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I was out to dinner with some friends and fellow Townsmen last night, and Townsman machinery, who’s never yet launched a thread in the Halls of Rock said, “Here’s what I’d like to know: when we talk about the greatest guitarists in rock, why does no one ever mention Neil Young?” He acknowledged that his playing is simple, but that his solos are so identifiable and have so much feeling.
I realized this tied into something I’ve been thinking about: solos that get it.
Some of you may roll your eyes at having to hear this from me again, but I was listening to the song “Marquee Moon,” and the solos, maaaannnnn, seem to express something about the human condition, or at least my own condition. They build and battle and struggle in ways that reflect the ebb and flow of how I perceive our cosmic, emotional world. This is subjective, of course, but without the benefit of the musician using lyrics to convey meaning, name a solo (on any instrument) that you feel gets it and, if possible to explain, why? Just name one to start.
Contrast this with a solo that you do like yet does not seem to get it? Just one. Don’t waste our time on some easy example from among solos and styles of soloing that you can’t stand. Don’t risk some middle-class wrist injury typing in “Anything by Steve Vai” or some other soloist we wouldn’t expect you to dig. See if you can contrast an “expressive” solo with a solo that you actually like yet would acknowledge does not convey much more than Check out my [kick-ass/tasty/fancy/lightning-fast] licks! For me, Steve Howe‘s twisted take on Chuck Berry in the opening of “Going for the One” comes to mind. I love it for so many intellectual reasons: the unexpectedness of Howe playing a Berry lick, the variations he throws into the well-worn phrases… It’s one of rock’s finest pipe-tamping solos, but I don’t know that it gets anything.
And let us know what you think about Neil Young’s place among rock’s greatest guitarists.
i think Neil Young might be the best shitty lead guitarist in the history of rock and roll. Like much of the man’s career choices and songwriting, none of his solos ever get resolved. They are raw expressions of the man himself and not easily digestable.
However my 2 favorite guitar solos are Tony Iommi’s work on Planet Caravan from Black Sabbath’s 2nd album Paranoid, and Ray Crawford’s solo on Tom Waits’ Blue Valentine.
Both are pretty straight slow pentatonic blues played with clean tones within fairly mellow numbers. Both are a bit sleepy in character. I don’t know if they “get it” but they sure get me. Everytime.
For me it’s Richard Lloyd in See No Evil and Marc Ribot in A Jockey Full Of Bourbon.
The first hits most of my favorite lead guitar cliches and does so perfectly.
The latter is both melodic and off kilter and it sounds like a single take because you can hear the level get boosted in the beginning of the lead.
They’re both crucial for their songs.
Not sure if it truely classifies as a solo, but Jimi Hendrix’s playing on “1983 (a Merman I Should Turn to Be)” perfectly captures the otherworldy, outerspace qualities he was reportedly going for in that track.
I also hear hints of his appreciation for Classical musik, and the roaring wind sound in the finale is one of the most inventive uses of a six-string ever.
Jimi got “it.”
I love the solos on “Sympathy for the Devil” from the Stones’ Get Your Ya-Yas Out. They do exactly what needs to be done, no more, no less.
Solos that don’t work? Anything that you can imagine a guitarist doing while holding a guitar behind their head. In that respect I agree with Holden Caufield in Catcher in the Rye, who criticizes the guy who roller skates on stage at the Rockettes show because all Holden can think of is that guy *practicing* to be the guy who roller skates on stage, or the piano player with “dumb show-offy ripples in the high notes, and a lot of other very tricky stuff that gives me a pain in the ass.”
Hey, I’m a jazz fan, a large portion of my whole music thing is about those soloists who are “really saying something.” Jump to the minute and-a-half mark here to catch Hodges playing sax on the Ellington/Strayhorn classic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvixrXEYyVY
It almost makes me weep, and I’m a cold, cold man….
To re-emphasize this not-so-clear, extremely subjective topic, I’m not seeing “favorite” or “best” solos but the solos that you feel personally say something about life – as opposed to other solos you like a lot that, when you think about it, aren’t really of the “soul-searing” variety but are mainly “cool” or “interesting” or whatever. dbuskirk’s citation of a weep-inducing segment of a solo gets at what I’m trying to get at, if you get it.
I sincerely believe there are plenty of excellent guitar solos that do not get into this cosmic/personal realm – and that’s cool. That’s the set of contrasting solos I’m asking for, not crap by that Malmstein guy or Neil Gerardo or whomever.
Thanks to those of you who have been taking a crack at this topic so far. I know it’s asking a lot.
The demented solo / wind out on Dinsoaur Jnr’s Start Choppin gets me. There’s something badly needy and a bit naked about the whole shebang that’s like being pushed into a corner and forced to read your old love letters.
Or something like that.
I am not really a Dinosaur Jnr fan but caught this record somehow. Maybe it was where I was at at the time.
There’s a bit of both Television and Neil Young about it. Would be an awesome live tune.
Otherwise, I can’t easily get around Sketch for Summer by the Durutti Column, the post-punk Manchester band. Strangely quiet, meditative and uplifting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLlzGLH7wM
Robert Quine, with his glasses, bald head, and buttoned-down sweaters, seemed more professorial than emotional, but his solos on Love Comes in Spurts and, even more so, on Waves of Fear deliver the goods. The solos are manic and confused just like the songs. He’s being intellectual and precise in his approach, but the results sound like he just learned how to play guitar earlier in the day. In a good way.
Hendrix on 1983 is an interesting one, since I think there are parts he plays that work on both the “cool” and emotionally-connective way. He does a lot of his neat tricks like playing the sound of a global missile attack between breaks in a sentence describing the same, and there’s even that messy bass solo he plays that sounds like something you’d hear underwater.
But in the last leg of the song, after he’s done all the underwater stuff, he suddenly hooks back around and bursts into the main solo again, and its very effective in breaking the watery claustrophobia that the song builds up – it’s the sound of somebody breaking out over the surface again and it really nails that kind of triumphant explosive feeling.
Excellent call on what’s great about Quine’s sound there by chickenfrank.
For me, one of the the solos that best gets it is Graham Coxon’s on Blur’s “This Is A Low”. Coxon is one of those guys who seems like he can do pretty much whatever he wants to do with a guitar, but he’s pretty restrained when his turn comes up on this one, and by not doing a ton, it comes off as sort of majestic. The whole song sounds intentionally foggy and lost-at-sea, and the guitar spotlight at the end turns into something like an aural lighthouse and it hits me every time.
Since I haven’t mentioned the first Dream Syndicate album in about a month, I’ll say Karl Precoda’s solo on “Definitely Clean” gets it.
On to Neil Young, I’ve been on a big Neil kick lately. Sometimes I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been much of backlash against him here on RTH. He’s sloppy, he doesn’t spotlight cool basslines, he hasn’t made a well-regarded album in years. I mean, one could cast serious aspersions on his whole emphasis on “feel,” which can turn into cliche pretty easily, right?
But the fact is, so many rock values can be utilized for good or ill, depending on the player. When he’s on, Neil makes the whole “feel” thing work better than anything. Next to an album like Zuma, even some of the best Prock sounds lifeless.
Oh, and I love his guitar playing.
How about that weird, fuzzy guitar solo on Abandoned Hospital Ship by the Flamming Lips? I always thought it fit the song perfectly, even i can’t exactly put my finger on what emotion its capturing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXHmLJFd434
How about John Lennon’s solo in Get Back? Had the whole project stood up to that understated but groovy little gem, there might have been no need for Abbey Road.
For reasons I cannot quite articulate, I think George’s solos on “Long Tall Sally” are tremendous. Sloppy and great. And Mick Jones’ “you’re my guitar hero!” solo on “Complete Control.” Spectacular.
As for Neil, anybody who thinks he isn’t a great guitar player probably doesn’t think he’s a great singer, too. Whereas he is.
I recall reading a Guitar Player article describing Neil Young’s soloing style as ” bombastic & hamfisted.” I can see where someone highly trained in technique & theory might think so, but he’s always been one of my faves.
Any of you theory cats out there Neil fans?? Jus’ curious…
Robert Quine. Good one!
I watched Neil wrestle his guitar last year at JazzFest. I think the guitar won most of the matched, but man was it fun to watch. I think he’s GREAT!
TB
i am a complete and utter Neil Young fanatic!
TB, funny you should use the verb “wrestle” about Neil’s style. A friend used to describe Neil’s playing as wrestling an alligator. He looks like he’s trying to subdue his ax in a hammer-lock.
I think I’ll use Keith’s solo on the studio version of Sympathy for the Devil. That’s just so perfect, and captures everything a lead should. It doesn’t sound like you could use any of it in any other song, because it doesn’t belong anywhere else. It underscores perfectly the feel of the song.
To contrast, I’ll use a player that I think generally “gets it,” but it’s what he “gets” that I always thought was at issue. Mick Taylor’s solo in “Time Waits for No One” is often cited as his swan song with The Stones. I think it’s a great solo, but it starts at the beginning of the song, and just goes through the whole thing and I’m pretty sure he didn’t quit the band, he’s just still sitting there in the dark, playing that solo. I think it’s a good bit of playing, but like the end of Can’t You Hear Me Knocking, Mick doesn’t always “get it” when it comes to being a Rolling Stone. Especially what it means to be a guitar player in that band.
The “Sympathy” solo is a perfect example, 2K. Like you say, it only belongs in that song and it speaks to the song. Great contrasting examples too.
Clapton, on The Yardbirds’ “A Certain Girl”. Gets it.
Paul Burlison on the Johnny Burnette & the Rock & Roll Trio’s “Honey Hush”. Gets it good (as did almost everything he played on their records).