Favorite all time solo(s) and why?

Pat Metheny - "Are You Going With Me". The live version on "Travels" is unbelievably expressive and the studio version on 'Offramp' is incredible too. Almost 30 years later and Roland is still featuring Pat's GR-300 sound in the VG-99 and GR-55.
 
"Deep Peace" Devin Townsend
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"Lateralus" - Tool (Adam Jones)
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"Sunshine" - Alice In Chains (Jerry Cantrell)
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"On Impulse" - Animals As Leaders (Tosin Abasi)
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"Trains" - Porcupine Tree (Steven Wilson)
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"Hillbilly Shoes" - Montgomery Gentry :D
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"Dogs" - Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)
 
Some of my faves in no particular order.

Blue Sky - Duane Allman
Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson
Comfortably Numb - David Gilmore
Freebird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Aqualung - Martin Barre
Cortez the Killer, Like a Hurricane, Cowgirl in the sand - Neil Young
Babys on fire - Robert Fripp
Samba pa ti - Carlos Santana
 
Hello (Lionel Richie). No, I'm not kidding! So simple, so effective.

Blackbird (Alter Bridge). Classic "hard rock" solo.

You got the blues (Gary Moore). One of those solos everybody has memorized.

Black betty (Ram Jam).
 
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Ry Cooder's solo on John Hiatts 'Lipstick Sunset' - there is a moment where he slides up very high, hits the major seventh long enough to convey all of it's bittersweetness and then resolves to the root.
the phrasing and vibrato are among the best I ever heard.
 
November rain- Slash! Not a tricky solo technicly, but each note was meant to be, very melodic lines in there, simply perfect! +1 for C.C Deville with Life goes on!! A so underated guitarist because of hairspray!!
 
The one solo beside Eruption that made me stand up and salute the Guitar HereHo's was Gary Moore's Solo on his version of "Shapes of things"
Not only did I think it was an EPIC solo but I felt his vocals were just incredible. The love and passion in that song poors through Moore's fingers and voice!!

Listen here:
 
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This one deserves a nod also. When we going through our Yngwie Craze we came across this one in the ol record collection and realized that ol YingYang was NOT on the island of the guitar gods by himself.

 
I'm sure I'm forgetting something but...

"Comfortably Numb"- It does everything it is supposed to do. Absolute perfection.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"- Possibly the best chord progression to solo over ever! Youtube it, and you will find an amazing number of famous guitarists who have covered it over the years. I think Jeff Healey is my favorite.... I think.
"Blackbird"- Alter Bridge. Check my profile pic....
"Sultans of Swing"- Mark Knopfler bought a guitar my wife was about to buy for me. :( Despite my disappointment, this solo (and song) is a technical masterpiece.
"No More Tears"- Zakk at his finest. Combines the emotion of Gilmour with the incendiary stylings of Blackmore.
"See The Light"- If I could have the skills of any guitar player, it would probably be Jeff Healey.
"Mr. Crowley"- Randy Rhodes revolutionized metal, and did it all with sucky tone.
 
The Bash- Dixie Dregs. If that was chicken-pickin the bird vaporized. More the entire song but trading 4s with Mark O'conner was incredible.
 
This is actually an interesting read..you get used to seeing user names all over the forum, but it's great to see some depth behind a "username" with a real personality, (as great as the net can be it can turn people into one dimensional characters) but seeing what inspires people and the diversity involved is amazing..may open up some new music and idea's for us all. :)
 
+1!! I was going to post here that "Little Fighter" is probably, pound-for-pound, my favorite solo ever. So many great ones on this list, but the solo in Little Fighter hit me when I was discovering guitar at an early age, and it still moves me to this day. Vito's an incredible player IMO!

dupere11497 said:
Oh, and every solos Vito Bratta ever played! Especially Wait, Little fighter and When the Children cry!!
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rhequiem said:
+1!! I was going to post here that "Little Fighter" is probably, pound-for-pound, my favorite solo ever. So many great ones on this list, but the solo in Little Fighter hit me when I was discovering guitar at an early age, and it still moves me to this day. Vito's an incredible player IMO!
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Yeah! He sure was something! What I like about little fighter solo, is that Vito was able to incorporate in a 8 bar solo about every technique you can imagine, from arpegios, slides, hammer pulls on/ off, tapping, bends and still, this is done in a musical way. No improvisation here, this section was written note for note and we would play it live, just like on the record!! Maybe the best guitar player of his era! He brings Eddy's chops to another level. A lot of young beginners should learn Vito's chops!!
 
Not in any order:

The Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post (Live at the Filmore East)
Smoking tone and slide work.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung
Martin Barre with sweet composition and build up.

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
The stops / riffs and classic Page swagger.

Ozzy - Crazy Train
Randy Rhodes composition and on the edge of losing it style.

Santana - Black Magic Woman
Latin rock with swagger and cool raw tones.

Neil Young - Powderfinger (Live Rust)
Old black and a 5E3 tweed smoking hot. Add a Bigsby and a good 5 chord rock song.

Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane
Heavy reverbed Euro Marshall precision.

Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
Long sexy bridge solo.

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Perfectly quaffed Marshall tone against that sparse perfect drum kit.

VH - Beat It
Not typical VH tone but 10 pounds of attitude in a 5 pound bucket.

Clapton - White Room
You have to wait for the solo in this song. And it delivers. If you study this one, the way he rocks the wah in relation to the tempo / groove is nothing short of miraculous.

Yngwie Malmsteen - Black Star
Everyone replays this one over and over the first time they queue it up to listen to it.

ZZ Top - La Grange
Pinch harmonics + some Texas toast! Like an encyclopedia of Billy's riffs.
 
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