This post is meant to be an eye opener for people who might not have tried to explorer some songs and albums they have never heard made by a band/musician they like. I think that you should always try to look into new stuff and just because someone els doesn't like a particular album or song that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it.
George Duke - Reach Out
The reason why I'm starting with this song, is because a lot of people might know both George Duke and this song. In my home country of Denmark a lot of people have heard this song either at some sort of sports event or on a TV sports program sometime in the 80's or 90's. But nobody knows what that song they always play at handball games is called. That song you hear with a very recognizable trumpet hook on a pop/jazz-fusion base is Reach Out by George Duke. It is one of those songs that you can't sit still to. It's a great song to dance to and production value is really high.
Pantera - Immortally Insane
Moving on to another genre here, with a relatively onknown song by former trash metal gods, Pantera. The only appearance this song has on any of their albums is the greatest hits CD. The reason for this is, that this song was part of the soundtrack for the cartoon-movie Heavy Metal 2000. It is not as up tempo as a lot of Pantera songs are. The song is darker and the vocals are heavily processed. The main thing though is that Dimebag as always is at the realm and the chorus riff is outstanding. A very powerful song and one of the last breaths from a hurt metal giant.
Extreme - Little Jack Horny/He man Women Hater
Now we are moving on to one of my favorite bands of all time. Extreme had something nobody had in the 90's. And that thing was Nuno Bettencourt. I will talk more about him on my upcoming "Most underrated guitar players" list so don't worry. The entire album Pornografitti is filled to the brink with fat chunky and challenging guitar riffs that dominate the songs from start to finish. Little Jack Horny and He man women hater are to songs the really sets the tone and are in general amazing songs. Little Jack Horny has a crazy lyric but that chorus..... Ohhh my. It's amazingly well written and the vocal harmony works really well. He man women hater has one thing that separates it from the rest. One of the best, most dynamic and hardcore (sounding) riffs ever. The rest of the song is not bad at all but that main riff would be enough to float my boat alone.
Toto - Drag Him To The Roof
Tambu came out in may 1995 as is one of the few Toto album that has gone under the radar. Other than the two ballads If you belong to me and I will remember none of the songs really got any promotion. In my opinion this his a hidden gem in a golden store. I was looking for some new material for my own amusement and was hit by a bolt of lightning when I first heard Drag him to the roof. That opening riff, the two voiced vers and a pre-chorus that lead me to a chorus of a dimension I thought was unreachable. It was like I found that one song I had always been looking for. I urge you to check this entire album out it is amazing.
Dream Theater - Lie
Awake is the 3rd studio album from the founding fathers of Progressive metal Dream Theater. Awake had a heavier look and feel to it and Lie is just that. Right from the start you get Petrucci's 7-string Ibanez blasting through. Though not a complicated riff the 7-string effect mens it's deeper and darker sounding. The lyrics are classic Dream Theater with metaphors and weird stuff going on and then they unleash the beast. John Petrucci dishes out my all time favorite solo, where he combines tapping, whammy, alternate picking and a huge scale jump that sounds plain right awesome. Then the song goes to half the original tempo only to go back up again in the instrumental outro. A very underrated Dream Theater song.
In my opinion nothing has ever come close to the amount of talent there was in the studios in the 80's. at the time of 1987 California was a Mecca of musicians you might not have heard of but you definitely had heard in one way or another. At some point during the start of the 80's it became hip to get a guitar solo in a lot of songs that would've maybe had a piano solo or no solo at all. This meant that a bunch of guys got a shot at doing what they did best for fortune and fame. in time the solos became more and more technical and challenging and some of the best solos that EVER came to be.
Here is my list of 10 solos who in one way or another changed guitar playing or at least my take on what a guitar solo could be. They are not in any form of order:
10. Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart
We start of with a stable in 80's music. Yes had resurrected in 1982 and came flying out the grave with the smash hit Owner of a lonely heart. Trevor Rabin had reassembled Yes in 1982 and has ever since been a great guitar player and song writer. This particular solo is on the list because it brought a new type of effect to the table and the result was a screaming Strat the sounded like nothing anybody had ever heard before. Trevor used the MXR pitch transposer 129 to get the harmonizing effect and it worked as a great contrast to the powering main riff the song revolves around.
9. Rush - Limelight
The debate is always if you a Permanent Waves or a Moving Pictures fan. I am a total Moving Pictures fan and though a lot of people say that the synths are to dominating and all that, but I love some of the tracks and Limelight is no different. While a lot of the solos coming this solo is a more feeling based solo. Alex uses the Whammy bar a lot to get those long screeching tones and including a kind of muddying overdrive combined with a thick reverb fits the songs feel completely and prows that you don't always have to go fast or loud to make an impact.
8. Stevie Nicks - I Can't Wait
First of all this solo is not by Stevie Nicks. The entire guitar track on the song is played by George Black and Michael Landau, and thank god for that. Landau was part of, what I call, the California 3 during the 80's. Him Dan Huff, Steve Lukather and Michael Landau where very active session musicians and worked on a ton of records and productions. If there is on song on this list you don't know it is this one, but felt like I had to get it one because it means a lot to me. Rock a Little was released in 1986 and was a relative hit on the charts but the crown jewel on the album only peaked at #16 on the billboard charts. The whole build up to the solo is a breakdown part where only the running synths, some drums and percs. in the background and some voicings over the line "I Can't Wait". Landau the comes marching in the door and playes his licks over the chords of the pre-chorus all to culminate in a big and hovering break that glides into the next chorus. The interre production of this song is insanely precise and thought through.
7. Joe Satriani - Satch Boogie
Satch Boogie of Joe Satriani's second album Surfing with the Alien is a great showcase of the new wave of shredders that showed up during the 80's and showed everybody how to do it if you wheren't Yngwie Malmsteen. Satch Boogie is one of the only pure guitar songs the mainstream radio will even take a look at and that shows just how far this album reached out. The song inself is clearly inspired by oldschool blues and boogie, thereof the name. and mixes Satriani's legato licks, whammy technique and a variety of bluesy licks added a new touch.
6. Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force (The Album)
Malmsteen kicked open the door for shredders and alike in march 1984. This album might be the most important for speedy guitar players in the late 80's and the 90's. It was completely different to anything at the time and Black Star and Far Beyond the Sun proved to be stables in Malmsteen's setlist ever since. The entire album through Malmsteen shows of his mastering of arpeggios, sweep-picking, ultimate and hybrid-picking in a lick fest taht would forever change to meaning Guitar Virtuoso.
5. Europe - The Finale Countdown
Probably one of the most recognizable songs ever with it's hooking synth riff but to me the high point of this 80's smash hit is John Norum's solo. This song is 80's at it's best. Lyrics that are about space travels and such, a band that looked like a Swedish version of Bon Jovi and a solo to match the hair, the look and the sound. Not once but twice are we presented to the sweet sweep lick the is the foundation of the solo. Ad to that whammy bends and a nice fast paced lick in the middle matching the chords and Boom superstardom!
4. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
In 1980 Ozzy was back and with him he brought a WMD, with the name Randy Rhoads. This is one of the best get pumped and in the mood for trouble songs ever written. If you haven't gotten the memo of where we are going from the start up riff and Ozzy's vocal, Rhoads makes it clear with his fill in the first chorus that now is the time to go" Fucking Wild" as Ozzy always says. The solo is one of the greatest of all time. a mix of Legato and tapping picks (it depends on how you play it) and his great tone quality makes this one of the best solos and metal songs ever.
3. Toto - Rosanna
You had to be drunk out of your mind, deaf or dead if you didn't think that Toto IV should have won almost every award at the Grammy's in 1983. If you didn't think Toto was for real after Toto and Hydra this showed that this super group had a talent for creating hits and insanely well written compositions. Within the best band, in my opinion, you found one of the most influential musician of all time. Steve Lukather was everywhere in the mid 80's and Toto IV shows why. Rosanna won a Grammy for Record of the year and never has a song deserved it more. Steve's solo, though short, is proof that this man can get it done no matter how short time he has to do it. He uses the songs break-riff in the solo as a platform towards his smooth end bends. BEST MUSICIAN EVER!
2. Michael Bolton - How Am I Supposed to Live Without You
Here we go again. Michael Landau yet again appears on one of my all time favorite songs. Other than showing that Michael Bolton is an amazing singer this song is the perfect power ballad. Where this solo separates itself from just another feeling type slow solo is that Landau uses the songs modulation to finish of his solo. His tone is key here. He is not to loud and not to soft and fits Boltons vocal perfectly. The lyrics are sad and in disbelieve and Landaus solo cares it on and leads it into the more power driven third pre-chorus. in my mind this is almost as close to perfection as Africa.
1. Michael Jackson - beat it
Ohhh well why is Eruption not on the list are you gonna ask yourself. I am not that big of a Van Halen fan. It out of doubt meant the world to a generation of players and therefor it might be irrelevant cause everybody knows it's one of the most important songs in the guitar players mind. Any way I think Beat it has meant a lot more to me then Eruption will ever come close to. Steve Lukather <3 was again involved in the production of the Thriller album and him and Quincy Jones needed someone like Van Halen to come give the song some promotion. Van Halen got two six packs and some hours later the end result proved to be somewhat close to the best solo ever. The more Rock like image Beat it represents is hit spot on by both Michael and Van Halen. His speed, his whammy bar, his tapping and tone fits this song to perfection and helped Michael Jackson climb the Throne so he could become the king of pop!
