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What is your favorite solo ever?

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SlipperySlope said:
I have to admit, this one is creative.

Edit - You're also the first to notice how I intentionally left out "guitar" from the thread title I believe. Everything's starting to mix together in my head, but I think this is the first non-guitar post.

It's tough for me to remember many rock keyboard solos, and most of them are very short. I like Rick Wakeman's solo near the end of Close to the Edge, but even that's only like 1 minute long.
 
NutJobJim said:
Thank you for posting this.
I only own Shadows Collide With People and The Empyrean so have not heard this before, John is amazing.
Check out Goals on the DC EP, it's my favorite I think. The Dying Song and Purity close behind it.

CaptYamato said:
Me and You same page *high fives*
Dora-boots-monkey-high-five.jpg


Fuck Andy Samberg and cats
 
My favorite drum solo is probably the one in Mr. Spock by the Tony Williams lifetime, but I can't find the original version on youtube, so here's a classic Billy Cobham solo instead:
Mahavishnu Orchestra - One Word

Nabs said:
Maggot Brain
That's the first guitar solo that came to my mind, though it probably wouldn't even be in my top 30 if I tried to think this through systematically. But it is awesome and classic. A link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?fmt=18&gl=US&feature=channel_page&hl=uk&v=4Inr22ZBmdw


spats said:
Anything played by Frank Zappa, really.

Here's Stinkfoot for good measure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ChLbZE6_EQ
My favorite Zappa solo:
Watermelon in Easter Hay
 
Secks4Food said:
Just a couple that popped into my head:

Best part of Pauls' outro solo from Selkies: The Endless Obsession by Between the Buried and Me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4OWnVS1-Wo

Neil Peart's O Baterista, many variations of this exist, and I'm honestly not sure if this is a good one since I don't have any speakers on this computer, but here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxiqb2oHM2s

Edit: I got beat on White Walls and Selkies? Fuck it here's most of Paul Waggoner's best solos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBW3Py4jhgo

Cool, first drums solo.
 
Some more favorites:
Robert Fripp in King Crimson - Starless, though you really need to listen to the track from the beginning for the solo to have its full impact.

Bruford - Hell's Bells, which was my first time hearing Allan Holdsworth.


And my favorite solo for any instrument is probably Coltrane's in the '63 Newport Jazz Festival performance of My Favorite Things, which starts near the end of the first clip here:
Part 1
Part 2
 
I also really love EVH's solo on Beat it. The chainsaw type sound he does at the start of it gets me everytime.
 
leroy hacker said:
Some more favorites:
Robert Fripp in King Crimson - Starless, though you really need to listen to the track from the beginning for the solo to have its full impact.

Bruford - Hell's Bells, which was my first time hearing Allan Holdsworth.


And my favorite solo for any instrument is probably Coltrane's in the '63 Newport Jazz Festival performance of My Favorite Things, which starts near the end of the first clip here:
Part 1
Part 2

Cool, sax. We're covering a lot of the major bases.
 
I did you a little better and made a top five. I didn't link to the locations that the solos start because I consider context important, but I indicated at what time that they started if that's all you're interested in hearing.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_8F6gflxQ
The Beatles - The End. Solo section is basically the whole song, they begin at about 0:20.

This is most certainly a context track. What you have here is three very different musicians playing three very different things over the same progression and on the same instrument. The mix of technical (Harrison), rhythmic (Lennon) and melodic (McCartney) aptitude produces something incredible. Every musician interested in the rock lexicon should be familiar with this piece.

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mPNPIfEPNk
Jaco Pastorius - Dear Prudence. The solo is heavily integrated into the head, so it's basically the whole song.

The fusion of the guitarist and his rhythm section is what makes this. Simply by altering his division of time, he moves this song into a completely different territory over this six minute recording. He has the advantage of playing with a man who is arguably the greatest bass player of all time, and he uses that advantage to push the rhythmic and then the melodic basis of this piece very far out of where it once was. Truly brilliant.

3. Cannonball Adderley - Rumpelstiltskin
I couldn't find this on youtube, but I'm getting on it.

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFpLLumawmQ
Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4. Solo begins at 1:58

This solo is rock in top form. The way that it builds in intensity is absolutely brilliant; the division of the section into three distinct but related 16-bar solos is fantastic and absolutely significant for a rock solo due to the common trend of simply running through the progression with a bunch of indistinct pentatonic/blues phrases. He plays outside of the key just enough to keep the monotonous, descending bassline interesting. Much credit needs to be given to the drummer for matching the intensity of the guitarist.

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qttI6oytqpw
Blue Oyster cult - Flaming Telephaths. Solo begins at 2:19

This may be cheating a bit because the solo is actually three different solos, but they clash so wonderfully that I'm going to ignore that for the purposes of this thread. Very rarely do rock musicians directly play off of each other like this but I truly love when it does happen. Very good use of the guitar's range to build tension. Not as spectacular as any of the other ones that I've named, but good nonetheless.

Honourable BtBAM mention is Informal Gluttony.
 
Dice said:
Bob Marley - No Woman, No Cry
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzkG6Xu6lUE#t=4m05s

I assume he's the one doing it.

Even though I don't think he's the one playing it, thanks for posting. Was looking for this particular recording.


Not in a particular order (and very subjective):

Comfortably Numb(P.U.L.S.E) - Pink Floyd ... there's lots of great stuff from Dave Gilmour. Picked the most obvious one.

Muffin Man - Frank Zappa ... most underrated guitarist ever? Seriously, his solos melt my brain every fucking time I hear them.

We Used To Know - Jethro Tull ... very straight forward, yet lovely arranged. I feel sorry for Barre though for being completely overshadowed by Anderson.

Sultans of Swing (rearranged) - Mark Knopfler ... just love how clean he plays. Best concert I've ever been to.




And dudes here a right, John Frusciante is one hell of a guitarist. Probably one of the best guitarists of our time.
 
Puddles said:
Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auDv6cf2PBM#t=3m23s

Finally figured out how to set up a youtube link to go to a specific moment in the song.

This solo annihilates. I fucking LOVE the power chord progression that comes right after the solo too. Probably my favorite power chords ever. :D And that John Paul Jones bass-line is SICK!

Eh, I can never seem to remember it, so I just go to this link:
http://youtubetime.com/

But where you went wrong is the # is supposed to be a &.
 
This is where I really show myself up...

KISS - Detroit Rock City

Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel the Noize

Judas Priest - You've Got Another Thing Comin'

I'd say I really like Legs by ZZ Top but that whole song is like one big solo..
 
StuBurns said:
Check out Goals on the DC EP, it's my favorite I think. The Dying Song and Purity close behind it.


Dora-boots-monkey-high-five.jpg


Fuck Andy Samberg and cats

You know the solo you mention was recorded in one take. That is why you hear him stop at one point and continue. He was trying to rush recording so he could get the record out that month.
 
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