Making news today is that Jimmy Page's solo in Stairway was voted best of all-time, even though Page said it wasn't his best. And that's just considering the studio version. His live versions from '73 and '75 were even better (and longer). I've listened to most of them. My personal favorite is the one from Vancouver '73. After that, I'd put Earl's Court 5/18/75, Seattle '75 (2nd show), Indianapolis '75 and LA '75 (1st night).

Comfortably Numb by Gilmore came in second. Hendrix was 5th with "Along the Watchtower". Skinard was 3rd or 4th with Free Bird, but I'm not a big fan. I'd put Clapton's solo in "White Room" before that.

How about the last two minutes of "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?"

_________________
Don't take it personally.

I can name 100 guitar solos that are better but I don't feel like it.

You could name them, but still wouldn't be right.

There's none better than Page's live versions of Stairway. None compares to their lyrical and dramatic quality. Improvisational virtuosity of the highest order.

Don't know that one, but I'll give it a listen tonight.

My vote is for a solo that was done in two parts, the first by Jeff Watson, and the second by Brad Gillis:

Don't Tell Me You Love Me (Night Ranger)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3IFVQhTqq4

_________________

Kirk Hammet's on "One" has to be on the list.

_________________

Way too sloppy of a guitarist live.

He had a good feel and emotion for the music and the guitar but he wasn't really that good at playing it.

There's been tons of guitarists since then who blow him away.

Gay has struck the nail on the head. Page while great is one of those "legends" that can never be taken down a notch even though many may be better. There are several such "legends" and they were usually crowned as such by baby boomers.

_________________
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Add that to the list of shit that baby boomers have fucked up and ruined for the rest of us.

_________________

Well? Name some.

_________________
Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

If I neveer hear Stairway again I would feel no loss. Over rated and over played.
Beter solo? Hmmm
Prince, Let's go Crazy or When Doves Cry.
Edge Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Bob Mould See a Little Light
Eddie Van Halen, Bad.

_________________
When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Wanna try that last one again?

_________________
Not a mult.

Truths spoken above.

_________________
Not a mult.

Good song.

Meh solo...

_________________

Oh, and this?

_________________
Not a mult.

I was going to say Paralyzed

_________________
When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

What is with the lack of hipster music opinions? Jay Graydon's solo in Steely Dan's "Peg."

Regarding Comfortably Numb, I think the solo after the first chorus is vastly superior to the one at the end (not sure if this poll made a distinction).

GNR's November Rain is similar in that the first solo is best (and unfortunately cut out on the radio edit).

_________________

Not solos, guitarists. Aside from the riffs he culturally appropriated from the bluesmen, Page probably has 50 others that he created and that are permanently tattooed inside the brains of over a billion people worldwide. He alone is probably 10-15% of the reason Rock is Dead.

_________________
Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

You would have a better chance to prove the existence of god, than prove that one solo is better than another.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

I used to feel that way. Then I didn't listen to any of the radio Zeppelin songs for maybe twenty years, and now I can listen to them again.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

If it is then it is not a good list. Sorry Hammett is a middling guitarist. From that era you can pick out way better solos pretty much everything Marty Friedman did. It's not even Hammett best solo.

It's pretty crazy to talk about the "best" guitar solo. There are so many great ones out there. I guess if you put a gun to my head I'd go with Keith on the Ya-Ya's version of "Sympathy".

My boy, Bill can play the gee-tar like a motherfuckin' riot. Years ago some beer brand held a contest at Metro called "Chicago's Hottest Guitarist" or some shit like that. Bill signed up for this thing. I think there was some prize money and maybe free beer. Every goof in there was aping Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Motherfucker or Eddie V. You can't find many guitarists from my generation who aren't constantly playing with both hands on the neck. Well, Bill went in there and played with no effects, no distortion, just his shitty Tele copy through the amp. At first people didn't know what to make of it. It was like they had never heard what an actual guitar sounds like or something. But he won the crowd over. He didn't win the contest though. That went to some metalhead who was probably from Schaumburg.

Being punk rockers at heart, soloing is antithetical to the ethic. It was generally considered naked rock star posturing usually without actually serving the song. If we were gonna take one we were looking for economy. When we soundchecked this song at before opening for Buddy Guy at Legends, Buddy sent one of his flunkies down to kill half the house PA on us. Bill scared the shit out of old Buddy. The solo starts about 50 seconds in: https://soundcloud.com/joe-orr-road-rod ... p-the-wild

_________________
Don't take it personally.

There is little as cringe worthy as another stupid list from Rolling Stone featuring the top 100 bands, albums, guitarists, solos, songs, etc. It's so fucking ridiculous when the lists change over the years. How did a dead guitarist get better or worse than he used to be? How does one dead guitarist pass another on the list?

Art is subjective. You like it, or you don't. My brother-in-law is the worst when it comes to this. He likes to tell me that a movie or a TV show or a band is "considered to be the best". Considered to be the best? By whom? Any idiot with internet access can start a blog, and share their terrible opinions with the world.

_________________
Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Yngwie jesus what a tard that guy is. Now granted he is amazing at guitar and music in general. He knows more than I ever will but all it translates with him is pure ego. Not the cool swagger type ego just the intolerable type. You play nothing that I would ever willingly listen to.

Mayor problem with guitar gods. Too many notes. Eruption is complete shit, although Eddie wrote lots of memorable hooks. Blah blah blah

Chus nailed it though no way to make a list like this. What does it matter. My guy is better than your guy so I'm better?? Pretty school yard

I am generally down with the democratic nature of the "punk ethic." But I'm troubled by the fact that it's code for "no talent, no work ethic." There's an underlying assumption that one could play like Page and chose not to. Couldn't be further from the truth. They couldn't have dreamt a more distant dream.*

*Lyrics by DannyB

_________________
Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

What's funny about Yngwie is that he was unable to maintain the skeletal Rock Star Look like Steve Vai and others have. Fat Yngwie is Sad Yngwie.

_________________
Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

Great av, Rube.

You can't fake the immediacy and spirit of a true punk/garage band. That's why a punk band has such a short shelf life. It's an interesting phenomenon. Once the players have the ability to play more, they inevitably want to do so. At that point it is no longer a punk band, but rather just a less talented bunch of guys attempting to play like Jimmy Page or Eddie Van Halen, and most often failing. The other option -which is just as bad, possibly worse- is to just keep recording the same song over and over again for years on end.

_________________
Don't take it personally.