Ten Guitar Solos That Will Live Forever

The time has come. The guitar solo. The definitive statement in rock and roll that has inspired countless wannabes, video games, and air guitar poses. Guitar solos can be subtle and delicate or loud and raging. How can you compare and rank “Comfortably Numb” and “Green Grass and High Tides?” I don’t have one all-time favorite, but the following 10 have always stood out to me. (And once again, I cheated and slid a couple extras into the list.) All but one of the songs are from the 1970s. Similar to Live Albums and Concept Albums (subjects of previous posts), guitar solos were also a signature feature of the decade. Punk and new wave bands specifically rebelled against the guitar solo as the epitome of excessive musical embellishment. I embraced that mentality in the late ’70s and ’80s as bands like the Buzzcocks and Sex Pistols dominated my turntable. But guitar solos remain an iconic element in rock and roll history and an enduring symbol in popular culture (as Slash can attest to in the recent Capital One Bank commercial). While my list is certainly nostalgic, it was also undeniable in putting this post together that these rock moments still sound pretty damn good.

– “Starship Trooper” by Yes (Steve Howe) 1971: The Yes Album is my easy vote for best prog rock album with “Yours Is No Disgrace,” “I’ve Seen All Good People,” and this majestic tour de force. I remember cranking “Starship Trooper” for all my college dorm to hear as the guitar boomed back and forth in a cadenza of chords between my big BIC Venturi speakers. Seeing Steve Howe perform it live a few times was a highlight of their shows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKftiJS30Cs

– “Reelin’ in the Years” (Elliott Randall) 1972/”Kid Charlemagne” (Larry Carlton) 1976 by Steely Dan: Two impactful guitar solos on Steely Dan albums by guest artists. “Reelin’ in the Years” will forever remind me of tooling around Ocean City, N.J. with the top down. (I spent a couple summers back there in high school.) Randall’s guitar, recorded in one continuous take, is pure exuberance. Jazz fusion guitarist Larry Carlton’s vibrant melody on “Kid Charlemagne” takes us on a sweet ride all the way through the fadeout.

– “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Allen Collins with Gary Rossington) 1973: This anthem has to be on any list of great guitar solos, doesn’t it? The song is so epic it’s almost cheesy now. The Outlaws and Marshall Tucker Band both have a candidate song to showcase the flurry of southern rock guitar, but it’s got to be this indelible song. Collins does the heavy lifting, but Gary Rossington counters his every move in a riotous symphony.

– “Let It Rain” by Eric Clapton 1972: This one has always blown me away. From his debut solo album, Clapton just lets it rip on “Let It Rain.” He takes his foot off the gas at times and takes a break for the piano, but otherwise it’s all blistering beauty. (For another Clapton scene-stealer check out “Go Back Home” on Stephen Stills’ debut album.)

– “Intro/Sweet Jane” by Lou Reed (Steve Hunter with Dick Wagner) 1973: No wonder Steve Hunter’s “Intro” kicked off Lou Reed’s concerts for years. It’s stark and stunning and sets up the killer hard rock version of “Sweet Jane” on the live Rock N’ Roll Animal album. With Dick Wagner playing the harmonies, you’ve got a dueling guitar attack for the ages.

– “Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses (Slash) 1988: From the recognizable, catchy openings riffs through Slash’s roaring solo, to Axl’s mantra “where do we go now,” it’s a bona fide rock classic.

– “Station to Station” by David Bowie (Carlos Alomar) 1976: One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists. Puerto Rican guitarist, composer, and producer Carlos Alomar played with Bowie longer than any other guitarist and shines on this album title song, his longest one on record. “Station to Station” begins with sounds of a train created by guitarist Earl Slick, slides into a mid-tempo middle section, and culminates with Alomar’s triumphant guitar, augmented by Bowie’s, “It’s not the side effects of the cocaine, I’m thinking that it must be love.”

– “Blue Sky” by the Allman Brothers (Duane Allman and Dickey Betts) 1972/”Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes (Duane Allman and Eric Clapton) 1970: “Blue Sky” was one of Duane Allman’s last performances before he died in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971. It’s a lovely song, a little more country-fused for the bluesy southern rockers. Allman starts off the solos, then they share a melody line, before Betts brings it home with his solo. Clapton wrote “Layla” as a love ballad, but it became a rocker when Allman joined the band and created the signature riff. Clapton’s harmonies, their counter melodies, and Allman’s distinctive bottleneck and slide guitar make for a rock guitar dreamworld.

– “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull (Martin Barre) 1971: Jethro Tull hasn’t stood the test of time too well for me, but they were a mainstay of my 1970s including my first concert (1972, L.A. Forum). Martin Barre’s stunning melody accentuates Tull’s biggest hit. Fun fact: While recording the final take on “Aqualung,” Jimmy Page interrupted Barre in the control room. (He was next door in the same studios recording Led Zeppelin IV.) Barre had to ignore him and finish his guitar work or else his part would have become a flute solo by you-know-who.)

– “Hand of Fate” by the Rolling Stones (Wayne Perkins) 1975: Mick Taylor had just left the Stones, Ron Wood took his place, but Wayne Perkins had a hell of a good audition on the Black and Blue album, particularly on this track. The Muscle Shoals session musician is sublime on this overlooked Stones rocker and provides another highlight for guest guitarists.

I know I left out some classics, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, “Stairway to Heaven” by Jimmy Page, and “Eruption” by Eddie Van Halen to name just three. I probably would have included “Marquee Moon” if I hadn’t just recently focused on it in my Tom Verlaine tribute. Let me know your well known and not so well- known guitar solo favorites.

Trivia: Who plays the guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s 1982 song “Beat It?”

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

Trivia: In addition to Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills’ debut album also included a guest performance from what other guitar legend?

Answer: Jimi Hendrix on the song “Old Times Good Times.”