5 Underrated Live Guitar Solo Gems from 5 of the world’s greatest guitarists
If like me, you are a lover of the rock guitar then you will appreciate great guitar solos. It is all a matter of opinion but some of the most famous guitar solos such as Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” are well documented and most publicised in various top ten lists. Standing alongside this are the lists of the best rock guitarists which always include the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and half a dozen other famous names that regularly appear
However, below are some absolute gems and in my top ten list that may not readily appear on these lists. If you haven’t listened to some of them then I would thoroughly recommend checking them out as soon as possible.
- On The Turning Away — Dave Gilmour
Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour is one of the world’s highly respected guitar players and is likely to be high up on any one’s top guitarist’s list. He has made a career out of writing and producing so many classic songs and dazzling us with his guitar sound.
His most famous Guitar solo Comfortably Numb is mesmerising and I was lucky to see him play it live at a Pink Floyd concert back in 1994.
On The Turning Away is from the A Momentary Lapse of Reason Album which was the first Pink Floyd album without Roger Waters. The guitar solo is a beautiful ending to a quite brilliant song. It may not be as long or as dynamic as Comfortably Numb but it still has a fabulous swagger to it in normal Gilmour fashion. While you are at it, check out the song Sorrow from the same album which also contains another Gilmour solo classic.
2. Sultans of Swing — Mark Knopfler
The frontman of Dire Straits is yet another extremely treasured musician applauded for his songwriting for the band as well as many solo projects and film scores.
An extraordinary guitarist with a very recognised style who I have loved to hear play from an early age.
This song is the most famous of the five and is what effectively launched the career of Dire Straits and started Mark Knopfler on his journey to producing some of rock’s significant songs as well as collaborating with so many other well-known musicians such as Bob Dylan. Giving away my age here but I first heard this song while I was studying for my O levels and it just brought a smile to my face and a appreciated distraction to mundane school life!
The guitar solo is just a fingerstyle mastery from the great man, but what amazes me is how totally laid back he is whilst plucking his way through it. Sometimes guitar players put so much dramatic effort into a solo performance but, with Knopfler’s style, it is almost as if he is like one of us and pretending to play with a tennis racket! How can someone perform such a dazzling guitar solo like this, hardly look down at his instrument, and act so nonchalantly is beyond me. It is a musical genius!
3. The Ghost of Tom Joad — Tom Morello
I have to confess to not having heard a good deal of Rage Against The Machine’ Tom Morello’s work before he joined up with the legendary Bruce Springsteen and E Street band for some tours and collaboration on his albums. It certainly made me realise what prodigious talent I had been missing and how skilled a guitar player he is.
The E Street Band already has two outstanding guitarists as members (Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zant). Three including Springsteen himself who is a fine guitar player in his own right. Tom Morello’s guitar sound brings a fresh new dynamic edge to both the band and some of Springsteen’s songs.
The Ghost Of Tom Joad is a beautiful quiet but angry poem about social injustice. It is from Springsteen’s solo album of the same name. It has now become a regular E Street song on recent tours, and Tom Morello’s guitar influence highlights the power and anger in the lyrics. He seems to be able to produce weird and diverse sounds from the guitar that I have not heard before. It is almost an angry sound, but it is fresh, compelling and incredible, and I will never tire of hearing his live guitar solo on this song. It is a spellbinding performance.
4. Youngstown — Nils Lofgren
If you have never seen this wonderfully warm and exceptionally skilled human being on his solo tours, then I would urge you to go as soon as possible. He treats the audience to such beautiful songs and stories whilst dazzling with his display on an array of guitars and even a harp! He is simply a master of the instrument as you watch his gifted hands glide up and down the guitar to produce such enchanting music.
Youngstown is another beautiful song from Springsteen’s The Ghost of Tom Joad album that was remastered into a full E Street Band song when they reunited for the 1999/2000 tour.
Springsteen is not only one of the best songwriters and performers but also an exceptional Boss. He employs only the best craftsmen to produce musical excellence. He also knows how to bring the best out of his performers which is why he lets them take centre stage and show off their skills because it makes the song better.
Youngstown has also become a regular tour song and yet again the lyrics and meaning behind the song are made even more powerful by the band’s interpretation. Nils Lofgren’s fantastic guitar solo at the end is the cherry on the cake. Because of this, it has become my favourite live Springsteen song. It may not be the longest guitar solo, but it is the quality of the guitar playing that is so enthralling as he builds to a crescendo whilst spinning around in true Nils Lofgren style. Absolutely wonderful. While you are at it check out another remarkable guitar masterclass from Nils Lofgren on their version of Purple Rain.
5. I’m so Afraid — Lindsey Buckingham
This is my favourite guitar solo from a musician I believe is highly underrated as a guitar player. Mostly known as the protagonist of Fleetwood Mac who, along with Stevie Nicks, propelled the band to fame and fortune since the departure of other members including the great Peter Green. Although very recently departed from the band, Lindsey Buckingham was probably the person who influenced the band the most through his music production, songwriting, and most of all superb guitar playing. They indeed have two other talented songwriters and singers in the band, but it is no coincidence that every time Lindsey Buckingham has left the band they have had to recruit two guitarists to replace his one talent.
His guitar style is unique. He never plays with a pick and has known to have made his fingers bleed due to his intense guitar playing.
I’m So Afraid is a very dark song and this guitar solo backs it up with so much power It leaves you dumbstruck. I originally thought the song might be about Lindsey’s private battle with epilepsy, but after more research it is about depression. In an interview, he has said that it is the one song he finds most difficult to do. This may be because of what he puts into it and how much it takes out of him. I have had the honour and pleasure to witness him perform the song many times. He looks like a man possessed as he attacks his guitar with so much passion. At the end of what seems like an everlasting display of hypnotic and dazzling guitar music, you are left breathless as if you have been up there joining in with him.
He has been through a bad time recently, so I am wishing him all the very best and a speedy recovery and I look forward to enjoying his countless musical talents again very soon.
I love the famous guitar solos such as Stairway To Heaven and Comfortably Numb but Lindsey Buckingham’s solo on this song is just awesome and is my pick of the best.
Please do let me know of others that I may not have heard, as one can never tire of the great guitar solo!
