going solo like a baws

i wanted to post a list of the most awesome guitar solos of all time, but then i realised that my coverage of music is somewhat limited. instead, i'll post some of my favourite guitar solos (and some not-so-favourites, but just because they're awesome). i need to find some peeps with more varied musical inclinations so that i may sample better auditory hallucinations. only once you've drunk from the seas of rhye can you judge the bitterness of ambrosia!

10. thank you for the venom by my chemical romance
my chemical romance was one of those bands that defined my university years. don't get me wrong, nobody's being an emokid here (well, maybe a little bit), i just liked their music. past tense being the active word here. i still listen to 'three cheers for sweet revenge' and 'the black parade' on the occasion, but their latest album (of which i cannot even recall the title. edit: it's 'danger days') delivers mostly in disappointment. this solo is performed by ray toro.


9. knights of cydonia by muse
another cult popular band is the british trio, muse. at first, i must admit, i did not like muse. when my friends were going crazy over 'plug in baby', i thought their music to be too unrefined and raw. only later did i start liking this kind of music, and by that time, muse had moved on to more harmonious (if you can call this genre of music anything of the sort). check out the official clip, i love it - it's hilarious. and while you're at it, check the base on 'hysteria', which i've also included below. the solo is performed by matthew bellamy.
knights of cydonia because embedding has been disabled, boo.
hysteria, also because embedding has been gg'd.

8. monsters by matchbook romance
i've talked about this band before, and this song is exceptionally awesome. one of my all-time favourites. this solo is performed by ryan 'juda' depaolo
monsters: more disabled embedding.


7. talk shows on mute by incubus
no elaborations needed here. incubus is my second-most favourite band of all time. mike einziger rocks the guitar solo here like it's his little female dawg. their latest ablum, however, is lacklustre. but they always experiment with new stuff, and i'm willing to let this one slide, and keep waiting for the next album.


6. november rain by guns n' roses
for those who have never even listened to gnr, the name is still a hallmark of rock-idolatry, living in the fast lane, burning hard, lighting up, kickass music and flambouyant performances. axl rose is one of the most iconic frontmen of all time and they have this lead guitarist whose name, if i mention here will just burn through your monitor with awesomeness. it's slash. he does this (and many other solos) like a true guitar legend.


5. be yourself by audioslave
i guess that since were' down to the top 5 now, every guitarist i mention henceforth should be at least known to the masses. tom morello is no exception with his very technical and experimental riffs. i would talk about this superband in more detail, but we're only concerned with guitar solos today, so have at ye, tom morello!


4. stairway to heaven by led zeppelin
two words. jimmy. paige.


3. hotel california by eagles
eagles was a band that defined my father's 20's, and hence defined my childhood. back in the day, my dad would rock up some tequila sunrise on his vinyl with the turntable. my brother and i got used to changing the pinheads to make the sounds less distorted - we even had a couple of pins reserved for eagles. then my dad got cassettes and we listened to eagles every day after school. no doubt, we had memorised most of the greatest hits' lyrics (if not all). unfortunately, i cannot remember more than maybe half a dozen songs, now. less words. more listening. no particular person performs this solo, they do it as a group.


2. sweet child o' mine by guns n' roses (slash is such a baddas mofo)
because slash is such an epic guitarist, he made it twice into this list. initially i thought sweet child o' mine would be a most definite pick for my top spot, but after deliberating, i've got something else in store for you.


1. i believe in a thing called love by the darkness / don't stop me now by queen
i wanted to write something quite elaborate here. however, i think i've written too long and my time is short. you may have noticed this, as we progressed down the list, my paragraphs have shortened substantially. if not, then now you realise. anyway. it's a tie here between the darkness (3 solos in the same song! which are conducted by justin and dan hawkins, and frankie poullain); and my favourite band of all time, queen (whose solo is rocked up by brian may)



enjoy!