Favourite Guitar Solo or Riff

Steve Hackett on Firth of Fifth from Seconds Out
Steve Hackett the long fade out on Shadow of the Hierophant from Voyage of the Acolyte
David Gilmour on Sheep Pink Floyd
David Gilmour on Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd
David Gilmour Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pink Floyd

1. Pat Metheny on 'Have You Heard', the first track on the 'Letters from Home' album.

2. John McLaughlin on 'Blue in Green', the first track of 'Live from the Royal Festival Hall'.

3. Larry Carlton on 'Green Earrings', sixth track from Steely Dan's 'The Royal Scam' album.

Early in the morning here -- can only think of a few:

Cream (Eric Clapton): "Crossroads"
Beatles (Harrison): "Let It Be"
Richard Thompson: "Jerusalem on the Jukebox"
Jimi Hendrix: "Little Wing"
Rory Gallagher: "Walk On Hot Coals" (from "Irish Tour")

I didn't really pick these for technical proficiency (though that is a feature of these solos). I picked them because I thought they fit well in the tune.

One thing: on "Let It Be", I'm referring to the album version, not the single version. Also, the Richard Thompson tune is not my favorite Richard Thompson tune, but the guitar solo is so well integrated into the song that I've always been impressed by it.

From the film 'Crossroads'. The bit that the Karate Kid plays before Steve Vai concedes defeat.

quote:

Originally posted by irwan shah:
1. Pat Metheny on 'Have You Heard', the first track on the 'Letters from Home' album.

2. John McLaughlin on 'Blue in Green', the first track of 'Live from the Royal Festival Hall'.

I like your first two choices Irwin, particularly the Metheny

That one that goes DA DA DA------DA DA DA DA-----------DA DA DA DA DA or of course the one Jeff Lynne wrote on roll over.

But my second favourite is this one from the amazing John DuCann.

Of course the best opening rift ever has to be on the greatest single of all time, which as every sane person agrees is Save My Soul - surely the least contentious view ever posted on this forum.

The best guitar work I have ever heard is by Davy Graham on Folk Roots, New Roots closely followed by Nick Drake's entire catalogue.

Derek and the Dominoes' Layla is pretty good too.

Anything by John Martyn. Scratch that. Everything by John Martyn! Like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...9op8&feature=related

Phenomenal skill, soul, musicality, the lot.

And these boys have something to say on that topic - if you are a little patient :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...MSjI&feature=related

Rory Gallagher, 'A Million Miles Away' Irish Tour '74.

Clip from the original documentary by Tony Palmer

Steely Dan immediately sprang to mind - especially the guitar solo on "Boston Rag" from the "Countdown to Ecstasy" album. It's interesting enough in its own right, but the moment the rest of the band come back in, and the guitars of Denny Dias and Skunk Baxter wail in harmony never fails to leave me (ahem) ecstatic!

One from each of my favourite guitarists

Jimmy Page - Kashmir
Alex Lifeson - Working man
Paul Kossoff - Be my friend (live)
David Gilmour - Near the end (About Face)
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Life without you (live)

And Television - Marquee Moon
No Wave's "Stairway to Heaven"

Peter Green on

Need Your Love So Bad
Man of the World

take your pick !

Any time Buddy Guy truly lets go live. Raw, emotional, dynamic and authentic. None better IMO and I've seen SRV live at least 12 times!
Nat

Five of my favourite guitar solos would be:

Robert Fripp - 'God's Monkey' (live) from 'Damage' David Slyvian & Robert Fripp
I just find Fripps playing so emotional, but his phrasing is hardly ever from blues, so many people miss it, this is just an explosion of notes, then falling back into ambient sound, both of his best characteristics. Various versions of 'Easy Money' would qualify too.

Steve Hackett - 'Blood on the Rooftops' from 'Wind and Wuthering' Genesis.
Hard not to pick the live version of 'Firth of Fifth' from 'Seconds Out', but for me although Hackett is amazing on the electric guitar, his acoustic playing is even more remarkable to me.

Steve Howe - 'Siberian Khatru' from 'Close to the Edge' Yes.
So lively and fluid, his 12 string solo in 'Awaken' is pretty amazing too.

Jimmy Page - 'Since I've Been Loving You' from 'III' Led Zeppelin.
Many Page solos to choose from, the live one in 'No Quarter' Earls Court 25th may 1975 jamming into Jean Paul Jones' piano solo and then driftng into jazz rock is up there too.

Mark Hollis - 'After the Flood' from 'Laughing Stock' Talk Talk.
Not a lead guitarist, but a songwriter who knew exactly what this song needed, there is virtually no technique in this solo, it is just about 16 bars of intense feedback, really quite unpleasant, rather like nails scraping down a blackboard, it sets you on edge, then when it stops and the rich Hammond organ comes in, it is works so perfectly.

Others I love, Adrian Belew 'Level Five' King Crimson, Alex Lifeson 'A Lerxt in Wonderland', part of 'la Villa Strangiato' Rush, Stacey Hayden ' Stay' (live) extra track on the original 'Station to Station' David Bowie, David Gilmour 'Dogs' from 'Animals', Mark Kozelek ' River' from 'Old Ramon' Red House Painters (rather like the Mark Hollis solo, just bashing a guitar), There are many more that do not come to mind right now.

I also read that Elliot Randall's guitar solo on Steely Dan's 'Reelin' In the Years', from 'Can't Buy a Thrill' is Jimmy Page's favourite guitar solo, and Dean Parks' talk box guitar solo on 'Haitian Divorce' in another very memorable one from 'Royal Scam'

These are among my favourites, they may not all be flashy or technically whizzo, but they just hit the spot.

Spirit - 1984 Originally a single, now a bonus track on Clear.
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Fresh Air Quicksilver on the turn under Dino Valente. There's a great piano solo from Nicky Hopkins on the same track
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Pride Of Man Quicksilver as I first heard them.
Paul Davidson - Midnight Rider Reggae version of Allman Brothers - shouldn't have worked...apologies for the squonky sound from my off-centre 45
Frank Zappa - Stevie's Spanking From the live Can't Do That On Stage Vol. 4, a fragment of Frank and Steve Vai ripping each other to bits
Neil Young - I've Been Waiting For You I could have included dozens of wonderful Young solos (e.g. Hurricane) but this got me good and early (from the first solo album)
Gov't Mule - Catfish Blues Warren Haynes is a wonderful guitarist in many styles. This is the slide solo from the first half of the song - he rounds it off with an fingered one (not included here). From The Deep End Vol. 2
Transglobal Underground - Secrets & Distant Dreams OK, so I'm cheating, as this is a sitar solo but damn me it rocks (and conitnues to do so in a flambe style over the closing vocals). From the Yes Boss Food Corner album

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:

Spirit - 1984 Originally a single, now a bonus track on Clear.

Great track from a wonderful group - Randy California was a great musician and highly original and sadly missed.

Peter Green - Love that Burns
Billy Gibbons - Blue Jean Blues
Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
Dave Gilmour - Comfortably Numb
Jimi Hendrix - Red House

Tim Renwick - Year of the Cat from the album Year of the Cat.

David Gilmore - Comfortably Numb.

Brian May - We Will Rock You

Just a quick three short breaks that I like for what I would term their "fluidity" I am a not a player and do not know a technical description:-

Eric on the live "Crossroads"

Dave Gilmour on the studio "Fat Old Sun"

Richard Thompson (then in Fairport C.)has two wonderful short breaks on the live "Sir Patrick Spens" at the Troubador on "House Full" or "Full House"

If I had to pick an entire track to show off someone's technique, it would be Eric on the live "I'm So Glad" from "Goodbye"

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Shaw:
These are among my favourites, they may not all be flashy or technically whizzo, but they just hit the spot.

Spirit - 1984 Originally a single, now a bonus track on Clear.
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Fresh Air Quicksilver on the turn under Dino Valente. There's a great piano solo from Nicky Hopkins on the same track
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Pride Of Man Quicksilver as I first heard them.
Paul Davidson - Midnight Rider Reggae version of Allman Brothers - shouldn't have worked...apologies for the squonky sound from my off-centre 45
Frank Zappa - Stevie's Spanking From the live Can't Do That On Stage Vol. 4, a fragment of Frank and Steve Vai ripping each other to bits
Neil Young - I've Been Waiting For You I could have included dozens of wonderful Young solos (e.g. Hurricane) but this got me good and early (from the first solo album)
Gov't Mule - Catfish Blues Warren Haynes is a wonderful guitarist in many styles. This is the slide solo from the first half of the song - he rounds it off with an fingered one (not included here). From The Deep End Vol. 2
Transglobal Underground - Secrets & Distant Dreams OK, so I'm cheating, as this is a sitar solo but damn me it rocks (and conitnues to do so in a flambe style over the closing vocals). From the Yes Boss Food Corner album

Congratulations Gary on selecting a few that require a little bit more imagination than simply resorting to the "40-Greatest-Guitar-Hits" compilation that your kids bought you for Father's Day 6 years ago.

Johnny Marr - "What Difference Does It Make"

Bran Robertson/Scott Gorham - "The Boys Are Back In Town"

Reg Smithies/Dave Fielding - "View From a Hill" or "Swamp Thing" or "Paper Tigers" or ... virtually any Chameleons or Reegs song.

Peter Hammill - "Meurglys III". - discordant, harsh, staccato, not pleasant to listen to at all - and it goes on forever. Brilliant!

Lontano:

Thanks!

Which version of 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' do you like? I notice there are lots of Gilmour fans on these boards. I will be tracking down your favourites to listen. My favourite is the first Pink Floyd album that I purchased: 'Pulse'. I had both discs in constant rotation on the CD player way back in the mid-90s. Reminds me of many late nights I spent writing with the aid of an old pre-Pentium PC into the wee hours of the morning. Until today, I find it difficult to write without music playing in the background. Pink Floyd is great for working on a dissertation / thesis.

You said that you were going to watch Pat one of these days? A post on these boards on how that gig went would be nice.

To all the Clapton fans:

Try listening to one his band mates, Andy 'Fairweather' Low. He is a genius on the guitar in addition to being a really nice bloke.

Great solo's mmmm..

Continuing the Dan theme, the solo's of Bodhisatvsa and most of all the intro to "Dont take me alive" Eargasm.

Prince - extended solo's from "Joy in Repetition" (played really REALLY loud) on One Night Alone

Mclaughlin, especially the Shakti stuff - loadsa notes

Bill Frisell at the opposite extreme - nowt fast, but exquisite all the same - try "Gone just like a train", or East / West - the understated underestimated master of guitar