# Gibson Guitar's Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169 "2010-10-05T19:58:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/41 "2010-10-06T22:57:57Z")
If a Beatle’s solo, why not “I Feel Fine”? Where is Blue Oyster Cult - Maybe ETI? Of course, it goes without saying that Mark Knopfler could be on here a dozen times… ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/42 "2010-10-07T05:06:26Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > 1. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen (Brian May) > > …is a head scratcher. This. Compare and contrast with Vai’s Peter North impersonation during the last two and a half minutes of the P.I.L. song [ease](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf0K6tZz0Ro). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/43 "2010-10-07T07:23:19Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > As always: I find these lists to be pointless other than as fodder for discussion. That said, I find the first entries in this list to be reasonably unsurprising. That takes into account how Gibson would define “guitar solo” - you don’t see Joe Pass, Django Reinhardt or other jazz cats, or country players, or acoustic hot hands like Michael Hedges or Tommy Emanuel… Why should someone who can play both necks of a harp guitar (well) get any credit. This wasn’t a guitar solo list, it was a generic music list. Usually these have “some” sense of grouping but this could have been made by other world aliens based on radio wave interceptions. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/44 "2010-10-07T08:50:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Surprised the guitar solo from Baby’s on Fire by Brian Eno didn’t get a look in. That is a great one for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/45 "2010-10-07T09:40:12Z")
No “[Reelin’ in the Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDRd0Z0O4o)”, by _Steely Dan_? Elliott Randall did some nice work on that song. Bonus Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter in the clip. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/46 "2010-10-07T09:59:34Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > No “[Reelin’ in the Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDRd0Z0O4o)”, by _Steely Dan_? Elliott Randall did some nice work on that song. > Bonus Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter in the clip. I should have said I think that’s Denny Dias with Baxter in the clip I provided. Randall wouldn’t join the band, and I guess didn’t he didn’t perform for the show. I don’t know if he ever performed live with them, but he was on the album. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/47 "2010-10-07T10:24:05Z")
> [@Lethal\_Babydoll](#): > > missing “Sultans of Swing” Uh, #20. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/48 "2010-10-07T12:44:56Z")
I agree that lists like these are often dumb and also have glaring omissions, but there _are_ some really great solos on this list. There’s solos for their own sake, displaying technical proficiency, like _Eruption_, and then there are ones that either showcase a combination of technical skill/emotion as a part of an actual song structure or that just really work within the melody of a song. I think, for instance, that _Stairway’s_ spot on this and any other list is pretty damn deserving, as overplayed as it may be. Its a _gorgeous_ solo, _perfect_ for the song, it’s structure, its climax/conclusion. _Freebird_, too for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/49 "2010-10-07T12:58:26Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I agree that lists like these are often dumb and also have glaring omissions, but there _are_ some really great solos on this list. There’s solos for their own sake, displaying technical proficiency, like _Eruption_, and then there are ones that either showcase a combination of technical skill/emotion as a part of an actual song structure or that just really work within the melody of a song. > > I think, for instance, that _Stairway’s_ spot on this and any other list is pretty damn deserving, as overplayed as it may be. Its a _gorgeous_ solo, _perfect_ for the song, it’s structure, its climax/conclusion. _Freebird_, too for that matter. Your observations make sense. Two points: - Eruption, while technical, is all about his delivery. How many technical displays leave you flat? Most - that’s why shredding gets a bad rap; it’s hard to find the good ones. Eddie has a sense of urgency and out-of-control-ness (without ever really losing control) to his playing that transcends the merely technical. So - not disagreeing, but wanting to point out that there’s even more to his work… - Okay, I disagree on one point: Page’s Whole Lotta Love solo after the psychedelic break/bridge is, to me, a superior “statement” solo vs. Stairway. That would be the one I would expect to see on his tombsone, alongside Kashmir as the epic song… ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/50 "2010-10-07T13:09:51Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > > > I agree that lists like these are often dumb and also have glaring omissions, but there _are_ some really great solos on this list. There’s solos for their own sake, displaying technical proficiency, like _Eruption_, and then there are ones that either showcase a combination of technical skill/emotion as a part of an actual song structure or that just really work within the melody of a song. > > > > I think, for instance, that _Stairway’s_ spot on this and any other list is pretty damn deserving, as overplayed as it may be. Its a _gorgeous_ solo, _perfect_ for the song, it’s structure, its climax/conclusion. _Freebird_, too for that matter. > > Your observations make sense. Two points: > > - Eruption, while technical, is all about his delivery. How many technical displays leave you flat? Most - that’s why shredding gets a bad rap; it’s hard to find the good ones. Eddie has a sense of urgency and out-of-control-ness (without ever really losing control) to his playing that transcends the merely technical. So - not disagreeing, but wanting to point out that there’s even more to his work… > > - Okay, I disagree on one point: Page’s Whole Lotta Love solo after the psychedelic break/bridge is, to me, a superior “statement” solo vs. Stairway. That would be the one I would expect to see on his tombsone, alongside Kashmir as the epic song… To me, _Whole Lotta Love’s_ solo is more _immediate_, more crackling with energy and raw than _Stairway’s_ solo, although I like them both equally. _Stairway_ as a song just has a wonderful sense of buildup to it and the solo just is an extension of that tension that continues to build and pretty much the entirety of _IV_ is just a better crafted and produced album than _II_, although again, I like them equally well. _Whole Lotta Love_ kind of beats you over the head from the get-go, \*Stairway \*is a little more subtle. Both great, great songs though. What I do love about these lists is how it gets people that share a mutual appreciation for music to split hairs so finely! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/51 "2010-10-07T13:11:56Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > _Whole Lotta Love_ kind of beats you over the head from the get-go, \*Stairway \*is a little more subtle. Both great, great songs though. > > What I do love about these lists is how it gets people that share a mutual appreciation for music to split hairs so finely! > > 🙂 All good - and yeah, that’s the point I make in the OP: the lists are good for discussion more than anything - the fact that this one veered in to Zappa-land for a while is a great example. Interesting stuff I didn’t know a lot of… ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/52 "2010-10-07T15:19:46Z")
Yeah, it’s not a very consistent list. Some of them (“Sweet Child” and, for some, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”) are perhaps mediocre songs with an undeniably great solo dropped in the middle. But others, like “Layla” don’t even have something you could pick out as a ‘solo’ (well without going back and checking, maybe there is a solo break somewhere in Layla, but if so, clearly it’s pretty forgettable. And certainly worse than at least two others on the same album (“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” and “Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad” if you stretch ‘solo’ to include ‘instrumental break with multiple parts’)). Anway, my Egregious Omission nomination is “The Thrill is Gone” (B.B. King), in the It’s Only A Couple Notes, But They’re The RIGHT Notes category. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/53 "2010-10-07T15:25:12Z")
How could Gibson leave out Tony Iommi?! ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/54 "2010-10-07T15:43:26Z")
There seems to be a “Classic Rock Radio” theme and it’s a reader’s poll list, so I wouldn’t read much into it. Although, I believe I have been asked by many students to teach them how to play almost all of these songs/solos. Maybe a better question might be how many on the list actually play Gibson guitars?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/55 "2010-10-07T16:10:18Z")
I don’t think much of that list. Like it’s already been said, it’s too limited. It completely ignores all the other types of music, from all other time periods out there. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/56 "2010-10-07T16:49:10Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Maybe a better question might be how many on the list actually play Gibson guitars?🙂 While Gibson can shill pretty heavily at times, they needn’t work too hard - the list is naturally populated with work on Gibsons from top to bottom. Along with Fender for electric work, they are Ground Zero. I own four and wish it was more. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/57 "2010-10-07T16:52:41Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > How could Gibson leave out Tony Iommi?! Because riffs aren’t solos? 🙂 Anyway, I think that its funny (in a sad way) that they couldn’t even throw a bone to Les Paul somewhere in there on an otherwise slanted list. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/58 "2010-10-11T19:31:33Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > No “[Reelin’ in the Years](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDRd0Z0O4o)”, by _Steely Dan_? Elliott Randall did some nice work on that song. > Bonus Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter in the clip. That, “My Old School,” and “Bodhisattva.” And Larry Carlton did some nice work for them too. > [@cactus\_waltz](#): > > Folly. The best guitar solo of all time is Television’s “Marquee Moon”. I had never heard of this so I finally found it on YouTube and gave it a listen. I must have found the wrong thing, or you forgot to add the little winky face. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/59 "2010-10-11T19:46:48Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I must have found the wrong thing, or you forgot to add the little winky face. :dubious: Did you find the 10-minute album version (which has a longass guitar solo at the end) or just the shortened single? edit: [I should just link to it for you.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlbunmCbTBA&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169/60 "2010-10-11T19:56:17Z")
I’m a little bummed that Steve Hackett didn’t make it in there somewhere. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gibson-guitars-top-50-guitar-solos-of-all-time/556169.md?page=4)