"I heard Hotel California on the radio for the millionth time...

[jazzbo jim]

...and I never get sick of the guitar solo"

A few other songs come to mind:
"Comfortably Numb" David Gilmour
"Since I've Been Lovin' You" Jimmy Page
"Nevermore" Alan Holdsworth (UK)
"Ice Cream Man" EVH

How about you folks?

 

[SteveB]

All of the guitar solos that I never get tired of hearing are unfortunately in songs that would never be played on the radio.

But here are a few that come to mind:

1. Vinnie Moore's solo in "Daydream".
2. Tony MacAlpine in the M.A.R.S. Driver project, the beginning of "I can see it in your eyes".
3. Yngwie's run of the neck near the end of "Overture 1383"
4. Steve Morse's lead on "The Introduction"
5. Neil Young's wavering solo(s) in "Like a Hurricane" (okay so that used to get airplay)

 

[rockdisciple]

Those are some slick solos, jazzbo! I do enjoy hearing some good axework on the radio, but as with SteveB, most of my favorite players don't see a lot of airtime. Some of my favorite solos of all time would be:

1. John Petrucci's solo in "The Spirit Carries On" The way he plays through the changes is just so lyrical, and in his best form he really puts a lot of techniques to use in developing it all the way through. His tone is fantastic, as well...the whole thing sounds very much like the Gilmour nod he has described it to be.

2. John Petrucci in "Lines In Sand" The note choice and inflection in this solo are simply stellar. His tone is dripping with a wet, sweet gain. It builds extremely well along with the movement of the rest of the band, and it sings right into the next part of the song.

3. Marty Friedman in "Symphony of Destruction" This solo starts right in with a strong bend, that really gets my attention. It breaks out with some manic sweeps, and it stays with the rhythm all the way through some classy blues rock bends and a double stop. It's a brief solo, and it has the smooth, clear tone and direction to take you on a little trip in the middle of the song.

4. Angus Young in "Back in Black" This is such a singable, grooving solo. It starts with a swagger, following the melodic pattern of the chords, and segues straight into Angus' craftpsycho blues licks. The riffs behind the solo are so driving that he is wise to break it up into little odd-numbered bursts.

5. Mikael Akerfeldt in "Deliverance" I love how this solo breaks out of the eerie vocal harmonies right before it with a very expressive bend. It goes through part of the heaviest section of the song right into one of the slower breakdowns with appropriate harmonic squeals and vibrato right on some of the darker notes of scale. It's brief, and quickly the menacing lead morphs into a soaring bend, and mournfully jazzy series of slides.

6. John Petrucci in "Paradigm Shift" John plays broken over very grooving keyboards in a few different ways, before launching into a slow jazzy line. He throws some blistering tricks directly into exquisite bends at every change, making the shredding feel like a rush of foreplay before the release of the tasteful climaxes. This is just a sexy, sensual solo, and one that's fun to imagine playing in a roomful of women.

7. Steve Morse in "Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming" This love song proves to be an ideal showcase for Steve tasteful chops. Steve takes it slow in the beginning with some bluesy licks, applying his aggressive vibrato in choice amounts before unleashing a stunning descending run full of his trademark alternate picked chromatics. When he's done ripping, he matches the chords with a harp harmonic melody that's simply beautiful, complete with his soulful bends.

8. John Petrucci in "Fatal Tragedy" After a polyrhythmic buildup, John builds the tension with ascending stabs. Next he breaks for a singable, mid-eastern call-and response line before descending the scale intermitently with an open string. He diverts from the rhythms for a blazing descent and return before bringing the solo to an abrupt close with a satisfying sweep arpeggio that sounds so much more fluid than the percussive alternate picking of the rest of the solo, it doesn't seem like it could have happened the first time or two. This was one of the first Petrucci solos I heard, so it really blew my mind.