Between Guitar Hero and Rock Band, the guitar solo is experiencing a renaissance. (Or at least appreciation of the guitar solo is experiencing a renaissance.) And it ain't like gamers are rocking out to Pavement B-sides—the kids are strumming their plastic axes along to classic licks from the '70s. In that spirit, we strapped on some extra-bulky Koss headphones, plugged in our air guitars, and called a panel of experts—Guided by Voices guitarist Doug Gillard, designer John Varvatos, and To Air Is Human author Björn Töroque (real name Dan Crane)—to find the best guitar solos of the guitar solo's best era. Think our picks are just noise? Shred away in the comments.
Good things, those who wait, etc.: After six minutes of Tolkien-inspired gobbledygook—"a...
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RANK: 1
The song's more like "Appropriately Boring"—well, at least during the sleepy verses, which...
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RANK: 2
For a song about a small band from London that doesn't care about becoming popular, Sultans of Swing...
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RANK: 3
When people say EVH reinvented the guitar, they mean it literally: He built his own Charvel, which...
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RANK: 4
Sure, you spend the first 4 minutes and 19 seconds wondering what the hell a "colita" is (for the...
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RANK: 5
Brian May might be the anti–Nigel Tufnel: He recently finished his doctorate in astrophysics,...
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RANK: 6
He might dress like a schoolboy—and at 5'2", he's not much taller than one—but Angus...
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RANK: 7
This song is melancholy beyond its lyrics: Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident after...
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RANK: 8
No one has written more legendary guitar riffs than Keef, but the fact is, Mr. Richards has never...
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RANK: 9
James Williamson's left-speaker shredding on this song breaks with the decade's more melodic...
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RANK: 10
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