In an earlier post on the best “Stairway to Heaven” Youtube videos I had ranked the unknown instructor at Playguitarsolos.com as the best soloist. Tom Lane, the un-named guitarist and instructor is the man behind Playguitarsolos.com and he contacted me to clarify about the anonymity and why his video was not playing at guitar-appreciation.com. In the friendship that struck I was delighted to know that Tom was in fact a full-time C++ programmer who had only taken his passion online in his spare time.

From the links he offered at his YouTube page I was instantly hooked to the perfection of his solos, particularly the sitar guitar solo on Steely Dan’s “Do it again”, Boston’s “Hitch a ride”, The Knack’s “My Sharona”, the two solo’s on Dire Straits’ “Sultans of swing” to just name a few. Just check out the sitar solo from Steely Dan’s “Do it again” below.

There were even solo’s from blues great Stevie Ray Vaughan. Check out more videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/playguitarsolos.

As for instruction Tom offers both tabs and both regular and a slow-motion video of the solo he is playing apart from the instruction on video.

As a guitar player, if popular rock solos are what you are after, then look no further than Playguitarsolos.com. It is one helluva site!

Being a left handed guitarist he actually plays a right handed guitar flipped upside down, which means unlike conventional left handed guitarist who need to re-string the strings on a right-handed guitar, or play a left-handed guitar, Albert’s guitar actually has the thinnest “E” on top and the heaviest bass “E” string at the bottom. A style called “upside-down/backwards”. One of blues greatest guitarists he is known for his hits “Crosscut Saw” and “Born under a bad sign” playing in the video below.

Erik has beautiful hands and fingers and the way they move about the guitar seems like they are dancing on the strings.

There are more videos of Stefan on YouTube and they are all amazing. This guy does deserve a break.

Smaller but lovelier sounding videos.

Check the video below to see how Victor makes it look so simple, playing the bass and sounding like a regular six string electric.

1. The Knack – My Sharona
My first song on the list is a popular song but it is not known as a popular guitar-solo song. This is unfortunate considering the searing solo from guitarist, Berton Averre. The last time you heard it was on the soundtrack of the film “Reality Bites”.
Here are the guys, a little older, performing the number live.
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It is sad to note that the lead singer Doug Fieger, passed away on valentines day this year, aged 57 battling both brain and liver cancer.

2. ZZ Top – “I need you tonite” from the album “Eliminator”. This was a break-through album for the band in the mid eighties spawning hits such as “Legs”, “Got my under pressure” and “Sharp Dressed Man” but there was a beauty in “I need you tonite”. The beauty is not in the sophistication or the complexity of the solo but the way the solo is presented. With drums and bass providing just the bare-bones accompaniment they let the lead guitarist Billy Gibbons do his thing. And he does it in smooth style not hurrying one bit. Worth every listen.

3. U2 – “The Fly”. The Edge, is not known for his solo because of his inability to play lead solos but this solo is certainly an exception. Even after Bono’s vocals comes back on The Edge doesn’t let go of his solo and it continues almost till the end of the song. If you can mute the vocals on your system towards the end, try it and listen to a brilliant solo.

4. U2 – “End of the world” – Another song from the Achtung Baby album, stylish and beautiful. “Achtung Baby” by the way is a great guitar album with many other lovely guitar songs. The uniqueness of this solo is that it plays throughout the song even when Bono’s vocals are on. Made in the same vein as “Ultra Violet” another song from the album I almost included the latter in the list too.

5. Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow – “Anybody there?” is an instrumental 2.39 minutes long from the album “Bent out of Shape”. In 1983 it got a Grammy nomination. But even that doesn’t get the popularity of “Was Heim” another big hit for Ritchie while in the same band and from another album. At around 50 seconds just listen to Ritchie’s soulful notes that can make you cry.

6. Snowy White – “Bird of Paradise”. I remember listening to this song on a cassette tape of heavy metal ballads. But Snowy White has been supporting Pink Floyd and Roger Walters for a considerably long time and even invited to join the band. Snowy White had been a member of Thin Lizzy too. Howeve it is this 1983 hit that he is known for. A smooth ballad the guitar sparkles with the lovely singing. The solo is actually longer than what you see in the video below.

7. Yes – “I see you” from the Yes’s self-titled debut. One of the most beautiful solos from the late sixites you will love the way the guitar and the keyboarding play their parts together. It is Peter Banks who plays the solo, though Yes is known for their classically trained and ever so popular guitarist, Steve Howe.

8. Loudness – “Soldier of Fortune”. When heavy metal bands from the U.K and the U.S were ruling the metal charts one band from the Land of the Rising sun, Japan did gather interest and a serious fan following. They were “Loudness”. Forget the song, but the solo is impossible to ignore, reminiscent of Rithie Blackmore’s style of playing but this one goes another step further in virtuosity. Akira Takasaki guitarist and founder of Loudness still plays with the aging band.

9. Europe – “Aphasia” – Remember the 80′s band that gave us hits like “The Final Countdown”, “Dreamer” and “Superstitious”. Though I think it was strongly influenced by guitar solos from Iron Maiden’s “Alexander the Great”, I’ll give John Norum some credit for the playing. The sound of the drums truly sucked on this one.

10. Uriah Heep – Wake up (Set your sights) from Heep’s debut album “Very Heavy Very Humble” – Smallest solo of the list here but one of the most hauntingly melancholic. Just a few notes but very melodious. Wait for it to start at 3.00 minutes and goes on for about a minute then strings, bass and drums join in with the tunes. Vocals join and gradually fade away. At 4 min 38 seconds the notes come back again and they are so sublimally beautiful that you want to listen to over and over again. One of the original members, lead guitarist Mike Box still plays with the band.

Once again, thanks for the comments. Keep watching.

Next check out their music here where you can listen and download their songs.

If you liked their music and would love to learn the chords and licks of one their songs “Sublime” check the video below.

If you like an intro to their guitarist Sunil Silvester here it is.

And finally catch the band and their debut album at www.evergreenrocks.com

On YouTube there are several versions of these live solos before they begin Californication. Check them out.

It’s been a while on this blog. Let me get back to it again.