9.) "Texas Flood" (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
Along with Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, and Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan has one of the most recognizable, unique guitar sounds out there. From the very first note he plays, you cannot mistake his absolutely muscular tone and absurdly aggressive attack on the guitar. In my opinion the greatest blues guitar player of all time, Stevie helped bring a once-obscure genre of music that helped form the foundations of rock and roll into the spotlight with his great string of '80s albums that unfortunately came to an end with his early demise (like many others on this list). From my own experience with playing the guitar, first, it's very hard to have a distinctive sound all one's own; and second, it's almost impossible to sound as confident and supremely aggressive as Stevie does. He attacks every single note he plays. His bends sound like he's wringing every last drop of sweat, come, and tears out of his poor guitar. I think Stevie puts more passion into his playing than any other guitarist out there, bar none. This is reflected in his live playing, where he absolutely puts every last inch of his soul into the performances.
And no song quite captures all of the aspects of his playing like his masterpiece, "Texas Flood." His guitar lines are so stinging in this song. They feel like they are needles piercing all over your brain. Following a classic intro solo, Stevie fills every second he's not singing (sublimely) with biting, torrential fills that are finer licks than most guitarists ever solo in their entire careers. When he hits that extended solo, it's like the dams have burst and the flood waters are washing over the speakers. What utterly perfect phrasing. What King Kong attitude. No one plays with such balls as Stevie does. That part with the whammy-bar-drooping notes at 3:33 is exquisite. The way he bends that one note at 3:17 into oblivion symbolizes his relentlessness and the utter heartbreak of the blues--not a romantic heartbreak, but a weary disappointment that the world will never fail to let you down. I love the way that Stevie depicts the kind of bleak desolation and savageness that Texas can be known for (think Blood Simple or Cormac McCarthy) using the raw attack of his electric axe. What an earth-shattering solo (in the very best way).
8.) "Free Bird" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
What's a guitar solo list without "Free Bird"? Nothing. The most American and stupid of all of the guitar solos on this list, it's still so overpowering and awesome that it swoops well into the top ten. What started as the rock anthem of the American South has turned into several things: a joke at concerts, where the audience yells at whoever is playing to, "Play 'Free Bird'!"; the awesome finale song in Guitar Hero II that still vexes Bernie Romano to this day; and one of the all-time great songs that symbolizes the restless quest for freedom, independence, and ultimately liberation that defines rock and roll at its very core. While the first half of the song is pretty great, what really turns the song into a classic is its five-minute outro solo, which is filled with the exciting dueling guitars of Skynyrd's three (is this really necessary? The answer is yes, and the justification is "Free Bird") lead guitarists. Who doesn't get a rush of adrenaline and goosebumps on their skin when that solo kicks into gear? Hats off to Skynyrd for actually making a five-minute solo that is consistently interesting and listenable, especially to a pop audience. This really isn't as easy as it sounds, but Skynyrd has always had a great ear for catchy, clean, and outstanding guitar lines. They are one of the most guitar-driven bands of their era. They didn't particularly have a great rhythm section or an interesting vocalist, but their songs were always full of tasty guitar licks and memorable solos. As Guitar Hero II keenly observed, this is one of the great encore/finale songs of all time. There is nothing else that quite sums up a listening experience like the steadily mounting rhythms of "Free Bird"'s climax. There are plenty of Skynyrd live versions out there that are even longer than the studio's nine-minute run-time. God bless 'em, Lynyrd Skynyrd struck pay-dirt when they penned this immortal ode about the quintessential American loner.
7.) "Hotel California" (The Eagles)
Like several of the other picks in the top ten, this solo belongs in one of the truly great rock songs of any era. While "Free Bird" or "November Rain" are renowned as classics because of their spectacular guitar solos, "Hotel California" would be up on that pantheon whether Don Felder and Joe Walsh's solo was included in the song or not. The song's mysteriously beautiful lyrics and music are simply unsurpassed in pop music. Just as nothing in the Eagles' catalogue (despite their unmistakable sense of pop craftsmanship and spellbinding vocal harmonies that, believe me, I don't discredit) could have prepared us for the overpowering presence of "Hotel" (like a dazzling gemstone, it is one of rock music's perfect songs), no guitar solos from the Eagles could have prepared us for the mighty coda to "Hotel." Walsh and Felder manage to sustain the enigmatic nature of the rest of the song in the two-minute closing solo, but most importantly, they grab the listener by changing the course of the song completely.
"Hotel" is about being lost in a world where you feel out of control. Despite the glamor and glitz and sex appeal on the surface, there is ultimately a sense of unease that pervades the narration of the song. Eventually, the narrator feels like he cannot escape--that he is trapped by forces out of his control, which he can't even begin to comprehend. Throughout all of this, the music serves as an soothing background to the singer's plight, drawing him into its dark beauty until he finds himself hopelessly lost. As the singer finally realizes his fate, this Other that has trapped him takes over in the guise of an overpoweringly magnetic solo. Ultimately the song isn't about one man losing himself. It's about the Hotel itself. It's about all of the undefinable things out there that threaten the very fabric of civilized, morally "good" life. It's about the allure of evil and sin. And evil can be very beautiful, as this eternal solo proves. Good may make you sleep well at night, but it will never have the raw power that this solo has. This is the most melodically satisfying guitar solo that there is.
6.) "Fade to Black" (Metallica)
Even more than "Hotel California," I stand in awe of this song. The melodic beauty of "Hotel"'s solo is carried over into the entire seven minutes of "Fade." There is not one moment in this song that doesn't make perfect sense when you look at it from the sense of crafting a truly beautiful song. As far as I'm concerned, this is metal's finest hour. It has been topped in epic grandeur and in musicianship, but it has never been topped in emotional affectation. Like "Hotel," it proves that the truest sense of beauty and depth in art comes more often than not from our negative experiences of the world around us. To me, there will always be something more powerful about sadness, loss, and despair than there is with mirth, cheer, and glee. This can be carried onto a grander scale when we look at the existential questions of life and death and the nature of the world we live in, but that isn't something I will go into here, because, really, that isn't what this list is about. But don't fool yourself that these issues aren't what's at the heart of the hauntingly bare acoustic arpeggios and the ironic clarity of Kirk Hammett's lead guitar lines.
"Fade" isn't so much on here for any one solo (although the end one is indeed mighty). Rather, I have placed it so high because of every single guitar note in this song, all of which I believe are perfectly placed and played. I can't listen to this song without being wowed by its perfection, as I mentioned in the first sentence. The chord progression that Metallica bases this song off of is so desperately sad, yet so mournfully resigned to its eventual fade-out to nothingness, that it is jarring to the soul. The pure beauty of sadness is the core of the guitar in this song. As many writers and musicians have no doubt mused over the years, there is no emotion better suited to beauty in art than sadness. Hammett's slow solos are a picture of restraint and taste, yet an ode to all of the world-weary souls out there who feel that they aren't meant for this old world. James Hetfield's rhythm guitar work, from the resignation of the acoustic verses, to the bitterness of the wordless choruses, to the building intensity of the pre-coda riff (one of my very favorites), perfectly matches his inspired lyrics of building hopelessness and, finally, death. Like "Hotel California"'s solo, Hammett's final, blistering attack seems like something greater than this one story of someone alone and in pain. It seems like he is railing against all of the pain and cruelty in the world, but like the song's subject, even his impassioned cry for the suffering must fade out into blackness. No one can ultimately win against the odds.
5.) "For the Love of God" (Steve Vai)
A composition like "For the Love of God" is really what sets Steve Vai apart as the greatest of all guitarists in my opinion. Sure, lots of guitarists have been more popular, more influential, or better technically (I'm thinking of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and, say, Buckethead, respectively, although you could say that no one combines all of the various levels of technical proficiency in all of the different kinds of music and styles like Vai does), but can anyone use their guitar prowess to express the complexity of the human soul like Vai can? I truly don't believe that any guitarist other than Vai could write entire pieces like this and my next pick from him three slots above this. Sure, others can play them, but really, the composition is what sets him apart. His style is so very unique. Vai uses all of his technical mastery to bring real emotion and complexity to his solos, instead of just showing off. Perhaps Hendrix played with as much raw spiritual energy as Vai, but Vai's abilities have better allowed him to focus this tremendous locus of power into the music itself. When listening to Hendrix, I always feel as if his guitar is attempting in vain to reproduce the intensity of his soul. When I listen to Vai, the lucidity of his playing--his dazzling amount of technical abilities allowing him to play whatever he hears in his head and his heart--perfectly expresses the maelstrom of emotional undercurrents and bombastic ideas that define human existence. I feel that he is the true heir to Hendrix's explosive creativity and originality. A more refined heir, if you will.
"For the Love of God" is easily his most famous composition. Like the metaphor of "Tender Surrender" as a seduction and consummation ritual, "FtLoG" is perfectly structured. Its opening notes jump out of the speaker, the tone so very confident and clear. This is a call to the Great Beyond, towards God. What Vai believes in is not the personalized God of the West, but the pantheism that defines the ancient East. The Divine is all around us, permeating the very fabric of the cosmos, and we can find It if only we know how to look for It. The solo slowly builds in intensity, before unleashing in a blistering fury, like the religious frenzy of the Sufis or other mystics. As I've read elsewhere, what makes "FtLoG"'s shredding different than the other mindless noodling of the time period was that here it feels earned. Vai doesn't use his boundless technique to masturbate, but to reach his soul beyond his body towards the Other. The note at 2:58 is the most perfect I have ever heard on a guitar. This is a fragment of something bigger than us. The spiritual depth of this solo is unparalleled.
4.) "Mr. Crowley" (Ozzy Osbourne)
Damn, they seem to have gotten rid of the studio versions of Ozzy's solo career songs from YouTube, just like I ran into with "Crazy Train." But here's a great live version featuring Randy at his peak. Here's a great video of someone covering Randy's guitar part: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTpOk1dLvyM.
I could never decide which of the two solos I like more in "Mr. Crowley," Randy's masterpiece. Ultimately, I think they will always be tied for me. He is the rare metal guitarist that brings a stately, almost European sense of melancholy and sadness to his guitar solos. No matter their structural perfection, one cannot help but feel this sense of Virgilian loss in Randy's playing, which unhappily foreshadowed his early passing. This mood is especially clear in the outro solo of "Crowley," but also evident in the more aggressive first solo. The first solo always dazzles me with its rare sense of confidence, as well as its melodic expressiveness. Randy's technique is blistering, yet even at his fastest and most difficult, he's able to create phrases that are both immensely memorable and harmonically correct. As always, everything fits neatly into place in the solos of "Mr. Crowley," again showing the influence of Randy's classical training. The second solo seems almost like a suicide note, because it is so sad yet so stark in its clarity and simplicity. "Mr. Crowley" is the ultimate example of using guitar solos to build on the tonal theme of a song, which in this case is the misunderstood loneliness of a deeply charismatic, unhappy man.
3.) "Comfortably Numb" (Pink Floyd)
David Gilmour's expressionistic guitar reaches its utmost heights in the masterpiece that is "Comfortably Numb." He perfectly uses his two solo breaks to illustrate and further flesh out the narrative and theme of the song, which is the dark and incredibly meaningful tale of lost childhood innocence and dreams. The uplifting first solo reflects the hopes and naivete of youth, when all the world seemed like the far side of the rainbow waiting just over the horizon.
Yet it is the second, howling solo that makes us return to "Comfortably Numb" again and again. The happiness and charm of childhood (or the imagined happiness and charm of childhood) is long gone--"The child is grown/The dream is gone." To numb ourselves from the disillusionment and pain of reality, we must take drugs ("Just a little pinprick.../But you may feel a little sick") or engage in other vices to forget about that part of our soul that is missing. Gilmour's solo perfectly expresses all of the anger and bitterness that ultimately our search for meaning in life ends always with nothing to show but maggots eating out dead bodies. This isn't the punk anger of the time, railing at the Establishment. This is anger at mankind's place in the universe. Anger at our hopeless lot. And anger that we have been lied to our whole lives about these eternal realities. That is really what The Wall is all about. It's about the walls that forever are keeping ourselves from the truth out there. And really, it seems that the truth is that everything is a big lie--a vacuous hole full of nothing.
From a musical standpoint, what really elevates this solo to another level is the tremendous backing instrumentation that Gilmour launches his playing into. The build-up into the solo is fabulous. There is such a sense of expectation before Gilmour unleashes that first harmonic squeal into the symphony of hell. Really, that background guitar could be the funereal requiem for the death of a war god or something. It's some really heavy shit.
2.) "Windows to the Soul" (Steve Vai)
There is no more emotionally expressive guitar solo than Vai's in "Windows to the Soul." He pulls out every stop to make his guitar cry and sing on this tour de force. He is the only guitarist with two solos in my top ten (and my favorite guitarist) for a reason. His feel--that immeasurable, indispensable capacity for rendering human experiences, thoughts, and feelings through his instrument and into the listener's ears--is unsurpassed in the history of rock music. Others have been able to express individual styles or emotions more adeptly (SRV and others with the blues, Jimi Hendrix with the psychedelic mindset, and Tony Iommi's ability to single-handedly spell doom with the sludge of his immortal riffs), but in my experience none has ever put all of these unique styles together, along with the breadth and depth of human emotional experience, better than the virtuoso Steve Vai. Quibble over which of his solos is the best all you want, but my pick is most certainly "Windows."
More than any of his other solos this one is able to fuse together melodic grace with his immense technique. There are many moments of sublimity in this paean to eternal beauty, from that gorgeous whammy-teardrop at 2:45 (while Joe Satriani comes close, no one has ever been able to use the whammy bar with such effortless style as Steve Vai--he can capture the full scale of emotions just from using his bar, from laughing to crying to talking) to the almost overpowering moments of overflowing passion at 3:40 to the way he bends and picks those notes at 4:13...Jesus, that's fucking perfect. I really can't find too many more words here to describe the way Vai plays beautifully here. I'm just not as good of a writer as he is a guitar player. Every single fucking note in this is somehow subtly (or not-so-subtly) finessed to fit the theme of spiritual and physical exquisiteness that drives not only this song, but Steve Vai's entire musical career. From a gracefully bent and vibrato-ed note to a run of astounding precision, skill, and placement, Vai's unnatural communion with his guitar is an inspiration for me to one day pick one up again and try to be the best I can be on it. I think it would do a work of art like this a disservice if we only let it discourage us from ever trying.
1.) "Crushing Day" (Joe Satriani)
I'm sure you guys have had it up to here (motioning towards my irregularly high-up and broad shoulders) with all of this spiritual mumbo jumbo I've been spouting off about. Aren't guitar solos really just about rocking out? Well, never fear--Joe Satriani is here. From what he's said, this is one of the only solos he composed before recording, since his usual method was to go into the studio and improvise various solos over the backing tracks of each of his songs. As great as his career is (great enough to be my second favorite guitarist!), I wish he had learned from the ridiculous results of this solo and kept plotting out his solos beforehand! God, the jaw-dropping technique, the elegant sense of structural composition, and the sheer audacity of this solo is enough to make the hairs stand up on my arms every single time I hear this one. Even though it's the third track on this classic album (Surfing with the Alien, my pick for the best guitar album out there), coming after the magnificent solos of "Surfing with the Alien" (see #38) and "Ice #9," nothing could have ever prepared me for the exhilaration of listening to this one for the first time. I was already impressed by the strong melody of the tune, and the way in the second verse Satch uses his whammy bar so expressively to add exquisite phrases to complement that melody. Then there is a brief pause before the storm. Those blinding legato licks fly out of nowhere, calling and responding with just the right harmonic squeals at the end. You think this is the end. That's a pretty fucking good solo right there, Joe.
But no, it's only the beginning. Joe begins slowly with some blues licks before delivering sweeping lines of such virtuosity that he has never equaled them again. Each scalar run in this solo is so perfectly placed and played. Every single note falls into its place as if fate itself had destined it so. This is the greatest technical solo Joe has ever played, but it's the undeniable listenability that ranks it above all other solos on this list. I want to fall over every time I listen to it because it's so meticulously phrased. The aggressive confidence of this belies Joe's modest and humble nature. But one cannot help but feel the fire burning deep in his soul when we listen to this, the finest of all rock guitar solos.
So there it is, guys! Hope you have enjoyed your time reading and listening to this list. I know I've had a lot of fun writing it (although it took much longer than I expected...sorry about that). I mostly hope that my write-ups have lived up to the lofty summits of the guitar solos themselves, and that you don't find my picks too disagreeable. Please, if anyone feels that solos have been left out (chances are they only are because I haven't heard them yet), or that my ranking is inaccurate, express yourself in the comments! I love hearing feedback.
For the purposes of ease and accessibility, I have provided links here for all of the other parts of this list:
Introduction (with Honorable Mention)
Solos 100-90
Solos 89-80
Solos 79-70
Solos 69-60
Solos 59-50
Solos 49-40
Solos 39-30
Solos 29-20
Solos 19-10
And here is the entire top 100 in order so you can see the list as a whole (but please still read the write-ups, because that is what makes this list mine!):
Honorable Mention: "The Blood and Tears" (Stevie Vai)
100.) "Lotus Feet" (Steve Vai)
99.) "Head-Cuttin' Duel" (Steve Vai/Ry Cooder)
98.) "Walk This Way" (Aerosmith)
97.) "Layla" (Derek and the Dominos)
96.) "Orion" (Metallica)
95.) "Sympathy for the Devil" (The Rolling Stones)
94.) "Junkie" (Steve Vai)
93.) "Purple Haze" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
92.) "Spanish Fly" (Van Halen)
91.) "Dazed and Confused" (Led Zeppelin)
90.) "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (The Beatles)
89.) "That Smell" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
88.) "War Pigs" (Black Sabbath)
87.) "Moonage Daydream" (David Bowie)
86.) "Mean Street" (Van Halen)
85.) "You Really Got Me" (The Kinks)
84.) "Something" (The Beatles)
83.) "Light My Fire" (The Doors)
82.) "In Bloom" (Nirvana)
81.) "I Believe" (Joe Satriani)
80.) "Desert Island" (Cacophony)
79.) "Cult of Personality" (Living Colour)
78.) "Reelin' in the Years" (Steely Dan)
77.) "Hot Dog and a Shake" (David Lee Roth)
76.) "Killing in the Name" (Rage Against the Machine)
75.) "Cemetery Gates" (Pantera)
74.) "Whispering a Prayer" (Steve Vai)
73.) "Ice Cream Man" (Van Halen)
72.) "Ride the Lightning" (Metallica)
71.) "Altitudes" (Jason Becker)
70.) "Master of Puppets" (Metallica)
69.) "Circles" (Joe Satriani)
68.) "Feathers" (Steve Vai)
67.) "Cliffs of Dover" (Eric Johnson)
66.) "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
65.) "Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" (Al DiMeola)
64.) "Hot for Teacher" (Van Halen)
63.) "Slow and Easy" (Joe Satriani)
62.) "25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago)
61.) "Call It Sleep" (Steve Vai)
60.) "Rainbow in the Dark" (Dio)
59.) "Yellow Ledbetter" (Pearl Jam)
58.) "Black Dog" (Led Zeppelin)
57.) "Goodbye to Romance" (Ozzy Osbourne)
56.) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen)
55.) "Clouds Race Across the Sky" (Joe Satriani)
54.) "You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
53.) "Time" (Pink Floyd)
52.) "Warm Regards" (Steve Vai)
51.) "War" (Joe Satriani)
50.) "Heartbreaker" (Led Zeppelin)
49.) "Midnight" (Joe Satriani)
48.) "Santeria" (Sublime)
47.) "Memories" (Joe Satriani)
46.) "Over the Mountain" (Ozzy Osbourne)
45.) "Rubina" (Joe Satriani)
44.) "Misirlou" (Dick Dale)
43.) "The Forgotten, Pt. II" (Joe Satriani)
42.) "Floods" (Pantera)
41.) "Always with Me, Always with You" (Joe Satriani)
40.) "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Chris Impellitteri)
39.) "Brothers in Arms" (Dire Straits)
38.) "Surfing with the Alien" (Joe Satriani)
37.) "Black Star" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
36.) "Ladies Nite in Buffalo" (David Lee Roth)
35.) "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)
34.) "White Room" (Cream)
33.) "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles)
32.) "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
31.) "Binge and Grab" (Buckethead)
30.) "Is There Love in Space" (Joe Satriani)
29.) "Burning Rain" (Steve Vai)
28.) "Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses)
27.) "Beat It" (Michael Jackson)
26.) "Satch Boogie" (Joe Satriani)
25.) "Kid Charlemagne" (Steely Dan)
24.) "Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
23.) "Sultans of Swing" (Dire Straits)
22.) "Highway Star" (Deep Purple)
21.) "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" (Jeff Beck)
20.) "Crazy Train" (Ozzy Osbourne)
19.) "Since I've Been Loving You" (Led Zeppelin)
18.) "Beyond the Realms of Death" (Judas Priest)
17.) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses)
16.) "One" (Metallica)
15.) "Eruption" (Van Halen)
14.) "Tender Surrender" (Steve Vai)
13.) "All Along the Watchtower" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
12.) "Far Beyond the Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
11.) "November Rain" (Guns N' Roses)
10.) "Machine Gun" (Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys)
9.) "Texas Flood" (Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble)
8.) "Free Bird" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
7.) "Hotel California" (The Eagles)
6.) "Fade to Black" (Metallica)
5.) "For the Love of God" (Steve Vai)
4.) "Mr. Crowley" (Ozzy Osbourne)
3.) "Comfortably Numb" (Pink Floyd)
2.) "Windows to the Soul" (Steve Vai)
1.) "Crushing Day" (Joe Satriani)
Enjoy!
--Edward
Showing posts with label Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--19-10
19.) "Since I've Been Loving You" (Led Zeppelin)
Not typically ranked as Jimmy Page's finest solo, I can't help but be awed by his instinctual sense of emotion and blues grandeur in "Since I've Been Loving You." Like his majestic solo break in "Stairway to Heaven," the solo in this fits the song surrounding it like a velvet glove. Like another blues epic coming up later on this list, Page shows how blues guitar is able to tap the deepest depths of human sorrow with its moaning. groaning bends and scales originating from the darkest jungles of Africa, the cradle of humankind itself. In addition to being devastatingly heartbreaking, I also think this is easily one of Page's most technically brilliant solos. He goes to the end of the world and back in his minute-plus break, again proving that the best guitar solos provide a world all of their own, in which to lose oneself and perhaps never return. I love that after such an intense solo, which feels like the end of the world, the song keeps chugging on for another three minutes. God, what a heavy song. His ringing guitar in the last verse is such a great backdrop for Robert Plant's pleading screams from the deep.
18.) "Beyond the Realms of Death" (Judas Priest)
What an absolutely earth-shattering solo. Like "Since I've Been Loving You"'s solo, this one hits us unaware. That kind of raw power cracks me over the head every single time I listen to this Priest classic. The reason it's ranked above "Since I've Been Loving You" is because I find myself even more speechless after this absolutely brilliant cry from the darkness towards a God that looks ever away. It is almost incomprehensible that he would do so, but where else would the angry beauty of this solo come from if he didn't? We are left on our own eternally, and this is the ultimate existential solo I know of. The held notes in the beginning are so irrevocably shattering. There are very few singers who have that kind of ability to pierce the silence. In a way, perhaps it is only through the strange, inhuman quality of musical instruments that we are able to truly to pierce the veil between heaven and earth. But no matter how high we reach, we can never make it beyond the realms of death. I love how resigned to this the ending notes are, and that final pick scrape into eternity and oblivion. Gorgeous in a way I can't put into words.
As great as technical proficiency is in the second solo, it pales in comparison to the stab at the heart of the Divine that is the first solo in this metal anthem.
17.) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses)
My least favorite thing in the world is when radio stations fuck up the perfect structure and narrative of Slash's solo in "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns N' Roses's biggest hit (yeah, fuck you, "Welcome to the Jungle), by shortening it. Why would you do that to such a flawless thing? I truly do not understand. Does the normal person really dislike guitar solos that much? I guess so. That is a disturbing thought. What makes this great is the clear division between the two halves of the solo: the melodically impeccable clarion calls of the first half; the down-and-dirty, wah-drenched rock-out of the second half. More than anything else, this precisely depicts a band that can write both beautiful love songs and raunchy odes to drugs, hookers, and cheap alcohol. A band with dazzling musical ability crippled by reckless self-destruction. They have an ear for writing tremendous pop music, and yet are tarnished by a prissy narcissism that is willing to spit on the face of its fans (yep, that's Axl).
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Slash is perhaps the single most melodic guitar player out there. He knows how to write solos that are hooks in and of themselves like no other guitarist in rock music history. The melody of the intro part of the solo is actually stronger than the rest of the song itself, which is saying something in a song this big. Yet somehow Slash is able to keep up this image as a kick-ass soloist, despite this ability to create lines of heartbreaking beauty. As I said earlier, the solo in "Child" depicts this dichotomy perfectly. (And God, the other guitar parts in this song? Stunning. 'Nuff said.)
16.) "One" (Metallica)
Like a few other songs on this list, "One" is a lengthy rock epic with many solos in it. They progress from delicate to brooding to flat-out insane. According to legend, Kirk Hammett struggled over the solos in this, and though he ultimately wasn't completely happy with what he cut on record (much like this song is itself a hugely ambitious yet failed epic, in the vein of Apocalypse Now or Moby-Dick), he came out with something that is truly special in the world of heavy metal. I just love how unique the solos in this one are. The tone on the early solos is so unlike anything else in Metallica's oeuvre, with an almost completely clean tone lacking in distortion, almost like a bird warbling. The song's gimmick (if you can call it that) is its slow build-up from a soldier lying alone in his bed, wounded horribly from a war, remembering almost nostalgically the battlefield, amidst ringing guitar lines and a beautifully melodic first solo (one of Hammett's most beautiful, along with the first one in "Fade to Black"). Slowly, the pieces of a gradually building puzzle follow into place: drums, James Hetfield's relentless yet gently droning vocals, and the eventual introduction of distorted guitars in what suffices as a chorus in "One." The haunting lyrics build on top of each other, creating a musical environment where doom lies just out of sight. Hammett's second solo is not quite as delicate as his first, ending with a tapping lick that melds seamlessly into the shrill-drone distortion of ...And Justice for All's rhythm guitar production. Layers of chunky, angry guitar build on each other, as Lars Ulrich's drums slowly kick into machine gun-mode. Finally, the song breaks loose (yet remains so incredibly tightly controlled) with James Hetfield's incredible machine-gun riffs that echo Ulrich's drumming. This is one of the most staggering moments in any metal song ever. Hetfield's guitar kicks loose, breaking free from the bonds of the drumming, creating a kind of infernal rhythm all his own, and into this spiraling vortex Hammett delivers the solo of a lifetime, again trying to match the speed and intensity of a machine gun that crippled the song's narrator. The combination of the hell-driven velocity of the rhythm section with Hammett's amped-up angry solo is phenomenal. If only they hadn't used such a tinny production on ...And Justice for All, and given Hammett's guitar some real oomph, this would probably be even higher on the list.
15.) "Eruption" (Van Halen)
Rightfully famous as the solo that sent legions of would-be guitarists into their bedrooms to practice their youths away trying (in vain) to imitate the never-before-heard virtuosity of Eddie Van Halen. Coming as it did on Van Halen's first album, Eddie's unadorned solo was a kick in the ass to every single guitarist who thought they had chops. Though I'm sure many old-timers will disagree with me in favor of Jimi Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner," I think that "Eruption" is the single most original guitar solo that ever came out of rock music. Nothing kicks your ass quite as hard, that's for sure. The combination of Eddie's absurdly loud and distorted (yet still dazzling) "brown sound," the pure speed with which he ripped through previously-thought-lifeless blues licks that had slowly been sapped of their vitality in the corporate rock era of the '70s, and of course, the infamous finger-tapping technique of the last half of the solo was enough to shape a generation of guitarists. After this, everyone wanted to be a shredder. Though shredding has its roots in many things, from the electrical insanity of John McLaughlin's blistering runs with the Mahavishnu Orchestra to the undeniable skill of the black jazz guitarists of several generations back, shred guitar, for all intents and purposes, begins here, at ground zero. Though he was the most imitated guitarist of all time, no one (and I do mean no one) could capture the legendary cool of Eddie Van Halen. He made it all seem so effortless. And I think what comes across most if you've ever seen or heard him play is that he has a hell of a lot of fun doing it. People who locked themselves in their rooms, practicing ten hours a day to try to imitate Eddie lost sight that that is what rock and roll is all about--being cool and having fun. Eddie never lost sight of that. And that's why he remains one of the most influential guitarists of all time to this day. I don't think any guitarist again will be able to replicate the pure shock value of "Eruption" again.
14.) "Tender Surrender" (Steve Vai)
While most of Vai's ballads are focused on the spiritual search for something bigger, for a higher power, "Tender Surrender" is concerned with the earthy sensuality of human lust. And oh yes, what a sexy solo. Of course, this is not the hollow, spiritually fruitless lust of Vai's '80s peers we're talking about. This is the lust of a man who truly loves his woman, and expresses this through the act of sex/guitar solo. I love this clip, which is from the Alien Love Secrets DVD, which has Vai playing along with the tracks from the CD as he normally would, to help those writing guitar tab books get all the notes right. I must say, there is no sexier guitar player to me than Vai. Just watch the video and you'll understand.
Right off the bat, Vai starts in a different mode than normal from his other seventh songs. His playing is effortlessly laid-back, jazzy, in the primal groove of seduction. Even amongst these slow passages, we can see that Vai's technique--especially his attention to the subtle details of every single note he plays--is leagues beyond his contemporaries. Who else has such a feather touch on their guitar? No one. He knows precisely when to add a hint of vibrato, a tiny, muted fill, or a dynamic change. Every single note Vai plays has a purpose. At 2:00, the lust starts spilling over the brim of Vai's cup, as he amps up the intensity with a series of stuttering bended notes. Vai's secret in this song is that he was able to find just the right setting on his amp and with his effects to be able to gradually change the tone from almost perfectly clear to blazingly distorted by slowly raising the volume knob through the song, allowing him to create a seamless build-up, mimicking the sexual act itself. And that is really the heart of the song. It's all about that build-up.
People tend to make fun of Vai's faces when he plays, but I can't see playing a song like this any other way. You really have to feel your playing to be able to express the music you hear in your head. The floodgates are loosed at 3:20, as Vai naturally lets the song carry him onward into some stunning legato licks that build up to the orgasm and, finally, the after-sex cigarette. The best part of the song is how, right after the climax, he brings that raw passion down seamlessly back into the jazzy vibe of the beginning. Only Steve Vai would've thought of that, I swear. What the hell is the ending and what does it mean? That isn't for me to answer, my friend. but we all know of sex's dark cousin--death.
As mentioned earlier, this isn't a solo with stand-out moments. It must be judged for the sum-total of its experience, the trip from attraction to oblivion. There is truly nothing else like it outside of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."
13.) "All Along the Watchtower" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Along with the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," one of the most iconic songs about the confusion and chaos of the '60s (as opposed to its [false?] sense of peace and love) is Jimi Hendrix's cover of "All Along the Watchtower." Bob Dylan's enigmatic original is transformed into a rock anthem right off the bat with Jimi's thundering chords, symbolizing napalm raining down from the sky onto his brothers and sisters. But what is most enthralling about Hendrix's version is the otherworldliness of the guitar solo. It exists in and of itself, far off from anything else. It elegantly uses four distinct sections to take us on a journey of the soul: from the relatively straightforward yet passionate delivery of the first section's bluesy licks, to the psychedelic swells of the second, to the ecstatic wah-pedal pleas of the third, to the fateful and all-conclusive ringing riff of the final section. Perhaps no sectional solo has the sense of purpose and wonder that "All Along the Watchtower"'s has, and certainly none is quite so original and breathtaking. Truly this must have been the sound of the gods back in 1968. To me, this is Hendrix's most beautiful solo. While he often had more psychedelic moments, strictly speaking, he had a tendency to veer into self-indulgence because of his notoriety as a sort of musical shaman. But in "Watchtower" he reins in his more chaotic instincts to deliver a solo so precise and so stunning that I would call it the best guitar solo up until that point in rock and roll history.
12.) "Far Beyond the Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
While "Black Star" is Yngwie's finer composition, its guitar lines (however impressive they might be) fail to match the sheer audacity of "Far Beyond the Sun." Rising Force, Yngwie's debut album, must've sounded like a bat outta hell in 1984. No one had played this fast, this precisely, and with such heedless abandon. While the whole album is filled with great solos, "Beyond" is basically one long brain-fuck. You might wonder how such a "shallow" solo got placed above some of the songs that I wrote metaphysical descriptions for earlier. Well, "Far Beyond the Sun" just has that bad-ass of a solo. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much "soul" or "emotion" you have if you can't play worth shit. And Yngwie might be lacking in the emotional depth category, but he sure can fucking play. There's a ton of blazing solos out there, so it's hard to define exactly what sets this greatest of shred solos above the heap of its competitors. I love how the song just keeps getting more intense as it goes along. You think the bad-ass solo's gonna start at one minute in. Then you think that has to be it at 2:30, the intense rush of Yngwie breaking free from the bonds of any sort of melody and letting loose on his fretboard, dueling with the Arabian-sounding keyboard played by some moustachioed guy who grew up in a place like Libya or Algeria. But no, Yngwie hasn't really let loose yet. By the time he does, especially in the parts where it's just him on the guitar with no backing instrumentation--holy shit. It gives me shivers every single time I hear it. The high baroque drama of such technique is absolutely stunning. My favorite part is that the single best lick in the entire song is the last--the very last--lick of the solo, right at 4:57. I love how it's almost drowned-out by the drums and rhythm guitar, but it descends into the bowels of hell, hitting every single note between here and oblivion. I've seen a couple covers of this song, and some of the people are fast, but the speed isn't what matters. No one is as precise as Yngwie.
11.) "November Rain" (Guns N' Roses)
Like Metallica's "One," "November Rain" is a rock epic with a hell of a lot of solos in it. For a long time, what drew me to this song is Slash's singing guitar lines in the coda. He tops even his impressive work in the outro of "Paradise City" with these phrases that effortlessly combine a stunning hook with jaw-dropping virtuosity. And again, like "Paradise City," I just want Axl to shut the fuck up and let us hear Slash's playing, which as far as I'm concerned is what elevates this song into a masterpiece. Does anyone actually care about the singing in this song? No other guitar solos grasp for the stars quite like Slash's outro to "November Rain." You can literally hear the hook reaching towards something higher.
But in my older years, I've come to discover that the best part of the song is actually the impossibly gorgeous slow guitar solos of the first half. There doesn't exist on record anywhere solos as melodic as these. These are truly perfect. The hold notes have such a beautiful sustain on them that it makes me want to cry. The melody of these solos is more impossibly sublime and beautifully played than anything anyone else would sing in the entire decade of the '90s. If I had to pick the most beautiful solos on my entire list, "November Rain"'s slow ones would be at the top. That's really all I can say here. Just listen.
10.) "Machine Gun" (Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys)
Jimi's positively volcanic playing on this live-only track recorded after the Jimi Hendrix Experience split up is a great fucking way to start my top 10. Backed by his new band (the Band of Gypsys), the stage belongs solely to Jimi here in New York City. What else can describe those first notes of the solo other than banshee wails? They are the most powerful guitar notes in rock history. Jimi tears into the extended solo with absolutely reckless abandon, seeming to pour his 27 brief years of joy and pain and confusion into a 3 minute break that depicts war better than anything else I've ever heard. All the suffering, pointlessness, heroism, tragic beauty, and ultimately evil is in there. It seems to break apart by the end (Jimi's weakness was always keeping control of the chaos that came out of his hands at any given time), but what can you say after a beginning that powerful? Like the Vietnam War, it careens into a vicious whirlpool of sound, sweat, and destruction. God, what a trip when it gets back to the groove of the song. You feel like you've been through the jungle yourself, until you realize that that's not even close.
I've always had a hard time understanding why Jimi Hendrix is considered the greatest rock guitarist of all time, but this solo is probably the best explanation anyone could ever give me. The power of it is staggering; its intensity, shocking. No one had ever done anything like this before. No one had ever willed their instrument to such heights of expressive power. Here Jimi proves why, in my opinion, the electric guitar is the most expressive instrument there is. Nothing can conjure a combination of beauty, devastating power, and otherworldly oddness like the electric guitar can. The piano might beat it in simplicity, the violin in beauty, and perhaps the theremin in alien-ness, but no instrument has the ability to do all of these qualities (and many more) like the electric guitar. If anyone asks for proof, send them "Machine Gun."
--Edward
Not typically ranked as Jimmy Page's finest solo, I can't help but be awed by his instinctual sense of emotion and blues grandeur in "Since I've Been Loving You." Like his majestic solo break in "Stairway to Heaven," the solo in this fits the song surrounding it like a velvet glove. Like another blues epic coming up later on this list, Page shows how blues guitar is able to tap the deepest depths of human sorrow with its moaning. groaning bends and scales originating from the darkest jungles of Africa, the cradle of humankind itself. In addition to being devastatingly heartbreaking, I also think this is easily one of Page's most technically brilliant solos. He goes to the end of the world and back in his minute-plus break, again proving that the best guitar solos provide a world all of their own, in which to lose oneself and perhaps never return. I love that after such an intense solo, which feels like the end of the world, the song keeps chugging on for another three minutes. God, what a heavy song. His ringing guitar in the last verse is such a great backdrop for Robert Plant's pleading screams from the deep.
18.) "Beyond the Realms of Death" (Judas Priest)
What an absolutely earth-shattering solo. Like "Since I've Been Loving You"'s solo, this one hits us unaware. That kind of raw power cracks me over the head every single time I listen to this Priest classic. The reason it's ranked above "Since I've Been Loving You" is because I find myself even more speechless after this absolutely brilliant cry from the darkness towards a God that looks ever away. It is almost incomprehensible that he would do so, but where else would the angry beauty of this solo come from if he didn't? We are left on our own eternally, and this is the ultimate existential solo I know of. The held notes in the beginning are so irrevocably shattering. There are very few singers who have that kind of ability to pierce the silence. In a way, perhaps it is only through the strange, inhuman quality of musical instruments that we are able to truly to pierce the veil between heaven and earth. But no matter how high we reach, we can never make it beyond the realms of death. I love how resigned to this the ending notes are, and that final pick scrape into eternity and oblivion. Gorgeous in a way I can't put into words.
As great as technical proficiency is in the second solo, it pales in comparison to the stab at the heart of the Divine that is the first solo in this metal anthem.
17.) "Sweet Child o' Mine" (Guns N' Roses)
My least favorite thing in the world is when radio stations fuck up the perfect structure and narrative of Slash's solo in "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns N' Roses's biggest hit (yeah, fuck you, "Welcome to the Jungle), by shortening it. Why would you do that to such a flawless thing? I truly do not understand. Does the normal person really dislike guitar solos that much? I guess so. That is a disturbing thought. What makes this great is the clear division between the two halves of the solo: the melodically impeccable clarion calls of the first half; the down-and-dirty, wah-drenched rock-out of the second half. More than anything else, this precisely depicts a band that can write both beautiful love songs and raunchy odes to drugs, hookers, and cheap alcohol. A band with dazzling musical ability crippled by reckless self-destruction. They have an ear for writing tremendous pop music, and yet are tarnished by a prissy narcissism that is willing to spit on the face of its fans (yep, that's Axl).
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Slash is perhaps the single most melodic guitar player out there. He knows how to write solos that are hooks in and of themselves like no other guitarist in rock music history. The melody of the intro part of the solo is actually stronger than the rest of the song itself, which is saying something in a song this big. Yet somehow Slash is able to keep up this image as a kick-ass soloist, despite this ability to create lines of heartbreaking beauty. As I said earlier, the solo in "Child" depicts this dichotomy perfectly. (And God, the other guitar parts in this song? Stunning. 'Nuff said.)
16.) "One" (Metallica)
Like a few other songs on this list, "One" is a lengthy rock epic with many solos in it. They progress from delicate to brooding to flat-out insane. According to legend, Kirk Hammett struggled over the solos in this, and though he ultimately wasn't completely happy with what he cut on record (much like this song is itself a hugely ambitious yet failed epic, in the vein of Apocalypse Now or Moby-Dick), he came out with something that is truly special in the world of heavy metal. I just love how unique the solos in this one are. The tone on the early solos is so unlike anything else in Metallica's oeuvre, with an almost completely clean tone lacking in distortion, almost like a bird warbling. The song's gimmick (if you can call it that) is its slow build-up from a soldier lying alone in his bed, wounded horribly from a war, remembering almost nostalgically the battlefield, amidst ringing guitar lines and a beautifully melodic first solo (one of Hammett's most beautiful, along with the first one in "Fade to Black"). Slowly, the pieces of a gradually building puzzle follow into place: drums, James Hetfield's relentless yet gently droning vocals, and the eventual introduction of distorted guitars in what suffices as a chorus in "One." The haunting lyrics build on top of each other, creating a musical environment where doom lies just out of sight. Hammett's second solo is not quite as delicate as his first, ending with a tapping lick that melds seamlessly into the shrill-drone distortion of ...And Justice for All's rhythm guitar production. Layers of chunky, angry guitar build on each other, as Lars Ulrich's drums slowly kick into machine gun-mode. Finally, the song breaks loose (yet remains so incredibly tightly controlled) with James Hetfield's incredible machine-gun riffs that echo Ulrich's drumming. This is one of the most staggering moments in any metal song ever. Hetfield's guitar kicks loose, breaking free from the bonds of the drumming, creating a kind of infernal rhythm all his own, and into this spiraling vortex Hammett delivers the solo of a lifetime, again trying to match the speed and intensity of a machine gun that crippled the song's narrator. The combination of the hell-driven velocity of the rhythm section with Hammett's amped-up angry solo is phenomenal. If only they hadn't used such a tinny production on ...And Justice for All, and given Hammett's guitar some real oomph, this would probably be even higher on the list.
15.) "Eruption" (Van Halen)
Rightfully famous as the solo that sent legions of would-be guitarists into their bedrooms to practice their youths away trying (in vain) to imitate the never-before-heard virtuosity of Eddie Van Halen. Coming as it did on Van Halen's first album, Eddie's unadorned solo was a kick in the ass to every single guitarist who thought they had chops. Though I'm sure many old-timers will disagree with me in favor of Jimi Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner," I think that "Eruption" is the single most original guitar solo that ever came out of rock music. Nothing kicks your ass quite as hard, that's for sure. The combination of Eddie's absurdly loud and distorted (yet still dazzling) "brown sound," the pure speed with which he ripped through previously-thought-lifeless blues licks that had slowly been sapped of their vitality in the corporate rock era of the '70s, and of course, the infamous finger-tapping technique of the last half of the solo was enough to shape a generation of guitarists. After this, everyone wanted to be a shredder. Though shredding has its roots in many things, from the electrical insanity of John McLaughlin's blistering runs with the Mahavishnu Orchestra to the undeniable skill of the black jazz guitarists of several generations back, shred guitar, for all intents and purposes, begins here, at ground zero. Though he was the most imitated guitarist of all time, no one (and I do mean no one) could capture the legendary cool of Eddie Van Halen. He made it all seem so effortless. And I think what comes across most if you've ever seen or heard him play is that he has a hell of a lot of fun doing it. People who locked themselves in their rooms, practicing ten hours a day to try to imitate Eddie lost sight that that is what rock and roll is all about--being cool and having fun. Eddie never lost sight of that. And that's why he remains one of the most influential guitarists of all time to this day. I don't think any guitarist again will be able to replicate the pure shock value of "Eruption" again.
14.) "Tender Surrender" (Steve Vai)
While most of Vai's ballads are focused on the spiritual search for something bigger, for a higher power, "Tender Surrender" is concerned with the earthy sensuality of human lust. And oh yes, what a sexy solo. Of course, this is not the hollow, spiritually fruitless lust of Vai's '80s peers we're talking about. This is the lust of a man who truly loves his woman, and expresses this through the act of sex/guitar solo. I love this clip, which is from the Alien Love Secrets DVD, which has Vai playing along with the tracks from the CD as he normally would, to help those writing guitar tab books get all the notes right. I must say, there is no sexier guitar player to me than Vai. Just watch the video and you'll understand.
Right off the bat, Vai starts in a different mode than normal from his other seventh songs. His playing is effortlessly laid-back, jazzy, in the primal groove of seduction. Even amongst these slow passages, we can see that Vai's technique--especially his attention to the subtle details of every single note he plays--is leagues beyond his contemporaries. Who else has such a feather touch on their guitar? No one. He knows precisely when to add a hint of vibrato, a tiny, muted fill, or a dynamic change. Every single note Vai plays has a purpose. At 2:00, the lust starts spilling over the brim of Vai's cup, as he amps up the intensity with a series of stuttering bended notes. Vai's secret in this song is that he was able to find just the right setting on his amp and with his effects to be able to gradually change the tone from almost perfectly clear to blazingly distorted by slowly raising the volume knob through the song, allowing him to create a seamless build-up, mimicking the sexual act itself. And that is really the heart of the song. It's all about that build-up.
People tend to make fun of Vai's faces when he plays, but I can't see playing a song like this any other way. You really have to feel your playing to be able to express the music you hear in your head. The floodgates are loosed at 3:20, as Vai naturally lets the song carry him onward into some stunning legato licks that build up to the orgasm and, finally, the after-sex cigarette. The best part of the song is how, right after the climax, he brings that raw passion down seamlessly back into the jazzy vibe of the beginning. Only Steve Vai would've thought of that, I swear. What the hell is the ending and what does it mean? That isn't for me to answer, my friend. but we all know of sex's dark cousin--death.
As mentioned earlier, this isn't a solo with stand-out moments. It must be judged for the sum-total of its experience, the trip from attraction to oblivion. There is truly nothing else like it outside of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)."
13.) "All Along the Watchtower" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Along with the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," one of the most iconic songs about the confusion and chaos of the '60s (as opposed to its [false?] sense of peace and love) is Jimi Hendrix's cover of "All Along the Watchtower." Bob Dylan's enigmatic original is transformed into a rock anthem right off the bat with Jimi's thundering chords, symbolizing napalm raining down from the sky onto his brothers and sisters. But what is most enthralling about Hendrix's version is the otherworldliness of the guitar solo. It exists in and of itself, far off from anything else. It elegantly uses four distinct sections to take us on a journey of the soul: from the relatively straightforward yet passionate delivery of the first section's bluesy licks, to the psychedelic swells of the second, to the ecstatic wah-pedal pleas of the third, to the fateful and all-conclusive ringing riff of the final section. Perhaps no sectional solo has the sense of purpose and wonder that "All Along the Watchtower"'s has, and certainly none is quite so original and breathtaking. Truly this must have been the sound of the gods back in 1968. To me, this is Hendrix's most beautiful solo. While he often had more psychedelic moments, strictly speaking, he had a tendency to veer into self-indulgence because of his notoriety as a sort of musical shaman. But in "Watchtower" he reins in his more chaotic instincts to deliver a solo so precise and so stunning that I would call it the best guitar solo up until that point in rock and roll history.
12.) "Far Beyond the Sun" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
While "Black Star" is Yngwie's finer composition, its guitar lines (however impressive they might be) fail to match the sheer audacity of "Far Beyond the Sun." Rising Force, Yngwie's debut album, must've sounded like a bat outta hell in 1984. No one had played this fast, this precisely, and with such heedless abandon. While the whole album is filled with great solos, "Beyond" is basically one long brain-fuck. You might wonder how such a "shallow" solo got placed above some of the songs that I wrote metaphysical descriptions for earlier. Well, "Far Beyond the Sun" just has that bad-ass of a solo. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much "soul" or "emotion" you have if you can't play worth shit. And Yngwie might be lacking in the emotional depth category, but he sure can fucking play. There's a ton of blazing solos out there, so it's hard to define exactly what sets this greatest of shred solos above the heap of its competitors. I love how the song just keeps getting more intense as it goes along. You think the bad-ass solo's gonna start at one minute in. Then you think that has to be it at 2:30, the intense rush of Yngwie breaking free from the bonds of any sort of melody and letting loose on his fretboard, dueling with the Arabian-sounding keyboard played by some moustachioed guy who grew up in a place like Libya or Algeria. But no, Yngwie hasn't really let loose yet. By the time he does, especially in the parts where it's just him on the guitar with no backing instrumentation--holy shit. It gives me shivers every single time I hear it. The high baroque drama of such technique is absolutely stunning. My favorite part is that the single best lick in the entire song is the last--the very last--lick of the solo, right at 4:57. I love how it's almost drowned-out by the drums and rhythm guitar, but it descends into the bowels of hell, hitting every single note between here and oblivion. I've seen a couple covers of this song, and some of the people are fast, but the speed isn't what matters. No one is as precise as Yngwie.
11.) "November Rain" (Guns N' Roses)
Like Metallica's "One," "November Rain" is a rock epic with a hell of a lot of solos in it. For a long time, what drew me to this song is Slash's singing guitar lines in the coda. He tops even his impressive work in the outro of "Paradise City" with these phrases that effortlessly combine a stunning hook with jaw-dropping virtuosity. And again, like "Paradise City," I just want Axl to shut the fuck up and let us hear Slash's playing, which as far as I'm concerned is what elevates this song into a masterpiece. Does anyone actually care about the singing in this song? No other guitar solos grasp for the stars quite like Slash's outro to "November Rain." You can literally hear the hook reaching towards something higher.
But in my older years, I've come to discover that the best part of the song is actually the impossibly gorgeous slow guitar solos of the first half. There doesn't exist on record anywhere solos as melodic as these. These are truly perfect. The hold notes have such a beautiful sustain on them that it makes me want to cry. The melody of these solos is more impossibly sublime and beautifully played than anything anyone else would sing in the entire decade of the '90s. If I had to pick the most beautiful solos on my entire list, "November Rain"'s slow ones would be at the top. That's really all I can say here. Just listen.
10.) "Machine Gun" (Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys)
Jimi's positively volcanic playing on this live-only track recorded after the Jimi Hendrix Experience split up is a great fucking way to start my top 10. Backed by his new band (the Band of Gypsys), the stage belongs solely to Jimi here in New York City. What else can describe those first notes of the solo other than banshee wails? They are the most powerful guitar notes in rock history. Jimi tears into the extended solo with absolutely reckless abandon, seeming to pour his 27 brief years of joy and pain and confusion into a 3 minute break that depicts war better than anything else I've ever heard. All the suffering, pointlessness, heroism, tragic beauty, and ultimately evil is in there. It seems to break apart by the end (Jimi's weakness was always keeping control of the chaos that came out of his hands at any given time), but what can you say after a beginning that powerful? Like the Vietnam War, it careens into a vicious whirlpool of sound, sweat, and destruction. God, what a trip when it gets back to the groove of the song. You feel like you've been through the jungle yourself, until you realize that that's not even close.
I've always had a hard time understanding why Jimi Hendrix is considered the greatest rock guitarist of all time, but this solo is probably the best explanation anyone could ever give me. The power of it is staggering; its intensity, shocking. No one had ever done anything like this before. No one had ever willed their instrument to such heights of expressive power. Here Jimi proves why, in my opinion, the electric guitar is the most expressive instrument there is. Nothing can conjure a combination of beauty, devastating power, and otherworldly oddness like the electric guitar can. The piano might beat it in simplicity, the violin in beauty, and perhaps the theremin in alien-ness, but no instrument has the ability to do all of these qualities (and many more) like the electric guitar. If anyone asks for proof, send them "Machine Gun."
--Edward
Friday, November 4, 2011
The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--29-20
And here is the long-awaited return of my patented "The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time" series. I'm sorry for the long delay, but things came up (see: my Road to Recovery series; also, I felt quite a bit of alienation towards the blog, which I think is best left alone).
Without further adieu, here are the next ten:
29.) "Burning Rain" (Steve Vai)
Another classic off of Vai's live album Alive in an Ultra World, this is I believe his song for Japan. This is a solo of buildup (my favorite kind?), and has the feeling of oriental murkiness and opium languor that I find especially sexy. The second half of the song is basically just one long voyage into the steamy streets of Bangcok or Calcutta or some other exotic place. At 3:50, Vai brings us back to the more familiar world of his shredding, but it's hard to shake the sense of unease from the exotic musical quality of what came before. The backdrop of sitar is a nice touch. There is something so sexy about the vacant-eyed quality of his playing on here--he seems eternally a fraction of a second behind the beat. Perhaps that is what some of us find sexy about heroin or Kristen Stewart.
28.) "Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses)
Ah, this wouldn't be a guitar solos list without Slash on it. I have a hard time picking between the three GNR songs on this list, because they all bring something completely different to the table. I don't think there had been a song that rocked as hard as "Paradise" in a good decade when Appetite for Destruction came out in '87. This song is all about the band meshing together, its parts forming a much greater whole when they managed to keep their self-destructive tendencies and egos in check. The weak link for GNR was always (of course) Axl to me, and this is just one of many examples of him shrieking over Slash's solo. The man can fucking play guitar--why is there a need to scream over his solos? Ugh. The end of this song is probably the greatest '80s hard rock moment there is. Please don't listen to this song on laptop speakers. Slash absolutely fucking goes for it.
27.) "Beat It" (Michael Jackson)
Eddie Van Halen turns in the greatest guest solo ever on this classic MJ track from Thriller (Dave Chapelle: "The man made Thriller...Thriller). Eddie again proves that he reigns supreme over his ragtag group of shred-army followers by delivering a solo just as catchy as Michael's song. Full of his signature movies--finger-tapping, artificial harmonics, and a buzz-saw tone--this solo has a concise sense of composition to it, like Vai's in "Ladies Nite in Buffalo" and Randy Rhoads's in "Flying High Again." Best part: the first note--a chainsaw starting up.
26.) "Satch Boogie" (Joe Satriani)
Like Joe's other signature tune, "Surfing with the Alien," "Satch Boogie" combines old-school rock 'n' roll with lightning-fast licks, throwing in an otherworldly, alien feel that befits an album called Surfing with the Alien. Joe careens through the first half of the song, driven by his drummer's blistering tempo. Amateurs would have trouble just trying to keep up with a tempo over 200BPM, but Joe allows his honed sense of craft to carry him throughout, delivering an almost impossible set of bluesy licks and runs (although these are only "bluesy" in the loosest sense, since they range from hand-crippling to just insane). It's an interesting song, because the actual solo is so unlike the rest of it. After hanging on through almost two minutes of Satch's deranged version of a boogie, we are dropped into the most otherworldly moment on an album that brims with them: a completely finger-tapped solo using an effect that makes it seem like you are inside of a glass cube at the bottom of the ocean. Now that I think of it, that intense echo and distortion reminds me of what an IV cocaine bellringer sounds like. I love how the solo exudes a completely different vibe than the rest of the song. It is groovy where the rest is chaotic. It lounges in its scalar haunts, unlike the rest of the song, which careens from melody to melody and scale to scale, only occasionally repeating its main theme. The solo is jaw-dropping in its absurd sense of technique, but especially in its ability to create its own universe through tonal effects and the uniqueness of Joe's writing. This idea that solos do not always have to mirror the mood of the rest of the song--that they can be their own separate entities, full of atmosphere and character--is something Joe began to explore in this song and continued throughout the rest of his career.
25.) "Kid Charlemagne" (Steely Dan)
Steely Dan was not known for being a guitar-driven rock band. Instead, they were a sophisticated songwriting duo that were able to match their insightful, cutting lyrics with equally sophisticated songscapes, by cherry-picking the best talent from LA's studio musician community. Here jazz-fusion guitarist Larry Carlton rises to the occasion on a song about about a famous LSD chemist who grew reclusive and paranoid as the hippie era ended, transforming into the bitter hangover that we now know as the 1970's. Like many great guitar songs, this has two equally staggering solos. The first is a clinic on phrasing, as Carlton knows instinctively just where to place each lick, and the end result is a hopelessly beautiful solo which I find impossible not to sing along with.
The second, fade-out solo is comes at just the right moment in the song. It has such an optimistic tone to it that I can't help waiting the entire song just to hear it. I believe this one was largely improvised. The two solos in this stand as some of the brightest solos in rock history (up there with George Harrison's in "Nowhere Man"). It's interesting that both of these songs have rather depressing and cynical lyrics, yet have such sparkling solos.
24.) "Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
When a lot of us think of guitar solos, our minds immediately go to Jimmy Page's foundational work in "Stairway to Heaven." His ending solo is like the icing on top of a cake: what would already be great is turned legendary by Page's divine sense of phrasing and composition. Frankly, that is what sets the higher solos on this list apart from those behind them. A truly great guitarist can paint a picture using his solos. He can create a towering entity within itself, encapsulated inside the rest of the song. While there are plenty of great one-dimensional solos out there, those that have incredibly fast or complex playing or a great-sounding tone, the truly great solos have a sense of their own self, independent from the rest of the song. "Stairway" is such a majestic solo that it is often ranked as the number one greatest of all time. It releases all of the energy which has been building up throughout the previous six minutes of the song in the astonishing cavalcade of Page's guitar. What I think of when I hear this solo is the maturity of age and experience--when one has enough experience to know that less is more, and to be able to proceed gracefully through all of the trials and tribulations of each day of existence in this old world.
23.) "Sultans of Swing" (Dire Straits)
Mark Knopfler is an unsung guitar hero. I've already paid him some tribute by putting "Brothers in Arms" on this list, but wow, why doesn't the guitarist of "Sultans of Swing" get more credit? Famous for his finger-picking style and the groovy headbands which he seemed to never shed, "Sultans" will always go down as his masterpiece, both in terms of songwriting and for its spectacularly clean and precise guitar work. Every single vocal line is followed by just the right guitar phrase. I think what makes a great guitarist is not necessarily his technical ability, but his ability to craft memorable musical phrases. It doesn't really matter how fast you can play if you can't make a hummable phrase to save your life. "Sultans of Swing" is like a compendium of great blues licks. And that's to speak nothing of the two solos (two-solo songs FTW!), which are dazzling displays of absolute clarity (I'm guessing this is because he doesn't use a pick on them) and purpose. The two solos in this actually remind me somewhat of "Kid Charlemagne." The first one is a model of elegant restraint, while on the second, improvised-sounding one, Knopfler lets loose and goes for it (well, at least "goes for it" as much as a perfectionist like him can...I can't imagine Knopfler ever letting go too much, for fear of making a mistake or creating a sloppy-sounding line).
22.) "Highway Star" (Deep Purple)
There's nothing to say that a great guitar solo has to reside in a particularly original or fabulous song. Make no mistake, "Highway Star" is completely driven by the keyboard and guitar solos in it. Otherwise, it's a pretty stupid song about cars. Who are you--the Beach Boys? Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is able to top Jon Lord's fabulous keyboard/organ solo, astonishingly. The solo opens with something that I can't really describe accurately--something which I've seen before in "Black Dog." It's a particular kind of electrified guitar twang that sounds like a European version of honky-tonk music. Blackmore tops even the legendary Jimmy Page (one of my top five guitarists) in this strange domain, and then firmly cements his dominance with an astonishing set of closing legato licks that provide counterpoint to the previous keyboard solo. The licks sound to be double- or triple-tracked, which adds to the their crushing power.
21.) "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" (Jeff Beck)
This is the guitar solo that I've heard come closest to Steve Vai's ballads. It is an entire song composed of a slowly building, elegant, and utterly beautiful guitar solo. Perhaps the finest feature of Jeff Beck (the third of the British Holy Trinity, alongside Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton) is his ability to manipulate the tone and sound of his guitar using just his hands. He has such an amazing ability to control his instrument in a way that is almost unsurpassed. He showcases this intimacy with his instrument in this song, written by Steve Wonder (here's the original--I like it even more; its delicacy is absolutely unparalleled in pop music history), which allows him to build from the saxophone-like moans from the darkness that open the song to a blistering, cathartic shriek against a lost lover (and, indeed, love itself) at the climax. The song/solo isn't necessarily about these two extremes, but it's about the journey there. This is the spiritual brethren of "Tender Surrender" by Steve Vai. Although they are about two different phases of love, they both exemplify that life is about the journey we make unknowingly toward whatever irrelevant goals we make for ourselves. After all, fate plays such a large part in our lives that it is at the very least questionable to say that we have much control over our own fate. To quote John Lennon (and thanks, Bethany, for mentioning this), "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." What I get out of "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" is an appreciation for the little details in both music and life. The high, wavering note at the end is like angels crying.
20.) "Crazy Train" (Ozzy Osbourne)
My apologies for the live video, but YouTube seems to have cracked down hard on Ozzy videos (I hope to God I can find a studio one for "Mr. Crowley," or at least the Tribute version, which is just as good). Also, what the fuck's up with the new YouTube format? I don't like it, but I guess that's what we think every time a popular site changes it's format (I'm looking at you, Blogger.com...didn't you used to be fucking Blogspot or something?!).
What a pristine gem this solo is! Not in this live version, mind you, where we miss the triple-tracked glean of Rhoads's studio version, but I can't think of a more exciting and dazzling solo delivered in as short a time as Randy's in "Crazy Train." This song already has one of the all-time great guitar riffs, but that solo is what pushes it over the edge into a metal classic. Fuck Ozzy. His solo years were about his guitarists as far as I'm concerned. Not that I hate him, but really, why is his name always on the CD when he probably isn't even writing any of the songs? "Crazy Train"'s solo has the sense of concise structure that Rhoads was known for. Every note is as it should be, and the solo begins and ends just precisely where it musically should. He utilizes the studio technique of triple-tracking to make the tapping licks and trills sound even faster than they are. This shows Randy's determination to nail just the right sound on each of his solos. He had an eye for composition that ranks him up there with the best guitarists of all time. Along with Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads brought the classical tradition of symmetrical and mathematical composition into heavy metal.
PS: I found a link if you want to listen to Randy's guitar track in the original (sans everything else in the song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nC0wepBfog&feature=fvsr. Enjoy the solo!
--Edward
Without further adieu, here are the next ten:
29.) "Burning Rain" (Steve Vai)
Another classic off of Vai's live album Alive in an Ultra World, this is I believe his song for Japan. This is a solo of buildup (my favorite kind?), and has the feeling of oriental murkiness and opium languor that I find especially sexy. The second half of the song is basically just one long voyage into the steamy streets of Bangcok or Calcutta or some other exotic place. At 3:50, Vai brings us back to the more familiar world of his shredding, but it's hard to shake the sense of unease from the exotic musical quality of what came before. The backdrop of sitar is a nice touch. There is something so sexy about the vacant-eyed quality of his playing on here--he seems eternally a fraction of a second behind the beat. Perhaps that is what some of us find sexy about heroin or Kristen Stewart.
28.) "Paradise City" (Guns N' Roses)
Ah, this wouldn't be a guitar solos list without Slash on it. I have a hard time picking between the three GNR songs on this list, because they all bring something completely different to the table. I don't think there had been a song that rocked as hard as "Paradise" in a good decade when Appetite for Destruction came out in '87. This song is all about the band meshing together, its parts forming a much greater whole when they managed to keep their self-destructive tendencies and egos in check. The weak link for GNR was always (of course) Axl to me, and this is just one of many examples of him shrieking over Slash's solo. The man can fucking play guitar--why is there a need to scream over his solos? Ugh. The end of this song is probably the greatest '80s hard rock moment there is. Please don't listen to this song on laptop speakers. Slash absolutely fucking goes for it.
27.) "Beat It" (Michael Jackson)
Eddie Van Halen turns in the greatest guest solo ever on this classic MJ track from Thriller (Dave Chapelle: "The man made Thriller...Thriller). Eddie again proves that he reigns supreme over his ragtag group of shred-army followers by delivering a solo just as catchy as Michael's song. Full of his signature movies--finger-tapping, artificial harmonics, and a buzz-saw tone--this solo has a concise sense of composition to it, like Vai's in "Ladies Nite in Buffalo" and Randy Rhoads's in "Flying High Again." Best part: the first note--a chainsaw starting up.
26.) "Satch Boogie" (Joe Satriani)
Like Joe's other signature tune, "Surfing with the Alien," "Satch Boogie" combines old-school rock 'n' roll with lightning-fast licks, throwing in an otherworldly, alien feel that befits an album called Surfing with the Alien. Joe careens through the first half of the song, driven by his drummer's blistering tempo. Amateurs would have trouble just trying to keep up with a tempo over 200BPM, but Joe allows his honed sense of craft to carry him throughout, delivering an almost impossible set of bluesy licks and runs (although these are only "bluesy" in the loosest sense, since they range from hand-crippling to just insane). It's an interesting song, because the actual solo is so unlike the rest of it. After hanging on through almost two minutes of Satch's deranged version of a boogie, we are dropped into the most otherworldly moment on an album that brims with them: a completely finger-tapped solo using an effect that makes it seem like you are inside of a glass cube at the bottom of the ocean. Now that I think of it, that intense echo and distortion reminds me of what an IV cocaine bellringer sounds like. I love how the solo exudes a completely different vibe than the rest of the song. It is groovy where the rest is chaotic. It lounges in its scalar haunts, unlike the rest of the song, which careens from melody to melody and scale to scale, only occasionally repeating its main theme. The solo is jaw-dropping in its absurd sense of technique, but especially in its ability to create its own universe through tonal effects and the uniqueness of Joe's writing. This idea that solos do not always have to mirror the mood of the rest of the song--that they can be their own separate entities, full of atmosphere and character--is something Joe began to explore in this song and continued throughout the rest of his career.
25.) "Kid Charlemagne" (Steely Dan)
Steely Dan was not known for being a guitar-driven rock band. Instead, they were a sophisticated songwriting duo that were able to match their insightful, cutting lyrics with equally sophisticated songscapes, by cherry-picking the best talent from LA's studio musician community. Here jazz-fusion guitarist Larry Carlton rises to the occasion on a song about about a famous LSD chemist who grew reclusive and paranoid as the hippie era ended, transforming into the bitter hangover that we now know as the 1970's. Like many great guitar songs, this has two equally staggering solos. The first is a clinic on phrasing, as Carlton knows instinctively just where to place each lick, and the end result is a hopelessly beautiful solo which I find impossible not to sing along with.
The second, fade-out solo is comes at just the right moment in the song. It has such an optimistic tone to it that I can't help waiting the entire song just to hear it. I believe this one was largely improvised. The two solos in this stand as some of the brightest solos in rock history (up there with George Harrison's in "Nowhere Man"). It's interesting that both of these songs have rather depressing and cynical lyrics, yet have such sparkling solos.
24.) "Stairway to Heaven" (Led Zeppelin)
When a lot of us think of guitar solos, our minds immediately go to Jimmy Page's foundational work in "Stairway to Heaven." His ending solo is like the icing on top of a cake: what would already be great is turned legendary by Page's divine sense of phrasing and composition. Frankly, that is what sets the higher solos on this list apart from those behind them. A truly great guitarist can paint a picture using his solos. He can create a towering entity within itself, encapsulated inside the rest of the song. While there are plenty of great one-dimensional solos out there, those that have incredibly fast or complex playing or a great-sounding tone, the truly great solos have a sense of their own self, independent from the rest of the song. "Stairway" is such a majestic solo that it is often ranked as the number one greatest of all time. It releases all of the energy which has been building up throughout the previous six minutes of the song in the astonishing cavalcade of Page's guitar. What I think of when I hear this solo is the maturity of age and experience--when one has enough experience to know that less is more, and to be able to proceed gracefully through all of the trials and tribulations of each day of existence in this old world.
23.) "Sultans of Swing" (Dire Straits)
Mark Knopfler is an unsung guitar hero. I've already paid him some tribute by putting "Brothers in Arms" on this list, but wow, why doesn't the guitarist of "Sultans of Swing" get more credit? Famous for his finger-picking style and the groovy headbands which he seemed to never shed, "Sultans" will always go down as his masterpiece, both in terms of songwriting and for its spectacularly clean and precise guitar work. Every single vocal line is followed by just the right guitar phrase. I think what makes a great guitarist is not necessarily his technical ability, but his ability to craft memorable musical phrases. It doesn't really matter how fast you can play if you can't make a hummable phrase to save your life. "Sultans of Swing" is like a compendium of great blues licks. And that's to speak nothing of the two solos (two-solo songs FTW!), which are dazzling displays of absolute clarity (I'm guessing this is because he doesn't use a pick on them) and purpose. The two solos in this actually remind me somewhat of "Kid Charlemagne." The first one is a model of elegant restraint, while on the second, improvised-sounding one, Knopfler lets loose and goes for it (well, at least "goes for it" as much as a perfectionist like him can...I can't imagine Knopfler ever letting go too much, for fear of making a mistake or creating a sloppy-sounding line).
22.) "Highway Star" (Deep Purple)
There's nothing to say that a great guitar solo has to reside in a particularly original or fabulous song. Make no mistake, "Highway Star" is completely driven by the keyboard and guitar solos in it. Otherwise, it's a pretty stupid song about cars. Who are you--the Beach Boys? Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is able to top Jon Lord's fabulous keyboard/organ solo, astonishingly. The solo opens with something that I can't really describe accurately--something which I've seen before in "Black Dog." It's a particular kind of electrified guitar twang that sounds like a European version of honky-tonk music. Blackmore tops even the legendary Jimmy Page (one of my top five guitarists) in this strange domain, and then firmly cements his dominance with an astonishing set of closing legato licks that provide counterpoint to the previous keyboard solo. The licks sound to be double- or triple-tracked, which adds to the their crushing power.
21.) "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" (Jeff Beck)
This is the guitar solo that I've heard come closest to Steve Vai's ballads. It is an entire song composed of a slowly building, elegant, and utterly beautiful guitar solo. Perhaps the finest feature of Jeff Beck (the third of the British Holy Trinity, alongside Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton) is his ability to manipulate the tone and sound of his guitar using just his hands. He has such an amazing ability to control his instrument in a way that is almost unsurpassed. He showcases this intimacy with his instrument in this song, written by Steve Wonder (here's the original--I like it even more; its delicacy is absolutely unparalleled in pop music history), which allows him to build from the saxophone-like moans from the darkness that open the song to a blistering, cathartic shriek against a lost lover (and, indeed, love itself) at the climax. The song/solo isn't necessarily about these two extremes, but it's about the journey there. This is the spiritual brethren of "Tender Surrender" by Steve Vai. Although they are about two different phases of love, they both exemplify that life is about the journey we make unknowingly toward whatever irrelevant goals we make for ourselves. After all, fate plays such a large part in our lives that it is at the very least questionable to say that we have much control over our own fate. To quote John Lennon (and thanks, Bethany, for mentioning this), "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." What I get out of "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" is an appreciation for the little details in both music and life. The high, wavering note at the end is like angels crying.
20.) "Crazy Train" (Ozzy Osbourne)
My apologies for the live video, but YouTube seems to have cracked down hard on Ozzy videos (I hope to God I can find a studio one for "Mr. Crowley," or at least the Tribute version, which is just as good). Also, what the fuck's up with the new YouTube format? I don't like it, but I guess that's what we think every time a popular site changes it's format (I'm looking at you, Blogger.com...didn't you used to be fucking Blogspot or something?!).
What a pristine gem this solo is! Not in this live version, mind you, where we miss the triple-tracked glean of Rhoads's studio version, but I can't think of a more exciting and dazzling solo delivered in as short a time as Randy's in "Crazy Train." This song already has one of the all-time great guitar riffs, but that solo is what pushes it over the edge into a metal classic. Fuck Ozzy. His solo years were about his guitarists as far as I'm concerned. Not that I hate him, but really, why is his name always on the CD when he probably isn't even writing any of the songs? "Crazy Train"'s solo has the sense of concise structure that Rhoads was known for. Every note is as it should be, and the solo begins and ends just precisely where it musically should. He utilizes the studio technique of triple-tracking to make the tapping licks and trills sound even faster than they are. This shows Randy's determination to nail just the right sound on each of his solos. He had an eye for composition that ranks him up there with the best guitarists of all time. Along with Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, Randy Rhoads brought the classical tradition of symmetrical and mathematical composition into heavy metal.
PS: I found a link if you want to listen to Randy's guitar track in the original (sans everything else in the song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nC0wepBfog&feature=fvsr. Enjoy the solo!
--Edward
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--39-30
39.) "Brothers in Arms" (Dire Straits)
I absolutely adore this song. What brilliant, soul-tugging, fucking tasteful guitar-playing in here. My God. I don't think there has ever been mournful guitar. This song literally leaves me speechless.
38.) "Surfing with the Alien" (Joe Satriani)
Satch's signature song, the title track off his second record, is a descendant of the adrenaline rush of early rock and roll like Chuck Berry and surf-rock songs like "Misirlou." Indeed, I have often heard this song described as "Chuck Berry on steroids." It's bursting at the seams with boyish energy and enthusiasm for the thrill of making music, the high you get from being completely in the zone, wrapped up in a cocoon from the outside world and its banal distractions. I love that the title precisely describes the contrast/harmony of the early, innocent rock feel and the alien, jaw-dropping virtuosity of Joe's playing. Being as this is the first song on the album, that first solo at one minute in hits you like a ton of bricks with its pick-tapping and lightning-fast yet fluid licks (Joe differentiates himself from other '80s shredders by his focus on legato technique instead of tremelo-picked scales, which gives his solos the more organic, fluid sound of a wind instrument, instead of the picked, staccato feel that shredders borrow from piano and violin virtuosos like Paganini--see right heeyuh). The second solo is just pure joy--it truly is Chuck Berry at hyperspeed. My favorite part is the first lick, which just sounds amazing and preternatural. There are so many Berry-esque double stops in this solo, given unique flair through Joe's use of the whammy bar. Joe had such a gift for phrasing in his solos that gave them a sort of pop hook that was missing in other guitarists' repertoires at the time.
37.) "Black Star" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
Without a doubt Yngwie's greatest piece and his signature tune (although not his greatest solo), this is one of the only things I've heard by him I would describe as "beautiful." It has a very unique tone to it--let me try to think of the right words to describe it (and I don't mean guitar tone, but the feel of the song). The best I can think of is a sense of loss, of the ruin of the high culture of the West, Europe's fall from grace and America's brutish ascension to power. It has an elegiac power. Perhaps this is reading a little too deep in Malmsteen, a man who lacks somewhat in the intelligence department, but more than makes up for it in the ego department. But Yngwie's devotion to the Baroque masters, as well as the late-19th century virtuosos like the above-mentioned Paganini, lend this song an air of classical sensibility. This is one of the few times Malmsteen's speed passages actually seem to fit some sort of melodic, song-based purpose. A beautiful song.
36.) "Ladies Nite in Buffalo" (David Lee Roth)
It took me a while to really grasp the full impact of this solo, which resides in perhaps David Lee Roth's greatest solo song. Steve Vai's guitar work adorns the entire song, adding impossibly laid-back rhythm parts and jazzy fills throughout. But the solo is a true piece of work, a miniature yet perfectly complete work of art in itself. It is perhaps Vai's most perfectly structured solo, his equivalent of Joe Satriani's "Crushing Day." It is amazing to hear the difference between Vai's raw solos on Flexable and the polished perfection of this solo on Eat 'Em and Smile just two years later in '86. But I suppose this isn't surprising when you remember that Vai, above all other guitarists, prided himself on being a true musical virtuoso, not able only just to play fast, but to be able to conquer any style of music and composition that he put his mind to. This is like an exquisite gem waiting for the right light to shine on it to reveal its complexity and clarity.
35.) "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)
This is the most masculine, the most virile of all rock songs. This doesn't exude sexiness so much as it just smells of sex. This is not about trying to seduce a woman through lies and niceties, not about love--it's about lusting after and the act of fucking itself. Jimmy nails his best guitar tone ever on that solo. Nothing has ever been fatter--not even Eddie Van Halen's "brown sound." Technically sloppy, just like Page was notorious for, the solo is nevertheless is absolutely, balls-out cum-on-her-face. Very few solos have suited the song better than this one. And what's even better than the solo is the riff, one of rock's very finest. This has got to be my favorite Led Zep song, and perhaps the greatest hard rock song of all time. This is what Van Halen aspired to with a song like "Hot for Teacher," but utterly failed at in delivering the pure goods that this one shoots in your face.
34.) "White Room" (Cream)
Everyone and their mom has heard this song on repeat since birth, but it doesn't stop it from being a great one. I love the gradual build-up of Clapton's wah guitar throughout the song as it progresses, fatalistically, towards that final, orgiastic burst of Clapton's soloing that closes "White Room." "Crossroads" is usually billed as Clapton's great solo in Cream, but I prefer the melodic hooks of this one, as Clapton uses the wah pedal to its full effect in imitating the human voice.
33.) "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles)
Clapton pops up again in this spot, and again we can see his capacity for playing some of the most melodic licks of all time, here countering the bell-like purity of Harrison's voice with phrases of such real emotion that they truly do give you the impression that Clapton's guitar is crying at the beauty and loss in the world. His excellent vibrato is of course a large part of this effect, but it is his breathtaking sense of musical composition that creates such fine musical phrases that they can actually hold their own against one of the Beatles' very best songs. I have never heard Clapton's work with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, so my opinion is not very valid, but for my money, this song has Clapton's best soloing.
32.) "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Jimi's guitar playing on here has such raw, unpolished force, a sense of expression like he was overflowing with musical energy yet incapable of channeling it, so he opened up his heart and let the force of his own creative sun burst from his fingertips. His playing truly was some of the most original of any guitar player--I can't think of anything that sounds like this, before or after him. He really just fucking goes for it on his best songs. His use of guitar effects was pioneering, but he did it in such a way that they suited the song--even more than that, they suited his musical persona, bringing an otherworldly quality that is uncanny, because it reminds us of something we've forgotten. His songs are so raw and powerful that they shatter our musical (mis)perceptions and allow us to look and hear the world anew, after our soul has been torn down to its most primitive form by Hendrix's caveman/prophet guitar-playing.
31.) "Binge and Grab" (Buckethead)
I've said this a lot of times, I know, but this is truly a case of the solo coming out of absolutely nowhere to kick your ass for being such a pussy. The song begins with such a simple, catchy riff, riding it out for all its worth. Seems pretty bland, amirite? The solo even starts relatively tamely, which is just great, because you are left unprepared for how Buckethead is going to rip your flesh from your bones with his sheer technique and his wonderful energy and perhaps even naivete. How else could you contrast such carefree, innocent licks with such soul-devastating shred and blues-excelsior licks? This one is all feeling for me. Best not to try to over-intellectualize it, because I don't think that is his intention.
30.) "Is There Love in Space" (Joe Satriani)
An absolutely gorgeous song, "Is There Love in Space" has a kind of mature, understated beauty lacking in Satriani's earlier ballads (other than "Rubina"). By this point in his career, Satriani has matured into a less-is-more approach (well, sometimes he has). That means we are missing the resplendent power of Surfing with the Alien's finest songs, but it also means we have the raw emotion of a solo like this one. When I say the word "raw," I think of my description of Hendrix above. A solo like this one is like some kind of Hendrixian beast that has been refined through Joe's vast chops, able to express the feeling of Jimi's creative energy through the prism of Satriani's technique (this is oversimplified, since I don't think anyone has been able to channel Hendrix's wild energy with any great success). But nevertheless, I feel that this solo is Hendrix-inspired, through its impressionistic use of effects and tone to conjure a feel, a mood. The tone is just so overpowering in its contrast to the beauty of the verses, I just can't help being swept away by it into space and the great vault above us, a world Joe seemed eternally drawn to.
--Edward
I absolutely adore this song. What brilliant, soul-tugging, fucking tasteful guitar-playing in here. My God. I don't think there has ever been mournful guitar. This song literally leaves me speechless.
38.) "Surfing with the Alien" (Joe Satriani)
Satch's signature song, the title track off his second record, is a descendant of the adrenaline rush of early rock and roll like Chuck Berry and surf-rock songs like "Misirlou." Indeed, I have often heard this song described as "Chuck Berry on steroids." It's bursting at the seams with boyish energy and enthusiasm for the thrill of making music, the high you get from being completely in the zone, wrapped up in a cocoon from the outside world and its banal distractions. I love that the title precisely describes the contrast/harmony of the early, innocent rock feel and the alien, jaw-dropping virtuosity of Joe's playing. Being as this is the first song on the album, that first solo at one minute in hits you like a ton of bricks with its pick-tapping and lightning-fast yet fluid licks (Joe differentiates himself from other '80s shredders by his focus on legato technique instead of tremelo-picked scales, which gives his solos the more organic, fluid sound of a wind instrument, instead of the picked, staccato feel that shredders borrow from piano and violin virtuosos like Paganini--see right heeyuh). The second solo is just pure joy--it truly is Chuck Berry at hyperspeed. My favorite part is the first lick, which just sounds amazing and preternatural. There are so many Berry-esque double stops in this solo, given unique flair through Joe's use of the whammy bar. Joe had such a gift for phrasing in his solos that gave them a sort of pop hook that was missing in other guitarists' repertoires at the time.
37.) "Black Star" (Yngwie Malmsteen)
Without a doubt Yngwie's greatest piece and his signature tune (although not his greatest solo), this is one of the only things I've heard by him I would describe as "beautiful." It has a very unique tone to it--let me try to think of the right words to describe it (and I don't mean guitar tone, but the feel of the song). The best I can think of is a sense of loss, of the ruin of the high culture of the West, Europe's fall from grace and America's brutish ascension to power. It has an elegiac power. Perhaps this is reading a little too deep in Malmsteen, a man who lacks somewhat in the intelligence department, but more than makes up for it in the ego department. But Yngwie's devotion to the Baroque masters, as well as the late-19th century virtuosos like the above-mentioned Paganini, lend this song an air of classical sensibility. This is one of the few times Malmsteen's speed passages actually seem to fit some sort of melodic, song-based purpose. A beautiful song.
36.) "Ladies Nite in Buffalo" (David Lee Roth)
It took me a while to really grasp the full impact of this solo, which resides in perhaps David Lee Roth's greatest solo song. Steve Vai's guitar work adorns the entire song, adding impossibly laid-back rhythm parts and jazzy fills throughout. But the solo is a true piece of work, a miniature yet perfectly complete work of art in itself. It is perhaps Vai's most perfectly structured solo, his equivalent of Joe Satriani's "Crushing Day." It is amazing to hear the difference between Vai's raw solos on Flexable and the polished perfection of this solo on Eat 'Em and Smile just two years later in '86. But I suppose this isn't surprising when you remember that Vai, above all other guitarists, prided himself on being a true musical virtuoso, not able only just to play fast, but to be able to conquer any style of music and composition that he put his mind to. This is like an exquisite gem waiting for the right light to shine on it to reveal its complexity and clarity.
35.) "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)
This is the most masculine, the most virile of all rock songs. This doesn't exude sexiness so much as it just smells of sex. This is not about trying to seduce a woman through lies and niceties, not about love--it's about lusting after and the act of fucking itself. Jimmy nails his best guitar tone ever on that solo. Nothing has ever been fatter--not even Eddie Van Halen's "brown sound." Technically sloppy, just like Page was notorious for, the solo is nevertheless is absolutely, balls-out cum-on-her-face. Very few solos have suited the song better than this one. And what's even better than the solo is the riff, one of rock's very finest. This has got to be my favorite Led Zep song, and perhaps the greatest hard rock song of all time. This is what Van Halen aspired to with a song like "Hot for Teacher," but utterly failed at in delivering the pure goods that this one shoots in your face.
34.) "White Room" (Cream)
Everyone and their mom has heard this song on repeat since birth, but it doesn't stop it from being a great one. I love the gradual build-up of Clapton's wah guitar throughout the song as it progresses, fatalistically, towards that final, orgiastic burst of Clapton's soloing that closes "White Room." "Crossroads" is usually billed as Clapton's great solo in Cream, but I prefer the melodic hooks of this one, as Clapton uses the wah pedal to its full effect in imitating the human voice.
33.) "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles)
Clapton pops up again in this spot, and again we can see his capacity for playing some of the most melodic licks of all time, here countering the bell-like purity of Harrison's voice with phrases of such real emotion that they truly do give you the impression that Clapton's guitar is crying at the beauty and loss in the world. His excellent vibrato is of course a large part of this effect, but it is his breathtaking sense of musical composition that creates such fine musical phrases that they can actually hold their own against one of the Beatles' very best songs. I have never heard Clapton's work with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, so my opinion is not very valid, but for my money, this song has Clapton's best soloing.
32.) "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Jimi's guitar playing on here has such raw, unpolished force, a sense of expression like he was overflowing with musical energy yet incapable of channeling it, so he opened up his heart and let the force of his own creative sun burst from his fingertips. His playing truly was some of the most original of any guitar player--I can't think of anything that sounds like this, before or after him. He really just fucking goes for it on his best songs. His use of guitar effects was pioneering, but he did it in such a way that they suited the song--even more than that, they suited his musical persona, bringing an otherworldly quality that is uncanny, because it reminds us of something we've forgotten. His songs are so raw and powerful that they shatter our musical (mis)perceptions and allow us to look and hear the world anew, after our soul has been torn down to its most primitive form by Hendrix's caveman/prophet guitar-playing.
31.) "Binge and Grab" (Buckethead)
I've said this a lot of times, I know, but this is truly a case of the solo coming out of absolutely nowhere to kick your ass for being such a pussy. The song begins with such a simple, catchy riff, riding it out for all its worth. Seems pretty bland, amirite? The solo even starts relatively tamely, which is just great, because you are left unprepared for how Buckethead is going to rip your flesh from your bones with his sheer technique and his wonderful energy and perhaps even naivete. How else could you contrast such carefree, innocent licks with such soul-devastating shred and blues-excelsior licks? This one is all feeling for me. Best not to try to over-intellectualize it, because I don't think that is his intention.
30.) "Is There Love in Space" (Joe Satriani)
An absolutely gorgeous song, "Is There Love in Space" has a kind of mature, understated beauty lacking in Satriani's earlier ballads (other than "Rubina"). By this point in his career, Satriani has matured into a less-is-more approach (well, sometimes he has). That means we are missing the resplendent power of Surfing with the Alien's finest songs, but it also means we have the raw emotion of a solo like this one. When I say the word "raw," I think of my description of Hendrix above. A solo like this one is like some kind of Hendrixian beast that has been refined through Joe's vast chops, able to express the feeling of Jimi's creative energy through the prism of Satriani's technique (this is oversimplified, since I don't think anyone has been able to channel Hendrix's wild energy with any great success). But nevertheless, I feel that this solo is Hendrix-inspired, through its impressionistic use of effects and tone to conjure a feel, a mood. The tone is just so overpowering in its contrast to the beauty of the verses, I just can't help being swept away by it into space and the great vault above us, a world Joe seemed eternally drawn to.
--Edward
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--49-40
49.) "Midnight" (Joe Satriani)
Similarly to Eddie Van Halen on "Mean Streets," Joe finds new ways here to use finger-tapping to expand the boundaries of the guitar's vocabulary. Joe had several of these tapping pieces on his early albums, but this is by far the best. The opening measures are haunting because of the combination of rhythm and melody made possible through tapping multiple parts at once. I love the part at 0:50 too. For a long time, this was probably my favorite track on the album. Guitar playing need not be loud or absurdly fast to be impressive. I'm glad he decided to keep an incredibly clean tone for this.
48.) "Santeria" (Sublime)
Absolutely and completely one of the most tuneful guitar solos ever. God, I do love singing this one. I would probably also say this is Sublime's best song. What can you really say about this song? It's beautiful. How many people on this list died too young? Way too many, that's for sure.
47.) "Memories" (Joe Satriani)
I based "Memory"'s place on this list off the studio version from Satch's first LP Not of This Earth, but I had to include the live version from the Dreaming #11 EP on here just because of how slamming it is. But from here on out, I'll talk about the studio version.
Joe had a very unique tone on his first album. Almost overdriven on treble, with a sort of squawking sound, it veers on grating, but somehow Joe is able to save it with his defiantly expressive soloing chops. This is such a well-constructed solo. Speed flows together deftly with precisely-phrased licks and a sense of purpose, as if this solo could never have been constructed differently than how it sounds on the final cut. One thing that Joe and Steve proved over all other shredders is that a solo can be both technically well-constructed and still be emotionally expressive. The two need not be mutually exclusive, which sometimes people seem to think is the case.
46.) "Over the Mountain" (Ozzy Osbourne)
Randy absolutely tears the shit out of this solo. He opens it up with a very unusual-sounding, and yet still completely catchy, repeating riff, before diving headfirst into a series of frightening, dissonant passages in which he plays completely alone, the rest of the band stepping back in awe to the majesty that was Randy Rhoads. This is a rather different solo, since it seems full of a kind of spontaneity and wildness that Rhoads wasn't especially known for. Very adept at creating finely-crafted and melodic solos, "Over the Mountain" displays a side of Randy not seen very often--reckless, a Dionystic lack of inhibition. Obviously Ozzy's wild ways had rubbed off a little bit on his small, blond friend. Still, nothing could ever destroy the angelic air which clung closely around Rhoads. (Don't be surprised if they take this video off of YouTube soon. They seem to be removing all studio versions of Ozzy Osbourne songs.)
45.) "Rubina" (Joe Satriani)
Named after his wife, Joe's first ballad is not as melodically sweet as some of his later ones ("Always with Me, Always with You" or "Love Thing," among many others). But it has an otherworldly quality to it that lifts it above his other ballads. It isn't a pop ballad, but a pean to his love for his wife, which because of Joe's previously mentioned innocence and earnestness has a kind of sweet sincerity that was certainly severely lacking in the power ballads that dominated the radio airwaves at the time this came out in '86. The song's instrumentation is tasteful, yet lush, reminding me of Prince's '80s records. As mentioned earlier, there is a completely ethereal quality to this, and when the solo comes in, it feels like a necessary release, and yet also a continuation of this prayer to a higher power. There isn't the least bit of wankery in this solo, and already from his first record, Joe was leaps and bounds beyond his peers.
44.) "Misirlou" (Dick Dale)
Completely bad-ass starting with that first sliding note, Dick Dale's instrumental is supposedly a "surf guitar" song, but it has always sounded just a little tougher than that for me. The tone is so righteous and loud on the tremolo notes, it's just completely in your face, daring you not to like it. I wonder how big this was before Pulp Fiction. I don't think any of us can remember a world before that, though.
43.) "The Forgotten, Pt. II" (Joe Satriani)
This song is all raw, gut-busting build-up and release, and I love it for that. It's an absolutely draining listen. Joe's soloing here doesn't feel like a technical showcase, but instead is like a modern, instrumental reinvention of the blues. Every single note of its five minutes comes right from the heart, without any pretension. While Joe often throws a lot of bluesy licks in his songs, and indeed even had a self-titled album out in '95, I believe it was, that was composed completely of the blues, I wish he put out more songs with the kind of feel this one had. It feels like Joe's crying from the depths of a terrible, fatalistic love affair. This is not the spiritual purity of "Rubina." It is forbidden, tainted, terrible love. I like that it's called "The Forgotten" (check out "The Forgotten, Pt. I" for a great finger-tapping piece).
42.) "Floods" (Pantera)
Again, Dimebag shows his penchant for melodic beauty on this excellent track. I think the best way to describe Dime's solo is majestic. Opening with a phrase of pure emotion, over incredibly powerful bass, Dime awes us with a three-sectioned solo of such crystal power that I've almost never heard its equivalent in metal guitar. I've heard many beautiful and jaw-dropping metal solos, but I'm not sure I've ever heard one where I felt the guitarist's presence overtake me with such force. Dimebag at his absolute best was a bald eagle, a lion, that dominated not through technicality or subtlety, or even through heaviness, but through his ability to connect clearly and directly through the listener with passages of such clarity and overwhelming power that they couldn't be ignored. He was like the Homer of metal guitarists--his art doesn't feel practiced or refined, and yet it hits you in the gut with its force.
41.) "Always with Me, Always with You" (Joe Satriani)
As great as Joe was at the blues, this is what he did best. Pure melodic beauty--his catchiest song by far. Gotta go with the obvious here: Just listen to the fucking song.
40.) "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Chris Impellitteri)
This may seem like a stupid concept: take a culturally classic song from a legendary movie and have a '80s shredder cover it. But it most definitely works. I'm not even sure why. He puts his heart into it--that's really about all I can say. And Jesus Christ does Chris ever have chops. His speed is almost unreal on here, and because of the song's longing nature, here it feels like both a Ozymandian longing for god-like prowess and a longing for simple happiness and innocence. I love that during the fastest parts of each solo, it dips into an uncertain key, only to be resolved in the beautiful, eternal melody of old-time Hollywood. There is something about this clash between such a simple melody and the bottomless depths of Impellitteri's technical ability that gives this song its unique charm. I love the improvisational sound of the first few bars of the second solo. I wish this one were longer.
--Edward
Similarly to Eddie Van Halen on "Mean Streets," Joe finds new ways here to use finger-tapping to expand the boundaries of the guitar's vocabulary. Joe had several of these tapping pieces on his early albums, but this is by far the best. The opening measures are haunting because of the combination of rhythm and melody made possible through tapping multiple parts at once. I love the part at 0:50 too. For a long time, this was probably my favorite track on the album. Guitar playing need not be loud or absurdly fast to be impressive. I'm glad he decided to keep an incredibly clean tone for this.
48.) "Santeria" (Sublime)
Absolutely and completely one of the most tuneful guitar solos ever. God, I do love singing this one. I would probably also say this is Sublime's best song. What can you really say about this song? It's beautiful. How many people on this list died too young? Way too many, that's for sure.
47.) "Memories" (Joe Satriani)
I based "Memory"'s place on this list off the studio version from Satch's first LP Not of This Earth, but I had to include the live version from the Dreaming #11 EP on here just because of how slamming it is. But from here on out, I'll talk about the studio version.
Joe had a very unique tone on his first album. Almost overdriven on treble, with a sort of squawking sound, it veers on grating, but somehow Joe is able to save it with his defiantly expressive soloing chops. This is such a well-constructed solo. Speed flows together deftly with precisely-phrased licks and a sense of purpose, as if this solo could never have been constructed differently than how it sounds on the final cut. One thing that Joe and Steve proved over all other shredders is that a solo can be both technically well-constructed and still be emotionally expressive. The two need not be mutually exclusive, which sometimes people seem to think is the case.
46.) "Over the Mountain" (Ozzy Osbourne)
Randy absolutely tears the shit out of this solo. He opens it up with a very unusual-sounding, and yet still completely catchy, repeating riff, before diving headfirst into a series of frightening, dissonant passages in which he plays completely alone, the rest of the band stepping back in awe to the majesty that was Randy Rhoads. This is a rather different solo, since it seems full of a kind of spontaneity and wildness that Rhoads wasn't especially known for. Very adept at creating finely-crafted and melodic solos, "Over the Mountain" displays a side of Randy not seen very often--reckless, a Dionystic lack of inhibition. Obviously Ozzy's wild ways had rubbed off a little bit on his small, blond friend. Still, nothing could ever destroy the angelic air which clung closely around Rhoads. (Don't be surprised if they take this video off of YouTube soon. They seem to be removing all studio versions of Ozzy Osbourne songs.)
45.) "Rubina" (Joe Satriani)
Named after his wife, Joe's first ballad is not as melodically sweet as some of his later ones ("Always with Me, Always with You" or "Love Thing," among many others). But it has an otherworldly quality to it that lifts it above his other ballads. It isn't a pop ballad, but a pean to his love for his wife, which because of Joe's previously mentioned innocence and earnestness has a kind of sweet sincerity that was certainly severely lacking in the power ballads that dominated the radio airwaves at the time this came out in '86. The song's instrumentation is tasteful, yet lush, reminding me of Prince's '80s records. As mentioned earlier, there is a completely ethereal quality to this, and when the solo comes in, it feels like a necessary release, and yet also a continuation of this prayer to a higher power. There isn't the least bit of wankery in this solo, and already from his first record, Joe was leaps and bounds beyond his peers.
44.) "Misirlou" (Dick Dale)
Completely bad-ass starting with that first sliding note, Dick Dale's instrumental is supposedly a "surf guitar" song, but it has always sounded just a little tougher than that for me. The tone is so righteous and loud on the tremolo notes, it's just completely in your face, daring you not to like it. I wonder how big this was before Pulp Fiction. I don't think any of us can remember a world before that, though.
43.) "The Forgotten, Pt. II" (Joe Satriani)
This song is all raw, gut-busting build-up and release, and I love it for that. It's an absolutely draining listen. Joe's soloing here doesn't feel like a technical showcase, but instead is like a modern, instrumental reinvention of the blues. Every single note of its five minutes comes right from the heart, without any pretension. While Joe often throws a lot of bluesy licks in his songs, and indeed even had a self-titled album out in '95, I believe it was, that was composed completely of the blues, I wish he put out more songs with the kind of feel this one had. It feels like Joe's crying from the depths of a terrible, fatalistic love affair. This is not the spiritual purity of "Rubina." It is forbidden, tainted, terrible love. I like that it's called "The Forgotten" (check out "The Forgotten, Pt. I" for a great finger-tapping piece).
42.) "Floods" (Pantera)
Again, Dimebag shows his penchant for melodic beauty on this excellent track. I think the best way to describe Dime's solo is majestic. Opening with a phrase of pure emotion, over incredibly powerful bass, Dime awes us with a three-sectioned solo of such crystal power that I've almost never heard its equivalent in metal guitar. I've heard many beautiful and jaw-dropping metal solos, but I'm not sure I've ever heard one where I felt the guitarist's presence overtake me with such force. Dimebag at his absolute best was a bald eagle, a lion, that dominated not through technicality or subtlety, or even through heaviness, but through his ability to connect clearly and directly through the listener with passages of such clarity and overwhelming power that they couldn't be ignored. He was like the Homer of metal guitarists--his art doesn't feel practiced or refined, and yet it hits you in the gut with its force.
41.) "Always with Me, Always with You" (Joe Satriani)
As great as Joe was at the blues, this is what he did best. Pure melodic beauty--his catchiest song by far. Gotta go with the obvious here: Just listen to the fucking song.
40.) "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Chris Impellitteri)
This may seem like a stupid concept: take a culturally classic song from a legendary movie and have a '80s shredder cover it. But it most definitely works. I'm not even sure why. He puts his heart into it--that's really about all I can say. And Jesus Christ does Chris ever have chops. His speed is almost unreal on here, and because of the song's longing nature, here it feels like both a Ozymandian longing for god-like prowess and a longing for simple happiness and innocence. I love that during the fastest parts of each solo, it dips into an uncertain key, only to be resolved in the beautiful, eternal melody of old-time Hollywood. There is something about this clash between such a simple melody and the bottomless depths of Impellitteri's technical ability that gives this song its unique charm. I love the improvisational sound of the first few bars of the second solo. I wish this one were longer.
--Edward
Sunday, May 29, 2011
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
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
The Top 100 Rock Guitar Solos of All Time--69-60
69.) "Circles" (Joe Satriani)
The first time a Surfing with the Alien track shows up on here, but by God it won't be the last. Joe opens this song peacefully with a shimmering guitar melody. At one minute in, he unleashes hell. Obviously the whole point of the song is the contrast between the beauty of the melody and the intensity of the solo. Being as this is on the greatest guitar album of all time, Joe certainly doesn't let us down. He really pulls out all the stops on here, from lightning-speed legato to whammy bar squeals to sighing bends, and the transition into and out of the solo is one of the great moments of this album, which stands in my top ten of all time easily. This is fun to watch a live version of.
68.) "Feathers" (Steve Vai)
"Feathers" is a very pretty song written by Vai as a product demonstration for whatever effect gives this song its unique guitar tone (I forget what it is, but you can look up if you really are interested). You can only find the song in the Steve Vai box set or if you buy one of the Mystery Tracks CDs contained in that set. He never released it on any of his normal albums. Housing a delicate melody encased in that beautiful warbling tone of Vai's guitar, the real highlight of the track is the two minutes and thirty seconds-plus gently building guitar solo, in which Vai at first starts out using the effect that he used for the melody of the song, combining the warm tone of this effect with playful licks. At 3:18, Vai discards his effect to return to his standard solo tone, slowly building towards a climactic conclusion to the solo and a reintroduction of the main melody, this time with more bombast. A really great little track.
67.) "Cliffs of Dover" (Eric Johnson)
Eric Johnson is a fine virtuoso player with a knack for melody and bluesy licks thrown out at rapid-fire pace. "Cliffs of Dover" is his signature piece, full of summer energy and memorable hooks. That refrain first heard at 1:00 is so joyous that you won't be able to get it out of your head. The whole piece is resplendent in the thrill and love of music. Eric is well known as a perfectionist, and his solos are indeed pristine and gem-like. This song can't fail to put a smile on my face.
66.) "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
What a bad-ass fucking song. That bottom-of-the-sea bass is just great. You could solo forever over that groove. And Nugent does indeed solo his brains out here. I love the delay-soaked mid-parts of the solo, the random ghost wails creeping from the depths of the swamp groove, and how this song is nothing other than one long breakdown into the depths of the Bayeux. It's where the blues began and it's where we go to die.
65.) "Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" (Al DiMeola)
Another effortlessly cool song, which white people cannot seem to make anymore. No one was as fast and precise a player as DiMeola was in the mid-70's. Perhaps John McLaughlin had his speed, and indeed plays with DiMeola on some records, but Al was so fucking clean that it just slays me. A forerunner to the shred greats of the next decade, DiMeola brings a rocking, sexy vibe to his songs that is severely lacking in the neoclassical shred of the '80s. The palm-muted riff at 2:50 is just awesome, and he breaks into a thrilling solo, only to draw the song back into its lush Mediterranean vibe after only a few bars of gorgeously precise shredding. God, the part at 4:10 is so fucking sexy. He has such an authority to his playing that you can't help but be in awe.
64.) "Hot for Teacher" (Van Halen)
Hot teachers--what a great subject for a song. Only David Lee Roth could sing about such a thing. He loved doing the whole talk-during-the-middle-of-the-song thing in his songs. What the hell was that about? "Teacher, I brought my pencil...gimme something to write on!" Really?! However, the song rests on Alex Van Halen's fine drumming and a great breakdown riff from EVH over Lee Roth's adolescent antics, punctuated by bursts of explosive, exuberant lead guitar in a way that only Eddie seemed capable of. You can make a strong case that this band is pretty one-dimensional--but they were great at writing fun rock songs, and no matter how many copycats Eddie has, his own style in inimitable.
63.) "Slow and Easy" (Joe Satriani)
Released on Joe's very underrated Engines of Creation, which is a mix between electronic music and virtuoso guitar, boasting some of his strongest melodies and best sound experiments, this slow burn of a song really sinks in with repeated listening. I'm not sure if he actually uses a sitar for the solo on this, but I would suspect it's probably a guitar effect. Either way, it's absolutely and truly gorgeous. One of his most beautiful solos ever, this song just reeks of 1940's steamy, morally ambiguous film noir. What else is there to say? Just listen.
62.) "25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago)
Where the fuck does this come from? Who ever knew Chicago had good guitar in their music? Besides boasting one of the great rock guitar riffs, Terry Kath delivers one mean solo on this song. His phrasing is so full of attitude, the wah pedal use is perfect, and he just fills the whole second half of the song with great fills. His playing is very reminiscent of Eric Clapton in his prime on here, and I dare say that if he could do this on a regular basis, then I would consider him a peer of Eric's. However, I don't particularly know much Chicago music, so I couldn't tell you. It looks like he died quite young. What a great song.
61.) "Call It Sleep" (Steve Vai)
Sorry, I couldn't find the original version on YouTube, but I suggest everyone try to seek it out. His tone is absolutely raw and gorgeous on it. This live version is quite good, though. Steve wrote this song in high school about a girl that he knew who died (I believe). His unschooled playing and almost overpowering tone on it really keep the emotions on the surface in such a powerful way. As I talked about on "Junkie," Vai's playing was so unusual on his first record, Flexable. There was a great sense of adventure and experimentation, and already his talents were so full that it seemed he didn't know what to do with them. There is a part towards the end, after the solo break, where he goes off on a series of seemingly erratic notes that resolve themselves in the most beautiful way--only Steve Vai could make this work. As everyone knows, there were legions of technically gifted and enthusiastic shredders dripping out of the floorboards in the 1980s, trying to copy Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. But there were very few truly original guitarists that came out after these guys. Steve Vai was one of them.
60.) "Rainbow in the Dark" (Dio)
Generic-sounding '80s metal song? Check. Ass-kicking solo? Check. 'Nuff said.
--Edward
The first time a Surfing with the Alien track shows up on here, but by God it won't be the last. Joe opens this song peacefully with a shimmering guitar melody. At one minute in, he unleashes hell. Obviously the whole point of the song is the contrast between the beauty of the melody and the intensity of the solo. Being as this is on the greatest guitar album of all time, Joe certainly doesn't let us down. He really pulls out all the stops on here, from lightning-speed legato to whammy bar squeals to sighing bends, and the transition into and out of the solo is one of the great moments of this album, which stands in my top ten of all time easily. This is fun to watch a live version of.
68.) "Feathers" (Steve Vai)
"Feathers" is a very pretty song written by Vai as a product demonstration for whatever effect gives this song its unique guitar tone (I forget what it is, but you can look up if you really are interested). You can only find the song in the Steve Vai box set or if you buy one of the Mystery Tracks CDs contained in that set. He never released it on any of his normal albums. Housing a delicate melody encased in that beautiful warbling tone of Vai's guitar, the real highlight of the track is the two minutes and thirty seconds-plus gently building guitar solo, in which Vai at first starts out using the effect that he used for the melody of the song, combining the warm tone of this effect with playful licks. At 3:18, Vai discards his effect to return to his standard solo tone, slowly building towards a climactic conclusion to the solo and a reintroduction of the main melody, this time with more bombast. A really great little track.
67.) "Cliffs of Dover" (Eric Johnson)
Eric Johnson is a fine virtuoso player with a knack for melody and bluesy licks thrown out at rapid-fire pace. "Cliffs of Dover" is his signature piece, full of summer energy and memorable hooks. That refrain first heard at 1:00 is so joyous that you won't be able to get it out of your head. The whole piece is resplendent in the thrill and love of music. Eric is well known as a perfectionist, and his solos are indeed pristine and gem-like. This song can't fail to put a smile on my face.
66.) "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
What a bad-ass fucking song. That bottom-of-the-sea bass is just great. You could solo forever over that groove. And Nugent does indeed solo his brains out here. I love the delay-soaked mid-parts of the solo, the random ghost wails creeping from the depths of the swamp groove, and how this song is nothing other than one long breakdown into the depths of the Bayeux. It's where the blues began and it's where we go to die.
65.) "Race with the Devil on a Spanish Highway" (Al DiMeola)
Another effortlessly cool song, which white people cannot seem to make anymore. No one was as fast and precise a player as DiMeola was in the mid-70's. Perhaps John McLaughlin had his speed, and indeed plays with DiMeola on some records, but Al was so fucking clean that it just slays me. A forerunner to the shred greats of the next decade, DiMeola brings a rocking, sexy vibe to his songs that is severely lacking in the neoclassical shred of the '80s. The palm-muted riff at 2:50 is just awesome, and he breaks into a thrilling solo, only to draw the song back into its lush Mediterranean vibe after only a few bars of gorgeously precise shredding. God, the part at 4:10 is so fucking sexy. He has such an authority to his playing that you can't help but be in awe.
64.) "Hot for Teacher" (Van Halen)
Hot teachers--what a great subject for a song. Only David Lee Roth could sing about such a thing. He loved doing the whole talk-during-the-middle-of-the-song thing in his songs. What the hell was that about? "Teacher, I brought my pencil...gimme something to write on!" Really?! However, the song rests on Alex Van Halen's fine drumming and a great breakdown riff from EVH over Lee Roth's adolescent antics, punctuated by bursts of explosive, exuberant lead guitar in a way that only Eddie seemed capable of. You can make a strong case that this band is pretty one-dimensional--but they were great at writing fun rock songs, and no matter how many copycats Eddie has, his own style in inimitable.
63.) "Slow and Easy" (Joe Satriani)
Released on Joe's very underrated Engines of Creation, which is a mix between electronic music and virtuoso guitar, boasting some of his strongest melodies and best sound experiments, this slow burn of a song really sinks in with repeated listening. I'm not sure if he actually uses a sitar for the solo on this, but I would suspect it's probably a guitar effect. Either way, it's absolutely and truly gorgeous. One of his most beautiful solos ever, this song just reeks of 1940's steamy, morally ambiguous film noir. What else is there to say? Just listen.
62.) "25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago)
Where the fuck does this come from? Who ever knew Chicago had good guitar in their music? Besides boasting one of the great rock guitar riffs, Terry Kath delivers one mean solo on this song. His phrasing is so full of attitude, the wah pedal use is perfect, and he just fills the whole second half of the song with great fills. His playing is very reminiscent of Eric Clapton in his prime on here, and I dare say that if he could do this on a regular basis, then I would consider him a peer of Eric's. However, I don't particularly know much Chicago music, so I couldn't tell you. It looks like he died quite young. What a great song.
61.) "Call It Sleep" (Steve Vai)
Sorry, I couldn't find the original version on YouTube, but I suggest everyone try to seek it out. His tone is absolutely raw and gorgeous on it. This live version is quite good, though. Steve wrote this song in high school about a girl that he knew who died (I believe). His unschooled playing and almost overpowering tone on it really keep the emotions on the surface in such a powerful way. As I talked about on "Junkie," Vai's playing was so unusual on his first record, Flexable. There was a great sense of adventure and experimentation, and already his talents were so full that it seemed he didn't know what to do with them. There is a part towards the end, after the solo break, where he goes off on a series of seemingly erratic notes that resolve themselves in the most beautiful way--only Steve Vai could make this work. As everyone knows, there were legions of technically gifted and enthusiastic shredders dripping out of the floorboards in the 1980s, trying to copy Eddie Van Halen and Yngwie Malmsteen. But there were very few truly original guitarists that came out after these guys. Steve Vai was one of them.
60.) "Rainbow in the Dark" (Dio)
Generic-sounding '80s metal song? Check. Ass-kicking solo? Check. 'Nuff said.
--Edward
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