Guitar Solos

GUITAR SOLOS: METALLICA- ALL NIGHTMARE LONG

Back in 2008, Metallica released their “return to form album, Death Magnetic. This album marked a return to their “thrashier” days as well as more epic notes. Across the ten songs and seventy five minutes, there’s always been one song that from day one, has had my attention. Ever since I heard Metallica’s “All Nightmare Long, I’ve been mildly obsessed with it. Even the music video, directed by, RoboShodo, is stellar.

“All Nightmare Long” is an absolute banger of a song as well as one of my all time favorite Metallica songs. There’s heavy intensity of this song feels like it could have come out on …And Justice For All. In a fun way too there’s a little bit of a Slayer homage to the intro part. James Hetfield sounds masterful on this song both lyrically and vocally. Lars and Robert really gel on this song too, as they hit endless thrash and groove. The real treat though is Kirk Hammett. There’s not one but TWO absolutely killer guitar solos on “All Nightmare Long.” Personally, I don’t know what one is best, though I tend to gravitate toward the second one. This is one of those songs too, that needs to be played live a lot more by Metallica.

If it’s been a minute since you’ve listened to Death Magnetic, you should fix that. It’s quite the album. Plus right smack dab in the middle is this absolute masterpiece of a Metallica song! Enjoy “All Nightmare Long.”

Metallica- All Nightmare Long (Live):

Metallica- All Nightmare Long (Music Video):

BEST GUITAR SOLOS: JANE’S ADDICTION- THREE DAYS

Jane’s Addiction was one of the most influential and volatile bands of all time. Their undeniable influence is still heard in bands today. The enigmatic foursome created music that was groundbreaking and genre defining. In a way alternative music wouldn’t be what it is without Jane’s Addiction.

The bands second album, Ritual De Lo Habitual is highly regarded as a masterpiece and a classic for many great reasons. While the album spawned two massive radio hits in “Stop” and “Been Caught Stealing,” it’s the albums deeper tracks that really solidified this as a groundbreaking album. In particular the song “Three Days.” The subject matter of the song deals greatly with addiction and the mortality of it, the music is what truly makes this song so special. Rather than rely on making a hard rock song, the band created an epic that is almost eleven minutes long. Surprisingly, “Three Days” was released as the second single from the album. The guitar work on this song by Dave Navarro reaches near stratospheric heights. The layers and textures Dave creates and plays with stretches the bounds of unpredictability and artistry. The guitar solo on “Three Days” is one of those that is as intriguing as it is intense. The mood and vibe it gives off matches perfectly with the lyrics and vocals. Then you add in the rhythm portion and it all clicks on levels untouched since. Dave Navarro is a pioneer of alternative rock guitar and rightfully so!

Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Album Version):

Jane’s Addiction- Three Days (Live Version):

Best Guitar Solos: Lynyrd Skynyrd- Free Bird

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When I first started this topic I could have very easily picked this song to be the first one featured. Between “Hotel California” and “Free Bird,” it’s really all a matter of preference as to which one usually gets picked as the all time best. There is certainly a case for “Free Bird” to be the all time great. There is a bit of fun history that comes with this song too. When writing the song, the guitar solos that finish the song were added originally to give singer Ronnie Van Zant a chance to rest his voice, as the band was playing several sets per night at clubs at the time. This solo is truly on another level and still to this day is iconic. Like “Hotel California,” it’s very memorable and you can sing along to the solo. I know every time I hear this song, it makes me want to play air drums or air guitar along with it.

Lynyrd Skynyrd- Free Bird (Live in 1977):

 

 

Best Guitar Solos: Eagles- Hotel California

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A while back a friend of mine asked me to make a list of the best guitar solos of all time. I started to make a list but, I figured it would be more fun to turn this into a topic. Ironically, this morning I found myself with the song “Hotel California” in my head for some reason. So what better song to kick off this topic with one of the absolute best guitar solos of all time. Joe Walsh and Don Felder as a guitar tandem, played this one so beautifully. There is something so pure and honest about how they approached it. It’s one of those solo’s that you can hum and sing along to and someone can instantly recognize it. This is truly one of the standards for how to make a tasty solo. Sure, it’s a very over played song but, there is no doubt that it’s a classic.

 

Eagles- Hotel California (Live 1980):