It doesn’t get much more epic than a great rock ‘n’ roll guitar solo. Since the dawn of contemporary music, people have employed the six-stringed instrument to infuse their songs with energy, variation, and emotion. Whether it’s used to create a mysterious, jazzy interlude or an electrifying climax, the perfect combination of guitar notes can transform a solid song into a stone-cold classic.
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A lot of well-recorded solos have aged well. But it’s an elite few that have had what it takes to truly become fabled. From Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” to Blue Öyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” here are five songs whose guitar solos have only grown more legendary over time.
1. “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin (1971)
“Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most gripping and epic rock songs ever recorded. The eight-minute opus opens with gentle acoustic guitars and fantastical lyrics. But it slowly builds until it reaches a fiery peak. Around the six-minute mark, guitarist Jimmy Page breaks into a wailing solo. The extended period of improvised jamming was laid to tape on a Fender Telecaster that Page inherited from his Yardbirds bandmate Jeff Beck. The guitar’s distinctive sound paints his virtuosic playing in a commanding, trebly glow.
[RELATED: 7 Iconic Albums You Didn’t Know Feature Jimmy Page]
2. “The Star Spangled Banner,” Jimi Hendrix (1970)
The 1969 Woodstock festival holds up as one of the most iconic events in rock history. And one of its most memorable moments arrived when Jimi Hendrix performed an instrumental cover of the United States National Anthem. His spin on “The Star Spangled Banner” opens as a fairly faithful rendition, until he dives into feedback-drenched jamming around the minute-and-a-half mark. By the time Hendrix strums the final chords, he’s taken the listener on a noisy, psychedelic journey as mind-bending today as it was back then.
3. “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” Blue Öyster Cult (1976)
Blue Öyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is perhaps most famous these days for being the brunt of a joke in Saturday Night Live’s famous “More Cowbell” sketch. But the 1976 single from the American rock band is also one of the spookiest classic rock tracks ever recorded thanks to singer/guitarist Buck Dharma’s poetic lyrics about imminent death. The moody energy is then aided by Dharma’s explosive solo in the middle of the song, which (legend has it) he nailed in a single take. It starts out subtle and repetitive, before quickly bursting to a rapid-fire climax. Come for the goofy cowbell; stay for the incredible guitar fretwork.
4. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana (1991)
Technically speaking, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain wasn’t exactly a guitar virtuoso. But that’s exactly what made him such a brilliant player. His solo on the band’s 1991 breakout hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” is straightforward and simple—he mostly mimics the song’s verse vocal melody on his signature baby blue Fender Mustang. But the guitar’s chorus effect-drenched tone, coupled with Cobain’s impassioned playing, makes the solo a cathartic high point on the single-most important grunge song ever released.
5. “Reelin’ in the Years,” Steely Dan (1972)
In recent years, Steely Dan’s music has become synonymous with a lackadaisical, laid-back attitude. While its flippant lyrics directed at an ex certainly cater to such a vibe, the band’s 1972 single “Reelin’ in the Years” is otherwise uncharacteristically boisterous. Its solo was recorded in one take by session musician Elliott Randall. His jazzy playing utilizes a wiry, distorted tone, the end result being so ornate and fun that Jimmy Page has gone so far as to declare it his favorite solo of all time.
Photo Credit: Don Hunstein
