What are the best drum or guitar solos of all time.

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
This is only personal opinion, and it's really impossible to say one is "best" because it's all subjective and there are so many variables, but IMO the guitar "solos" in Hotel California are the best - in one sense of the word. If you're looking at sheer speed and flawless technique, almost any of Steve Morse's tunes would do the job. Picking the "best" would be like doing all the Miss America contestants and having to pick "the best".
 

RM3

Well-Known Member
This is only personal opinion, and it's really impossible to say one is "best" because it's all subjective and there are so many variables, but IMO the guitar "solos" in Hotel California are the best - in one sense of the word. If you're looking at sheer speed and flawless technique, almost any of Steve Morse's tunes would do the job. Picking the "best" would be like doing all the Miss America contestants and having to pick "the best".
Greatest would be a better word than best, still a subjective opinion though?

There are so many, where to begin
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
For drums, that's easy: Mike Portnoy of Flying Colors, Trans-Atlantic, and Winery Dogs. Steve Morse is also in Flying Colors. I can't find the one song that really showcases Mikes incredible playing but here is a good one:
They have two or three full albums on YouTube.
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Greatest would be a better word than best, still a subjective opinion though?

There are so many, where to begin
It's just semantics but they both mean the same thing. Probably the most logical way to pick is by voting by their peers. In that case Steve Morse won Guitar Player Magazine "Best Over all Guitarist" 5 years in a row. Seeing no end in sight to that trend they put him in the extremely elite (only 3 members) Hall of Fame and nullified all future votes for him. Mike Portnoy is currently the "Best Drummer", voted by "Modern Drummer" Magazine (or whatever it is called). Here's another great progrock goodie:
 

RM3

Well-Known Member
Mike Portnoy is great but so is Neal Peart, then ya got the solo from Kiss Alive in 100,000 years, not to mention the long version of Ina godda da vida. Like I said so many to choose from.

For guitars I gotta go with my fave (I'm a guitar player) Too Loud McCloud R.I.P. he did things with a guitar that were simply unreal 8)

 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
This is only personal opinion, and it's really impossible to say one is "best" because it's all subjective and there are so many variables, but IMO the guitar "solos" in Hotel California are the best - in one sense of the word. If you're looking at sheer speed and flawless technique, almost any of Steve Morse's tunes would do the job. Picking the "best" would be like doing all the Miss America contestants and having to pick "the best".
Exactly!

There are so many people most of the narrow minded around here have never even heard of!
Both instruments!

For drums Hard to say,,,,Gene Krupa from the big band days is considered one of the best of all time. John Bonham (Led Zepplin) was another all time great! I'll stop there for me.

Guitar is even harder to define. Right now Buddy Guy is considered the greatest living guitarist and is arguably THE greatest ever! (sorry Hendrix) Then you have the now 16 year old phenom that Buddy found - Quinn Sullivan ( I saw the kid play at 13 and he was simply amazing then!). He toured and played with Buddy in 2014 and in 2015 began as the opening band for Buddy's show's. His original work is insanely good!
I've seen Sonny Landreth do some ab-so-fucking-lutely amazing things with a guitar! Then you have Derek Trucks! HOLEY shit! This boy is another to be considered as the best!
Yet, in my heart, some of the best solo's came from Duane Allmon! Ok, ok,,,Duane and Derek play mostly "slide" but, that's no slight in my eye's at all! I mean come on now, Robert Johnson brought this "guitar" thing to light (No slight to Son Seals and the other early greats) and HE was a "slider"!
Somebody has to say "Clapton" and he's right there too!

@potpimp is exactly right!

It's simply too fucking hard to call and everyone will have there own opinion, shit, I left out (Ryland Peter) Ry Cooter! Played about every style of guitar there is! Never heard of him? You have heard his work. You just didn't know it!
Any one remember the old "Blues" movie "Crossroads" with Ralf Machio as the gifted classical guitar playing kid with the fascination for the blues? Found the old Blues "harpman" in an prison old folks home. Busted him out so the old man could go back to the "crossroads" to get his soul back from the devil?
The kid ended up having to play against the devils man - Stevie Vai. In those scenes with the kids hands playing the guitar - It was Ry Cooter and he also wrote the music for the movie and was a co-writer or contributing writer to the script too.
He did the score to the LONG RIDERS movie among many others too.

Yet this question will be kinda fun to follow......let it not degrade into a pissing match on each person's opinion!
 
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potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
It's like picking "the best" flower out of a field of flawless ones. I always strove to be "the best" at guitar and when I figured out I just don't have the genes, the right teachers, time for practice, etc, I stopped trying to put a band together and eventually dropped off the map. About 20 years later I was listening to R.E.M. and it hit me, this guy is just strumming the guitar and he's making millions, has adoring fans, and gets to live the rock and roll lifestyle; I'm a hundred times better than him. From that ephiphany I took away that it's not about being "the best". It's automatic failure for anyone, other than one person, that tries. So that changed the way I look at musicians and the way I evaluate myself.
 

RM3

Well-Known Member
Exactly!

There are so many people most of the narrow minded around here have never even heard of!
Both instruments!

For drums Hard to say,,,,Gene Krupa from the big band days is considered one of the best of all time. John Bonham (Led Zepplin) was another all time great! I'll stop there for me.

Guitar is even harder to define. Right now Buddy Guy is considered the greatest living guitarist and is arguably THE greatest ever! (sorry Hendrix) Then you have the now 16 year old phenom that Buddy found - Quinn Sullivan ( I saw the kid play at 13 and he was simply amazing then!). He toured and played with Buddy in 2014 and in 2015 began as the opening band for Buddy's show's. His original work is insanely good!
I've seen Sonny Landreth do some ab-so-fucking-lutely amazing things with a guitar! Then you have Derek Trucks! HOLEY shit! This boy is another to be considered as the best!
Yet, in my heart, some of the best solo's came from Duane Allmon! Ok, ok,,,Duane and Derek play mostly "slide" but, that's no slight in my eye's at all! I mean come on now, Robert Johnson brought this "guitar" thing to light (No slight to Sun Seals and the other early greats) and HE was a "slider"!
Somebody has to say "Clapton" and he's right there too!

@potpimp is exactly right!

It's simply too fucking hard to call and everyone will have there own opinion, shit, I left out (Ryland Peter) Ry Cooter! Played about every style of guitar there is! Never heard of him? You have heard his work. You just didn't know it!
Any one remember the old "Blues" movie "Crossroads" with Ralf Machio as the gifted classical guitar playing kid with the fascination for the blues? Found the old Blues "harpman" in an prison old folks home. Busted him out so the old man could go back to the "crossroads" to get his soul back from the devil?
The kid ended up having to play against the devils man - Stevie Vai. In those scenes with the kids hands playing the guitar - It was Ry Cooter and he also wrote the music for the movie and was a co-writer or contributing writer to the script too.
He did the score to the LONG RIDERS movie among many others too.

Yet this question will be kinda fun to follow......let it not degrade into a pissing match on each person's opinion!
Crossroads, one of my fav all time movies
 

potpimp

Sector 5 Moderator
Exactly!

There are so many people most of the narrow minded around here have never even heard of!
Both instruments!

For drums Hard to say,,,,Gene Krupa from the big band days is considered one of the best of all time. John Bonham (Led Zepplin) was another all time great! I'll stop there for me.

Guitar is even harder to define. Right now Buddy Guy is considered the greatest living guitarist and is arguably THE greatest ever! (sorry Hendrix) Then you have the now 16 year old phenom that Buddy found - Quinn Sullivan ( I saw the kid play at 13 and he was simply amazing then!). He toured and played with Buddy in 2014 and in 2015 began as the opening band for Buddy's show's. His original work is insanely good!
I've seen Sonny Landreth do some ab-so-fucking-lutely amazing things with a guitar! Then you have Derek Trucks! HOLEY shit! This boy is another to be considered as the best!
Yet, in my heart, some of the best solo's came from Duane Allmon! Ok, ok,,,Duane and Derek play mostly "slide" but, that's no slight in my eye's at all! I mean come on now, Robert Johnson brought this "guitar" thing to light (No slight to Sun Seals and the other early greats) and HE was a "slider"!
Somebody has to say "Clapton" and he's right there too!

@potpimp is exactly right!

It's simply too fucking hard to call and everyone will have there own opinion, shit, I left out (Ryland Peter) Ry Cooter! Played about every style of guitar there is! Never heard of him? You have heard his work. You gust didn't know it!
Any one remember the old "Blues" movie "Crossroads" with Ralf Machio as the gifted classical guitar playing kid with the fascination for the blues? Found the old Blues "harpman" in an prison old folks home. Busted him out so the old man could go back to the "crossroads" to get his soul back from the devil?
The kid ended up having to play against the devils man - Stevie Vai. In those scenes with the kids hands playing the guitar - It was Ry Cooter and he also wrote the music for the movie and was a co-writer or contributing writer to the script too.
He did the score to the LONG RIDERS movie among many others too.

Yet this question will be kinda fun to follow......let it not degrade into a pissing match on each person's opinion!
I'm guessing you have not heard of Joe Bonamassa!! I am happy to turn you on to a certified prodigy my friend. This nerdy white kid was on tour with B.B. King when he was 12 years old. There is a clip on Youtube that NBC did on him when he was 13 that is amazing. He is a monster on bules guitar.
 

HarryCarey

Well-Known Member
I gotta say hendrix' live version of machine gun at the fillmore on new years 1970 has to be one of the greatest raw emotional guitar solos of the time. Many others have been there since but that was the first.
 

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
Crossroads, one of my fav all time movies
Which one?

04? 07? 10? 13? due for another this year! Clocking the Clapton site daily and nothing yet! They come together fast! And sell out in minutes! Saw the 2010 one in Chicago! What a thrill! (Got tickets from contacts at Buddy Guy's legends) Just saw Keb Moe at the State theater in Kazoo and that was great!

I'm guessing you have not heard of Joe Bonamassa!! I am happy to turn you on to a certified prodigy my friend. This nerdy white kid was on tour with B.B. King when he was 12 years old. There is a clip on Youtube that NBC did on him when he was 13 that is amazing. He is a monster on bules guitar.
SURE HAVE and saw him play with Mr. King too!
And there's the point! SOO many worth the title! It's simply impossible to pin on any one track!

I think we better burn one and listen again to all the choice's just to be sure we approve of them as fitting consideration. Certainly will make for a rather pleasurable day!

Now THERE is a goal for all who post to partake in!

We should all take some time to explore the music of those masters listed by others! Broaden your musical knowledge base!
Hopefully, minds will open!
 

DonBrennon

Well-Known Member
Drum solo's are just wrong, you might as well push a filing cabinet down a flight of stairs...................same effect, pmsl
 
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