Guitar solos

[Dan Warburton]

Robert Quine on Richard Hell's "Love Comes In Spurts"
more to follow

[jon abbey]

I wanted to mention Robert Quine, but I wasn't sure what to go with. I think his best work might be on Lou Reed's Live In Italy, an underdiscussed record and possibly the highlight of Reed's solo career.

[joseghast]

I wanted to mention Robert Quine, but I wasn't sure what to go with. I think his best work might be on Lou Reed's Live In Italy, an underdiscussed record and possibly the highlight of Reed's solo career.

Really? Haven't listened to a lot of Reed lately, but the music by him I've heard from that epoch was not very good, specially the Legendary Hearts album.

Anyway, just not to go very off topic, some solos:

Seconded Robert Fripp's solo on Starless.
Fripp on Sailor's Tale.
And of course, how haven't got mentioned yet?, the Lou Reed solo from I've heard her call my name.

[jon abbey]

yeah, I'd go so far as to say that most solo Reed is unnecessary, but Live In Italy is essentially his greatest hits, and the band rocks.

[Dan G]

Some favorite sort of solos - not standard middle of song ones - the opening sections on Gang of Four's Anthrax and I found that essence rare.

[Damon_Smith]

D. Boon, Ed Crawford and Curt Kirkwood had some good ones.

[surfer]

Eruption

[gregh]

fripp on st elmo's fire (Eno, another green world)
adrian belew (the last 40 secs )on The great Curve (talkingheads, Remain in Light)

[Wombatz]

Charlie Christian whenever the bridge arrives.
Oscar Moore with King Cole, Barney Kessel with Shaw's Gramercy 5, Remo Palmieri on that Norvo Wilson Sextet thing.
Leo Brouwer's music; while it was several decades or even centuries behind, it still made the classical guitar as versatile an instrument as the piano.
Jim Hall live with Giuffre in Italy 1959.
Texas Blues Man by Lightning Hopkins.
Frith on Gravity, Fripp on 21 Century Schizoid Man, Belew in 79 or so on a Bowie bootleg that's more crackle than music and therefore counters his love for studio hacks.
Neil Young's Words on Harvest.
While the first record might be historically more important, I prefer Quine on Hell's Destiny Street. Reed's Live in Italy does nothing for me because the guitar sounds have no depth, the playing is fine but doesn't come through.
Sonny Sharrock on Ask the Ages.
Marc Ribot on Waits' Rain Dogs.
Late 80s Scofield, I'm afraid.
Sugimoto's Opposite.
Disregarding extended techniques that's sort of my canon.

[gregh]

Leo Brouwer for sure - his improv section in La Espiral Eterna off the RaRa album is great

[corey_larkin]

let's not forget michael karoli on "bel air"

[Gerardo A]

British session player Alan Parker's solos in the first two tracks of Gainsbourg's L'Homme à Tête de Chou.
Tisziji Muñoz with Dave Liebman, Cecil McBee and Rashied Ali in "Happy Sadness" out of Presence of Joy.
Whoever plays the guitar solo in "La Quinta de Beethoven" from Markolino Dimond's Beethoven's Fifth (my favorite salsa album overall; and this is one of the great enigmas of my life--neither the original CD or LP mention a guitar player in the credits).
Knut Magne Valle in "Ad Astra" from Arcturus' La Masquerade Infernale.
Pepper Keenan and Woody Weatherman's solos in Corrosion of Conformity's "Albatross", as well as a couple of Pepper's solos in the first Down CD.
Nels Cline's solo in Vinny Golia's "Big Child on the Loose" (an amazing foil for Golia's bass sax).
Curt Kirkwood's in the Meat Puppets' "Teenager(s)", one of the bonus tracks in the CD version of II.
One of Dismember's guitar players in "Dreaming in Red".
Both of Carcass' guitar players in "Forensic Clinic" from Necroticism...

[J.F.]

Fripp in Starless has been mentioned... I never perceived the middle section as a guitar solo so far, but a composed ensemble section (and live versions indeed are identical).
One thing I enjoy about that part is how fore/background are interchangeable.

I'm aware that some Crim guys themselves refer to that as a guitar solo as well, though.


One remarkable thing in the Yes-catalogue:
Steve Howe's soloing in the 1st half of The Ancient

[Stevo]

Oscar Moore with King Cole,

glad to see there are other Oscar Moore fans out there.
think cole lost something when king started referring to him not the trio.

Sonny Sharrock on Ask the Ages.

in general's pretty great anyway.

[carlos]

Both of Carcass' guitar players in "Forensic Clinic" from Necroticism...

also worth noting that they give titles to their solos

leads: the sanguine articles by W.G. Steer for example, noted on the lyric sheet

[Alastair]

Bob Mould knows (or knew) how to play a guitar solo. Two of my favourites, from the inbetween Husker Du/Sugar solo career, are on

"Wishing Well" from Workbook

and

"Shoot Out The Lights" (live) from the Wishing Well 12" but subsequently released on the Poison Years CD compilation. The second solo in the track, not the weedy first one (not by Mould).

[grisha]

Curt Kirkwood's in the Meat Puppets' "Teenager(s)", one of the bonus tracks in the CD version of II.

and just about any solo on "Up on the Sun"

[maRi]

"Deacon Jones" by Link Wray is terrific, a continuous solo accompanied by wonderful clapping and shouting. I love the frenzied solos of "Gonna Rock Tonite" by The Flamin' Groovies and the fiery "I'm Coming Home" one by The Deviants.

[Jason Brogan]

Some favorite sort of solos - not standard middle of song ones - the opening sections on Gang of Four's Anthrax and I found that essence rare.

Seconded—Andy Gill might be my favorite rock guitarist.

[Stevo]

Fred Frith several places on Henry Cow's Concerts lp 7 elsewhere with both them & art Bears.

Richard Thompson on the '85 Mississippi Nights sets