New Game+ presents: The 10 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
The best human stories ever told on a six-string
Our senses are truly wonderful things. Without them, the beautiful world we live in would be dreadfully dull. Food would be without taste, sights would be without grandeur, and of course, sounds would be without music. We use senses to learn about our surroundings from the moment we are born, and as we age, master our use of them. The ten artists below have, no doubt, plumbed the deepest depths of the world we live in through mastery of the sense of sound.
The art of writing music has been prevalent throughout the age of human history although the instrument through which the narrative is told has changed. When the electric guitar was invented, it was truly a revolutionary instrument. The fine sound and detailed tone that one could achieve through amplifying a tiny magnetic signal was unparalleled. Every small mistake became more exaggerated, but likewise, so was glory heightened. The wail of the electric guitar is the crowning sound of a generation gone by, and today, New Game+ can subjectively assemble a humble list of the greatest achievements ever made on the “axe”.
Honorable Mention: “Gravity” by John Mayer
Live work is important to any guitarist, and some guitar enthusiasts might argue that it is perhaps the most important part. The ability to perform and amaze your fans at a live show is no doubt a talent. However, at New Game+, we are going to exclusively rate studio versions of the following famous songs. The studio version of a song speaks to an artist’s standard of perfection, and also creates an environment from which all recordings can be judged fairly.
John Mayer is without a doubt one of the most talented players ever to pick up a guitar. He practiced guitar so much that when he was young, his parents took him to see a psychiatrist, twice, to see if there was anything wrong with him. However, his skill on guitar is not enough for him to buck any of the other members off this list. John’s studio work can only be described as “safe”, and although he tore up stages with his electric live sets, he was never willing to make his skill immortal on disc. “Gravity” is perhaps his most musically complete song, off of his best album, and deserves mention on this list. Now, without further ado, New Game+’s 10 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.
10. “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix
Deciding on the 10th place spot was by far the hardest part of this list. By choosing Jimi, I had to leave off Duane Allman, Van Halen, Brian May, Eric Johnson, Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and even a second Led Zeppelin song, the only group that was considered for a second entry. However, each of the above artists’s songs had some flaw that can be discussed at another time. Considering the precedent Jimi set for the rock and electric guitar world, his work on “Little Wing” is recognized as New Game+’s tenth greatest guitar solo of all time.
“Little Wing” is a simple tune and possibly Jimi’s most melodically mature. We have to remember that despite the genius he left us with, the best was perhaps still yet to come. The theme follows a classic blues progression and although short, it embodies the story of Jimi’s fascination with the feminine godhead in simple melody. The song and its progression has since become a blues guitar standard for future performers, most notably Eric Clapton, whose covers of this great song are bewitching. In college, where I discovered guitar, I listened to a particular Clapton cover of this song for what seemed like days on end while trudging through my homework. You can find it below. (and nowhere else ❤)
9. “Sultans Of Swing” by Dire Straits
If our tenth place song was base camp, at ninth place we finally begin our climb towards the greatest guitar solo summit. Mark Knopfler of the band Dire Straits is here to greet us at ninth place with the self-assured, blazing-fast notes on “Sultans of Swing”. Although also highly regarded in terms of lyrics and composition, the finishing solo is the highlight of the tune, similar to most of the other songs on this list. After proclaiming themselves as the “Sultans of Swing”, the band proves it. The solo starts with a statement of theme, slowly winding itself up into a hypnotic frenzy, before building up to a climactic final cry that takes place on the very edge of what an electric guitar is capable of.
No other artist has been able to replicate the sound that Knopfler achieved on this record, and the song has since become a signature of his greatness. There are few that can combine the sheer speed found on “Sultans of Swing” with its coherent progression of melody. But it is Knopfler’s unique finger-picking style that truly sets him apart from the rest of the artists on this list.
8. “November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses
A theme of this list is that the greatest rock solos are not simply demonstrations of pure technical skill, but stories of human experience. On “November Rain”, lead guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses weaves a story just as lyrically rich as the actual song itself. The solo walks in with a handoff from the band’s lead singer, as if to say, “please, Slash, I fear that the listener will not fully understand my meaning without you”. So Slash and his Gibson (pictured above from the music video) takes the listener on a journey of ups and downs, rises and falls and without reaching for any harrowing technique, calmly sets the golden standard for a rock ballad guitar solo.
7. “Layla” by Derek and The Dominos
One of the most recognizable guitar riffs ever, “Layla” also comes with a set of guitar and piano solos that make for one of the most talent-packed arrangements of all time. The fever-inducing guitar solo howls the classic story of the battle between a man’s force of will and his unrequited love. Clapton, the frontman of Derek and the Dominos, was infatuated by his friend’s wife at the time and produced this song as a result, inspired by the Middle Eastern equivalent of “Romeo and Juliet”. The two lovers eventually married.
6. “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
In assembling this list, a song’s relative popularity (plays on Spotify) was taken into account. Metallica furious metal style is on full display in their classic hits “Master of Puppets” and notably “One”, but the meaning of those solos take a backseat to the rather simple solo found on “Nothing Else Matters”. Metallica was at their absolute musical zenith when they released their fifth and last great album, aptly self-titled. The solo from their third single “Nothing Else Matters” perfectly and concisely encapsulates the band’s musical journey. A classic in composition, it proves that from no matter what artistic roots we come, the greatest achievements transcend a genre and are universal. “Nothing Else Matters” remains one of Metallica’s most accessible songs for a mainstream audience and proves that the ability of a artist to reach a wide audience without comprising integrity is a skill in and of itself.
5. “Time” by Pink Floyd
By my estimation, there are more scholars of Pink Floyd than for any other band on this list. (The Beatles are notably excluded) Their live shows were more sites of religious ascension than rock concerts. The choice for the band’s most perfect solo came down to “Time” and “Comfortably Numb”. Both solos are epic tales of sweeping fantasy, but we as listeners are left without an ending while on the ride of “Comfortably Numb”, and that is why I consider “Time” to be more musically “complete”. The decision to firmly bring a grand adventure to an end takes discipline and an acceptance of the satisfaction found in an arbitrary final destination. The whimsical fading out of a solo evokes the unbounded fantasy that an immature child would have. A true artist should be measured not by the length of his journey but by the fruits borne from examining the human experience. In essence, as Tolkien once beautifully put, to go “there and back again”.
4. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
No list assembling the greatest achievements in rock would be complete without at least thought of this classic. The final guitar solo, spanning over 4 minutes with epic licks and riffs, has reached legendary status amongst fans, and is one of rock’s first certified memes. It is now acceptable to scream “PLAY FREE BIRD!” at any and all concerts that feature a guitar. And it is not without reason. “Free Bird” is perhaps the greatest example of what happens when you mix equal parts blues, rock and country. This proud and defiant southern rock anthem begins with the lament of “Gone With The Wind” and concludes with the ferocity of the Army of Northern Virginia. The American South is truly its own country, with its own beautiful land and unique lifestyle, and if you’re not from the South, you won’t get it. Thank God then for Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-’nérd ‘Skin-’nérd)
3. “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull
While climbing this mountain we come across the name “Aqualung” carved in faded bronze two strides from the summit. The choice may seem odd to some, but the guitar solo speaks for itself. When comparing elite athletes at their prime to other professionals, one can see that although their end results are quite similar, there is an economy of movement that only the best possess. Similarly, when it comes to the guitar solo on “Aqualung”, there is barely a note wasted while moving from emotional peak to trough. The energy level is kept astoundingly high, given the effort that is required to maintain it, which keeps the listener both tragically hooked and constantly surprised until the very end. Jethro Tull’s underrated rock classic “Aqualung” is New Game+’s third greatest guitar solo of all time.
2. “Hotel California” by The Eagles
The guitar solos on “Hotel California” and (spoiler) the first place record “Stairway To Heaven” belong here at the top because they transcend the music genre and tell the universal story of the rise and fall of man. In the guitar world, these two songs are the Iliad and the Odyssey. The solo on “Hotel California”, like any great novel, begins with the proclamation of a quest, the beginnings of a journey. The sound is then of course harmonic and auspicious. As the solo winds and repeats, the first challenges the quest proposes are overcome with relative ease. Armed with these positive signs, the pace is consequently quickened, as inspiration flows freely. However, when the solo reaches its middle point, the story stagnates and the same notes are repeated without a coherent direction. After some time, a breakthrough finally comes and the solo reaches its apogee. Following this spirited rise, the fall is gradual and the solo finds lasting peace within an infinite repetition of chords, evoking images of a vast frontier left for generations to come. The solo from “Hotel California” sounds familiar right from the first listening and for each time thereafter, regardless of a person’s upbringing or station in life, and is our penultimate guitar solo.
1. “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
First and second place are tied together like the two sides of a coin. It is impossible to mention one without a comparison to the other and likewise, to put “Stairway To Heaven” before “Hotel California” is to recognize that the former must have something the latter does not. Both songs are classic rock, clean and simple. Both solos take the listener through the trails of human experience. But where “Hotel California” is passive, “Stairway” is active. As both songs reach their sweeping climax, they diverge. The natural course is to finish, to welcome peace, which “Hotel” does. “Stairway” however, angrily and defiantly full of life, turns around with a pounding power chord finale as if to say, life is hard, but we are harder. That confrontation with the natural course of the world is what makes us human, and is what makes the solo on “Stairway To Heaven” our Greatest Guitar Solo Of All Time. While it plays, we believe that when the world fights us, we can fight back. To be a rock, and not to roll.
