David Gilmour has the Kwan
It’s easy to find countdowns to the best guitar solos ever. And it’s often the same guitar heroes you see and hear on these lists. Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Hendrix, Slash, Kirk Hammet, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Tom Morello and many others (this list is by far exhausted).
But we seldom hear why this solo is so fantastic, that it deserves a place in the great hall of fame. I’ll try to tell you in words why I value one solo above any other. I hope that you will challenge me in the comments.
What is a great guitar solo?
It’s never easy to define what makes craftsmanship so great that it could be determined as art. These days art is a term that are used way too lightly, and just about every bohemian freak on Myspace calls himself an artist. But I think Aristotle said it best:
All art is concerned with coming into being
Aristotle also said that:
Art completes what nature cannot bring to finish. The artist gives us knowledge of nature’s unrealized ends.
These two quotes gives me a way to grasp art from a ancient Greek philosophers point of view. The only thing I’m lacking is the love. We have a becoming from the first quote, and a fulfilling a potential in the second. I’m just missing the feelings of art, or the feeling that it awakes in me.
Well enough theory, let’s get practical.
Comfortably numb is the best guitar solo ever!
Why this bold statement one could ask? The answer is simple. Because the solo makes me feel like no other guitar solo can.
Every time I hear David Gilmour play this piece of great craftsmanship, I feel humble, baffled, sad and just about any feeling you can think of. It can still bring tears to my eyes even though I’ve heard it more times than I can think of. I’m especially fond of the version from the Pink Floyd live album Pulse.
I don’t think this solo is as difficult as some of the stuff you could hear Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia or other great jazz guitarist do. neither is is probably harder than some of the solos, that the guys I mentioned in the beginning of this articles has done. But it has the Kwan (to quote Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire).
See and hear if you can disagree (the solo start around 4:45 into the video, but don’t fast forward please!):
So let me know what is your favourite guitar solo? And more importantly WHY?
Don’t even have to do the video. I know every inch of this solo. I have never bought into the ‘lists’ approach either. It is about how it affects you. Our culture made it into a popularity contest. Personally, I applaud anyone who creates art and shares it with the world.
Gilmour definitely has the Kwan on this song., and many others. Undefinable, really.
I believe that music is the sound of souls not being alone.
I also believe that Buddy Holly is the true king of rock and roll, but I digress.
There is only one piece of guitar that gets my blood boiling EVERY TIME I hear it.
Slash’s main riff and solo on Sweet Child ‘O Mine.
Sorry Thomas, and thanks!
Gilmour is definitely one of the best, the way he bends certain notes and just his overall playing are very different from other guitarist. Great solo.
Steve Miller Band song “Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around”. This compact solo has everything you could ask for in a solo. It’s climax is just moving and when it’s over you want to replay it immediately. Go to you tube and listen to it, astounding. Like Eddie Van Halen in “Beat It”, Steve Miller worked out every detail of this solo before recording it…it’s perfect. I have read others say it’s the best solo in rock music, don’t know about that but dammit man.
No slight on this song, but there’s always been something about the solo in “Learning To Fly” that’s just searing. It’s my fave Pink Floyd song and the song that convinced me that Gilmour was truly masterful.
Neal Schon’s solo in Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” is another that just reaches down deep in me.
Don Felder’s aching solo in The Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why.”
Kirk Hammett’s buzzsaw riffs that runs throughout Metallica’s instrumental “Orion.”
Sheesh, there are so many awesome solos… this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Sweet Child O’ Mine is at the top of the list for me.
While staying in Korea, one of the things we done on a weekly basis was get a group together to go to a noraebang, which is like karaoke (don’t call it that though) in a small room with just your friends and plenty of alcohol. So, there’s many drunken people just having fun, singing.
The first night I tried this, near the end of the night, Sweet Child O’ Mine was on the playlist. Rather than two of us get up and sing, our entire group circled around the two mics and sang at the top of our lungs.
When pausing for the solo, it was the first time I felt at home in a foreign country. I had friends. I had a family with me. I was young and carefree. It’s that on-top-of-the-world feeling that matters. Moments in time and memories are what make music special, and that moment will always make that song special for me.
You hit the nail on the head there Justin …
I remember getting to know a girl when I was young, just a few days before I left my home in England to go to Germany. We listened to “Uptown uptempo woman” from Randy Edelman. When I hear that song, 33 years later, it still sends shivers down my spine, and is still one of my absolute favourites, even though its not really my kind of music. I could probably tell you a dozen tales like that, but thats not what this post is really about, maybe another time …
I do not like Pink Floyd, never did. Why is easy, It goes back to school when a bunch of lads that I didn’t like were really into Floyd, so I hated them, it was as simple as that in those days. However I have mellowed in the meantime I think
To get to the point. The best guitarist there ever was in my opinion was the late Les Harvey of Stone the Crows, who was electrocuted on stage at the age of 27. For the Sounds magazine he was the best guitarist to emerge since Eric Clapton: “had he lived, there is no telling … what degree of brilliance he would have attained.
Its very difficult to find vids with Les Harvey on youtube, most of the Crows videos are with his successor, Jimmy McCullough, but I have found one rather brilliant song with Les, called “Danger Zone”, with Maggie Bell on vocals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE7NtFgfYsE
Solo starts at around 4 minutes into the track – its more potent on the studio LP, but hey, this is live!!
Man I really like the Hotel California and Free Bird solos but maybe the solo for Val Halen’s Eruption is the best.
@ d.o.Foreman
Glad you like the solo as well, and it’s understandable that Sweet Child of Mine is high on the list. It always reminds me of great parties from my teens, shouting away like Axl… or at least with a weird voice like Axl
@ Rob O.
Great ones there. Also some I didn’t know. But Kirk Hammet would definitely also be on my list. I just saw Metallica in Copenhagen this summer, and it was greatness.
@ Justin
Seems like you also has some party-memories with Sweet Child of Mine. The first song that made me feel at home in another country when I was an exchange student in the states was ironically enough Wish You Were Here. Another Pink Floyd blockbuster.
@ Matt
Uhhh Free Bird, now there’s also a fantastic solo. What song is it you want to hear? And the crowd screams FREE BIRD. I love the stage power
I was told by Justin to give my best solo.
There is only one word or name that can describe it.
SLASH.
:Knocking on Heaven’s Door
aradise City
:Welcome to the Jungle is most likely my #1 choice.
:November Rain
But then again I would totally put out the guys at Aerosmith.
I have always been a big fan of Pink Floyd. Dark Side Of The Moon changed the way I thought of music forever. I like this track alot. However, Shine On You Crazy Diamond takes some beating for me. The guitar intro still gets me today even though I have heard it thousands of times.
Pink Floyd are definately one of the greatest bands of all time. Agree with Gary above that Shine On You Crazy Diamond is one of their best tracks.
I can’t argue with those who pick Pink Floyd. I grew up with Dark Side. Here’s one that never hits the lists but deserves a look. The ever understated Mark Knopfler and Dire Straights playing Brothers in Arms. Beautifully nuanced, great tone, subtle and tasty. Yet powerful in lyrical and musical imagery. Play it at Rock levels and hear his guitar just reach and grab you. Leads don’t need to be long to be great.
Cheers to Dan Williams! Mark Knopfler is indeed the nuance of Rock guitar. Few tones reverberate endlessly. I still hear those sweet licks of ‘Brothers’ echo across my memories. Some sounds just can’t be forgotten.
I also go for Slash on Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door…great finger work, great power and finesse and it just soars!
I really couldn’t pin point a favorite guitar solo off the top of my head right now but I do have to say that this particular one is superb.
Pink Floyd is definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. The thing that does it for me as far as why I love Pink Floyd, is the emotion and feeling they get across in their songs and in particular, how I feel when I listen to them. This is exactly what you’ve described in this post as to why this is your favorite solo, and this solo is a perfect example of what I mean by the feeling they get across to me as a whole.
Comfortably numb certainly could go into the book of “Best of guitar solos” however Artists such as Ace Frehley (original guitarist and founding member of KISS), Richie Blackmore and Carl Cochran are the ones who really influenced R&R in the 70s and onwards.
Pink Floyd were big and never forgotten. The mentioned solo is absolutely great, but in my opinion but is too predictable – and I mean that well. The ever crunchy Les Paul by Ace Frehley when he did Shock Me and Cold Gin simply made status as R&R anthems. Both Blackmore and Frehley made their bands and music stand out.
Watch Frehley doing the US National Anthem for Kansas City chiefs (2009) – he’s is now well in his 50′s but still got it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LLtT8a1qfc
Btw it’s the first time ever the National Anthem has been done on guitar. Ace did it again recently at Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Anaheim.
Music certainly is about feelings. I say, don’t listen to music – hear it…
The good thing about life, is that we’re all different
Keep it up on Pop Critics!
David Gilmour for sure, i can’t stand slash.
1. Hotel California (Don Felder/Joe Walsh)
2. Eruption (Eddie Van Halen)
3. Dirty Laundry (Joe Walsh)
4. Comfortably Numb (David Gilmour)
5. Sultans of Swing (Mark Knopfler)
6. Long Road Out of Eden (Joe Walsh)
7.Do You Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton)
8. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Jimi Hendrix)
9.Star Spangled Banner (Jimi Hendrix)
10.One of These Nights (Don Felder)
Here are my favorite guitarists:
1. Joe Walsh
2. Don Felder
3. Eric Clapton
4. Peter Frampton
5. Eddie Van Halen
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Brian May
8. David Gilmour
9. Mark Knopfler
10. Tom Scholz
Hotel California is my favorite guitar solo because it is by the Eagles. Joe Walsh and Don Felder is the best guitar duo ever. Followed closely by Eric Clapton and duane Allman in Derek and the Dominoes. It is a beautiful and powerful solo. The vocals by Don Henley are just as good as the solo. It makes me angry when people give all the credit to Jew Walsh. Don Felder wrote and performed most of the solo. I can play the entire song and I’m just 14 years old.
Sorry i misspelled joe. i have 20-40 vision
Slash sucks. He is completely overrated. All who agree say I!
I think slash is great!
Man, what a great bunch of comments
There’s some really cool solos among some of the artist.
Just a little follow-up post I “wrote” today for all you Slash lovers (including myself): http://popcritics.com/2010/04/06/new-slash-album
Practiced this for hours on my semi acoustic guitar , just don’t have the speed or capacity to nail it. I guess I’ll keep trying! Nice post, great video!
Ritchie Blackmore “highway star” from made in japan or “child in time”…..he is by far the best solo player ever……check his solos on youtube….AMAZING!
I HAVE PLAYED GUITAR FOR 15 YEARS. I’VE PLAYED WITH BANDS FROM AGES END, MOTLEY CRUE, METALLICA, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, ETC….AND BY FAR THE HARDEST SOLO TO PLAY CLEAN IS FROM “SWEET CHILD O’MINE” AND “PARADISE CITY”. SLASH IS ACTUALLY IN MY OPINION “UNDERRATED!” HIS SOLOS FROM NOVEMBER RAIN, SWEET CHILD, ESTRANGED, PARADISE CITY, DON’T CRY, CIVIL WAR, WTTJ, ETC…. HIS WORK IN MY OPINION IS UP THERE WITH THE BEST. I HUNG OUT WITH SLASH ONCE AT THE RBC CENTRE AND HE WAS JUST PLAYING AROUND AND BLEW MY MINE ON HOW HE COULD PLAY ALMOST ANY TYPE OF MUSIC BEAUTIFULLY AND PERFECTLY. HE, SLASH, IN MY OPINION IS THE GREATEST ROCK GUITARIST OF ALL-TIME.
Well let me start by saying this is a really great song. I have enjoyed Pink Floyd since I was a teenager. I have to say though that I am much more impressed by Eric Johnson. The song “Cliffs of Dover” has probably one of the most inspiring solos I’ve ever heard. I remember hearing this song on some instrumental moods cd, then years later (after becoming very interested in the guitar) hearing it again. I was completely blown away by how “perfect” the tone was. Still even to this day I can’t get over how great this song sounds, and fluidly Eric plays.
Jimmy Page – Live Madison Square – extended version of No Quarter. Hands down, the apex of the mystical guitar. Also, glad to see Frampton finally showing up on these list things — esp. after the Rolling Stone joke list (Joan Jett and not Frampton? Fuck off). And Knopfler — Sultans. Right on.
Yeah thats the best one ever. Thanks for posting this.
My vote goes for Slash solo on November Rain. It’s my favorite solo.
If you guys are interested in solo’s guides I know good Guitar Instruction DVD that teach some of them.
I was looking to compare el “purple ego one’s ” appearance at the George Harrison tribute, damn he was good, but his ego kind of blew it for me, it was for George, and he son Dhani, Dhani’s face was of delightful suprise that Prince should appear, but then prince did his usual throw the guitar and stridently marched off stage. Anyway, the solo you mention has the KWAN. Here is what I hear, we keep struggling, as we do in life, listen closely..I keep trying I keep trying I keep trying…then there is the elevation, the higher chords, and this is the freedom, the free bird, who comes, there is a tug of war so to speak, and then full chorus, wow, we make it, we make it in the end. It is gorgeous, beautiful. You need to forget about all the techniqy stuff, really. Just listen. The Kwan is when you know technique well enough, to forget it. And you are right on Sir, this is one of the best.
Greatest solo ever ???? Well thats a tricky one!
I think it all comes down to the mood of the listener.
Just lost my love ( of that time) and feeling very low, I heard “Maggot Brain” with Funcadelic!!!! Wow that solo nearly blew my mind !!! The raw, crying sound, it was just how I felt it. The song will forever be with me, bringing back memories of ( dumb?) youth.
Brian May, any Queen concert, Brighton Rock solo he usually does with some changes. Preety big!!
Gary Moore also.
1) November rain
Hangar 18
2) Stairway to heaven
3) Sweet child o’ mine
4) Hotel California
5) Eruption
6) Comfortably Numb
7) Free Bird
9) Bohemian Rhapsody
10) Fade To Black
I agree that “Comfortably Numb” is one of the best. Listen, also, to “On the turning away”, the version on “Delicate Sound of Thunder”, Pink Floyd’s Gilmour led live album. Gut wrenching.
Peter Green epitomised soulful playing. His tone and idiosyncratic phrasing and bends. He could say more with a few notes than the likes of Vai and co can’t manage with thousands.
Although I am a guitarist myself, I try to resist this awful, soulless habit guitarists have of defining “technically brilliant” as being better than soulful. To deconstruct another guitarist’s work is like ripping apart a beautiful animal to see how it works.
Yes, being a guitarist allows one to see REALLY what’s good and what is not, and it is often not what non-guitarists think.
But most of us took up playing for the same reason guitar music inspires non guitarists: because something in guitar music speaks to their soul. Not the notes, modes, time signatures or technical stuff.
Remember: if one starts out with the intention of designing a technically brilliant horse, what one is most likely to achieve is……..a camel.
I would absolutely agree with your thoughts! There is no guitar solo that has the flow and fluidity of pulse comfortably numb, and honestly, there is no guitar that makes the kind of sound that David Gilmour’s does. It is an incredibly unique sound, but when you hear it, you know it’s him because there just isn’t another guitar that sounds like that!
I would also agree with something another poster said. “On the turning away”, the live version on delicate sound of thunder by pink floyd, is right up there with Comfortably numb. The solo is not quite as long, but when you hear it, you simply can’t get it out of your head!
Either way, I am in complete agreement, that these solos by Gilmour are simply in a different league. The sounds of that guitar, and the flow of the music coming from that guitar, have no equal!
Angus – You shook me
one of the tastiest solos ever