What's Your Favourite Guitar Solo?

Mott the Hoople - "Hymn For the Dudes"
― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, September 13, 2005 10:48 AM (fifteen years ago)

particularly the triumphant last note, fading into the angelic choir.

Seeing the picture of John Cale reminds me that I always stan for this solo by Ollie Halsall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-q-GGiAt8Q

Top of my mind here’s some more I like and haven’t been mentioned yet:

Papas Fritas - way you walk
Ritchie Valens - La Bamba
Soda Stereo - en la ciudad de la furia (unplugged)
Wilco - Impossible Germany

Just commented on fb about one you missed, and probably my favorite guitar solo of all time. Jimmy Scott's solo in Pretenders' "Kid" is masterful without bragging, a self-contained composition without peer nestled inside an already brilliant song.

oh for sure! I would've mentioned it in another tie

*time

Seeing the picture of John Cale reminds me that I always stan for this solo by Ollie Halsall:

I've shared this coked-out glory many times over the years.

Popol Vuh - "Oh wie nah ist der Weg hinab" (closing section - goosebump time!)

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 10:54 (fifteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think Werner Herzog agreed...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOF23dA7UJg

... solo by Daniel Secundus Fichelscher.

right now it's Roy Buchanan's "The Messiah will come again." Spookiest song ever, very heavy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgOLDAWu6OY

The solos in VHÖL's "Arising" hit all the spots I want hit in metal wankery, probably because they're really just overdriven surf/rockabilly licks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-a1Fupras

Michael Sembello, "Maniac"

I must've listened to Mick Taylor's Spanish/A Minor a lot as a kid because I can still hum all of the extended solos. Decades later it still sounds fantastic.

Ollie Halsall in the live Cale clip is outstanding

Glad you like it.

Is there sections of songs with one guitarrist doing amazing runs like Buckingham’s live version of “big love” or Nils Lofgren doing “Keith don’t go” considered “solos”? Even instrumental guitar pieces like “entre dos aguas” by Paco de Lucia has what could count as a solo at the 2:41 mark.

And that’s one of the best Flamenco songs ever so if it counts I’m definitely considering in the best guitar solos of all time.

One solo that caught my ear on the radio a couple days ago in how it really does raise the tune is Neal Schon's on "Don't Stop Believing". It is pretty much played off the main melody line but how it sets up the title refrain at the end of the song is really some nice pop magic (nice touch with the overdubbed second line on the very end).

I have a soft spot for the big dumbrock solo that closes out Pearl Jam’s “Alive”

Dogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRSxu2Xn-gk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MzDcsgnwZo