Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

10 of my favourite alternative guitar solos (Patreon)

Published:
2021-02-26 18:43:04
Edited:
2021-02-26 18:43:12
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Downloads

Content

Hello all. Something slightly different this week - I'm looking at my top 10 'alternative' guitar solos. I'm trying to go beyond the usual suspects that always crop up in those greatest solos of all time lists, and look at some solos by players who take a different approach. Here's the link -

https://youtu.be/MSr8D1Jairw

I'm not doing a full tutorial on all the solos, just talking about why I like them and maybe discussing a few licks. If you would like to see a full lesson on any of these, let me know and I'll try and make it happen.

Hope you enjoy my selection. Let me know what you would have chosen. As I say in the video, I may well do a follow-up where I talk about viewers suggestions. 

In case anyone's interested, I'm attaching a couple of tabs below. I've not tabbed out all of them, since I think a few would probably defy any kind of musical notation anyway. 

Hope you enjoy watching. Speak next week,

Adrian

Comments

Jordan

Such a fantastic video, Adrian! My suggestion for the follow-up is the solo from 13th Floor Elevators' cover of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue". Absolutely gorgeous song and fairly alternative!

Brian Waligorski

Love it whenever you feature a Quine performance.

Jonathan Fowles

Yup. Maybe some other Quine tracks might make more appropriate lesson videos, Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend or Lloyd Cole’s Like Lovers Do possibly...?

Daniele De Santis

Thanks for including Waves of Fear! Quine's solo on "I'm you man" (Richard Hell) would be an awesome addition!

Rob Crawford

Thank you for having Robert Quine in there (seems to be an unanimous verdict) Somewhere or other I have a bootleg of a Lester Bangs gig with Mr Quine on guitar, guess I had best dig it out again. Have to admit the solos that made me want a guitar was You Really Got Me (definitely not the van Halen version) and Are You Receiving Me by XTC both played with absolute abandon. Hendrix's Hey Joe was also a revelation as it proved that pyrotechnics were not required.

Jeff Sims

The intro to 'Out There' by J. Mascis is a no brainer. Helicopter, top of a mountain, gloves on - tick all the boxes. 'Don't Wanna Know' by Husker Du has a great solo At the risk of introducing something made in the last 10 years, Kurt Vile does some nice buried non-solo type solos. Try the solo/outro on 'Loading Zones' for one of the better known ones. The sort of solo where you don't even know you're listening to a solo. Speaking of famous guitar solos, did you know Frank Zappa did 'Stairway to Heaven' live, with the guitar solo played by the 2nd guitarist and the horn section in perfect unison. I wonder what he was trying to say?

Medium Al

Adrian killing it with Robert Quine. Waves Of Fear, what a song from Uncle Lou still leaves me feeling self exposed and in a cold sweat in the corner of the room every time. Another great solo I might suggest, Mick Ronson's on 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy' by Ian Hunter just comes out of nowhere and takes off into the solar system.

Niklas Willstedt

Lovely video, so nice to see & hear something "else" than the songs that ALWAYS are included in these top 10 videos..

Anthony Houser

You mentioned Robert Fripp's (or some say Paul Rudolph's) "Baby's On Fire" solo. Tab that one out for a weekly lesson and I'll double my Patreon contribution!

Marty Vanzant

On the Maggot Brain solo - is that tone all pedals and playing or is some that post production? If you don't mind, would you share the signal path? That playing and sound is awesome!

Scott Rees

Hi Adrian, since you've gone over the Forest... there's a cool soloy bit in this Deep Forest Mix version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZu8ttaMvdE **at minute 3:25** Also the solo in Garbage Man by The Cramps has always held a special place. And most of all, thank you for the Buzzcocks, an all time favourite band. b'dum b'dum. Scott

Oliver Darjeeling

Adrian, you definitely nailed it with your selection of, and performance of, Quine on "Waves of Fear". Great stuff. Off the top of my head, some faves are: The Cramps "New Kind of Kick", Black Flag "Forever Time", 999 "Inside Out", The Who "Sparks" (any live version from 1969-70), any number of songs by The Damned (both the Brian James version and the Captain Sensible version). The Captain definitely doesn't get enough shout-outs for his guitar playing skills.

Scott Rees

I am pledging $10 Canadian to start a fund to rent a helicopter for your video shoot, in a desert, in front of a church for your Buzzcocks Boredom solo.

Thomas Oldenburg

Scott, excellent idea. I am in it with 10 Euro.

Chris Kueny

I thought a long while back of requesting "Baby's on Fire", but then realized that guitar-wise it was all about the solo and it didn't seem sensible to request a song purely for an insane guitar solo. But yeah, I'd like to see that too!

Ralph Blair

Here I thought I was going to show my good taste by mentioning Waves of Fear, but of course you did! Some good songs mentioned here I didn't know so thanks all! Re 'longer form' solos, I've been listening to Holiday in Berlin, Full Blown (Zappa instrumental) for longer than I care to admit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccwMLnWPls (D->E vamp starts at 2:59, solo at 3:19) I think FZ had a great melodic sense which gets overshadowed by the juvenilia. This solo and the version of Inca Roads on the best band you never heard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdtf2UJVMzA are 2 of my favorites (solo at 1:45)

Steve

This was a fun one. Lots of great suggestions in the comments already, so to try to add some other ideas: -The Just Like Heaven lead line was a nice illustration (at least to me hearing it on the radio) that guitar leads could be about melody versus playing lots of notes fast -Yo La Tengo's I heard you looking, or anything along those lines where great melodies work their way into squalls of noise -Silkworm's (US post-punk band produced by Steve Albini) Slow Hands has a great solo around the 3-minute mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nukEfAEsKg4

anyonecanplayguitar

Excellent - thanks Emil. Don't think I'm familiar with any of these - will take a listen!

anyonecanplayguitar

Haha ,yes, think that solo would almost certainly defeat my transcription and notation abilities!

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Marty. I read that on the original all the crazy stuff was done in the mix, but I tried to do it with pedals. Fender Deluxe with my J Rockett overdrive. Cry Baby Wah. Neck pickup to start with. Then I switched to bridge pickup and and turned on the Belle Epoque Deluxe for echo. Just added a tiny bit of plate reverb in post I think.

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Brian - yes, always love a bit of Quine. Must do another full song lesson on his playing at some point.

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, great. Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend album has long been a favourite of mine. some of Quine's finest playing I think, And as a bonus you get loads of great Richard Lloyd playing too!

anyonecanplayguitar

Not heard that Quine bootleg, must try and seek it out. I actually so nearly included You Really Got Me in the video! Such a ferocious solo. The XTC solo's great too - a strong contender for the next video!

anyonecanplayguitar

Excellent ideas there Jeff. Very nearly included some J Mascis in this video, he'll almost certainly show up in the next one. I think Kurt Vile's excellent too - might even try a full lesson on one of his songs. Not heard Zappa's live Stairway, but I must seek it out!

anyonecanplayguitar

Haha, love that idea. Sure we could turn it into some kind of viral hit! If I were skilled enough with photoshop etc. I'd mock something up.

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Ralph. Yes, like Zappa and rate him very highly as a soloist, but for whatever reason I've never explored his work that deeply. Will take a listen to the solos you mention.

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Steve. Excellent suggestions! Agree with you about Just Like Heaven, and I've always loved Yo La Tengo's approach to solos. Silkworm is new to me - will take a listen!

Ralph Blair

Thanks Adrian. Hope you like them. I guess my comments were a little 'off piste' as the FZ is more 'extended improvisation' vs solo. I also like solos that are short and to the point. Will often use them as a practice vehicle for things I'm trying to get better at-so eg Louie Shelton's solo in last train to clarksville, crosspicking ascending F and G chord inversions. Lastly, speaking of Louie Shelton, this is a pretty great video of him breaking down his solo in Hello. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNjFBUYHVVo&t=72s. thanks again!

Andrew Hibben

Maybe it falls into the category of the usual suspects, but Adrian, mate, Television Marquee Moon just has to be near the top...And David Bowie's 'Slowburn' (off Heathen) - Pete Townshend is pretty amazing...and now that you've touched on Richard Thompson, Nick Drake & Bert Jansch - how about John Martyn 'Small Hours'? Meanwhile, I'm going to brush up on Neil Young 'Cortez'!

livetolose

Great list. Pete Shelley's solo on "Boredom" is one of my favorites. Two other minimalist punk solos I'd include would be the solo on "138" by the Misfits and Johnny Ramone's one note solo on "I Wanna Be Sedated". Some other great alternative solos I'd include... "Movin' In" by Heinz (Ritchie Blackmore) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffVFx5shSe4 "Frankenstein" by the Subsonics (Clay Reed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-MTDNIs-VE "Lipstick On Your Collar" by Connie Francis (George Barnes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug5bvHQMA8M

jesús Garrido

I was going to suggest any Robert Quine and then I saw Waves of Fear at the end of the video. Great one again Adrien! Would you have the tab or a backing track for this one? I would love to attack my guitar....

anyonecanplayguitar

Not seen that before - what a great solo! Think I'll try and learn it today.

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, almost included some Television! MM is certainly one of my personal favourites. I will check out Slowburn - I'm not super familiar with the Heathen record. And would've to do some John Martyn at some point.

anyonecanplayguitar

Excellent suggestions thanks! Some I know, some I don't - will check them all out properly this week. Love the one note Ramones solo. Wonder if I could make an entire video on one note solos? Cinnamon Girl could be included, there must be some others too!

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Jesus! I haven't tabbed this one out, unfortunately. I might try and do that in the future, would be hard though! In the video I'm just playing along to a loop of the basic chords - G D A D. Maybe you could try that and create your own backing?

Stéphane Mineot

Great again ! The first solo I learned was the one on The Stranglers song "Hanging around", a well constructed solo by Hugh Cornwell.

Shane Cooper

I must commend you on your knowledge of pop culture history and obscure music finds. You are a valuable and talented librarian of the music archives. Thanks for turning me on to more than one great find that I might have otherwise overlooked. I love what you do, bro.

Chris Kueny

The response to this video was amazing, the number of comments here and on YouTube! The solo from "St. Elmo's Fire" has special meaning for me. When our daughter was small we always put her to sleep to the sound of a beautiful lullaby album. Two years later we found that her little brother wouldn't go for it at all, and we eventually found that what he needed was something to distract him so much that he would pay attention to it and then forget to stay awake. "Another Green World" turned out to be what we used more than any other, so it still resonates with me when I hear it. Also the song "Dingsaller" by Einsturzende Neubauten. Also occasionally employed were Eno's "Here Come the Warm Jets," Neil's "Live Rust," and anything else good enough to distract him from his struggle to stay awake.

jesús Garrido

I will thanks! If I may change the subject dramatically and ask you about gear, what amps do you recommend for alternative music? I see you have a big Marshall and a Vox. Do you use the Vox for more "clean/bluesy/50´s or surf music and the Marshall for "alternative" stuff ? I am looking for an amp to play alternative / shoegaze noise stuff and I would love to hear your input. Thanks, as always for the best guitar teaching website on planet Earth and Mars and Venus....

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, just revisited that solo. So good - love the way it interacts with the keyboards!

anyonecanplayguitar

Thank-you Shane! I definitely like the idea that I'm able to perhaps introduce people to music they've not come across before. So I'm glad you appreciate some of my choices. Likewise, it's great to discover new music myself through the suggestions both on here and in the YouTube comments.

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, the response has been amazing. Loads of good solo suggestions for the follow up video. I'm going to struggle to make a selection I think. And that's certainly a novel approach to getting the kids to sleep. When my daughter was younger we had terrible problems getting her to sleep. Should have just tried putting on some Einsturzende Neubauten!

Stéphane Mineot

Yes ! And the key change bring a real tension. I was a huge Stranglers fan when I was a teen. I saw Hugh Cornwell in a power trio form few years ago and I was impressed.

Stéphane Mineot

Just listen to Tom Verlaine solo on "Words from the front". Just amazing.

Kyle Johnson

Great List! I've recently been enamored with the guitar playing of Connan Mockasin, particularly the track "Why are you crying?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8t6XJ3Xlh8 For me it's a great example using your guitar like a voice. Also, you mentioned Eddie Hazel and for me "Physical Love" is one of his sweetest solos. Gotta love that tone.

Jeff Sims

Hey Adrian, I thought I'd give it a couple of weeks so no one is looking at this section. Anyway, I hate sounding like a sycophant, but your Moonage Daydream solo is one of my favourites. It's like you were channeling Mick Ronson from another dimension. The top comment on Youtube is a guy saying 'Bloody heel, Adrian', and I can't say it any better than that. Not saying you are better than Ronson, but it's video I return to every so often for a listen, so I guess that makes one of my favourite solos?

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Kyle. Yes, think Connan Mockasin's really interesting. Love his phrasing and that unique sound he has. And superb Eddie Hazel solo. Might well do a proper Eddie Hazel lesson at some point.

Deron

Adrian - I saw one of your followers posted a request somewhere for Carry the Zero by Built to Spill. I want to 2nd this nomination for next set of solos -- or maybe a full song lesson. Doug Martsch's brilliant solo in this song -- it comes early and it's just so sweet and emotive. I recommend a listen if you don't already know it. Thanks for everything!

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, quite a few people seem to be interested in a Built to Spill lesson. Not I have to admit a band that I'm that familiar with, but I really like the little I've heard. It is indeed a great solo in this song. Will see what I can do. Maybe a full lesson on one of their songs would be good.

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, I'm now lucky enough to have 3 main amps which gives me lots of options for making videos and recording sessions etc. They're all quite versatile and at a push I could probably play any style of music with any of the amps. But roughly, I'd say the Marshall is great for big classic rock sounds, the Fender great for twangy country, blues or rootsy stuff, and the Vox is often what I go for for more alternative things. So I'd recommend trying a Vox - quite a few good models in their current range. Great basic sound, but they take pedals very well which is important for shoegaze and lots of alternative styles.

anyonecanplayguitar

haha you're too kind Jeff. I do remember trying really hard to do Ronson some kind of justice in that video, so glad you appreciated my solo. Could easily have included that solo in my list.

jesús Garrido

Thank you Adrian !! I will definitely give it a try and will not ask you any more questions on gear for while !!

LS

I’m late to the game here but I really like the solo on Shutout by The Walker Brothers. Standard rock licks sound great here.

anyonecanplayguitar

Thanks Leee, didn't know this solo, but just had a listen. Really great - it is all standard rock licks, but played with a real intensity. Brilliant solo.

Scott Myers

Hi Adrian, I know there are a lot of resonses/suggestions here - if I could add one more, another Robert Quine one. Just recently, Richard Hell released a giant CD set covering many versions of his Destiny Street album (the album has a storied history). One of the standout tracks on it is the classic 'Time' which I think is one of Quine's (and indeed Hell's) greatest moments. Most agree (me included) that the 1979 demo version recorded by Nick Lowe is the definitive one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toNDJOItyqg It contains 3 incredible Quine solos and some really nice interlocking rhythm parts. I think it would make an excellent complete song lesson. Anyway, thanks again for all that you do!

anyonecanplayguitar

Yes, been listening to the remixed Destiny Street and some of other versions just recently! Agree, Time is probably Quine's finest hour. Might have to do an epic full song lesson on this. Will see what I can do! Excellent request.

Boomer Dell

In with some USD to make this global event happen!

Boomer Dell

Adrian, I love everything you do -- really, one of the best, most interesting, most knowledgeable, and most approachable guitar and music teachers out there. I have discovered so many great musical artists through you -- thank you!!

anyonecanplayguitar

Aww you're too kind Boomer! But seriously, I'm really pleased you're finding my lessons helpful.