Hi folks. This is a post on guitar solos and this came up because of a discussion in an online guitar magazine, on the lack of guitar solos in the 90s, during the grunge and alternative era and even with nü metal. Brian obviously has a guitar solo in nearly every Queen song. However, the one-note solo is not among them, such as a solo on I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones. Most grunge solos were either the vocal melody, one note, or something which sounds improvised. Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil is probably the best example of a guitarist who plays that kind of solo, with Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell playing more or less conventional solos for Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains respectively.
The most controversial lack of guitar solos and most famous album without which is by a band, who have a guitarist who can shred. In 2003, the album St. Anger by Metalllica had no solos on it and the only time there could have been one included is a slide guitar solo on the track Sweet Amber, which we hear in the movie Some Kind Of Monster. Apparently, they wanted to put solos on the album, but as Brian has said many times, the song is king. The song dictates whether guitar solos will fit, into the general demeanour of the piece of music being created. Not every song by Queen has a guitar solo and famous examples include: Another One Bites the Dust, We Are the Champions, We Will Rock You, Fat Bottomed Girls, Body Language and Under Pressure. There are more, but you get the idea. I had included We Will Rock You because Brian isn’t exactly playing a solo, but a guitar passage ending off the song. Also, I don’t believe that Champions has an actual solo, but a short break where Brian buts in, between Freddie singing the chorus. Having said all that, we know that Brian has played with Soundgarden in 1993 and I think he held up well, along with inserting himself into a previously released and recorded track by the Seattle Quartet. https://youtu.be/3TgxwiIp0F4?si=azo8rfuRA3pHx84S
Were Queen ahead of their time? Nope and like Brian has indicated about songs, they are the king and they point toward whether a song is heavy, light, has a guitar solo, or does without. I don’t mind either way, but I know that some people insist that a guitar solo be in every single song, no matter what. I nearly formed a band with someone in the early 2000s and that was his thinking. I understand why, but I also know that not every song is the same and as Queen fans, I know we are certainly aware of that. Besides, could you conceive of any of the songs I mentioned having a guitar solo? Nope, because the songs simply have no room for a solo, shredding, melodic or otherwise.
Thankfully, guitar solos are back and even with newer metal bands such as Slipknot, Disturbed and others who had previously not included a solo. Even Korn have included solos during live performances in the 2000s as an ending two a song, but not on a studio album. Some guitarists have just shredded, while others do both shredding and play tunes like Brian. I will be doing a post on a nü metal band (in a new series of posts) who had gone from no solos to including solos on songs, with room for them next month. Anyway, let’s all enjoy guitar solos, whether it is Brian, or whom ever is wanking away.
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