50 Greatest Guitar Solos (NME)

[Craigyp79]

Not sure if it's been posted up but;

www.nme.com/list/50-greatest-guitar-solos/255704/p...

controversial!

[Nom de ploom]

without reading it I bet Hotel California is no. 1. (which is overrated imho).

hang on this is NME....

[Podie]

Nom de ploom said:

without reading it I bet Hotel California is no. 1. (which is overrated imho).

hang on this is NME....

No, 16th.

[lockhart flawse]

...well it's controversial to say the least. How they manage to include 2 Matt Bellamys and 2 Jonny Greenwoods and only one Dave Gilmore is beyond me. And as for Slash at number 1 - this guy is the most over-rated guitarist out there.

Still at least Freebird was only 25 - I was afraid it would be higher. Shouldn't even feature in my view as it its only outstanding characteristic is its length although it is probably the only one of the list played on a Firebird.

Anyone able to work out the Fender/Gibson/other breakdown of the 50?

L.F.

[Nom de ploom]

Slash - overrated???....hmmm not sure if serious.

I find oddities like Smells like teen Spirit a very strange entry in a 50 best guitar solos poll or selection...does it even have a guitar solo???

no satch, vai, SRV, bonnamssa, george lynch...

like i said, nme..

[Mastodon2]

Nom de ploom said:

Slash - overrated???

Yeah, see D-bag Darrell, Zakk Wylde, Synester Gates, all the other sloppy, one dimensional guitarists that kids love as part of their "my first guitar idol" phase. He is in that category - lots of "Best GUiutar1st Ev0r!!11!" fan bois.

Anyway, the list is total st, as you would expect from NME. If you rated solos on technicality, improvisational ability, unique phrasing choice etc - things that require real talent to acquire, you'd end up with a very, very different list. This is just a list of "Songs we like" with little more thought gone into it.

It's not just NME though, open up any music magazine which caters to a single demographic and look at their "best guitarists" list or whatever, you will note that they only pick guitarists which appeal to their readers.

Anyone (who is not a blinkered, NME reading buffoon) could tell you that Alan Holdsworth is musically on another planet to Slash, in terms of skills, but ask and NME reader and they would say "Who the Hell is Holdsworth? Did he ever play a solo that is played at as many wedding receptions? I don't think so!" and give some completely ridiculous justification for for their rating.

[Podie]

Mastodon2 said:

... lots of "Best GUiutar1st Ev0r!!11!" fan bois.

[Mintyhit]

How did I know Free Bird would get in there somewhere... I hate that song.

[Justin Cyder]

Whilst I deplore these lists, I'll take emotion & soul over technical virtuosity any day of the week. I find people like Vai, Malmsteen & the metal merchants sooo arse achingly one dimensional it makes me cry tears of sheer boredom.

[mrmaggit]

Kinda loses it for me when he calls Skynyrd "Rednecks".

How are they going to get red necks with hair that long?

Eejit.

[minipete]

I saw the list and laughed!Who voted for some of this ste!Muse in the top ten!Come on!The whole thing is a load of ste put together by total morons.

[wiffmaster]

Muse at number 5 with a very average song? Yet no 'Comfortably Numb' or 'One' inside the top 50? Get to fk.

[GAjon]

Rory Gallagher???
Kossof???

Edited by GAjon on Monday 9th January 23:08

[gazza285]

Albert Lee?

[Mastodon2]

Justin Cyder said:

Whilst I deplore these lists, I'll take emotion & soul over technical virtuosity any day of the week. I find people like Vai, Malmsteen & the metal merchants sooo arse achingly one dimensional it makes me cry tears of sheer boredom.

Why lump Vai in with the "metal merchants"? You have pretty much destroyed the credibility in your post right there. Still, I look forward to you explaining how you quantify this "emotion and soul". If you say it's something to do with "feeling the music" or "holding notes", or just avoiding fast scalar runs, swept arpeggios and tapping, I will fall out of my chair laughing

[davepoth]

mrmaggit said:

Kinda loses it for me when he calls Skynyrd "Rednecks".

How are they going to get red necks with hair that long?

Eejit.

They come from Florida too, I don't think you can be a redneck if you come from a state that's next to the sea. Or votes Republican.

Frankly though, I'm just going to ignore this list and go and listen to the music I like, rather than what some oik with silly hair who wasn't good enough at the guitar to be in a band says.

[FamilyDub]

Nirvana -- with a lick following the vocal melody, not really a 'solo' -- at 6th... Contentious.

[Justin Cyder]

Er...I didn't lump Vai in with anyone. So before you fall off your chair, better get along to specsavers!

[tuscaneer]

bit left field .....red tide by rush very quick.it comes and goes before you know it but alex lifeson puts it up right there

and what about frank zappa's solo at the start of "why does it hurt when i pee"?? epic!!!¬!

[kiteless]

Having reviewed said list, sat back, contemplatively smoked a cigarette with a drop of good Merlot I will label that "list" as distilled essence of st.

Without going into too much detail:

Black Rose at #40? It's not just one solo, it's one continuous great solo. The main legato section being one of Gary's best.

I Love Rock & Roll at #37? That - to me - doesn't even come close to being a guitar solo let alone a great one.

November Rain only at #22? FFS, come on.

Why Sympathy for the Devil is in the list at all just beggars belief. It's one of the worst guitar solos using the most wk distortion ever committed to vinyl.

Similarly Paranoid Android. It's just fking noise.

And ONE Pink Floyd track? No SRV? No Rory? Why no "For The Love of God"? Or Paul Kossoff? Or "Parisienne Walkways"? Or John Sykes' "Still In Love With You (Live)"?