Greatest guitar solos ever.

[Maximowitz]

This man played several brilliant solos in his all too short career. One of the finest British guitarists ever.

 

[diddyriddick]

At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, and in no particular order....

1. Bell Bottom Blues/Clapton/Derek and the Dominoes-Don't know that I would call it a solo per se, but great guitar work.
2. Let it Rain/Clapton/Delaney and Bonnie and Friends
3. Wish You Were Here/Gilmore/Pink Floyd-That opening line is haunting to me to this day.
4. Yours is no Disgrace/Howe/Yes-Downright funky
5. Johnny B. Goode/Chuck Berry-Without this song, no single song that we have discussed would have been possible.
6. My Generation/John Entwistle/The Who-Ok...I know its a Bass guitar, but all the more remakable, given the clean fretwork.
7. Thunder Road/Springsteen-Whoa, Whoa, come take my hand...We're headin out tonight to face the promised land..
8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps/Clapton/The Beatles-Nuff said.
9. Breezin/George Benson-Nobody said we couldn't list Jazz.
10. All Along the Watchtower/Hendrix-Unbelievable virtuosity, but not at the expense of musicality.

 

[HerrKaleut]

Agree with everyone about them all, but (be honest) try Tony Paluso on the Carpenter's "Goodbye to love " or Henry McCulloch on Wings' "My Love"...sublime, or anything by Joe Pass, Jan Ackermann on "Hocus Pocus"....one could go on and on and on ad.inf.

 

[Thorlifter]

All good songs in their own right, Diddy! Just a different era

 

[Elvis]

Agree with everyone about them all, but (be honest) try Tony Paluso on the Carpenter's "Goodbye to love " or Henry McCulloch on Wings' "My Love"...sublime, or anything by Joe Pass, Jan Ackermann on "Hocus Pocus"....one could go on and on and on ad.inf.

Don't know who the guitarist was, but your post reminded me of another song, "Wildflower" ("...let her cry, for she's a lady..."). Nothing real "technical", just really sweet and soulful.
...and hey, what about the wah-slide solo from "I'm Easy".


Elvis

 

[Elvis]

At the risk of sounding like an old fogey, and in no particular order....

1. Bell Bottom Blues/Clapton/Derek and the Dominoes-Don't know that I would call it a solo per se, but great guitar work.
2. Let it Rain/Clapton/Delaney and Bonnie and Friends
3. Wish You Were Here/Gilmore/Pink Floyd-That opening line is haunting to me to this day.
4. Yours is no Disgrace/Howe/Yes-Downright funky
5. Johnny B. Goode/Chuck Berry-Without this song, no single song that we have discussed would have been possible.
6. My Generation/John Entwistle/The Who-Ok...I know its a Bass guitar, but all the more remakable, given the clean fretwork.
7. Thunder Road/Springsteen-Whoa, Whoa, come take my hand...We're headin out tonight to face the promised land..
8. While My Guitar Gently Weeps/Clapton/The Beatles-Nuff said.
9. Breezin/George Benson-Nobody said we couldn't list Jazz.
10. All Along the Watchtower/Hendrix-Unbelievable virtuosity, but not at the expense of musicality.

Right on, Diddy
I'd like to have a CD or a cassette with all those songs on it.
But the reason for this post was that there are some intesting side-notes to some of the songs you listed.

Bell Bottom Blues - I used to be in a band and we did that song. You're right, really great song.
Johnny B. Goode - Berry once stated that people used to have a hard time figuring out how he came up with all of those catchy guitar solos he did in those songs.
Turns out, Berry's background is not blues (as the popular notion was with black musicians, at the time), but rather big band music. Berry was born in '26, so he was teenager right at the hieght of the swing era and it was a big influence on him. All of his guitar solos are actually based heavily on big band horn lines.
My Generation - Its said that Entwistle recorded that solo on a Danelectro bass. In those days, only the Danelectro's used a certain type of bass string (wire-wound?) and it took 3 takes to get that solo on tape, because he kept breaking the strings. Problem was, you couldn't just buy those strings, you had to get the whole bass guitar, which came already strung! So it took 3 basses to get that solo recorded...and back then, they were exactly cheap.
In fact, it was costing the producer so much money to get the solo, Entwistle was warned that if he broke another set of strings, they'd re-record the song without the bass solo. Thankfully, 3rd time was a charm.


Elvis

 

[pbfoot]

Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like I Do"

 

[diddyriddick]

Thanks for the Heads-up, Elvis.

 

[diddyriddick]

Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like I Do"

And Frampton has a WWII TV connection. He played an Aussie coastwatcher in an episode of Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.

 

[Thorlifter]

I remember that one. Isn't that the one were Boyle gets shot down and Frampton rescues him?

 

[diddyriddick]

I remember that one. Isn't that the one were Boyle gets shot down and Frampton rescues him?

Maybe, Thor. But, frankly, it has been too long. The only thing I remember was when Frampton sang God Save the Queen, and it was to the music of America. Boy was that a trip for a slightly xenophobic teenager.

 

[Elvis]

And Frampton has a WWII TV connection. He played an Aussie coastwatcher in an episode of Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.

I believe Peter Frampton's father was an RAF pilot during the War...or maybe it was an uncle. Well, some relative, anyway.

...and you're welcome on the musical side-notes, too.
BTW, one more that I just remembered.
Most of Chuck Berry's hits were recorded with a Chess house drummer by the name of Fred Below.
Below is remembered as the drummer credited with inventing the "Rock-n-Roll drumbeat", commonly referred to these days as a "Back Beat".



Elvis

 

[Yerger]

Vet of the Psych Wars from ET Live

 

[John Vasco]

Leslie West of Mountain's middle and end solos in 'Theme for an imaginary western';

Mick Taylor's end solo in 'Love in vain' from their 1972 US tour (check it out on Youtube, he's playing a superb LP 'burst)

 

[Maximowitz]

Leslie West of Mountain's middle and end solos in 'Theme for an imaginary western';

Mick Taylor's end solo in 'Love in vain' from their 1972 US tour (check it out on Youtube, he's playing a superb LP 'burst)

Mick Taylor never seemed to get the credit he deserved as a player in my opinion.

 

[Lucky13]

Most of the Surf music, with the likes of Dick Dale and others, some Duane Eddy, Link Wray, Shadows, The Ventures etc., are great "guitar solos"...or am I taking it too far?

 

[Bucksnort101]

Clapton solo on Creams song Crossroads is one of my favorites.
A little obscure but if you've ever heard of a Guitarist from the little ole State of Texas named Eric Johnson his guitar work is amazing. Try to find his live version of Cliffs of Dover from the TV program Austin City Limits, in fact his whole performance (save the songs he sang on) is amazing.
Got an CD in a Guitar magazine that had several live versions of Jimi Hendrix playing Red House, each one was a bit different and each was a masterworks, Jimi was truly ahead of his time with his guitar style.
Any early Billy Gibbons ZZ Top stuff is good too, simple licks but well played and composed kick ass Tejas Rock and Roll guitar goodness.

 

[Elvis]

Bucksnort,

I remember hearing about Eric Johnson back in the mid 80's, when he was considered the "wonderkid" from Texas.
Yeah, he can really play.
Last time I saw him, though, was on stage with BB King, at the end of a concert King had at Wolftrap back in the mid 90's.
It used to be shown on PBS quite often.


Elvis

 

[Elvis]

Most of the Surf music, with the likes of Dick Dale and others, some Duane Eddy, Link Wray, Shadows, The Ventures etc., are great "guitar solos"...or am I taking it too far?

You forgot to list The Lively Ones "Surf Rider".
CLASSIC tune, and especially useful for whenever John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson decide to leave a restaurant together.


...snd you NEVER take it too far, when it comes to surf music. 8)


Elvis

 

[36feet10inches]

The first solo in Comfortably Numb is one of my favourites. David Gilmour is the absolute master of understatement.