What Is The Most Famous Guitar Solo

[Tea Rochlitz]

Throughoutthe song, Betts conjures a playfully upbeat melody that fits right in the middle of Chuck Leavell's top harmony on the electric piano and Gregg Allman's bottom harmony on the organ. Although the song is grounded by a dominant riff, Betts' playing constantly wheels through new rhythmic variations to keep the train rocking.

Chuck Berry shaped all future rock and roll songs with the release of his 1958 hit song "Johnny B. Goode." Though it's not the craziest guitar solo ever recorded, it certainly was integral to the development of the instrument and rock and roll because Berry brought elements of the blues and country to electric guitar.

This is apparent from the opening lick when Berry uses a double stop to play two notes at once while sliding down the first two strings. Throughout the rest of the song, he uses bends and slurs in ways that would be copied by everyone from The Rolling Stones to Jerry Garcia.

It's safe to say that most of the other solos on this list wouldn't be here without Berry and this song, and that electric guitar wouldn't have played such a primary role in the success of rock and roll without "Johnny B. Goode."

When "OK Computer" dropped in 1997, it was clear that Radiohead had a masterpiece on its hands. This was ever apparent in the band's lead single "Paranoid Android," which, inspired by The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," can be separated into four distinct parts.

Eric Clapton's spin on Robert Johnson's 1936 Delta blues song "Crossroads" is a classic from the guitar legend's catalog. Over the years it has become one of Clapton's most iconic solos and is a fan-favorite to see live, as the guitarist improvises a new solo each time.

On the initial recording from 1966, Ginger Baker lays down a driving beat and Clapton goes to work with a dominant riff that he frequently repeats throughout the song. During his solos, Clapton draws from the blues and dances on the high strings, giving us tasty triplets and bends.

In my opinion, Alex Lifeson is one of the most criminally underrated guitarists in progressive and classic rock, largely because he was overshadowed on recordings by Neil Peart's virtuosic drumming and Geddy Lee's imaginative bass playing. But on "La Villa Strangiato" Lifeson showcased his abilities with two insanely crisp solos.

The second solo is the vehicle that lets the band build up to the song's climactic breakdown. It starts out ambient and grooves along until Lifeson is screeching through slides and landing mind-bending licks. What stands out here is Lifeson's use of silence; it makes the delivery of each new phrase that much more impactful.

Known for Hendrix-esque stage antics and effortless blues solos, Stevie Ray Vaughan had a certain magic to his playing, as well as soloing that is unrivaled. When he was in a groove it was like he and the guitar were one entity, and listeners could feel the emotion being portrayed through his playing.

Arguably his best solo is on the track "Texas Flood." He seamlessly weaves stanky blues licks in between each of the song's verses and relies heavily on vibrato and string bends to achieve his signature sound.

As Mick Jagger sings from the perspective of the devil in each verse, he's building up for Richards to take over with his solo. Against the background of the samba rhythm coming from the percussion, Richards lets loose a howling solo.

He isn't constantly shredding throughout the entire last three minutes of the song. Instead, the empty space in between each of his crunchy licks emphasizes the power of his solo and keeps the listener on edge waiting for the next run to grace their ears.

Over the years this quintessential Laurel Canyon jam has turned into somewhat of a yacht rock classic, but "Hotel California" features one of the best solos in rock history. While others on this list earned a spot for their technicality, what Felder and Walsh prove here is that sliding into the pocket and grooving a more laid back solo can also prove to be just as successful.

As the two duel back and forth it's like they're communicating through their guitars. The solo features dramatic slides and iconic triplets that have become a favorite for air-guitaring over the years.

From the beginning of the song, the power of Santana's tone is apparent, driving the sorrowful nature of the track home. With about a minute-and-a-half left in the song, Santana's playing begins to seem frenetic. Energized by the clash of the drums, Santana speeds up and begins to shred, sustaining bends on the high strings and spitting out licks effortlessly.

Not counting session musicians, The Beatles almost never featured other artists on their records. On the rare occasion when George Harrison tapped his friend Eric Clapton to play guitar on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," he surprisingly didn't want to record the track because "nobody ever plays on The Beatles' records." But after some convincing and a promise that it would sound "Beatles-y," he laid down one of the rock world's most legendary solos.

What makes this solo so poignant is the meaning behind the song. Harrison wrote it as a social commentary about the abundance of hate in the world and humanity's inability to love one another. The song is summed up perfectly in the lyric "the love there that's sleeping."

Clapton captured the emotion of the song perfectly; it's as if with each sorrowful string bend he is pouring out his heart through his guitar. Unsurprisingly the meaning still holds up well today. Despite the fact that a non-Beatle recorded it, I'd argue this is the best guitar solo in the band's catalog.

Upon hearing the first few notes of "Voodoo Child," even a non-guitar player can tell that there's something about the way Jimi's playing the guitar that's special. It's a disorienting pattern of oscillating wah sounds created by the wah-wah pedal.

"Brighton Rock" is a song often overshadowed by Queen's other hits, partly because the energetic soloing on the track is out of character compared to the theatrical solos found on more grandiose tracks like "Bohemian Rhapsody."

But May's solo on this track is arguably his best. About two minutes into the song, May begins small with some tasteful triplet runs, with lots of echo and delay. A minute later, he picks up the pace and shreds some blues riffs.

He begins the song slow and clean by soloing over some Spanish-influenced chords. Hammett returns to that motif in his second solo but elevates it with some slick triplets. On his final, critically acclaimed solo, Hammett dials into the militaristic sounds of gunfire and war that James Hetfield is producing. Later, he switches to some blisteringly fast triplets and throws in a few bends.

Before "Purple Rain," the world knew that Prince was more than capable of creating pop hits like "Little Red Corvette" or "I Wanna Be Your Lover." But after the 1984 album and song of the same name dropped, it became clear that Prince could shred.

The emotion at the center of "Purple Rain's" guitar solo is a big reason why it's so memorable. It's at once evocative of the pain haunting Prince yet hopeful that the rain will cleanse him of his sorrow. The rock world has been better off ever since Prince's fiery blues licks graced the airwaves.

Would a best guitar solos list even be complete without "Free Bird"? While I may think the song is a bit overhyped, there's no denying the latter half is a riotous feat of guitar soloing. When played live it often turned into an extended jam session that showcased just how explosive the Skynyrd boys could be while improvising.

As guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins duel solos back and forth, they use bends and hammer-ons and have an absolute shredfest. As the solo goes on it's almost impossible to stop yourself from dancing along to this Southern rock anthem.

The song starts out sentimental and Slash's first two solos mirror that, producing mournful melodies that affect the listener. Slash's final solo during the last two minutes of the song, however, is a triumphant juxtaposition compared to the wails of sorrow pouring out of his guitar during the main portion of the song.

Jimi Hendrix loved Bob Dylan's body of work and played many of his songs throughout his career but his rendition of "All Along the Watchtower" is among his best playing. It also gifted the world one of the best guitar solos ever.

According to Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel in 1995 that he thought Hendrix improved his song. "He had such talent, he could find things inside a song and vigorously develop them. He found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using."

Since its release in 1971, "Stairway to Heaven" has topped numerous lists as the best rock song and best guitar solo of all time, and it's primarily thanks to the masterful architecture of Jimmy Page's guitar solo.

Fuzz guitar in 1958? Sure enough. On this early single by the future Meter and Neville Brother, the studio guitarist plays some wild stuff that would have made Jeff Beck proud a decade later. The story goes that the guitarist was having amplifier trouble and started distorting at key points, so the producer decided the only solution was to turn it up and let it fully distort.

Less a traditional guitar solo than a sonic orgy, which is of course appropriate to the lyric. The Velvet Underground was never a band for guitar heroics, but Lou Reed rises to the occasion about seven minutes in, with a solo that crosses an Eastern raga feel with punkish anarchy.

Beginning with a wail of feedback, this tune had no problem living up to its title. At a time when alternative rock was getting cynical about everything, J Mascis reminded us how much fun full-tilt guitar heroics could be.

Mike Bloomfied managed more visionary guitar on this 13-minute track than many players manage in their whole careers, getting two extended solo breaks. The first was among the first meetings of the Eastern raga style with West Coast psychedelia; the second is more tranquil and even has some surf influence between the lines.

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