Inarguably, Jack White is one of the best guitar players of his time, maintaining the roots of pure rock and roll while tangling them up with folk, Americana, and blues. He’s a master at controlling a guitar solo and making it sound effortless, like it simply bursts forth from him. While no means an exhaustive list, here are just some of Jack White’s best guitar solos.
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“Lazaretto”
Released on the 2014 album of the same name, “Lazaretto” is a grungy, funky tune with one of Jack White’s best nasty guitar solos, although all the solos on this list are wild and shreddy. The “Lazaretto” solo comes in around one minute and 25 seconds, backed by a steady bass lick that changes around the two minute mark, becoming slower and more driven. Near the conclusion, violins take over the guitar phrasing, which adds an interesting aesthetic element to the track.
“Ball and Biscuit”
“Ball and Biscuit” appears on the 2003 album Elephant by The White Stripes, and it features a personal favorite solo from Jack White. Clocking in at seven minutes and 19 seconds, a lot of the track is guitar work. Steady, rambling phrases open “Ball and Biscuit” before it evolves into a squealing solo broken up by additional verses. This is almost like an epic poem in composition, presenting a repetitive structure bolstered by moments of instrumental noodling.
“Old Scratch Blues”
“Old Scratch Blues” opens Jack White’s recent album, No Name, which he surprise released by slipping the vinyl into fans’ purchases at various Third Man Records locations. As far as solos go, “Old Scratch Blues” features heavy distortion in contrast to a sharpness that feels like suddenly having a knife pressed to your side in a dark alley. It’s contradictory, but it works; “Old Scratch Blues” plods along like it has a limp, until the short, staccato solo makes it stand at attention. It’s an excellent example of the control Jack White has over a guitar, going immediately from shambling phrases right into paper cut-sharpness.
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