Songs with Unexpected Good Guitar Solos

[grumpyoldman]

Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" comes to mind - excellent solo (Amos Garrett).
Also, "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak - hauntingly simple but memorable lead work (James Calvin Wilsey?).

 

[Volt]

The solos in the Beatles song "The End".
I have always expected good solos from George Harrison and have never been disappointed, but I never expected good solos from Paul McCartney and John Lennon as well. The solo sequence is McCartney, Harrison, then Lennon........repeat twice.
Not Carlton or Lukather-esque...........but tasty stuff.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw15E52qDJU"]YouTube- The Beatles- The End (HQ)[/ame]

 

[GuitarHack]

All very pop tunes, which is why it's "unexpected" I guess:

Cars - "Bye Bye Love" & "Just What I Needed"
John Mayer - "Wheel"
Fleetwood Mac - "You Make Loving Fun"
Boston - "Hitch a Ride" and "Peace of Mind"
Bryan Adams - "It's Only Love"
David Bowie - "China Girl" (sure, it's SRV, but SRV + Bowie = unexpected)

 

[GWDavis28]

Heard this one last night, SRV was on big time.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gprIR991EkY"]YouTube- David Bowie - Cat People[/nomedia]

Glenn |B)

 

[savannah_sean]

Gilding the Lily - Jesse Winchester

 

[Glenn]

There was some surprisingly cool stuff on those 80s Robert Palmer hits.

 

[robelinda2]

There was some surprisingly cool stuff on those 80s Robert Palmer hits.

Not surprising when you have Eddie Martinez on yer album, killer player!

 

[sunmouse]

Unexpected great guitar solo

Can anyone remember Ice Cream Man by Eddie Van Halen? I'm not a VH fan, but this was just fab!

 

[Blue Lizard]

Guitar solo on Sam Brown's "Sometimes You Just Don't Know" from the Stop! album. Short & very sweet, reminiscent of Alan Murphy's stuff - speaking of which, he did some cracking stuff on early Go West...

I've always liked the solos on the Chicago 19 album - they sound rather like Dan Huff, but I've long since lost my album sleeve to check out who did 'em.

 

[Peter_Grant]

I agree about the solo on "Something." I thought it was Clapton, because Clapton played on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and it has a similar feel. But I think George was hanging out with Eric a lot and it rubbed off. I think it's one of the all time best solos.

As far as unexpectedly good solos, I vote for "Goodbye To Love" by the Carpenters. Who would have thought that the mellow vocals would give way to a kick-ass distorted guitar solo and then return to the sweetness of the song as if it had never happened.

 

[andynpeters]

I agree about the solo on "Something." I thought it was Clapton, because Clapton played on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and it has a similar feel. But I think George was hanging out with Eric a lot and it rubbed off. I think it's one of the all time best solos.

As far as unexpectedly good solos, I vote for "Goodbye To Love" by the Carpenters. Who would have thought that the mellow vocals would give way to a kick-ass distorted guitar solo and then return to the sweetness of the song as if it had never happened.

I concur....the solo on "Goodbye To Love" is pretty much my all time favourite.....nothing like it before....much imitated since in every "Power Ballad"

 

[knguro]

Did someone mention already a Mark Tremonti solo?

Ill say, Open your eyes - alter bridge.
Burn it down. - alter bridge.

 

[five7]

Chicago, 25 or 6 to 4

 

[five7]

Red House, Jimi Hendrix

 

[pete1000]

Just in case no one has mentioned it before, the Phil Spector produced version of Let it Be by the Beatles was an improvement (IMHO*) over the original version.

 

[Aidanspaghetti]

i strongly urge everyone to check out the solo on Nik Kershaws "Bogart" from the Human Racing album...

Played by nik who is actually an amazing guitar player..... Check this out for a fantastic composed solo.....


There's a few live videos of it on YT which are quite cool but the studio version is a thing of real magic =)

 

[nathanhny]

Not quite an unexpected solo considering who's playing the guitar, but I was playing a dragonball z game around my friend's house several years ago and thought some of the solo's sounded great and familiar. As it turns out Lukather pretty much does session work on the games soundtrack almost every year. Some of the solo's are just great with some great chops from Luke

 

[straycat113]

57Fenderjazz am I mistaken or is the post unexpected great solos in songs. You picked two songs with two of the greatest players at the time and of all time. Hendrix and Terry Kath, who Hendrix said was the best player in the world at the time.-?

 

[Phrat]

i strongly urge everyone to check out the solo on Nik Kershaws "Bogart" from the Human Racing album...

Played by nik who is actually an amazing guitar player..... Check this out for a fantastic composed solo.....


There's a few live videos of it on YT which are quite cool but the studio version is a thing of real magic =)

I was just about to post...

Chesney Hawkes: The One And Only

One of my all time fave solos and I know the song was written by Nik Kershaw and was wondering if he played the solo as well? Its well constructed, toneful and just flash enough to grab the attention.