I was just listening to Guns ‘n’ Roses’ November Rain, and man, the guitar solos in it are just beautiful. It’s those three solos that are keeping me off the “Slash is overrated” bandwaggon that seems to be tooling about lately. What happened to “Slash = God”?
Anyway, list your favorites, please. I’m aching for some new music.
Television- “marquee moon”
Richard Hell and the Voivoids- “love comes in spurts”
the Velvet Underground - “sister ray”
I still think the best solo of all time was Frampton’s live version of Do you feel like we do.
But if you’re looking for new guitar music, check out Joe Satriani’s Strange beautiful music.
gotta agree with marquee moon (pretty much any thing verlaine related).
my pick tonight “temporarily blind” by built to spill…
I don’t think Slash is overrated at all. He’s played beautiful solos in a number of G’N’R songs - November Rain, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Patience, Paradise City…
I’m sure someone will be along soon enough to point out Jimmy Page’s more famous guitar solos. So I’ll mention a slightly less-heard-of acoustic song: Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp. In particular, the 1975 Earl’s Court performance of it shown on the Led Zeppelin DVD. Never fails to blow me away.
Depends on my mood. Marty Friedman’s aggressive, blistering work on Megadeth’s Rust in Peace album comes to mind. Clapton has a number of great blues solos on From the Cradle. David Gilmore’s slow, mournful solos on the Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “The Final Cut” have made those songs personal favorites.
I love all of the guitar solos on Dogs by Pink Floyd. A lot of it is very nasty and angular but then there are some soaring duet parts as well, all good stuff.
Let’s see… I’d include Duane Allman’s solo from In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and Dickey Betts’s from Whipping Post (both from At Fillmore East). Although my real favorite from Duane is from the Allmans’ recently-released Live at SUNY Stony Brook, on Dreams. I guess I’ll be the first Hendrix mentioner: Voodoo Child (Slight Return) and 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be).
One of my favourites is Wurm, the long solo coda by Steve Howe in Starship Trooper. It is in The Yes album. Wow, that’s a treat!
This is an odd one:
Daryl Stuermer (who has played with Phil Collins & Genesis on tour) does a nice solo on Frida’s (the brunette from ABBA) solo hit “I Know There’s Something Going On”.
Phil produced that album and his backing band plays on it as well.
“The Lady’s Got Potential” from the orginal concept recording of “Evita.” The version on the Czech CD, with Dan Barta vocals, is so rocking good it makes your hair stand on end.
If you can find yourself one of Dave Davies’ recent live performances of ‘See My Friends’ or ‘I’m not like Everybody Else’ or ‘Living on a Thin Line’ – his arrangements and solo work on his own and reworked Kinks’ songs are breathtaking.
I usually avoid live albums, but he is an excellent re-mixer and engineer, and cuts the applause and crowd noise down to where it’s not intrusive.
Gah! Posted before I finished – meant to say, I’m not endorsing bootlegs; a couple of good CDs would be like his ‘Rock Bottom - Live at the Bottom Line’ or ‘Bugged - Live’.
They aren’t “bootlegs”, they’re “alternately-sourced recordings”.
Actually, the two I mentioned are commecially available, ya silly boy…
make a note, keep an eye on this one…
Well, my favorite soloist (not always my favorite guitarist, but definitely the guy who’s performed the greatest number of interesting and emotionally compelling solos) is David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. And among the best solos he’s done are on
“Dogs” (from “Animals” and “Comfortably Numb” (from “The Wall”).
My second favorite soloist is Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, who freely admits he’s no virtuoso on guitar (he often says “People give me too much credit- they think I play slowly by choice, but it’s really because I CAN’T play very fast”). And yet, the notes he elects to play are usually far more affecting than what I hear from the Van Halens and Malmsteens of the world. My favorite Knopfler solos include those on “Brothers in Arms” (the title track of their great 1986 album), “Down to the Waterline” (from their debut album), and “Expresso Love” (from “Making Movies”).
A few of my other favorites (there are so many, I’m sure to leave out a lot of great ones).
Ritchie Blackmore on Deep Purple’s “Highway Star” (hey, I drive a 1995 Toyota Corolla- and when I play “Highway Star” in my tape deck, even my old heap feels like a Maserati!) and on Rainbow’s “Kill the King” from “Long Live Rock & Roll”.
Paul McCartney on the Beatles’ “Taxman.” Yes, it was Paul, and it used to drive George nuts when people would tell him that was their favorite guitar solo ever.
Robert Fripp on King Crimson’s “A Sailor’s Tale,” on the “Islands” album, and on “Waiting Man” from “Beat.”
Hiram Bullock on Sting’s remake of Jimi Hendrix’s “Litttle Wing.” I always though of Hiram as an apathetic goofball in David Letterman’s band, and had no idea just how good he was.
Buck Dharma on Blue Oyster Cult’s “I’m On the Lamb But I Ain’t No Sheep” and “Stairway to the Stars” (from their debut album).
That’s true. My pick for him would actually be Skateaway, for those last few notes.
I’m still trying to think of my favorite Derek Trucks solo. Maybe from his 3/27/04 Elizabeth Reed, or maybe ‘the next one.’ 
Seriously, Eruption and FreeBird.
Dave Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s “Mother” (At his most restrained and tasteful–every note is necessary and right)
Paul McCartney, The Beatles’ “Taxman” (Poor George Harrison had people questioning him about this knockout solo for the rest of his life, and he had to admit he didn’t play it)
Jack White, The White Stripes’ “You Have No Faith in Medicine” (Wow … how does he do that?)
Mike Bloomfield, Dylan’s “Tombstone Blues” (One particular break, after the next-to-last verse maybe? It kills.)
Hendrix, “Voodoo Child” (All 15 minutes of it. Steve Winwood is playing some killer organ too.)
David Hidalgo, Los Lobos’ “Just a Man” (A fantastic break from a very underrated guitarist)
Mick Taylor, the Stones’ “Sway” (It’s a very “solo-y” solo for a Stones song. I like it. And poor Mick deserves props; so many people dismiss him as nothing but a pretty boy.)