Dogon Solos

I told myself I was NOT going to spend too much time on this one…and promptly obsessed over it. I’m posting it to make the madness stop.

1) Tattoo Love Boys – The Pretenders – Honeymoon Scott

OK…Honeymoon Scott is the coolest cat in town.

2) Nothing Left Inside/Scream – Black Flag – Greg Ginn/Dez Cadenza

Devestating.

3) It’s No Game Part 1 – David Bowie – Robert Fripp

Fripp conjures Bowie’s inner psychosis here…seriously how much more in sync could they be?

4) Golden Hours – Brian Eno – Robert Fripp

Beutiful

5) Doing All Right – Queen – Brian May

Classic

6) H.L. – White Heaven – Souichirou Nakamura/ You Ishihara

Almost left this off as I’m not sure it qualified…better judgment prevailed…likely an uncredited Kurihara.

7) Mandrax Town – White Heaven – Michio Kurihara/You Ishihara

…Ummm….Yeah!

8) Strange Town – Groundhogs – T.S. McPhee

Seems the whole song is a set up for these solos…and they come on like a freight train!

9) Dealer – Cheap Trick – Rick Nielsen

Classic live solo…from a classic live band.

10) I Against I – Bad Brains – Dr. Know

Short, fast, to the point, and just messy enough to be so awesome!

Guitar Solos

As I considered this topic over the course of the month, I had similar criteria to Tim’s with one addition: the solo must be memorable. So, after listening to hundreds of songs with solos that I thought might qualify, it is interesting that those that finally made it were the same that I probably would have listed at the beginning of the month, off the cuff. Some of these songs are overplayed, yes, and we’ve heard them a million times, but still, in every case I am transported by not just the solo but the song. Like Bob, I’m not even listing some of my favorite guitarists here: Don Rich, Sonny Sharrock, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, Richard Thompson, Frank Zappa, Steve Hackett.

Stranglehold (Ted Nugent)–Ted Nugent. 8 minutes or so of melodic guitar solo bliss.
Sailor’s Tale (Robert Fripp)–King Crimson. The only solo here that consists entirely of chords. So unlike any guitar solo that had probably ever been done before, and since! But not just groundbreaking, earth-shattering and apocalyptic. Few pieces of music have such power.
Hammond Song (Robert Fripp)–The Roches. And then here’s the other side of Fripp. Such a unique sound, it gets me on his guest solos with Bowie, Gabriel, Eno, Heads, etc.. As with all the others, this one takes an already spellbinding song and catapults it into the stratosphere. When I see this album available for $3 or so in every used record store on the planet, I am always tempted to hand it to someone along with a $5.
Starship Trooper (Steve Howe)–Yes. Could have easily selected any song off this album. Given my current listening habits–Bakersfield country–there was no way I could exclude him. As influenced by guys like James Burton and Don Rich as anyone and that is especially clear on this song.
Sultans of Swing (Mark Knopfler)–Dire Straits. Just can’t help it. Lyrical. Check the closing solo on the live Alchemy version as well.
Bohemian Rhapsody (Brian May)–Queen. Another obvious one that I could not in good conscience exclude.
Resemblances (Arto Lindsay)—Arto Lindsay. Brief but perfect noise execution.
Loan Me a Dime (Duane Allman)—Boz Scaggs. Gotta include my favorite blues solo here (especially 7:44-12 something where the song ends just when the solo REALLY gets going).
Time (The Revelator) (Dave Rawlings)–Gillian Welch. Another jaw-dropping instrumentalist who can do absolutely anything he wants with a guitar. One of dozens that I could have picked without embarrassment. I love the Welch songs where he basically solos throughout the song, the guitar acting acting as a melodic counterpoint alongside Gillian’s perfect rhythm.
Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix)—Band of Gypsys. What can I say, just takes me completely over the edge.

Oh, and one other old favorite from a Wisconsin neighbor: Renaissance (Daryl Stuermer)–Jean Luc Ponty. Plays it like a mandolin.