Influenced as they are by the hard-rocking strains of the likes of Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue, when Finnish glam-rockers Santa Cruz came to us with the idea of picking their favourite ever guitar solos, we couldn’t think of anyone better placed to compile such a list.
So, below, the 11 (10 was too tough a call, apparently) finest guitar solos of all time, as chosen by frontman Archie and guitarist Johnny.
Sweet Child O’ Mine - Guns N Roses (Appetite For Destruction, 1987)
Johnny: “There’s not much you can say after you listen this solo. It’s like a piece of art [with] all the melodies and personality of Slash. I remember hearing it [for the] first time on the radio when I was little kid. There are not many guitarists that can imitate Slash’s sound”
Archie: “A great display of melodic writing, as well as raunchy bluesy shredding. That dramatic development throughout the solo, it starts off easy and ends up melting your ears off.”
Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland, 1968)
Archie: “I heard this for the first time as Hulk Hogan’s walk in music on WWE Smackdown. It’s a great example of using wah-wah, and made me fall in love with the pedal.”
Get The Funk Out - Extreme (Pornograffiti, 1990)
Johnny: “This solo grooves like a motherfucker, has great arpeggios and it’s catchy also. This one has influenced me a lot, I particularly remember hearing it for the first time when I bought Pornograffiti.”
Archie: “This is Nuno’s best solo. Plus the string skipping/tapping part is one lick we’ve stolen the most for our solos in Santa Cruz, just gonna put that out there right now…”
Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits (Dire Straits, 1978)
Archie: “Mark Knopfler’s the man. The way he uses his fingers for tone has influenced me quite a lot. Love the subtle nuances this guy gets out of the guitar. It’s the main reason I had to buy a strat.”
Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne (Blizzard Of Ozz, 1980)
Johnny: “Randy Rhoads is the one who inspired Zakk Wylde the most, and he has influenced me a lot. I remember it took me forever to try and learn this.”
Rude Mood - Stevie Ray Vaughan (Texas Flood, 1983)
Archie: “Cocaine blues extravaganza. Fucking love it. It'll make ya fingers bleed.”
Hate Crew Deathroll by Children Of Bodom (Hate Crew Deathroll, 2003)
Johnny: “Alexi Laiho was one of my biggest idols when I was a teenager, I bought the Hate Crew Deathroll album and I remember this was the sickest solo I’ve ever heard. Again, I tried to learn this solo for forever until I nailed it.”
For The Love Of God - Steve Vai (Passion And Warfare, 1990)
Archie: “You gotta have a bit of Vai here, ‘eh? This one’s the holy grail of Vai pieces. I played this from start to finnish when I graduated from the Finnish music academy.”
Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple (Machine Head, 1972)
Johnny: “This was first solo I ever learned on my acoustic guitar. I played until my fingers bled. I remember hearing this song on a compilation album called Air Guitar Vol.1. This is the song that got me playing guitar.”
Eruption - Van Halen (Van Halen, 1978)
Archie: “I heard this at my friend’s house in fifth grade. His dad owned Van Halen Best Of: Vol 1. It melted my ears off. This is like the universal first ejaculation for all the guitar players out there. At least for me it was…”
Cemetary Gates - Pantera (Cowboys From Hell, 1990)
Archie: “Dimebag’s the perfect combo of a mindless shredder and an old school blues dude. I think he’s more traditional than he gets credit for. Maybe it’s because of the chainsaw sound? Well anyhow he sounds unlike anybody else. This solo proves it.”
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