I recently started performing an admittedly limited version of the Steely Dan song "Reelin in the Years". And while I'm a little sheepish about playing a song with such a distinctive and musical guitar solo, it made me think about the solos I've really enjoyed listening to over the years. Most of these solos have been swimming around in my head for over 30 years now.

Here are a few that come to mind immediately:

"Reelin in the Years" - Steely Dan, guitarist Elliott Randall Apparently Jimmy Paige relaly likes this one, too.

"Money" - Pink Floyd, guitarist David Gilmore

"The Night Watch" - King Crimson, guitarist Robert Fripp

"Liberation" - Chicago (at the time, Chicago Transit Authority), guitarist Terry Kath

This is all pretty old music, so I'd love to hear from some of you about more recent solos you think are just plain outstanding.

I was just listening to this on the car ride to work, a great solo, very sad and brittle sounding and compliments the song perfectly.

Porcupine Tree "where we would be"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk6j1EQSiP4

This ought to be a topic that will get a lot of responses of songs I've never heard...looking forward to hearing some 'new' tunes. I'll provide one contribution.

Neal Morse, "12", from his "?" album. NM, who's a pretty darn good guitarist himself, usually brings in guests to play a few solos on each of his releases (Kerry Livgren, Roine Stolt, Phil Keaggy, etc.). This one is Steve Hacket (Genesis).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbPPoZe5RM

Not a current solo, but the one that always stood out to me is the solo on The Eagles "One of these nights". Not a great tone, but the phrasing is perfect to my ears.

The greatest guitar solo of all time IMHO is Gary Moore playing Red House here;
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBTRtL-OcPQ[/youtube]
Talk about feeling your music... yowzah.

More currently, anything off of Guthrie Govan's "Erotic Cakes" CD reminds me that I really can't play at all.

Karma

Could the list be complete without this?

(Go to 1:30 to skip the warm up )

Steve Tibbetts "Test" live....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gFDtS2VMU


jRj

I really dig Mark Knopfler's solo in "Telegraph Road"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjJzlIedCuo[/youtube]

Good Lord, what a hard question...!
I have a undred answers for you, depending on the genre and my mood. But a few standouts for me:
Fusion: Allan Holdsworth's solo in "Endomorph" from Secrets
Blues: Jimmy Page's solo in "Since I've Been Loving You" from Led Zeppelin III
Rock: Alex Lifeson's solo in "Freewill" from Rush's Permanent Waves, and Vernon Reid's solo in "This is the life" from Living Color's Time's Up
Rock Ballad: Trevor Rabin's solo in "Hearts" from Yes' 90125
Jazz: Pat Metheny. That is all.

Kid Charlemegne - Larry Carlton
Machine Gun - Jimi Hendrix
Bad Horsie - Steve Vai
Abington Chasp - Allan Holdsworth
The Great Curve - Talking Heads - (Adrian Belew)

Fav has got to be The Great Curve

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW1IqW6kNdU[/youtube]

I saw this OT header and thought I should chime in with some of my favs but I found that others have already mentioned them Gary Moore's Red House I wasn't aware of and enjoyed. That typical blues cliché style was a big inspiration to me when I first started playing the guitar (as my first instrument to learn). I was also very much into that typical Strat tone and for several years I played in a lot of bands as "the guy somewhere on stage behind the singer that glues it together with solos and fills".

I like "guitar solos" where it isn't really about burning off a solo but more like a general lead theme with more or less variations carried out IN the music rather than layered on top of the band sound. One worth mentioning here is Hendrix nice little instrumental tune Pali Gap:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAoc9EDxYwc[/youtube]
Wow, that track is just soooo tasty! Lyrical is the word! Not many clichés in sight, all fresh and inspired playing.

Oh, oh... can I suggest one more! Good Rats released the album Tasty in 1974. This music is so fun! I had bought it and learned the guitar parts and that was a real kick starter. I think that Guthrie Govan's music today boils in related waters. (Avoiding to get into Jeff Beck here... go figure. Want to keep this short)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gG0mFT9xgM[/youtube]

One of my all time favourites is Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnqpOFcBiMM[/youtube]

The preamble goes 'till about 5:30, then the fun begins.