"Stairway To Heaven" tops solo guitar survey

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1600667,0011.htm ^

[lunarbicep]

Guitarist Jimmy Page of the band Led Zeppelin has been voted the top guitar soloist of all time for the song Stairway to heaven.

According to contactmusic.com, Page's performance topped the survey held by the website aboutguitars.com and beat out the likes of Eddie Van Halen for the track Eruption.

The third place was occupied by the dual guitar solo by Allen Collins and Gary Rossington on Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird.

The top 10 guitar solos are:

1. Stairway to heaven - Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

2. Eruption - Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen)

3. Freebird - Allen Collins and Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

4. Comfortably numb - David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

5. All along the watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

6. November rain - Slash (Guns N' Roses)

7. One - Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

8. Hotel California - Don Felder and Joe Walsh (The Eagles)

9. Crazy Train - Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne)

10. Crossroads - Eric Clapton (Cream)

[Physicist]

Tales of Topographic Oceans.

Yaaah! My favorite. album. evaaaaah. So you're the other fan!

BTW, Wakeman hates that album, I'm told.

[Doohickey]

Rudolph took over the lead for Blackout when Michael left the band to form MSG. Ulrich Roth played a little rhythm before Mattias Jabs took over.

I'll agree that Michael played a better guitar than Rudolph, but I've always preferred Rudolph's style.

[drew]

Yes, great one. Who does the solo on "Rikki Don't Lose that Number"? I've always thought that one was great.

[InsureAmerica]

Its great on a lot of points. The technique is not one of them, however. Nothing wrong with it, but I think that particular take was used for a lot of reasons other than technique. The song wouldn't be the same any other way...

[BuglerTex]

Proof that all opinions here are completely subjective - 59 posts and no mention of STEVE HOWE.. Some things can't easily be compared. for example if you are comparing technique, then page, harrison, clapton. and most of those mentioned wont' make the list. Malmsteen, van halen, de miola, there's the list for technique. Want a list of jazz influenced, blues influenced, studio layered guitar techniques, then we're looking at a different list.

On target, the scope is much too broad, but for versatility in rock - not blues rock or southern rock which need their own categories- Kath, Kopfler, Harrison, Beck, Santana must be included. Even fingerstyle needs subdivision.

[trisham]

Not bad, except for #s 7. and 8.

[dfwgator]

"Apologies to Pearly" off Rio Grande Mud is some other excellent Willie G slide work.

[The Coopster]

Wow.

Just goes to show how subjective musical tastes can be.

I personally wonder how the creators of said poll put together their criteria. There are an overwhelming number of very accomplished guitarists out there.

I'm guessing that the intent was for it to be the top ten solos of mainstream rock - as that is what it appears to be.

My two cents? I'll agree with the two posters who gave extra props to David Gilmour. There are many, many more technical guitarists out there - but that cat can really make a guitar SING. And it goes right to your soul, too...

[nothingnew]

Best guitar solo = Rocky Top by Chet Atkins (I don't think even Stevie Ray could do that).Yeh, and while it's not a "solo", Al Dimeola and Les Paul doin' "Spanish Eyes"....

FMCDH(BITS)

[mrsmel]

Yes they were and I wish I'd been there,LOL.On the QT-I have a slight love for ELP,only the "Brain Salad Surgery" LP really,and I love Keith Emerson's melodramatic style. I have the coolest clip of him playing on a spinning piano high above the stage)

[Senator Goldwater]

"Ever hear the version of Pipeline that he did with Dick Dale? Golden."

Yes, indeed. That was a big nasty.

And Dick Dale is a something of a mthrfckr himself.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

My list:

1)Eric Johsnson-Cliffs of Dover

2)My Old School-Jeff Baxter

3)Eric Clapton-what has love got to do with it

4)Anything BB King

5)Mark Knoffler-Romeo and Julliet

6)Anything Leo Kottke

7)Dave Mathews-Satelite

8)Paradise City-Slash

9)LA Woman-Doors

10)I have like 50 more to fit in here... but I am going with I Got A Woman, Carl Perkins, no Star Spangled Banner-Jimi Hendrix (hehe) I snuck two in there!

Do you have a list?

[Cheburashka]

Ok, ok, I went out, got my cd's and brought them into the computer room. Along with the cd player.
God, I hope all you guys are satisfied now.

[geopyg]

"..and can't sing worth a lick."

Like goose farts on a foggy morning he used to say! I used to make it an annual Christmas date with whatever girl I was dating at the time to see Kottke at a small theater in Minneapolis when I lived there.

[tallhappy]

I'd actually say Little Johnny Jewel -- but I've nevr heard Marquee Moon.

[InsureAmerica]

yes, wakeman was his own man. Maybe because the concept was mostly put together by Howe/Anderson he got tired of the whole thing? You know how keyboardists can be.

Dawn of light lying between the silence of sold sources..chased amidst fusions of wonder....

[mrsmel]

And TFTO is tied for second favorite YES LP with Fragile-Close To The Edge is always first. Just perfect.

[travlnmn41]

Don't single out Freebird -- all of these songs have been beaten to death. Unfortunately, rock and roll has turned into four-chord, overdistorted forgettable crap. Nothing "memorable" out there today, thanks in large part to that no-talent jackass Kurt Cobain.

[DallasMike]

Even Terry Kath's solo in "25 of 6 to 4" was superior to Jimmy Page's...

Terry is vastly underrated. Chicago's first album has Kath solos that make Hendrix look like "Ned and the First Reader." There's great work on other albums as well, especially Chicago V on songs like "Dialogue" and "While the City Sleeps."

[JoeSixPack1]

What? No 'Cliffs of Dover'?? Eric Johnson is deeply saddened.