Top 10 Guitar Solos

When I decided to make this week's countdown on my ten favorite guitar solos, I had no idea about the heftiness of the task ahead of me. The preliminary list included nearly 60 songs, and the process of whittling those down to just ten was arduous at best. Before we jump into the list, I want to make a few clarifications. Firstly, these are my top ten favorite guitar solos, meaning this list will probably look different from other lists you've seen. Sure, songs like "Crazy Train" and "Purple Haze" have legendary solos that other artists aspire to match, but those have been analyzed and broken down repeatedly. I didn't want this post to just be a rehash of every other guitar solo countdown you've seen before, so nothing made the list solely based on status. While I took this into account, the list was more or less created based on which guitar solos I enjoy most. This means that I considered everything from how the solo sounds aesthetically, how difficult it was to write and compose, and how it fits into the song, among other points. Also, I limited the list to one song per artist. So without further ado, I present my top ten favorite guitar solos.

10. Grizzly Bear - "Fine For Now"


Solo starts at 4:25

Grizzly Bear is a band not particularly known for its instrumental brilliance, but rather its vocal harmonies and sweeping flourishes of sound. But on this track from 2009's Veckatimest, the group decides to finish with a bang. Guitarist/vocalist Daniel Rossen steps into the spotlight with a flurry of quickly-strummed high notes, accentuated by Christopher Bear's sweeping crash cymbals. In fact, the drums here play as big a part as the guitars by flying around the track and generating a sense of chaos.

9. System of a Down - "Lonely Day"


Solo starts at 1:35

I am by no means a metal head, but SOAD's unique blend of aggressive lyrics, heavy drums, and hypnotizing harmonies has always drawn me in. "Hypnotize" is my favorite SOAD song, thanks to the reasons above, but it's "Lonely Day"'s guitar solo that impresses me most out of their discography. What makes it stand out to me is not only its amazing technical ability (it's a monster of a solo), but that it achieves something very rare in rock music, especially metal: a sad-toned guitar solo that still sounds great. Most solos are either gloriously triumphant-sounding or just to show off, but on "Lonely Day" guitarist Daron Malakian plays in such a way that the solo perfectly complements the song's dreary, hopeless feeling, while still managing to blow you away.

8. Foo Fighters - "Best of You"


Solo starts at 2:00

For a long time, "Best of You" was my favorite song. While it remains in my remarkably nonvolatile top 5, it has dropped behind by the likes of The Joy Formidable, Brand New, and Radiohead (twice).So while sentimental value & personal taste may (probably) be clouding my judgement on this one just a bit, I still feel that "Best of You" deserves a spot on this list. Sure, there's nothing too complicated here, just various power chords being played repeatedly in long strings, really quickly. But, yet again, it's the role of the solo in the song that helps it gain a spot on my top 10. "Best of You," and most Foo Fighters songs in general, relies on raw energy and power to gets its message across and give the listener a pleasurable listening experience. This fast-paced, upbeat solo plays into that idea well, despite not being the most technically or intellectually challenging solo around. And, besides, when it's all said and done, this solo flat-out rocks. And isn't that what Foo Fighters are for?

7. Pavement - "Gold Soundz"


Solo starts at 1:17

I wrote in detail about this song, and particularly its guitar solo, at length in my look back at Pavement's classic Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. And, since pageviews are my friend, I won't go into too much detail here, other than to say the brilliance here is that this guitar solo actually features three different guitar parts overlaying each other, weaving in and out of the mix. One riff will step to the foreground before eagerly making way for another to take center stage. Click the blue text here or above when I referenced the previous article to visit it & read more about "Gold Soundz" and the album as a whole, one of my prouder pieces of writing thus far.

6. Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven"


Solo starts at 5:50

Yeah, remember when I said that no solo would make the list because of how famous it is? That rule still stands. Though it's truly iconic and is often recognized as one of the greatest of all time, that's not why Jimmy Page's solo on the equally legendary "Stairway to Heaven" made it in my top 10. It made my top 10 because it's a truly amazing piece, and definitely one of my favorites to listen too. "Stairway" is known for its slow build-up, and Page's guitar outburst is the climax of the song. It's only fitting that one of the best songs ever by one of the best bands ever contains one of the best guitar solos (you guessed it) ever. (Lesser songs and less famous solos ranked higher, but  remember, these are my favorites, not the world's favorites. Take it with a grain of salt.)

5. The Strokes - "The Modern Age"


Solo starts at 1:45

The second track on this New York band's debut smash Is This It utilizes eastern influences in its guitar part. The solo starts off unassumingly enough before launching into a full-fledged guitar onslaught. One of the common (yet few) criticisms of The Strokes is that their instrumentals and song structures are too simple. But, after the technically brilliant guitar work on "The Modern Age," that argument gets thrown out the window. The solo catches you off guard, and that's what makes it so much more enjoyable.

4. Dinosaur Jr. - "Watch the Corners"


Solos start at 2:27, 3:25

One of the hardest decisions I had to make when composing this list was choosing between this and "Feel the Pain," in order to follow the one-song-per-artist rule. Thus, I wanted give a quick nod to "Feel the Pain"'s joyful burst of guitar majesty before diving into "Watch the Corners." This track from Dino Jr.'s most recent release, 2012's I Bet on Sky, contains not one but two lengthy, eardrum-exploding, wailing guitar solos. J Mascis has been impressing fans with his skills ever since the group's 1985 debut. Now on their tenth studio album, Dinosaur Jr. brings the good yet again, and this is most noticable in the dual solos in "Watch the Corners." The song is a wash of muddy, low-toned power chords over Mascis' famous droning vocal style. Not only are the technical and aesthetic aspects here astounding, but the production is as well. The way the higher notes are distorted to almost a shriek is tremendously rewarding. The first solo makes way for a short acoustic reprieve, and though technically not a "solo," Mascis free-forms during the final chorus as well before finishing the song with a blazing part. Dinosaur Jr. hasn't lost its sound over its nearly three-decade-spanning career, and that's very apparent on "Watch the Corners."

3. The Joy Formidable - "Maw Maw Song"


Solo starts at 3:49

The Joy Formidable are a band that thrive most when the step back and let the instrumentals take over and ride out the end of the track. Though songs like "Whirring" and "Austere" do it even better, those boisterous, alt-rock freakouts are just as much about the drum parts as the guitar lines, which largely consist of power chords, not really qualifying them as "solos" persay. That is not the case, however, on "Maw Maw Song." The focus here is clearly on frontwoman Ritzy Bryan's magnificient talents as almost half the track is devoted to this epic solo. While the beginning is still great listening and impressive, the real attention-grabbing stuff that makes you recognize Bryan's ability starts about a minute in the solo (around the 4:45 mark in the above video.) This Welsh group's album The Big Roar (not not containing this track, from this year's Wolf's Law) perfectly summarizes their sound, and "Maw Maw" shows you why.

2. Brand New - "Limousine"


Solo starts at 5:42

The solo in this song, like so many others in this list, represents the culmination of all the emotions built up earlier in the track. However, where earlier efforts have been grand, joyful excursions, "Limousine" is a tragic one. A true story about a young girl who was killed by a drunk driver, the 2006 track takes the perspective of several people involved in the wreck, including the drunk driver and the victim's mother. It contains several parts and emotions, varying from sorrow to guilt to fury. The build up to the solo contains a repeated refrain of " I love you so much," with the number preceding the lyric continuing to go up until 7, victim Kate Flynn's age when she was killed. With each repetition, singer Jesse Lacey sounds more desperate and devastated. The final time is the most chaotic of all, with horns blaring as Lacey screams "I can't take it" before the guitar solo is unleashed. It truly is an extremely powerful song, and though the solo doesn't come until the end of the track, I wholeheartedly recommend you watch the entire video to feel the song's full effect.

Rest in peace, Katie Flynn.

1. Radiohead - "Paranoid Android"


Solos start at 3:04, 5:38

What more is there to say? Well, if you haven't read my full-length track-by-track review of OK Computer, I'll tell you pretty much all you need to know. "Paranoid Android" is yet another track with shifting movements, of which the guitar solos are the most energetic and frantic. Jonny Greenwood is a genius on the guitar, and shows it all off on this song. Cool sound effects added post-production are scattered throughout the 1997 record, and the guitar solos here employ them well. Indie rock's "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Paranoid Android" relies on its schizophrenia and Greenwood's performance contributes outstandingly. A true work of art, the solos in "Paranoid Android" are my favorite of all time.

Well, that about does it. A lot of work went into crafting this list and I appreciate anyone who's read this far. Hopefully you enjoyed my list, and maybe learned a thing or two. Feel free to post your own top 10's in the comments below, and thanks for reading.

Album Review of the Week: Pavement - "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain"

Rating: 9.4/10

Pavement's first and last foray into the world of alternative radio, 1994's stellar Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, is one of those records that has stood the test of time thanks to impeccable songwriting and magnificent production. In a year when Soundgarden, Weezer, Oasis, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and Nirvana all released legendary albums, Pavement's sophomore effort may standalone as the best of the bunch. While decidedly more accessible than their critically-acclaimed debut Slanted & Enchanted, the 1994 release sticks to the band's signature sound, including overlaying guitars and Stephen Malkmus' half-spoken vocals. Crooked Rain also shows off the band's laid-back, carefree attitude, without becoming sloppy or unfocused in a manner similar to the great Pixies album Surfer Rosa. In fact, Crooked Rain is more similar to Surfer Rosa than one would notice at first glance; seemingly simple tracks that are more complicated than they sound, strong songwriting, complementary production, and unique vocal styles mark just a few.

The songs of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain are open to a wide range of interpretations, due to puzzling, somewhat abstract lyrics. What someone may think is a happy song, another may find it sad, while a third still might think the lyrics mean nothing at all. Admittedly, it is very valid to interpret Malkmus' word as random, as is a common criticism of him. But while I disagree with this view, it's not crucial to the enjoyment of this masterpiece. The strength of this record doesn't lie in its lyrics, but in the emotions it exuberates, mainly happiness. Joyful guitars and jumpy drum patterns go perfectly with Malkmus' vocal stylings. You won't see him winning American Idol anytime soon, but that's not due to a lack of talent. No, instead Malkmus elects for a more minimalist approach; instead of belting out high notes, he breezily sings in a fashion that can simultaneously sound gleeful and hopeless. It's one of the most unique and recognizable voices in all of indie rock, and can only really be understood by hearing it, rather than reading a description of it.

Perhaps no song better summarizes Pavement's sound in three minutes than album opener "Silence Kit." The short piece (which incidentally is actually called "Silence Kid," as the song title was easily misread on the album artwork) fits multiple parts into 181 seconds, and yet does not feel too brief. Beginning with twenty seconds of instrumental warm-ups and jamming, two more instrumental sections are introduced before the vocals begin. Two verses and a chorus later, the tempo slows down into a blues-y outro. "Elevate Me Later" immediately kicks in with some surprising power chords in the chorus and a superb four-bar riff. Said riffs are prevalent on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and many of the album's hooks are actually guitar melodies rather than the usual vocal attention-grabber.

"Stop Breathin'" starts as a typical Pavement slow jam, but eventually the vocals and bass drop out, leaving the guitars to creep up on you while the drums maintain a steady, simple beat. By the time the bass hops back in, the anticipation has already built up, and before you know the instrumentals have picked up again. They fade away just as quickly as they arrived, before popping back in for one last measure.

The fourth track, "Cut Your Hair," is arguably Pavement's best, and certainly their most recognizable. Reaching #10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts, the song has remained one of indie's greatest anthems, and it's easy to see why. One of many earworm-inducing tracks on the album, "Cut Your Hair" benefits from the addictive hooks and memorable guitar parts that Pavement are so well known for. The guitar solo is not one to be overlooked, and Malkmus' performance here is one his most impressive. It's a song that slowly but surely builds up to subtly yet cathartic release, making it on the most beloved songs of the 1990's.

The following duo of songs, "Newark Wilder" and "Unfair," show off opposite sides of Pavement. The former is a slow-paced, melancholy tune, whereas the latter is a frantic rush of snares and electrifying guitar riffs, with Malkmus screaming some of the lyrics. Unfortunately, these two songs are often overlooked, due to being bookended by two of the great tracks of the 1990's.

The second of said bookends (the first being "Cut Your Hair') is the wonderfully blissful "Gold Soundz." A song as amazing as this one is virtually impossible to describe, so I'll let its legacy do the talking. Pitchfork named it their #1 song of the 1990's, a decade that many consider the golden age of Pitchfork-type of music, and mentions of the song in public forums are universally in praise it. The song even earned a twitter shout out from Real Madrid star midfielder Xabi Alonso, prompting many of his fans to discover a newfound love for the band. Those who love it zero in on the gorgeous melody and the outstanding multi-layered guitar solo in which three different guitar parts share the limelight, with the one in focus making way for another repeatedly. It really is best just to listen to the song, let it seep into you, get stuck in your head, and make you smile.

After the cleverly-titled jazzy instrumental "5 - 4 = Unity,"  "Range Life" tells the tale of an aging hippie with no sense of direction in 1990's America. You feel sympathetic for the protagonist, who clearly is lost in life and struggles to fill his simplest desires. It's the most folky track on the album, as well as the most controversial. The lyrics to the third verse, which appear to mock fellow 90's alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots, caused band rivalries and resulted in Pavement's being dropped from Lollapalooza's 1994 lineup after Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan threatened to leave the bill if Pavement weren't removed from the tour. Why this irked Corgan so much, probably, is that Malkmus is spot on. Smashing Pumpkins, while a great band in their own right, take themselves too seriously, Corgan especially. They're this extremely technical, egotistical group, and here's this lazy-sounding, simplistic newcomer mocking them.

The final quarter of the twelve tracks round out Crooked Rain well. "Heaven's a Truck" recalls the same sounds "Newark Wilder" employed earlier on the album, but in a more subdued and cynical manner. "Hit the Plane Down" is the oddest song on the record (aside from the instrumental track) and doesn't it with the rest of the album's vibe. Distorted vocals and abrasive guitars, along with a heavy tom-tom beat and dark lyrics ("there's no survivors"), drive the song forward. It's a more aggressive version of Pavement's "lazy" sound, and is the least enjoyable on the album. Still, it serves a purpose in the flow of the album, in that it mixes it up and displays a new side of Pavement. "Fillmore Jive," the album closer, is over six minutes of jamming, and truly feels like a goodbye, as all album closers should. There's a feeling of resolution here, but not necessarily a happy one; lyrics such as "goodnight to the rock and roll era" suggest the speaker is not satisfied with the way life has turned out, and it's not until now you realize the grander concept of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. What at first felt like a vibe album with the tracks being somewhat unrelated to each other now becomes a story of mid-life crisis, of realizing you've done nothing and have nowhere to go. We see glimpses of it throughout the record, most notably on "Range Life," but it's "Fillmore Jive" that really hits it home. The abstract instrumentals play in with this theme of insubstantiality, of a lack of importance to one's life. Now you can understand why the lyrics were somewhat random, because the protagonist's life has been aimless up to this point. Now lyrics such as "go back to those gold sounds" help you realize that the singer is reflecting on the "good old days" of music, music being a metaphor for life. The era the singer talks about is most likely the late '60's & early 70's, as the carefree attitude and down-to-earth values of the singer are typical of the Woodstock crowd. Also worth noting is that Malkmus was a Hendrix fan, and even taught himself to play guitar by listening to his music, further confirming that he most likely thinks of this time period as the pinnacle of "the rock and roll era."

The lyric I mentioned earlier, "goodnight to the rock and roll era"" is particularly fitting to the time period of the album's release; in just over two months, Kurt Cobain would be dead, and the grunge movement would die down. The mid-to-late 90's would be litter by bottom-feeding post-grunge & nu-metal groups like Candlebox, Creed, Limp Bizkit, and others, leading to the downfall of rock as king of the radio.

Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is a timeless piece of music, encapsulating everything great about '90's indie rock. Pavement would never again be able to recreate the magic found on their 1994 sophomore effort, leaving this as a very unique Pavement record. Never since have we seen a band with a minimalist approach and an attitude like Pavement's release anything as amazing, with the Strokes' Is This It the only do-it-yourself, who-cares type of album that even comes close. So sit back, enjoy, and be thankful that the '90's were what they were.Find the album on Spotify, and/or watch the whimsical videos for some key songs below.

Key tracks: "Silence Kit," "Cut Your Hair," "Gold Soundz," "Range Life"

Top 5 Cover Songs

Taking another musician's work and trying to make it your own while staying true to the original is one of the most daunting tasks in the music industry. However, these ten artists managed to pull off near-perfect cover songs. Without further ado, here's my list of the top five cover songs of all time.

5. Dinosaur Jr. - "Just Like Heaven" (originally by The Cure)
Dinosaur Jr.'s version of The Cure's hit single, "Just Like Heaven," starkly contrasts the original in production and instrumentation, yet manages to leaves the foundation intact. The original track is a highly-polished, precise piece of '80's pop-rock, with shimmering guitars and clean drums. Dino Jr.'s take, on the other hand, features all the classic components that are identifiable with the western-Massachusetts band; sludged-out guitars, trashy drums, and chaotic, bursting-at-the-seams energy levels. Eventually, metal-esque screams of "NO!" infiltrate the chorus. Still, J Mascis & co. keep the song's structure up until the cover ends abruptly before the beginning of the last verse.



4. Pavement - "The Killing Moon" (originally by Echo & the Bunnymen)
'90's alt-rock gods Pavement took a stab at Echo & the Bunnymen's 1984 classic, "The Killing Moon," at a BBC concert in 1997. The song was later released in 1999 on an EP. Their cover version takes the tempo down a notch and includes Stephen Malkmus's signature vocal styles to create a unique revision of the song recently made re-famous by an Audi commerical during the 2012 Super Bowl. The cover still includes all of the original's major assets, including the famously long guitar solo.



3. Jimi Hendrix - "All Along the Watchtower" (originally by Bob Dylan)
This cover is a classic example of a reworked version of an already great song that became more well-known than the original. Whenever one rock legend covers another, you know you're in for a treat, and this track is no exception. "All Along the Watchtower" is one of Hendrix's most beloved songs, and its guitar solo is widely celebrated and considered by some to be the greatest of all time. The track has major cultural significance as well, as it is often associated with the Vietnam War and the late-1960's peace movement in the USA. This song only solidified Hendrix's status as a legend, which lands it at #3 on this list.



2. Nirvana - "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (traditional folk song, arrangement by Lead Belly)
There's no denying Kurt Cobain had the ability to touch people with his music. Nirvana's rebellious punk attitudes connected with an entire generation of people who felt like they didn't belong. Taken from their legendary 1994 MTV Unplugged set, perhaps the most famous concert of all time outside of Woodstock, "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" showcases Cobain at his most sincere, his most raw, and his most transparent. What starts off as a simple folk song quickly evolves into Kurt's chilling, pleading howls or paranoia ("My girl, don't lie to me") and despair ("I'm going where the cold wind blows"). It's an instant classic, one that will surely never go away. (The performance starts at about the 0:50 mark, but there's some golden dialogue between Nirvana and the crowd right beforehand.)



1. Johnny Cash - "Hurt" (originally by Nine Inch Nails)
Did you really not see this coming? If not, allow me to enlighten you with a bit of background story. The original song, the closing track to 1994's dark, introspective examination of topics such as depression and violence, very authentically depicts suicidal thoughts and actions.When Johnny Cash released his own version of the controversial track, fans and critics alike were taken aback. But, instead of portraying suicide like the original, the country legend's take served as a final goodbye to his family, friends, and fans. He sounds as if he's apologizing for all of his wrongdoings. When he sings "I hurt myself today," it doesn't come across as a physical action. Instead, it seems like he is acknowledging how his poor decisions  end up hurting himself more than others. It's an absolutely haunting song; lyrics such as  "What have I become, my sweetest friend?" and "Everyone I know goes away in the end" pack just as hard a punch as they did when Trent Reznor spoke them, yet it's an entirely different kind of punch. While it still comes from a man nearing the end of his life, it comes from a place of regret instead of a place of hate. Often called Cash's epitaph, it was accompanied by an equally amazing and chilling music video, showing a decrepit Cash in a lonely, ornately decorated mansion.

Seven months later he was dead.

"Hurt" epitomizes everything a great cover should be: it completely changes the intended meaning of the lyrics without betraying the original; it transitions flawlessly across genres, from gloomy industrial rock to a saddened country lament; and, perhaps most importantly, sounds fantastic. Even original songwriter Trent Reznor to say the following: "Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure." The debate over whose version is better still rages on, but one thing's for sure: Johnny Cash went out with a bang, and left the world with one last incredible song to enjoy. The video is just as beautiful as the track, especially taking into consideration the surrounding circumstances of Cash's failing health, so I highly recommend paying close attention.