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Under the Bridge," and of course the oft-mentioned "Don't Speak.") The opening and closing guitar is very reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix in the style of "Little Wing" and his other more delicate songs, and I'm quite sure this was very intentional.

58.) "Black Dog" (Led Zeppelin)



I used to be really into this solo when I was a sophomore or so in high school. Although I'll admit my interest has waned somewhat, its solo still should be recognized on this list. Zeppelin was such a great band for the adolescent age bracket. Boys who weren't listening to Zeppelin or AC/DC or bands like that then--what were they listening to? I can't imagine. Like I said earlier, this band is just so steeped in testosterone, and yet they have the musical chops to back it up, unlike many others who fail hard at this game. You're allowed to strut about like your have a ten-foot cock if you bash the drums like Bonham or riff like Jimmy Page--that's just the rules. What I always loved about this solo was that fucking tone (easy answer, I know, right?). How did he get that? I'm not sure, but it has such a country vibe to it. When he goes low towards the end of the fade-out solo, it just has such a twang to it, like a country singer digging down deep into the final notes of a phrase.

57.) "Goodbye to Romance" (Ozzy Osbourne)



Is this really my first Randy Rhoads solo on here? One of my very favorite players, Randy brought such beauty and elegance to his two albums with Ozzy Osbourne in the early '80s, before he tragically died in a plane crash. I advise everyone to seek out the live version of this song on Ozzy's tribute album to Randy (fittingly entitled Tribute), because I like that better, but I couldn't find it on YouTube. One thing you don't hear in the live version is the gorgeous background guitar supporting Ozzy's vocals. While rightly famous for bringing a sense of classical phrasing to his solos, you really see a sense of his emotional side of playing on this track. I would say his phrasing was his best attribute, though. He had a way of shaping groups of notes to create the most memorable musical moments, far more catchy than any of the vocal melodies or even the guitar riffs. His solos were works of simplicity and elegance. There is a long history of guitarists dying far too young, but out of all of them, I would have most liked to see Randy live longer. He seemed like such a beautiful soul--such a nice person. This is getting me choked up.

56.) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)



Brian May's guitar contributions to Queen are vastly underappreciated. Like Mick Ronson, May always knew how to make his solo fit the mood of the song, and add its own unique exclamation point to Freddie Mercury's staggering vocals. His tone was always impeccable, and he seemed to learn a thing or two about phrasing from Mercury's vocals to create such memorable solos. I considered putting "Somebody to Love" or "Don't Stop Me Now" or a number of other solos on here by May, but ultimately "Bohemian Rhapsody" had to be the one. This solo gives me goosebumps every time. A perfect climax to the first section of the song. Brian lends a credibility and an anchor in emotion as Mercury occasionally threatens to veer into camp on some of Queen's songs. While he was not the virtuoso that Mercury was, he deserves to be recognized on this list for this, one of the great guitar solos of all time.

55.) "Clouds Race Across the Sky" (Joe Satriani)



The ballads on Engines of Creation, like this, "Slow and Easy," and "Until We Say Goodbye," are just so beautiful. Joe uses a very legato attack on his soloing on this, which complements the fluidity and ephemeral nature of the rest of the song (and of course, of its subject). This is a pure groove song, just as it's largely a groove record, and that's why I love it so much. You could put this on repeat and stare up at the sky forever. I kinda want that fade-out to last forever.

54.) "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" (Yngwie Malmsteen)



Ah, Yngwie makes his first appearance on the list. Equally famous for his increasing weight and extreme arrogance as he is for his insane technical proficiency and extraordinary influence on the guitarists of the 1980's (perhaps only surpassed by Eddie Van Halen and rivaled by Randy Rhoads and Kirk Hammett/James Hetfield). Like Rhoads, Yngwie was very influenced by classical music, specifically the Baroque era. The sense of technical proficiency in '80s guitar music was largely borne out of the precise nature of Baroque music, with its emphasis on scales and balance. What I love about this solo is the lyrical first part (rather unusual for Yngwie), which contrasts with the shredding that follows it, making it seem that much more impressive.

53.) "Time" (Pink Floyd)



David Gilmour is one of the kings of expressive rock guitar playing. He could say more with one well-timed phrase or a bent note than most guitarists could with an entire solo. His playing was subtle. Pink Floyd was not exactly a guitar-driven band. But what would prime-period Floyd be without Gilmour's wailing guitar solos? He phrased his solos like a singer would their melodies, and his ability to craft licks just as memorable as the vocal melodies is quite an unusual gift for a guitar player. His solo on here is iconic and lengthy, veering from frustration at life's eternal ticking clock of mortality to dull resignation by the solo's end.

52.) "Warm Regards" (Steve Vai)



What a pristine solo this is. The melody of the song threatens to bring a tear to my eye, and the tone of the solo is just so sparkling-clear, the notes are so joyous, that it makes you believe that there is true beauty in the world. When he brings those skipping notes up the scale towards the resolution in the melody right before 3:00, that right there is exactly why Steve Vai is my favorite guitarist.

51.) "War" (Joe Satriani)



Just to show the sheer variety of emotions that Satch and Vai can cover in their solos, this serves as a good contrast with Vai's "Warm Regards." Despite its organization into distinct sections, everything about "War"'s solo is chaos. The build-up of the intensity is thrilling. I love when he does the whammy bar flutters at around 2:45, a trick he often employs to lend a distinctly Eastern air to his solos. In the outro of the song, he again uses the bar to add a very Eastern, mysterious vibe to the song.

50.) "Heartbreaker" (Led Zeppelin)



A very distinctive solo, because the song drops to dead silence at the halfway point and only Page's drunk-sloppy playing fills your ears. He gets a lot of shit for not being technically perfect (exactly which one of his '60s rock peers were again?), but his looseness and off-the-cuff soloing perfectly compliments the swagger that embodied Led Zeppelin. I love how this song is basically a vehicle for a very extended guitar solo, but behind the verses of the song is an absolutely funky bass groove. Rightfully credited as the forerunners of heavy metal, Zeppelin's guitar and rhythm attack, especially on their first two records, was phenomenal. They were such a great ensemble band. Everyone did their part and they did it to perfection. While perhaps their songs will someday age, you cannot deny the professionalism and unity of this band as a musical unit.

--Edward