Short-but-GREAT guitar solos...

[veatch]

I've always found Ian Bairnson's work on Alan Parson's albums fairly short and very tasty. Ammonia avenue had some really cool leads on it.

+1 for EE.

[hamerhead]

Eagles - 'Already Gone' - after the line 'heaven knows it wasn't you who set me free' - there's a little blip of a thing that just screams. To me that's always stood out as one of the coolest short blasts of all time.

[MCChris]

^^^

On that tip, how's about the three wah-drenched notes near the beginning of Jailbreak.

[Rodan]

Everything by Elliot Easton.

Say no more. The master of the "wow" brief solo. I'd say the one from "Shake it Up" says more in eight bars than most players do in 32.

^ This and "Tonight She Comes".

[edgar_allan_poe]

I always thought that Gary Richrath's work with REO was outstanding. IMHO it was his guitar playing and tone that made them huge in the 80's. The solo to Keep on Loving You is damn near perfect. I have always had huge respect for guys who could make a statement in only a couple of seconds. That is a rare talent. Guys like Richrath and Easton are definitely unique.

[carfish7]

The solo on Steve Perry's "Oh SherrIe"?

Oh, wait..........

[kizanski]

"Gary Richrath" and "Elliot Easton": Two names that should never be mentioned in the same sentence, unless the point of that sentence is to illustrate how LAME Richrath is when compared to Easton.

Which he so is.

[MCChris]

"Gary Richrath" and "Elliot Easton": Two names that should never be mentioned in the same sentence, unless the point of that sentence is to illustrate how LAME Richrath is when compared to Easton.

Which he so is.

Aaaaaaaaaaand you'd be wrong about that.

[kizanski]

"Gary Richrath" and "Elliot Easton": Two names that should never be mentioned in the same sentence, unless the point of that sentence is to illustrate how LAME Richrath is when compared to Easton.

Which he so is.

Aaaaaaaaaaand you'd be wrong about that.

I would be wrong about that, were I wrong about that, but I'm not.

[MCChris]

Richrath was one of the top guitarists of the 70s and 80s. Aspirational Les Paul/Marshall tones. Period.

[kizanski]

Maybe he was one of the top semicolons of the 70's and 80's, but that's as far as I'd go.

[belikerick]

"Candy-O", by the CARS.

Pretty much everything EE ever did is short and perfect though.

Absofrigginlutely!! EE is the king of the short and sweet solo

[dobieboy]

While I normally don't think of The Edge as a soloist..his solo in "One" is short but impactful..IMHO..

[Bloozguy]

I must be living in the 80’s ‘cause both of my favorite “short” solos are from 1980 releases…

17 seconds from Dave Edmunds in the song “Heart” from the 1980 Rockpile album “Seconds Of Pleasure.”

15 seconds from James Honeyman Scott in the song “Kid” from the 1980 Pretenders album “Pretenders.”

[Rodan]

Richrath was one of the top guitarists of the 70s and 80s. Aspirational Les Paul/Marshall tones. Period.

Just a +1, before I forget... Brevity not a factor here, of course.

[diablo175]

I'll toot my own horn here.

2:06 - 2:16:

https://soundcloud.com/c-frederick-lathrop/dog-and-pony-show-demo

Damn! That was sweet! Great tune and great guitar tones. Nice furious solo sneaked in there!

[3of5]

George's solo in the Beatles' "Carry That Weight". Short, slow, simple and cool. A guitar haiku.

[MCChris]

I'll toot my own horn here.

2:06 - 2:16:

https://soundcloud.com/c-frederick-lathrop/dog-and-pony-show-demo

Damn! That was sweet! Great tune and great guitar tones. Nice furious solo sneaked in there!

Oh hey! Thanks! Glad all that stuff came through on my warbly cassette copy of that tune!

[Feynman]

Your warbly cassette sounds huge.

[maxschrek]

My favorite short solo (and indeed, nearly favorite of any length) would be that in Led Zeppelin's "Tangerine" just because it's so beautiful

and perfect for the song. It's just "right" somehow.

T