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Digital Dream Door - 100 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos


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http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_guitarsolo.html

I am surprised nobody else had posted a thread about this (at least according to the search engine; I'll delete this thread if somebody has). Also, I'm aware that there are other threads about guitar solos and how they relate to Led Zeppelin, but I couldn't find any thread about this list. If you didn't read the title, this thread is about Digital Dream Door's list of 100 greatest guitar solos in the rock genre.

Not a bad list methinks. Certainly better than Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest guitar songs (not solos), but what can you expect? Rolling Stone is a music magazine, but it's a very commercially-oriented music magazine: you have to know that when you're reading it. Anyways the list featured 5 guitar solos from Jimmy Page (listed here):

2. "Stairway to Heaven" solo.

31. "Since I've Been Loving You" solo.

61. "Heartbreaker" solo.

65. "Dazed and Confused" solo.

98. "Whole Lotta Love" solo.

You've probably noticed at this point that "Stairway to Heaven" isn't number 1. Beat out by Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". I disagree, but at that level, they're probably equals. However I like "Stairway to Heaven" more than "Comfortably Numb" (not just in terms of solos, in terms of the song as a whole) because it is uplifting and mystical where "Comfortably Numb" is reflective and sober. Page scores two more solos below the top 100 (the page says it is the top 100, but it includes 250, as well as 50 specifically live solos, on which Page has four): "Achilles Last Stand" and "White Summer".

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Yes, that site has the best lists IMO. I also believe Stairway should of been on top. I'm a huge Floyd fan but Comfortably Numb isn't his best solo, it's Time.

Yeah, I was really impressed by it when I first saw it. I was searching for "100 greatest guitar solos" on Google, and I was surprised that more than one showed up. The first one I checked was by Guitar World (you can only find their top 50 selections on their website, but the whole thing can be found here: http://guitar.about.com/library/bl100greatest.htm). That one's also a good list (I like it a little more than Digital Dream Door's because "Stairway to Heaven" is #1), although Guitar World isn't a great magazine (not a really bad one either, it's just kind of in between that spectrum). I know a lot of people aren't into ranking things, especially music-related things, but I like geeking out on subjects such as lists of greatest guitarists and guitar solos. Anyways, this list makes for great comparison with the other one, as well as for comparison with my own thoughts (although I don't think I could choose 100 guitar solos with my limited experience and expertise on music). Also worthy of note on this thread is Digital Dream Door's list of 100 greatest metal guitar solos: http://digitaldreamdoor.nutsie.com/pages/best_metal-guitar-solos.html. I'm glad that at least some people seem to make the same distinction between metal and rock that I do (the distinction that Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple are not metal bands (although they undoubtedly had a huge influence on both metal and hard rock), and that Black Sabbath is a metal band, the first real one in my opinion). Although I don't have a huge problem when people use rock as a blanket term for pop music (except maybe for rap/hip-hop, just too many basic differences there), I am rather annoyed when people say Led Zeppelin is "the ultimate metal band" because if I had to choose a genre for them, I would undoubtedly use the terms "rock", "blues-rock", and "hard rock". But not metal. Metal is now almost a separate entity from rock (where it originated) rather than a subgenre, although it's definitely more fair to call metal a subgenre of rock than rock a subgenre of metal. The two are almost sibling genres. I'm just glad they don't consider Page a metal guitarist. They consider Ritchie Blackmore a metal guitarist, but that's fine with me, because Rainbow was arguably a metal band (if not it was hard rock), and Blackmore's style has always been blurring the line between the genres. Digital Dream Door considers Rainbow metal, but Deep Purple rock. Fair enough. To sum up the genres' diferrences, I will define both by my standards of the two: rock - a genre of popular music, characterized by basic, accentuated rhythms; metal - a genre of popular music, characterized by thick, distorted rhythms. Because rock has a more basic sound, it will always have more subgenres and influence (it has directly or indirectly influenced every type of modern popular music). However metal attracts many people because of its specialization in heaviness (specialized genres are always bound to attract people with the same ideals).

I'm also a Pink Floyd fan, although I would have chosen "Comfortably Numb" rather than "Time". But I can't choose, seeing as I've listened to "Comfortably Numb" many times, and "Time" only once or twice. Some songs you have to listen to a couple times in order to really get. The first time I listened to "Stairway to Heaven" I wasn't mesmerized. Not that I thought it was bad, just not something I would remember. But the third or fourth time I listened to it, I began to see that it was a great song - perhaps the best I've ever heard.

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I love DDD. Sure, some artists and songs get higher rankings than they deserve due to popularity (Nirvana for example) but generally, their lists are well put together. They kick the shit out of any Rolling Stone list. And they're not set in stone either, they are constantly getting feedback and revising their lists (which is good but can lead to inconsistency). DDD is one of the best ways I've found of discovering new music. Without that website, I wouldn't be nearly as interested in the blues, metal, and classical, and I'm sure my rock collection would only be a shadow of what it is now. It's just so easy to find great music using their lists.

But like I mentioned, one notable problem with DDD is consistency. For example, you point out that Jimmy's top solos on the big list are:

2. "Stairway to Heaven" solo.

31. "Since I've Been Loving You" solo.

61. "Heartbreaker" solo.

65. "Dazed and Confused" solo.

98. "Whole Lotta Love" solo.

But if you go to the "Top 10 Guitar Solos by the Greatest Rock Guitarists" you get a different (and more accurate) list for Jimmy:

1. Stairway to Heaven

2. Since I've Been Loving You

3. Achilles Last Stand

4. Ten Years Gone

5. White Summer/Black Mountain Side

6. Dazed and Confused

7. In My Time of Dying

8. Heartbreaker

9. No Quarter

10. Whole Lotta Love

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I love DDD. Sure, some artists and songs get higher rankings than they deserve due to popularity (Nirvana for example) but generally, their lists are well put together. They kick the shit out of any Rolling Stone list. And they're not set in stone either, they are constantly getting feedback and revising their lists (which is good but can lead to inconsistency). DDD is one of the best ways I've found of discovering new music. Without that website, I wouldn't be nearly as interested in the blues, metal, and classical, and I'm sure my rock collection would only be a shadow of what it is now. It's just so easy to find great music using their lists.

But like I mentioned, one notable problem with DDD is consistency. For example, you point out that Jimmy's top solos on the big list are:

2. "Stairway to Heaven" solo.

31. "Since I've Been Loving You" solo.

61. "Heartbreaker" solo.

65. "Dazed and Confused" solo.

98. "Whole Lotta Love" solo.

But if you go to the "Top 10 Guitar Solos by the Greatest Rock Guitarists" you get a different (and more accurate) list for Jimmy:

1. Stairway to Heaven

2. Since I've Been Loving You

3. Achilles Last Stand

4. Ten Years Gone

5. White Summer/Black Mountain Side

6. Dazed and Confused

7. In My Time of Dying

8. Heartbreaker

9. No Quarter

10. Whole Lotta Love

Agreed on all accounts. Consistency is the biggest problem there (the small ones being typos and stuff like that), but usually it's not so big that you'd notice (one thing I did have a slight problem with was their list of greatest rock songs of each year, which included so many songs that couldn't be called rock unless you were using the word as a blanket term, which I've noted that some people do). But with little fault, Digital Dream Door has helped me discover a lot of music I like (although really I've listened to so little).

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I totally disagree with the Digital Dream Door list of Top 100 Live Solos.... that list is not shit without Jimmy's SIBLY solos from TSRTS. Plus a lot of "solos" on that list were "jams" instead.

Anyway I Poop on any Live List that does not give props to SIBLY from TSRTS.

Welcome to DigitalDreamDoor.com

My name is Lew and this website is my hobby. I tried to make a site that is fun, entertaining, and educational. A place you could spend an hour browsing, reading and leaving your opinion for others to learn from. If you have any suggestions for how I can improve it, email me at webmaster@digitaldreamdoor.com

DigitalDreamDoor.com is a website that is completely operated, designed, maintained, and controlled by one person in Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.A.

DigitalDreamDoor.com is being hosted and paid for by Melodeo, Inc. and enhanced with song playlists by their website nuTsie.com

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Yeah, I was really impressed by it when I first saw it. I was searching for "100 greatest guitar solos" on Google, and I was surprised that more than one showed up. The first one I checked was by Guitar World (you can only find their top 50 selections on their website, but the whole thing can be found here: http://guitar.about.com/library/bl100greatest.htm).

The About.com reference to the Guitar World Poll says:

Not too long ago, the editors of Guitar World magazine put together a reader's poll, to find out what their readers considered to be the best guitar solos of all time.

---Well, they don't give a reference date.... so "not too long ago" doesn't tell me much. Maybe it was done last century ? What's up with About.com..... don't they know dates are useful ? ? ? ?

I guess not.

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The About.com reference to the Guitar World Poll says:

Not too long ago, the editors of Guitar World magazine put together a reader's poll, to find out what their readers considered to be the best guitar solos of all time.

---Well, they don't give a reference date.... so "not too long ago" doesn't tell me much. Maybe it was done last century ? What's up with About.com..... don't they know dates are useful ? ? ? ?

I guess not.

Yeah, I used to look at About sometimes, but now I don't take anything for fact unless it's coming from Cecil Adams.

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I spend on DDD forum about the same amount of time I spend here. It's a interesting atmosphere (the majority of posters are young, but trained into music)-> good lists and passionate debates.

My only torment about DDD is the "100 Greatest Rock Artist" list, where Zep lost the #7 place in favor of The Who :soapbox:

<_< I just can't describe you how much I hate The Who for that :guns:

:lol:

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I'm registered there. For me, Achilles Last Stand is very underrated and White Summer should be higher.

Comfortably Numb is a great guitar solo, see PULSE 1994. But STH is the best. See "The Song Remains The Same". Thats kicks ass.

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I spend on DDD forum about the same amount of time I spend here. It's a interesting atmosphere (the majority of posters are young, but trained into music)-> good lists and passionate debates.

My only torment about DDD is the "100 Greatest Rock Artist" list, where Zep lost the #7 place in favor of The Who soapbox.gif

dry.gif I just can't describe you how much I hate The Who for that guns.gif

laugh.gif

I registered yesterday and proposed that Digital Dream Door initiate a list of 100 Greatest Thrash Metal Guitarists (they have three lists devoted to the subgenre: best songs, albums, bands). I also proposed that they make a similar list for Groove Metal Guitarists (although Lord knows that would be harder to make: as far as I know the only really great groove metal guitarist is the late Dimebag Darrell). My idea was formed out of a refound interest in metal (particularly thrash bands (Metallica, Megadeth, to a lesser extent the other members of the so-called "Big Four of Thrash Metal"), and thrash metal's descendants (Sepultura and Pantera)). Nobody seems to be supporting the idea, and it was pointed out that it wasn't really a necessary project, but nobody's outright defying my proposal, so hope springs eternal.

Heh, as much as I like the Who, I'd never put them in front of the Beatles. They made a lot of good anthemic songs; hell their material was generally pretty good on average, but Led Zeppelin is more lasting to me.

I'm registered there. For me, Achilles Last Stand is very underrated and White Summer should be higher.

Comfortably Numb is a great guitar solo, see PULSE 1994. But STH is the best. See "The Song Remains The Same". Thats kicks ass.

Yeah, if I had to make that list, there'd probably be more Page on the top 100 (and more Hendrix). The two guitarists with the most solos are David Gilmour (with 7) and Buckethead (with 6). David Gilmour is an extremely talented, established guitarist whose solos (in the best) showcase the feeling you get from the song in a glorious way. Buckethead is also a good guitarist, but to me he isn't as lasting: he's not quite a novelty act (he has got a great feel for the guitar, but you gotta look at the facts: the live persona he gives out is by his own admission that of a man who believes he's a chicken, has recently found out that his kind is served on a regular basis by restaurants such as KFC, and wishes to warn his species about their rising doom), but still not something I really dig. Simply put: Gilmour's "Comfortably Numb" solo and Buckethead's "Nottingham Lace" solo are both good songs, but "Comfortably Numb" delivers the message of the song to me in instrumental form, where "Nottingham Lace" just sounds awesome (not that that's a problem).

I've seen The Song Remains the Same. Interesting piece of film, but I'm about to get disc two of Led Zeppelin (the collection of assorted concert footage), and judging from the quality of disc one, I'd safely bet that I'm gonna like Led Zeppelin more than The Song Remains the Same. Both have some great performances, and some that I'd pass over, but Led Zeppelin's footage is the better of the two.

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First thing I checked for credibility was the presence of Brian Robertson's solo form 'Still in love with you' form 'Live and Dangerous' and Michael Schenker's Magnum Opus 'Rock Bottom' from 'strangers in the night'.

Rock Bottom at 202, Robbo's SILWY not even there. Didn't even bother looking at the list, it would have been a waste of my time.

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What do you think of this list?

http://digitaldreamd...guitar-all.html

I can't believe that Eddie Van Halen is higher as Jimmy. Thats not right.

It's hard for me to look at non-rock (and by rock I now use it as a blanket term for modern pop music... well, most of it) guitarist lists, because as soon as I see that number one isn't Jimi Hendrix I start fidgeting. And to see three higher than him is like an out-of-body experience. I don't really listen to classical music, jazz, flamenco, or "contemporary fingerstyle" (a name which gives me no real indication of what the genre is like). Andrés Segovia is highly respected, and I've read about him to the point where I can say he's probably a fair choice (he made basically made guitar a highly regarded, classical instrument rather than a peasant's pleasure), but I've listened to bordering on nothing by him. So it's hard to comment on that list, but yeah, I'd put Jimmy Page higher than Eddie Van Halen. They're both greats though. In fact, if I had to make a list of greatest rock guitarists, it would go:

1. Jimi Hendrix.

2. Jimmy Page.

3. Eddie Van Halen.

4. - the rest. Impossible for me to tell, although surely Beck, Clapton, Blackmore, and others would be on the top ten.

With so little experience with music (particularly classical), I couldn't make a list of greatest guitarists in general.

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I'd also put Page ahead of Van Halen. Here is their criteria for the list:

"These are the 100 greatest guitarists of all genres of music and styles of guitar. They were picked for their importance in the guitar world including innovation, respect from other guitarists, influence on both other players as well as on styles of playing, impact, legendary status, and overall importance on shaping the guitar world. Plus for the playing abilities including technique, creativity, versatility, musicaldepth & expression both in composing & performing, live energy and improv skills, and originality. "

Based on that, the only category that Van Halen is clearly ahead of Page in is technique. But Page is way ahead in terms of styles, versatility, originality, etc. The problem is that Page has that "sloppy" stigma attached to him. And to be fair, Page is pretty sloppy. But I look at it sort of like painting. You don't have to paint perfect representations of reality. You're allowed to paint outside the lines and still create beautiful art. Look at Picasso, or for a more extreme example, Jackson Pollock.

I think it's interesting that you're shocked Hendrix isn't #1, SelfDevouringSnake. Rock guitarists get all the glory, but rock is one of the easiest styles to play.

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I'd also put Page ahead of Van Halen. Here is their criteria for the list:

"These are the 100 greatest guitarists of all genres of music and styles of guitar. They were picked for their importance in the guitar world including innovation, respect from other guitarists, influence on both other players as well as on styles of playing, impact, legendary status, and overall importance on shaping the guitar world. Plus for the playing abilities including technique, creativity, versatility, musicaldepth & expression both in composing & performing, live energy and improv skills, and originality. "

Based on that, the only category that Van Halen is clearly ahead of Page in is technique. But Page is way ahead in terms of styles, versatility, originality, etc. The problem is that Page has that "sloppy" stigma attached to him. And to be fair, Page is pretty sloppy. But I look at it sort of like painting. You don't have to paint perfect representations of reality. You're allowed to paint outside the lines and still create beautiful art. Look at Picasso, or for a more extreme example, Jackson Pollock.

I think it's interesting that you're shocked Hendrix isn't #1, SelfDevouringSnake. Rock guitarists get all the glory, but rock is one of the easiest styles to play.

Agreed. Page can be sloppy, but during his best live performances this gives him a certain groove which carries the song along.

Yeah, with Hendrix the thing is that I'm so used to thinking of him as this ultimate guitar god that I forget that guitar-playing didn't begin in the late '60s. To be fair, this is mostly due to lack of exposure to pre-rock music.

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Hendrix was sloppy too. And Jimmy isn't always sloppy. He can play guitar very well. But it his is style. Sloppy means not that he is bad.

Definitely. It's better in a lot of cases to have groove than precision. And the product is always what counts the most, nevermind style and skill.

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I spend on DDD forum about the same amount of time I spend here. It's a interesting atmosphere (the majority of posters are young, but trained into music)-> good lists and passionate debates.

My only torment about DDD is the "100 Greatest Rock Artist" list, where Zep lost the #7 place in favor of The Who :soapbox:

<_< I just can't describe you how much I hate The Who for that :guns:

:lol:

Hi zdr,

Your knowledge is required, how do they compile their lists? are they done scientifically, by voting, or is it just opinions?

By the way i love Alucard and Vlad the Impaler. :P

Regards, Danny

PS, I could find 100 Jimmy Page Solos to fill that list. ;)

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Hi zdr,

Your knowledge is required, how do they compile their lists? are they done scientifically, by voting, or is it just opinions?

By the way i love Alucard and Vlad the Impaler. :P

Regards, Danny

PS, I could find 100 Jimmy Page Solos to fill that list. ;)

:unsure:

My knowledge about DDD is...limited, since I don't have the musical education needed to keep it up to some of the debates (so, I stick to the safe ground, aka the general threads and the Zep ones). But, from what I snooped, the lists are cooked here:

http://forums.nutsie.com/index.php

Almost every list on the main page is having a debate to back it up (those threads are, usually, marked as "sticky" or "announcement", so you'll find all those on the top of the main clusters).

The lists are build around certain "criteria", defined usually on the first page or even in a separate thread (ex. impact, influence, popularity etc). The posters are making proposals and, if the mods and the other posters agree, the admins update the main lists. So, the lists are a matter of opinion, but of expertise too.

EDIT:

Some potentially interesting threads:

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=28

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=16689

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=2730

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=64901

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=3285

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=13741

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=15164

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=18124

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=14385

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=14335

http://forums.nutsie.com/viewtopic.php?t=13747

// :lol: Vlad the Impaler, huh? I like him too, since I'm kind of a bloodsucker myself (as in "I like to live on someone else's expense" :P )

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how do they compile their lists?

Digital Dream Door is an effin' personal website, not a proper online magazine. Its owned by a guy named Lew, and this website is his "hobby".

Anybody can put up a website with lots of crappy music lists. <_<

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