I think anything Top 40 would require a note for note transcribed solo. Otherwise, the average audience member would be thinking "... that's not how it goes!" Anything by Prince comes to mind.
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What is an iconic guitar solo that should be played note for note?
- Thread starter 51PRI
- Start date
IMO they are justifying their laziness.
Maybe one person's 'iconic' is another person's 'meh?'
I completely agree.
I would put Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis" in that category as well.
"Not Freebird" is also one of my general approaches to playing live music
I generally agree with your post, however I would say that the fact that YOU know a solo by heart doesn't mean much (no offense). The test is whether MOST casual music aficionados would be able to sing along to the original solo and/or sing it off the top of their head. The reason I say this is because, for example, I am a Dinosaur Jr. nut, and I can sing the guitar solos off most of their earlier works, especially You're Living All Over Me. But I think I would be expecting too much to want a guitarist to play the "In a Jar" solo note for note (as much as I would love that); I should just be happy they are playing it at all lol.
i'd have a difficult time letting go of some of the "iconic" solos/parts/sounds of certain pop/rock hits, but i can't imagine that any of them are 'sacred' enough to disallow fresh takes or reinterpretations. it's music! --- it's meant to be twisted and turned...it's part of the joy of it all. that said, it's comforting to hear stuff that has been so ingrained that we'd call it "iconic" in the first place...like going home.
a lot of the examples in the thread just aren't doin' it for me.
hotel california comes the closest. maybe.
a lot of the examples in the thread just aren't doin' it for me.
hotel california comes the closest. maybe.
I'll never understand why he didn't play the Feb 9th solo on Feb 6th and be done with it
Santana - Samba Pa Ti & Europa.
Not solos inside an otherwise vocally oriented pop/rock song, but powerful nonetheless. IMHO, of course.
+1's on:
Reelin in the Years
Kid Charlemagne
Midnight at the Oasis
Still the One
Also:
Jeff Baxter on My Old School
David Lindley's work w Jackson Browne
Andrew Gold's multitracked mini-masterpiece on Linda Rondstat's When Will I Be Loved
Not solos inside an otherwise vocally oriented pop/rock song, but powerful nonetheless. IMHO, of course.
+1's on:
Reelin in the Years
Kid Charlemagne
Midnight at the Oasis
Still the One
Also:
Jeff Baxter on My Old School
David Lindley's work w Jackson Browne
Andrew Gold's multitracked mini-masterpiece on Linda Rondstat's When Will I Be Loved
Which is usual the order of events for the original bands in live situations. Two songs already mentioned come to mind where exactly that happens:
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb. I've heard Gilour play this several times. The first solo is constrained by the start of the second verse. For the most part he plays the same notes but is liberal with phrasing and ornamentation, as is his style. The second solo usually begins as something recognisable but then degenerates into a pentatonic bend-fest. No-one other than the few in the studio at the time actually knows how the whole solo went because of the fade-out, so anyone playing that song live has to devise their own ending or look up a live Floyd version and crib that. Bang goes NFN right there.
The Carpenters - Goodbye To Love. The first solo is an elaboration of the melody followed by a short 'burn-up', but in the live Carpenters version I know that whole first solo is omitted. As with 'Numb', the entirety of the second solo is unknown by all but a sadly-diminishing few, including Tony himself. And just like 'Numb', once the signature intro to the second solo is through it becomes another pentatonic bend-fest with a generous spattering of chromatic decoration and some recognisable 'signature' arpeggios. These appear in some form or other in the live version (with Tony Peluso) that I know but not NFN. So the live solo is anything but NFN. And it ends with a drum solo!
There is a Dinosaur Jr. song, and I can't remember the name of it right now, that I've always wanted to play in a band, but I want to completely change it. In other words, IMO, it has the kernel of a potentially great song but the way it's done it doesn't achieve it. I want to try to fix it and I wouldn't even want the rest of the band to even hear the original version.
To me, that would not be a solo which is iconic and must be replicated. That's just my take. It's kind of buzzy sounding and doesn't much seem to go anywhere. If I were Fagin/Becker type studio perfectionist, I'd say, "Let's bring in another guitarist and have them take a couple passes at it."
Or, as Chet Atkins used to deadpan when a player would puzzle over what to play, "Well, sometimes the melody is a good place to start."
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Pat Martino solo on Stevie Wonder's "Too High." Charlie Hunter on hybrid bass/guitar (organ sound) on this cut. Pat's solo starts at about 1:20. Followed by Charlie Hunter solo. I don't want to hang with any guitarist that can't nail Pat's solo, ha ha.
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I suppose that's possible given their output, but there are a few Dino albums that are flawless and cannot be improved upon. AND THAT'S THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH. Just kidding, it's like, my opinion, man.There is a Dinosaur Jr. song, and I can't remember the name of it right now, that I've always wanted to play in a band, but I want to completely change it. In other words, IMO, it has the kernel of a potentially great song but the way it's done it doesn't achieve it. I want to try to fix it and I wouldn't even want the rest of the band to even hear the original version.
Really? You think you can make a song "better" than the original writers and performers. If I wore a hat I'd tip it to you just for having the nerve to say that out loud.There is a Dinosaur Jr. song, and I can't remember the name of it right now, that I've always wanted to play in a band, but I want to completely change it. In other words, IMO, it has the kernel of a potentially great song but the way it's done it doesn't achieve it. I want to try to fix it and I wouldn't even want the rest of the band to even hear the original version.
More than a feeling, for this question. But I would have to go with...Boston. More Than a Feeling.
