Over Rated Guitar Solos

[PowerSlave]

A few people mentioned Slash, and for the most part I agree. However, the outro solo in November Rain has always moved me. His execution is still bad, and his string bends drive me fuckin' crazy, but the note selection fits perfectly.

[wolfking]

I disagree with everyone on FTLOG        I rate it right up there with anything Vai has done , I don't think it's anywhere near the most complex solo ever played and I don't hear much that doesn't serve the song.   

I have no issue with it either.  It's perfect shred which fits the mood of the song.  The emotion and energy Vai puts into this piece is out of this world.

[erwinrafael]

I am a big Steve Vai fan and he is #2 in my favorite musicians list that I did in this forum a month ago. But I would go out on a limb and say that For The Love of God is overrated. Not because it's bad. It's actually an excellent piece. However, when lists of Steve Vai's top songs crop up, For The Love of God almost always comes out on top. Don't these people listen to the rest of Vai's catalogue? Better than Fire Garden Suite? Better than Frank? Or Velorum? Even among the seventh songs, it's not even the best (I much prefer Whispering A Prayer, Touching Tongues, and sometimes Windows to the Soul). Even in the Passion and Warfare album, I don't consider it the best (that would be Answers). So For The Love God, for me, is an excellent song but it is far from being Vai's best. It is overrated.

You have to take into account when FTLOG came out. At the time, it was *the* hardest and most complex solo ever played essentially. And yes, in many ways it is a tour de force of difficulty, sometimes at the expense of the tune actually. But at that moment in time, playing "for the song" would not have had the same impact.

I am aware of how it could be viewed as an all-time great guitar tune historically. I just think, though, that it doesn't have to remain as the best Steve Vai song in any Steve Vai top songs list after all the good guitar tunes Vai has written afterwards. It's "unfair" (for lack of a better term) to Vai's whole discography in the two and a half decades that followed FTLOG.

[wolfking]

I am a big Steve Vai fan and he is #2 in my favorite musicians list that I did in this forum a month ago. But I would go out on a limb and say that For The Love of God is overrated. Not because it's bad. It's actually an excellent piece. However, when lists of Steve Vai's top songs crop up, For The Love of God almost always comes out on top. Don't these people listen to the rest of Vai's catalogue? Better than Fire Garden Suite? Better than Frank? Or Velorum? Even among the seventh songs, it's not even the best (I much prefer Whispering A Prayer, Touching Tongues, and sometimes Windows to the Soul). Even in the Passion and Warfare album, I don't consider it the best (that would be Answers). So For The Love God, for me, is an excellent song but it is far from being Vai's best. It is overrated.

You have to take into account when FTLOG came out. At the time, it was *the* hardest and most complex solo ever played essentially. And yes, in many ways it is a tour de force of difficulty, sometimes at the expense of the tune actually. But at that moment in time, playing "for the song" would not have had the same impact.

I am aware of how it could be viewed as an all-time great guitar tune historically. I just think, though, that it doesn't have to remain as the best Steve Vai song in any Steve Vai top songs list after all the good guitar tunes Vai has written afterwards. It's "unfair" (for lack of a better term) to Vai's whole discography in the two and a half decades that followed FTLOG.

But that's just the way it is.  With any artist, the most popular stuff is rarely the best stuff.  Look at Satch, he is known for Always With Me, Always With You, but is that his best work, not even close. IMHO anyway.

[erwinrafael]

Which is why I think FTLOG is overrated.

[wolfking]

Which is why I think FTLOG is overrated.

Good thing you brought it up then. 

I can see what you are saying.  IMO, the piece isn't overrated, but in comparison to a lot of Vai's other work, yeah, I can see that side of it.

[Adami]

Which is why I think FTLOG is overrated.

Maybe you just don't understand the thought process behind it. Vai wasn't trying to do what others were doing, he was more about emphasizing the other instruments and doing intricate kick patterns.



Hmm.

[erwinrafael]

Which is why I think FTLOG is overrated.

Maybe you just don't understand the thought process behind it. Vai wasn't trying to do what others were doing, he was more about emphasizing the other instruments and doing intricate kick patterns.



Hmm.

I am trying to process the joke but I don't think I questioned Vai's brilliance in the song.  FTLOG is actually blasting over my spekaers now, inspiring me to finish my thesis. 

[Adami]

Well, since I don't listen to Vai and have never heard the song, that's the best I got.


But it's cool that you didn't get my joke. I tend to emphasize the other posts and do intricate kick patterns while posting like I'm part of an orchestra.

[mikeyd23]

 

[Stadler]

A few people mentioned Slash, and for the most part I agree. However, the outro solo in November Rain has always moved me. His execution is still bad, and his string bends drive me fuckin' crazy, but the note selection fits perfectly.

he really grew on me with his solo stuff (World on Fire is an EPIC record) and seeing him live.   He's more of the Page school of doing business, but I'd rather hear that than a lot of what is regarded as "virtuoso".   I'm the biggest Genesis fan here (no, not really, but up there) and I'd listen to Slash all day long before I put on a Hackett solo record.  I'm sorry. 

[mikeyd23]

A few people mentioned Slash, and for the most part I agree. However, the outro solo in November Rain has always moved me. His execution is still bad, and his string bends drive me fuckin' crazy, but the note selection fits perfectly.

he really grew on me with his solo stuff (World on Fire is an EPIC record) and seeing him live.   He's more of the Page school of doing business, but I'd rather hear that than a lot of what is regarded as "virtuoso".   I'm the biggest Genesis fan here (no, not really, but up there) and I'd listen to Slash all day long before I put on a Hackett solo record.  I'm sorry.

Yeah Slash is great and honestly his highly-rated solos that come to mind totally deserve to be highly-rated IMO. I'm thinking of Sweet Child, Paradise City, November Rain. To me, I could care less about his technique or whatever, those solos serve the songs really, really well.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Well, since I don't listen to Vai and have never heard the song, that's the best I got.


But it's cool that you didn't get my joke. I tend to emphasize the other posts and do intricate kick patterns while posting like I'm part of an orchestra.

 

[rumborak]

I'm the biggest Genesis fan here (no, not really, but up there) and I'd listen to Slash all day long before I put on a Hackett solo record.  I'm sorry.

Yeah, I don't get the deal about Hackett. In fact, I think you can write a rule that says any person named Ha**ett will play in a vastly popular band but be a mediocre guitar player in it.

[PowerSlave]

A few people mentioned Slash, and for the most part I agree. However, the outro solo in November Rain has always moved me. His execution is still bad, and his string bends drive me fuckin' crazy, but the note selection fits perfectly.

he really grew on me with his solo stuff (World on Fire is an EPIC record) and seeing him live.   He's more of the Page school of doing business, but I'd rather hear that than a lot of what is regarded as "virtuoso".   I'm the biggest Genesis fan here (no, not really, but up there) and I'd listen to Slash all day long before I put on a Hackett solo record.  I'm sorry.

I've only heard a few things from SH's solo stuff. It didn't move me, either. But his playing on Blood on the Rooftops is one of my favorite pieces of guitar playing of all time. Then the instrumental section in Firth of Fifth is absolutely amazing, so I tend to really look up to him.

[bl5150]

  He's more of the Page school of doing business, but I'd rather hear that than a lot of what is regarded as "virtuoso". 

Good comparison.   When I saw them live recently Fortus blew him away in terms of technique and speed (and not being sloppy) but Slash has the ability to create iconic, memorable solos , as did Page.

[Kwyjibo]

Yep, I'm most certainly not one of the many that say shredders have no feeling, but there's more to a good guitar solo than speed and technique, as the likes of Slash, Page or Gilmour, Knopfler and others have shown.

[Kotowboy]

I also dislike when virtuoso guitars can't do a solo *without* shredding.

Guthrie Govan is cool but i've never heard him do a tasty solo *without* suddenly going into crazy mode.

I feel like shredders can't solo without going full speed at some point.

[Fritzinger]

I also dislike when virtuoso guitars can't do a solo *without* shredding.

Guthrie Govan is cool but i've never heard him do a tasty solo *without* suddenly going into crazy mode.

I feel like shredders can't solo without going full speed at some point.

Well, there's the one in Wilson's Drive Home.

I think, Michael Romeo is one of those guitarists. Amazing guitarist, very cool guy, but he always goes into, how did you phrase it, crazy mode. But then again, I feel like SX as a band do that as well. There is hardly any SX ballad without a double time shred/riff part.


I think Hackett is a phenomenal guitarist. Very unique style of playing. Have you guys heard his acoustic playing? He DOES HAVE an outstanding technique, especially in his right hand. Plus, here are some awesome solos of Hackett:
Fire On The Moon (Hackett)
Supper's Ready (the live version by Hackett in the Royal Albert Hall)
12 (Neal Morse)
And of course
Firth Of Fifth (Genesis), one of the greatest guitar solos I have ever heard.

[Elite]

Guthrie Govan is cool but i've never heard him do a tasty solo *without* suddenly going into crazy mode.

:')

[erwinrafael]

I also dislike when virtuoso guitars can't do a solo *without* shredding.

Guthrie Govan is cool but i've never heard him do a tasty solo *without* suddenly going into crazy mode.

I feel like shredders can't solo without going full speed at some point.

Is Regret #9 already shredding?

[Elite]

Yeah, that's what my post implied. Guthrie Govan is a freaking guitar god, mainly because he does not always shread. There's plenty of fantastic melodic stuff to be found in his playing and he'll blow you away whenever he wants to, but he definitely is not known for over-shredding everything.

[Stadler]

  He's more of the Page school of doing business, but I'd rather hear that than a lot of what is regarded as "virtuoso". 

Good comparison.   When I saw them live recently Fortus blew him away in terms of technique and speed (and not being sloppy) but Slash has the ability to create iconic, memorable solos , as did Page.

I might have said this at the start of this discussion, but I'm a HUGE melody guy.  I love a melody and it informs the music I listen to (see the Van Halen thread).    So for me, a solo I can sing is worth far more than a solo that is a technical tour de force.  That's why I LOVE LOVE LOVE "Running With The Devil", "In A Simple Rhyme" and "Jamie's Cryin'", and view "Eruption" as a technical curiosity (though I recognize it's historical value).   That solo in "Estranged" - it's more like a guitar figure than an actual solo - is far more interesting to me than any of Tom Morello's noise-fests.  it's one of the reasons I love Blackmore so much.   It's a cliché at this point, but if you go back to the solo on Smoke on the Water with fresh ears, that is an AMAZING solo. AMAZING. 

[wolfking]

Guthrie is fantastic.

[TAC]

My two favorite guitarists are Michael Schenker and Gary Moore. They both combined, melody, speed, and emotion.

[PuffyPat]

guitar solos in general are overrated.

[King Postwhore]

guitar solos in general are overrated.

You're not listening correctly then.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

guitar solos in general are overrated.

You forgot to put that in green.

[Kotowboy]

The guitar solos I tend to dislike are the " can't be arsed - anti solos - i'm too cool to play solos - i'll just make noise instead "...

And i'm not on about Tom Morello - I mean those guys who deliberately play shit solos because proper solos are uncool.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

There was a thing in the 90's where more and more guitarists in shit-Seattle grunge bands decided that it was cool to not be very good at your instrument.  That being capable of playing with speed or finesse or with good phrasing meant that you had no soul or feeling.  It was a total lazy person's cop-out and I'm glad that kinda crap fell by the wayside.

[King Postwhore]

There was a thing in the 90's where more and more guitarists in shit-Seattle grunge bands decided that it was cool to not be very good at your instrument.  That being capable of playing with speed or finesse or with good phrasing meant that you had no soul or feeling.  It was a total lazy person's cop-out and I'm glad that kinda crap fell by the wayside.

Drop tuning and not playing full cords as well.

[rumborak]

guitar solos in general are overrated.

If you mean by that that some bands seem to *require* a solo in every song, then yeah, I actually somewhat agree. A song does not necessarily improve with a solo.

[Adami]

guitar solos in general are overrated.

If you mean by that that some bands seem to *require* a solo in every song, then yeah, I actually somewhat agree. A song does not necessarily improve with a solo.

This is true. But that's because a guitar solo isn't enough. Every song actually needs 2 guitar solos, 2 keyboard solos and a unison. Minimum.

[Stadler]

There was a thing in the 90's where more and more guitarists in shit-Seattle grunge bands decided that it was cool to not be very good at your instrument.  That being capable of playing with speed or finesse or with good phrasing meant that you had no soul or feeling.  It was a total lazy person's cop-out and I'm glad that kinda crap fell by the wayside.

I'm TOTALLY with you on that.  It doesn't have to be weedly weedly Mark St. John crap, but there's something to the notion that you have the technique to express ANYTHING you want to share.   

And it's funny; for the most part (there are exceptions) the bands from that era that persevered and prospered were the ones that surprise surprise, could actually play with speed, finesse, and good phrasing.  Go figure. 

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

To be honest, I'm trying to put my finger on bands from the grunge era that have continued on.