I felt that they were in the same ballpark enough to warrant being in the same thread.
I know this is going to be unpopular, but the “More Than A Feeling” guitar solo just sounds so cheesy and predictable to me. Don’t get me wrong–I really did enjoy the sound of the album the first times I heard it, and it is a landmark rock album, especially for its production, but sweet Jesus I find that solo so lame. I know it ends up on “best of” lists, but I just can’t stand it.
Well, when it came out, it was basically “Hair Metal Guitar Magazine”, as if that over-athletic style was the only guitar playing worth writing about in the world. It actually has gotten better over the decades. But as that list shows, they still prefer folks who can run up and down scales.
And, as Anamorphic points out, the writing is crap. So, even when they cover something that isn’t the particular flavor of guitar playing they’re currently dry humping, you might actually be less intelligent after reading it.
But it’s redeemed by the monster riff!
“For our next matchup: Jerry Garcia playing Dark Star on 7/13/69 Vs Duane Eddy’s Rebel Rouser! Call right now to vote!”
Hey, I find all of Tom Scholz’s guitar playing cheesy and predictable. But then again, you could probably get rich backing what I think is cheesy and predictable, folks seem to like it.
Funny, in my book “Out On The Tiles” ranks in the best three Zep riff songs, together with “Black Dog” and “The Ocean”.
How very dare you!
It may sound generic in terms of technique, but it fits the song perfectly, and is itself like a song within a song.
It’s no Creeping Death, mind.
In Slash’s defense, he hated that riff.
Thank you for saving me the trouble of pointing this out.
At least a couple more for your list, I think:
- John: You Can’t Do That (w George) and Nowhere Man (in unison w George)
:dubious:
So what exactly is your concern that riffs and solos have been put into the same thread?
How about Pete Townshend’s solo on on “I Can See For Miles”? One note played over and over. I’m a big Who fan, but that’s a lame solo.
Many moons ago, I read that this is the greatest one-note guitar solo of all times. I agree. But then, I also like the Cinnamon Girl solo…May have to do with the fact that one note is all I’m able to play on a guitar ;).
Nice. Thanks for pointing this out. Nowhere man is a surprise. i see they are both with George.
Now that I’m reflecting on it And Your Bird Can Sing has unison lead guitar lines by Paul and George.
You haven’t heard it held up as bad? I remember reading stories about Jimmy Page supposedly playing on Kinks’ songs and that lead was cited.
To be honest, I don’t really read up much about guitar solos (and when I do, it’s checking in on what are considered great solos), but it’s never struck me as something that stuck out as bad, and I’ve never really heard anyone talk about it as being bad. I’ve always liked it–it feels just right for that song and its aggressive, proto-punk vibe. That was like the first popular distortion using song, right? Davies sliced up a guitar amp speaker or something?
I can 100% subscribe to that. I’ve always thought that it’s a nice, short, dirty and charming proto-punk/hard rock solo that fits the song.
Hey, no argument. I’m just citing the “conventional guitar wisdom” but I agree with the proto-punk vibe.
Yeah, he sliced the speakers but it wasn’t the first attempt to make distortion happen. The “first rock song” Rocket 88 was so designated because they dropped an amp on the way to Sun Records and blew a tube socket, yielding a cool tone. Same with with Train Kept a Rollin by Johnny Burnett’s Rock N’ Roll Trio.
Well to me a riff is a repeated figure, defining the song. A solo is an extension of the ideas in the song by a lead instrumentalist, many times improvised. They are kind of opposites, having different functions. A riff might be 1-4 seconds long, a solo can be a few beats all the way up to 20 minutes. Even a one note solo is distinguished by this, as not being a riff. A riff holds up as a discrete musical idea. A solo is an accompaniment. Unless it’s not, but let’s not go there today OK?
So this is two threads already to me. Maybe that’s what you intended. but I can’t think of the two things in the same category. Then again I never think about solos being lame. It never occurs to me, and I wouldn’t be able to make a hierarchy of them. There’s just too many. I usually take the judgement of the artist, and try not to separate the solo from the song. If I like the song it’s a good solo. if I don’t it’s vulnerable to criticism.
[QUOTE=Eddie The Horrible]
The openings of Thunderstruck
[/QUOTE]
That’s also why the song–especially its intro–became the perfect jock jam at sporting events. It’s ideal for situations such as when, in basketball, the opposing team calls a time out after home team has gone on a 16-0 run and is threatening to either take the lead or put the game out of reach or, in baseball, wnen the bases are loaded with the clean-up hitter coming up and the opposing catcher or manager has to go out to the mound to try to calm down the pitcher.