Let's get the fly wheel moving before the doom loop takes over. It's Top 5 Thursday!
It's time to grab your axe, push up the doof-doof and party like it's 1999—ideally without making one skerric of noise. Air guitar is the only way to savour the aural pleasure of a genuinely great guitar solo (that's assuming you have to be doing anything beyond listening).
So, what's yours? Bit of Jimi? Bit of Jimmy? Bit of Eddie? Bit of Slash? Bit of Edge? Bit of Eric? Bit of Lyndsay? Bit of Mark? Bit of Steve?
Your call.
Yep, the Top 5 is back and we're on the hunt for classic guitar solos (at least as far as you're concerned).
Step up and swing hard (Pete Townshend-style).
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Top 5: Guitar Solos
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31 comments:
Some of these are all-time favourites, and some are "current classics".
The common thread is a hint of cheekiness and an over-the top squeel for good measure.
• Easy – Faith No More (No. 1, without a doubt)
• The Fly - U2 (more for it's emotional effect than technical brilliance)
• The Bends – Radiohead (the bit after the first line of the bridge)
• Parking Lots - Mia Dyson (so far off the beat it's almost on the previous track)
• What Else is New - Dino Jr (J. Mascis is a walking guitar solo so it was pretty hard to narrow down, but he had to make an appearance)
Whilst not a guitar solo, the mandolin-esque picking on "Hold Me" by Fleetwood Mac is an oldie but a goodie.
John Mayer- Covered in Rain (live- "Any Given Thursday")
Robert Cray- Time Makes Two
Lincon Brewster- My Hallelujah (live)
BB King- Stormy Monday
BB King with Eric Clapton- Three o'clock Blues
That's not even moving into the jazz scene, geez! I wont go there... so you keep your sanity! hehehe.
Yeah, subject to frequent adjustment as I remember guitar solos that I'm perhaps a bigger fan of, here goes:
Mark Knopfler: Telegraph Road or Private Investigation
Joe Walsh: Hotel California
David Gilmour: Comfortably Numb
Jimi Hendrix: Little Wing
Eric Clapton: Layla
ok, classic solos:
shine on you crazy diamond - pink floyd
high hopes - pink floyd
my sharona - the knack
be mine tonite - dave dobbyn
brothers in arms - dire straits
oh, honourable mention
november rain - guns n roses
gotta get a Slash in there somewhere...
A quick note for Mikey when he steps up to the plate: Russell Fragar didn't play guitar. We'll leave keyboard solos for another day.
No such thing as a good guitar solo. Guitarists are just a bunch of look-at-me egomaniacs. For goodness sake, they don't even use all their fingers at once. How hard can it be????
aren't keyboard players those things that U2 hide under the stage?
keyboard - how hard can that be? all you gotta do is hold the fifth and turn the modulation on and off. if you're a real keyboard player then that means a lesley cabinet. if you're a pretend keyboard player then you probably don't know what one is. neither do you know how to adjust your mallet stiffness or your pickup distance on your Rhodes. there's keyboard players and then there's keyboard players! maybe next top 5 should be Best Keyboard solos. At least the top four would be filled by Michael McDonald, and the last one would be the hammond solo on Crowded Houses "Dont Dream Its Over" (played by Mitchell Froom on the recording, but by Mark Hart from Supertramp when live) which really only works so well because its followed up Neil's luscious sound of his Les Paul Gold Top with that great riff over the chorus chords. BTW, did you know that Joe Satriani was a back-up singer on that track but they removed his vocal from the mix because his american accent clashed too much with Neil's Kiwi accent. Anyway, where were we? o thats right. guitars are better.
Keyboards are for pseudo musicians. PIANO!!!!! That's right, no room to hide behind fancy electronic effects, wah-wah, distortion, modulations, holding 5ths, overdrive, excessive chorus etc..
Talk pianos solos.
Oh yeah, Michael McDonald was and is a smokin keyboard player but let's talk George Duke, some of Stevie Wonders gear, Herbie Hancock and people I'm sure "guitarists" dont' even know exist as they're so immersed in those 6 strings... so difficult, so challenging for them.
I guess that's fair enough as the average guitarist IQ is up there with the IQ of rice pudding and base players. Dont' worry though, the drummers are still 25 IQ points behind you.
reckon you might have picked the wrong guy to mis-spell 'bass' with...
Musos are weird individuals...
since piano is a percussion instrument, doesn't that give piano players the same IQ as drummers?
and, I'm assuming, glockenspiel players. Although some of those glockenspiel players are pretty sharp. There's a Top 5: Finest Glockenspiel Solos.
I reckon Mike Oldfield would have played glockenspiel...or would have if he'd ever been given the chance. Some parents are so prescriptive.
The piano, from a classical, orchestral perspective, is in a class of it's own. While it is played in a percussive manner, it's primary function is a melodic instrument, which is not a percussive function.
You can tell because the pianist is usually a keen, witty, bright, creative individual whose fingers and hands move at about twice the speed of light over the 7 octaves of keys at different planes.
I think of Chris Martin in full flight. Correct me if I'm wrong fellas but wasn't there some Coldplay on our Top 5 albums and I do recall some sensational piano action on the albums.
The percussion player is the person who was too retarded at school to play real instruments so was stuck in the corner with a tambourine or drum and beater and was told to hit it. Those with some potential (ie managed not to drop the stick/beater) might have developed themselves and trained to become a drummer. They still harbour hatred toward those of us who use all our fingers at once but it is really jealousy.
One day, maybe in heaven but I doubt before, guitar players will also be a part of that zenith, that nirvana, that apex of achievement called playing 10 notes at once in sweet, sweet harmony, melting emotions and causing beauty to erupt from creation.
The harp, most similar to a piano than any other instrument, is played by angels (everyone knows that!!!). What is not commonly known is that they used to play piano but God (due to Occupational Health & Safety issues after the fall of Lucifer) brought in harps for them. Less strain on the back and wings apparently.
God then limited Lucifer, heaven's one time worship pastor, to percussion and guitar. He relinquished percussion to the Africans, as they were better at it than the demons of hell, but kept guitar to be used to by his agents of demonic back masking music like Led Zepplin, ACDC, KISS, Metallica, Megadeth, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Pete Murray, Slayer, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters etc
also, don't forget that most songs are written on a piano originally. Easier, better, sweeter.
I think I've said enough.
Chris martin as a piano player to be respected? of course i like his stuff, but its by no means close to anything difficult. is what you play when you are learning piano and want to sound cool. there are thousands of semi-talented 11 year olds around the world right now fighting over who's going to play "clocks" on the piano at youth group/kids camp/school music class etc etc.
i'm no afficionado, but maybe we should start talking Joel, John, Folds, Krall, Hornsby (now Bruce can play a great piano!)
BTW - a harpsichord is similar to a piano, a Harp appears to be more similar to something you would stand and pluck one string at a time. kind of like a guitar?
Simon - I reckon Yanni would have had a go at a glockenspeil - although from what i've seen of him he would have stood at the front of stage and waved to a glockenspeil player up there next to the sitah player.
Mikey - the highlight for me was that you've managed to incorporate Megadeth and Pete Murray in the same breath.
So far as I can tell, there's only one fly in your cogent ointment. And his name is Russell Fragar.
I neglected Ryan Adams "The Shadowlands"
Ahh...that's random - someone bringing this thing back 'on-post'. A bit left field.
Mikey - know any timpani players?
Harpsichord was developed from the harp. Piano came later. Plucking was before the percussive piano action.
By definition, therefore, it's an improvement!! Pianos are an improvement on guitars.
I think that Peruvian air might be playing tricks on you Garrick.....
Yes, Bruce can play some mean piano but really, listen to anything from Herbie Hancock and prepare to be amazed. You will change your mind, burn your guitars and buy a piano. Diana can play too but her mentor/hero was George Duke. He'll blow your mind. Then there's Chick Corea.... nuff said. Elton is a self taught primma donna who can play a bit but just happens to be able to write dome rather good music. Billy Joel does have some chops but is more your rock n roll player. He happens to be able to write some pretty good music as well.
Simey - I hear you re Rusty Fragar but I never saw him on a piano, only keys, so I can't call him a pianist. I can barely call him anything actually.... Glad you liked the Pete Murray line, I thought it was 24 carat gold.
Glad I've been able to put this matter to rest.
Sorry Garrick...
I tend to agree with mikey on this one... to an extent.
But they both have their place...
Me, as a guitarist, i would much rather listen to a pno solo... and stuff from herbie is nuts and i don't miss the guitar at all when listening to it.
I think in rock, blues, etc... guitar has to dominate, but in fusion, jazz, nu jazz, funk... keyboard is THE instrument.
But they both have their place. i enjoy playing and listening to both.
This said, i don't think that you can say that guitar isn't important or keys aren't important, both are important and create "sweet music" hehe.
Zac
A voice of reason from great man. Where there is unity He commands a blessing. Sure it doesn't make for a feisty and enjoyable conversation but it sure makes for robust music.
mikey, i actually play piano, and yes am planning on buying one when i can.
as for the difference between piano and guitar, if it serves the song then i actually don't really care. its all good.
i've seen pete murray live, didn't sound like he was trying to sow in any concepts on the subconcious level.
I think it's time for the woodwind players to enter the fray. We've been silent too long...
anonymous for too long as well...
Garrick,
I know you do, just stirring the proverbial pot!!
The Pete Murray reference was merely a humourous reference in the middle of all those "evil" metal guitarists. I don't like Pete so I reckon it was funny.
Zac.... you are so right. It is the instrument but no matter the circumstances.
I think Mikey and Zac's recent comments have provided much solace for banjo players the world over. Bagpipe players also have renewed hope in their role in the aural landscape of our lives.
so I'm gleaning from this that we're all and have a role to play in the musical body, but some are more equal than others?
What would 'You're the Voice' or "It's a long way to the top" sound like without the invaluable contribution of our good bagpipe friends?
Surely the ground at the foot of the cross is level for bagpipe players as well, MIkey?
No it isn't. The foot of the cross is not level for people who enjoy blowing into a sheeps stomach with pipes sticking out of it. Jesus provides no grace to those who enjoy mono droned instrumentation. It was hard enough for him to save the Scottish let alone the bagpipers.
Oh yeah, those songs might have a chance of being good without the pipes.
Watch Braveheart, there's a scene where the pipers are playing after William Wallaces father's funeral. He uncle said that the English King had banned them. From then on in, I was barracking for the English for the rest of the movie.
Go Longshanks!!!!
For those concerned by Mikey's doctrinal foundations...keep worrying. You do well to worry - but don't let the sun go down on your worries.
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