Underrated Guitar Solos

[cherryowen]

Mrs O, earlier, wanted to watch a documentary on Motown which is fair enough; she loves the genre.

There was another programme that, as she switched channels, was playing Celine Dion's version of The Power Of Love and she suggested that the version by Jennifer Rush was much better. I suggested that - as she would have been stationed overseas with the RAF at the time - you could not get away from that fvcking tune in this country at the time. It was hateful and everywhere.

Anyway.

I followed on by mentioning "Everything I Do" by Bryan Adams, and said that despite its relentless banality and sixteen fvcking weeks at #1 I could forgive it for having a well crafted guitar solo

Seriously, it's not fast, is well measured, with slides and bends in just the right places.

Example

IMVHO, ^ that is an underrated guitar solo.

Any more for any more?

[cherryowen]

I've just thought of another one:-

Goodbye To Love

[cherryowen]

Escapegoat said:

Brian Robertson in this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsGl-0pzEEc

Short and sweet, starts like a lot of hard rock numbers with nice but standard licks but then the second half goes WTF in a wonderful way.

Lizzy are underrated full stop IMO.

Go to 3:10 in this to hear John Sykes' finest live solo; spine tingling:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRf-vGVNsBc&li...

[cherryowen]

Escapegoat said:

cherryowen said:

Lizzy are underrated full stop IMO.

Go to 3:10 in this to hear John Sykes' finest live solo; spine tingling:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRf-vGVNsBc&li...

Notsureifserious.gif !!

That's surely Gary Moore's solo, which Brian Robertson refused to change (he recorded the pretty definitive Live and Dangerous version, IIRC), and that Sykes solo is just a mildly tweaked version, played with far less emotion. IMHO. YMMV!

Anyhoo, another contender from Mr West (defintely underrated):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVG7eQ1TcNo

(skip to 1:50 if necessary)

I've just checked, and - well - every day is a school day! It is indeed a Gary Moore original! It's just that the first time I heard the track was on Lizzy's Life Live album, where Sykes was credited on guitar along with Gorham. My mileage does vary, though, as I'll maintain that Sykes' version improves on Gary's (never thought I'd say that).

Great call on Leslie West, BTW. I've still got a copy of Mountain, Climbing! somewhere.

[cherryowen]

Bandit110 said:

Mark Knopfler from 2:50 https://youtu.be/BOqgZIzigcI

That's beautiful

MK has such a wonderful ear for lead lines and chords, it's unreal. I'm about halfway through learning Private Investigations, and recently nailed the chords for Brothers In Arms and in each case I'm frankly astonished at his compositions. The opening verse chords to "Brothers..." (where it goes, "These mist covered mountains...") for example are E / F# / B / Bsus4 / B (7th fret). Yet the song is in the key of G#m! Just witchcraft, that is.

[cherryowen]

crofty1984 said:

I don't know if you'd consider Girl From Mars by Ash as underrated, but if so, that one.

Never heard of it, nor Ash, so had to 'tube it.

Not bad, actually! He does well to craft a decent solo over what sounds like the chord progression of choice these days.

Whilst writing, here's another one that has just sprung to mind:-

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Blue On Black

Not twiddly, measured, and with a nice "hook" occasionally. Great tone as well.

[cherryowen]

Northbloke said:

I reckon less is more generally for solos so much prefer the Knopler, Gilmour style to the thrashier stuff.

Not sure what the top rated guitar solos are but here are two I like:

Marillion, Steve Rothery - This Strange Engine

https://youtu.be/kQ7HGdy44Go?t=77

Porcupine Tree, Steve Wilson - Half Light (Great song with a great solo to end)

https://youtu.be/XRjZ_3ZLL_I?t=261

I love Marillion, and a tune I play occasionally is Sugar Mice; great tune, wonderful solo. I wish I could work out the "widdly" parts of the Grendel solo!

That Steve Wilson solo reeks of Gilmour. That is not a bad thing.

[cherryowen]

I must admit, i knew SW was a very talented song writer but not that he's that talented on guitar!

I thought Guthrie Govan did all the soloing work on SW's tunes.

[cherryowen]

AdeTuono said:

There was a similar thread to this a good while back. I can't find it on search, but one of the nominations was a solo from, IIRC, Andy Latimer of Camel. I'd never heard it before, but it was that good I was moved to comment on it.

Anyone remember what it might have been?

I'm not sure if this is the one in question, but this Camel track has some great work by Andy:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSFCxtJ1l58

[cherryowen]

dandarez said:

You did say underrated?
Bear with me as I'm knocking on a bit now and memory can be fickle when you've seen as many bands as I have (not boasting, by the way), just lucky!

I got a very tiny slating by saying Mike Campbell (TP&TH, now Fleetwood Mac) was 'underrated'. (He's been my favourite guitarist for some time now).

Most of above mentioned in this thread are also well-known guitarists, so following the above logic, to be underrated surely you need to hardly ever get a mention and to the main populace be virtually unheard of?

Taking this on board, the solo guitar piece in this song wins in my book - hands down.

Without a shadow of doubt the guitar solo/work absolutely makes this record, a record with possibly the most stupid title ever?
Underrated guitar player. Still playing today. Somewhere.
Mr Robbie Blunt.

I can hear many of you now: 'Who?'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxSsol3Zd7k

He's ex Bronco (late 60s/70s), Chicken Shack (mid 70s), and some other bands. After Led Zep split up (I first saw Zeppelin at Bath Recreation ground in 1969 but had gone specifically to see Greenie: ie Fleetwood Mac, who were the bill toppers) Robbie notably joined up with Robert Plant I think in 83, and is also noted for some session work with TP&TH (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Clannad, Julian Lennon and others.

Before I click that link, dd, I'm going to guess Big Log. Hang on a sec..................



Yep.

I was 13 when it first came out, and I loved it.

Thanks to owning the right gear (by accident; I was looking for the Pink Floyd "Gilmour" tone) I learned to play it about 12 months ago. All in the key of A minor, but with very clever, very subtle voicings and accents. An almost perfect under-rated solo and - as you say - guitarist.

[cherryowen]

It's a great tune (IMO), and Vernon Reid nails all the guitar parts:-

Love Rears Up It's Ugly Head