Hooligans of the Night

Since I'm seeing these "top whatever" threads, figured I'd chime in with something.

So here it is, my favorite guitar solos. (Note the alternative and classic rock bias!) I'm specifically avoiding metal acts because lists like these tend to be filled to the brim with metal songs and Stairway to Heaven.

Quote:

10) Soundgarden: Like Suicide - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAo11xf1TY
This has been a favorite of mine for a very long time, and it felt like the best way to start the list. It was this song that really made me fall in love with this band, and the solo is sort of a fitting close for an altogether excellent album.

9) Ben Harper: Serve Your Soul - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYDIkK_Ooy4
Mr. Harper doesn't showcase his guitar-playing abilities too often, but when he does, oh man, I love it.

8) Mad Season: November Hotel - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lY-KNvicrE
I don't know if I should classify this as extended solo or all out jam. Regardless, it kicks ass.

7) Queens of the Stone Age: Better Living Through Chemistry - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVE90vGS9ps
This one is sort of an odd choice given it's repetative nature, especially considering the rest of my picks on the list lean more towards improv/jam. Still, I like. It just pounds it right into your head and does not ease up for a moment.

6) Zakk Wylde: Stillborn (Live at Planet of Sound, Acoustic) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQq1cNCtuVU
I'll be bluntly honest: I'm not really a giant fan of Zakk Wylde. However, once I heard this on the radio (this recording was done in a local recording studio in CT, and some guys from the local rock station were there to record it) I made an exception. Sort of a haunting feel.

5) Kyuss: Whitewater - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcY3UF6_IaM
Another one that sort of blurs the line between solo and extended jam, but whatever. Kind of hard to believe it's Josh Homme at first; he certainly is a versatile guy.

4) Ted Nugent: Stranglehold - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7dR8-3Nc0M
Psychadelic orgasm. That's all I have to say.

3) Temple of the Dog: Reach Down
Fun fact: Mike McCready's headphone monitors flew off his head halfway through recording, and played this without being able to hear the backing track. Wish I could find a copy online that wasn't a shitty live recording.

2) The Allman Brothers Band: Dreams - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UByYWMeY68
It would be criminal to leave Duane Allman off this kind of list, and Dreams really sort of captures one of his best moments. (Well, when he's not rocking out in a 20 minute rendition of Whipping Post, but that was more of an extended jam than a solo.) Their current guitarist, Derek Trucks, nails it quite well, too.

1) Jane's Addiction: Three Days - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmvG2GZ3S7o
While it would probably be insulting to feature this song for it's solo (great lyrics and vocals on Perry's part, almost psychadelic bass line and tribal drumming deserve more respect than they get) there's really no arguing that this was probably the pinncle of Dave Navarro's career. It's a shame nowadays he's in shit outfits like 'The Panic Channel.'

I think later on I'm going to have to do an extended jams list. I could probably fill that one out to a few dozen or so, I'm sure.

Man top solo's hmm... there are quite a few. But no doubt most of mine would have to come from Slash. My favorites in no particular order are November Rain, Don't Cry, Civil War, Nightrain, Loving the Alien, Slither, Sweet Child O' Mine, Last Fight, and countless others. And that's just SLASH!! Don't even get me started on the other Guitarist!

Call me old fashion, but I believe and list of great guitar solo that doesn't include Funkadelic's Maggot Brain is invalid.

Despite the fact that it's drenched in studio effects, the solo in Cherub Rock is pretty awesome.

Obligitory:

And what about a drum solo?! You have to go in to song about a minute.

Fuck yeah John Bonham! I was so hoping that I when I clicked on that it wouldn't be Keith Moon or Travis Barker, cos I've pretty much had enough of the former (no thanks to Rock Band) and never liked the latter even though everyone else seems to.

Man, don't even get me started on drum solos. I'd start a thread just for that, but I'd probably be the only one posting much at all.

Solo starts at 4:55

Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" is really nice, though I'm not sure it counts as a "solo". It's more of an nine-minute jam session.

Same with Michael Manring's "The Enormous Room". Beautiful, beautiful piece, done on a special electric bass. Watch him adjust the tuning as he's playing.

I really enjoy the solo on The Strokes and Eddie Vedder's cover of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me". It's not technically brilliant or even particularly inventive, but the beginning is just so chewy I can't help but love it.

@ 2:02

The big question with a list like this is do you go with the overall technical profiency of the artist doing the solo, or do you go with the "feel" of the solo?

I honestly don't think I could make a list like this......

....that doesn't include me...........*ahem*

Comfortably Numb by Gilmour has a solo that I feel hits all the right spots.

Same with Apparitions by Matthew Good Band. Not a technical solo, but shares the theme of the lyrics, if you catch my meaning.

Most of Randy Rhoads stuff is amazing too.

Wish I could think of more, but I just can't. Been listening to too much classical and orchestrated music lately.

I'm surprised no one has pulled a "That guitarist sucks! This one is WAY better" move yet. On my last forum this thread would have been a war zone lol. I think MOST solos are just awesome, some just feel right to me. Some feel right to others, it's just a matter of opinion. I just love music, almost all kinds.

That's the difference between this forum and any other. Wink

What was your last board, btw?

Man, solos are rough to judge because shredding doesn't always equal a good solo. When I was around 18-23 in my party years I listened to a Rage Against the Machine bootleg called Live and Rare and it had some awesome Tom Morello soloing, some of his best IMO. I had the pleasure of seeing RatM in their heyday and he totally improvises some of the best solos I have heard in my life. Again, it goes back to what do you consider a good solo. In the album I am referring to Tom just adds so much to the song with his solos and it gives me goosebumps just to listen to it.

I want to drop a Dead song, but can't because Jerry Berry rocks all around and its like choosing a kid. Plus, there's just so much live shit from The Dead that it would be extremely hard to narrow down. I will drop some Voodoo Child(Slight Return) by Hendrix just because we need more Jimi.

A guitar solo, to me, means that someone does something so melodic and beautiful and wrenching that it feels like they are going to blow the #@$ing roof off.

With that in mind, I present to you:
Soma by Smashing Pumpkins. Around 4:30 the solo hits. Turn the volume way up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60J6Hlvfe...re=related

Little known fact: In Siamese Dream, Billy Corgan did all the solos, not James Iha. That is why when you watch a live version of any of these tunes Corgan is the guy wailing on the axe.

I have to say though, the two guys I think of when I think about great guitar solos would be David Gilmour and Neil Young. Some of Gilmour's best stuff was on The Final Cut, which was an amazing album that doesn't get nearly the respect it deserves.

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