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Top 20 guitar solos by The Beatles
18 January 2012
8.36pm
The Beatles bassist
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Well, this is not going to be easy, there are so many great solos out there, especially by George. It's also really hard to compensate between the early and their later stuff.

In my opinion, I will say that “Twist And Shout “, “Any Time At All “, “Michelle “, “Girl”, “Dizzy Miss Lizzy “, “I Feel Fine ” is not real guitar solos, but rather guitar/lead breaks.

Remember this is a list for “Guitar” solos only! and it's based on the melody (the way it sounds to me).a-hard-days-night-george-10

 

The rest (I think) of The Beatles' solos:

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Matchbox

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

And Your Bird Can Sing

Run For Your Life

Roll Over Beethoven

Long Tall Sally

Let It Be **

Savoy Truffle

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Come Together

Hey Bulldog

Revolution

If I Needed Someone

What Goes On

You're Going to Lose That Girl

I've Just a Seen a Face

The Night Before

Honey Don't

Baby's in Black

I'll Follow the Sun

Day Tripper

I'm a Loser

I Should Have Known Better

And I Love Her

I Call Your Name

I Wanna Be Your Man

All My Loving

Boys

Drive My Car

Get Back

What You're Doing

Wild Honey Pie

 

20) She's a Woman

19) A Hard Day's Night

18) Good Morning Good Morning

17) Taxman

16) Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby

15) Till There Was You

14) Back in the U.S.S.R.

13) I'm Down

12) All You Need Is Love

11) Helter Skelter

10) You Never Give Me Your Money

9) Nowhere Man

8) While My Guitar Gently Weeps

7) The End

6) Octopus's Garden

5) Can't Buy Me Love

4) Polythene Pam

3) Let It Be *

2) Something

1) I Saw Her Standing There

 

* = album version

** = single version

 

To be honest, I'm not really sure about this one, but I give it a try!  :p

"Real music is made by real people playing real instruments using own creativity and skills."

18 January 2012
10.34pm
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The Walrus
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I told her I didn’t 

19 January 2012
7.23pm
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Von Bontee
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I'd like to vote in this, but – and don't be mad! – I don't think I can come up with 20 truly great guitar solos, as opposed to merely passable ones. For one thing, they really didn't play all that many – “And Your Bird Can Sing ” has fine lead guitar work, sure, but nothing that I'd consider a solo; the leads are part of the song's composition. And furthermore, I don't care for “solos” that do nothing but repeat the vocal melody, which leaves out “And I Love Her “, “I Want You”, “I Should Have Known Better ” and several others. And finally, I'm disqualifying Eric Clapton's gentle weeping just 'cause he ain't a Beatle. So 20 is out, but I can pretty easily name 10 (maybe even 15!) really great ones:

 

1. Taxman

2. Good Morning, Good Morning

3. Something

4. The End

5. Octopus' Garden

6. Something

7. I Saw Her Standing There

8. Old Brown Shoe

9. Get Back

10. One After 909

11. Let It Be

12. Hey Bulldog

13. Long Tall Sally

14. It's All Too Much

15. Boys

16. 'Til There Was You

17. Savoy Truffle

18. Drive My Car

19. For You Blue

20. Polythene Pam

 

OK, turns out there was more memorable ones than I originally thought!

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20 January 2012
3.37am
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Into the Sky with Diamonds
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Let It Be ” – absolutely; but the “single” release on Past Masters ,   not the album version!

 

I still don't see how that album version was ever released. The guitar “solo” was never meant to be. If I recall, it was simply going to be the backing to an eventual two-guitar solo.

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20 January 2012
12.53pm
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JET!
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Beatles Bassist, I was scrolling through your list, scrolling, scrolling, (me: “WHERE IS I Saw Her Standing There I can't believe it's not in here!!”) scrolling scrolling (“stupid list without that in it”) scrolling scrolling *stop* (“oh.”)

a-hard-days-night-john-6

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20 January 2012
2.23pm
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The Walrus said:

Tomorrow Never Knows ?

It's not a guitar solo!

"Real music is made by real people playing real instruments using own creativity and skills."

20 January 2012
2.31pm
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Von Bontee said:

I’d like to vote in this, but – and don’t be mad! – I don’t think I can come up with 20 truly great guitar solos, as opposed to merely passable ones. For one thing, they really didn’t play all that many – “And Your Bird Can Sing ” has fine lead guitar work, sure, but nothing that I’d consider a solo; the leads are part of the song’s composition. And furthermore, I don’t care for “solos” that do nothing but repeat the vocal melody, which leaves out “And I Love Her “, “I Want You”, “I Should Have Known Better ” and several others. And finally, I’m disqualifying Eric Clapton’s gentle weeping just ’cause he ain’t a Beatle. So 20 is out, but I can pretty easily name 10 (maybe even 15!) really great ones:

 

1. Taxman

2. Good Morning, Good Morning

3. Something

4. The End

5. Octopus’ Garden

6. Something

7. I Saw Her Standing There

8. Old Brown Shoe

9. Get Back

10. One After 909

11. Let It Be

12. Hey Bulldog

13. Long Tall Sally

14. It’s All Too Much

15. Boys

16. ‘Til There Was You

17. Savoy Truffle

18. Drive My Car

19. For You Blue

20. Polythene Pam

 

OK, turns out there was more memorable ones than I originally thought!

I totally agree about the “vocal melody solos”, nobody made it too the list for that reason. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was played by Eric Clapton as mentioned, that's why it got minus thought the solo is actually is better than “The End ” in my opinion – I've been told that George did invent the solo, but I'm not sure, it sound to “Claptonish”. I don't get why I forgot “Old Brown Shoe “…

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20 January 2012
11.12pm
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GniknuS
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The cool thing about guitar solos is some are great by how technically proficient they are and some are great simply because they fit the emotion of the song so perfectly. Although I think a top 20 is a bit excessive, I’ll give a top 10 or so.
1) I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – I don’t know who played it but I suspect John because of its simplicity and how…what’s the word for it, raw the solo is. Perfectly fits the emotion of the song.
2) I’m Only Sleeping – never ceases to amaze me with its coolness
3) Hey Bulldog (nasty)
4) Taxman
5) Let it Be
6) Octopus’s Garden
7) Get Back
8) Yer Blues (the second one more so)
9) Til There Was You
10) Something

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21 January 2012
3.28pm
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Another One
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About The Beatles , I can't choose, but I think the solo of Brian May for Killer Queen is the best melody I ever heard.

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21 January 2012
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Another One
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Beginnig of the song; In my life is very effective and simple and beauty…

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He's the only reason we exist...

23 January 2012
5.58pm
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Inner Light
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I'm enjoying the lists that everyone is putting together. George pretty much did all the solos.

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27 February 2017
2.41pm
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QuarryMan
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I tried several times to rank them but I couldn’t find an order so I thought I would list some great ones, hopefully in some kind of best to worst order.

Also, somebody mentioned Maxwell’s Silver Hammer but I can’t remember there being a solo there? I’ll listen again.

Something

The End

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

Octopus’s Garden

Golden Slumbers

You Never Give Me Your Money

I Saw Her Standing There

Let It Be (Album)

Let It Be (Single)

Get Back

Hey Bulldog

You’re Going To Lose That Girl

Good Morning Good Morning

Back In The U.S.S.R

Yer Blues

Taxman

A Hard Day’s Night

Nowhere Man

Drive My Car

Helter Skelter

And Your Bird Can Sing

You Can’t Do That

I’m Only Sleeping

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27 February 2017
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In a vague order

The reason I love the Beatles is not for their solos, although I do love their solos. George is one of my favorite guitarists ever because each and every solo he did I could hum like an old nursery rhyme. Paul also shreds on Taxman

1 While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Clapton wailing, sorry Beatles, but very hard to beat in terms of a pure guitar solo. 

2 The End – Very emotional for me to hear them trading licks one final time, also killer rock and roll. 

3 Let It Be (album) – makes we close my eyes and raise my fist to the sky. Such a great solo. 

4 I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – such a boogie. I can’t help but dance to this one. Really smooth as well. 

5 Taxman – an example of everything Paul touches being masterful. So effortless and badass. 

6 And Your Bird Can Sing – Great guitar harmony that tracks the chords through the middle eight, and carries the song all the way through. 

7 Something – Similar to Let It Be in its simple, yet beautiful brilliance. 

8 Fixing A Hole – Gets stuck in my head all the time. I love the descension at the end. 

9 Sexy Sadie – George uses so many accidentials here, but it fits the song so well. Follows Johns falsetto wail into the best climax in any Beatles song. 

10 Get Back – I love the Get Back solo. I LOVE the Get Back solo. 

11 A Hard Days Night – Jingle jangle Georgie!

12 I’m Only Sleeping – Mind blowing for obvious reasons. 

13 You Never Give Me Your Money – what else can I say about this one? So underrated. It turns up the intensity near the beginning of the Medley, preparing us for what we are about to hear, but we can’t forget about this one either. 

14 Happiness Is A Warm Gun – if “I need a fix cause i’m going down” isn’t a heroin reference, the guitar solo definetly is. 

15 Hey Bulldog – this is a really cool variation of the melody. That was something George was really good at. 

16 Yer Blues – Bluesy boogie. I love every second. 

17 Back In The USSR – Nice bends in this one that vary the original melody. 

18 I Saw Her Standing There – See #11

19 Nowhere Man – I really like the strumming style of the solo. 

20 The Ballad Of John And Yoko /Lonesome Tears in My Eyes – I love the throwback, and I think its an unbelievable catchy riff. 

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3 March 2017
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I agree with @sir walter raleigh pretty much 100% — thanks for saving me the trouble of making my own list! a-hard-days-night-george-10

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4 March 2017
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Okay, I decided to come back to this fresh.

1. While My Guitar Gently Weeps – It ain’t a Beatle but IMO it’s one of the greatest solos of all time.

2. Something – Perfect melody and perfectly complemented by Ringo’s drum rolls and the strings.

3. The End – Just brilliant. A great guitar jam.

4. Let It Be (album) – Prefer this to the single, mostly because of it’s Hendrix-isms and it’s choppy tone.

5. Get Back – Some of John’s best playing.

6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – Yes, it’s a vocal melody solo but it’s so perfect it deserves to be here.

7. And Your Bird Can Sing – I showed this to a friend who thought the Beatles couldn’t play. He doesn’t think that anymore.

8. You Never Give Me Your Money – Another bit of brilliance by John, one of my favourite songs in the medley.

9. Taxman – This Paul solo could take out an eye.

10. I Saw Her Standing There – The only early song here, but i really like George’s playing.

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15 March 2017
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Here are the rules:

1. No more than 3 solos per album to give every album a chance

2. No more than 10 solos per guitarist to give all 3 of them a chance, although if multiple guitarists participate, it doesn’t count

3. The solo must be performed by either George, John, and or Paul, that means While My Guitar Gently Weeps doesn’t count

4. At least one song per each album (Please Please Me , With The Beatles , A Hard Day’s Night , Beatles For Sale , Help !, Rubber Soul , Revolver , Sgt. Pepper ‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles, Abbey Road , and Let It Be ) as well as at least one non album single

5. No solo songs allowed

Let’s go:

20. Revolution

19. I Saw Her Standing There

18. It’s All Too Much

17. Drive My Car

16. Good Morning, Good Morning

15. Ticket To Ride

14. Baby’s In Black

13. Nowhere Man

12. Dear Prudence

11. Helter Skelter

10. I’m Only Sleeping

george-harrison-1966-fender-stratocaster.jpg

This is a gentle solo and is the first reversed solo ever recorded.

9. Can’t Buy Me Love

ec3014ae9dbacfcf34b98f7ccefdc7d2.jpgImage Enlarger

This is a great solo and is the turning point where George decided that he’d plan out his solos instead of improv-ing them.

8. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)

4258348120_04d2077d50.jpgImage Enlarger

John is well known for sucking at lead guitar with his solos being either simple and or choppy but this is a great solo that shows neither of those elements and shows that John can be good at lead if he wants to be.

7. Till There Was You

GeorgeRamirez.jpgImage Enlarger

This is probably the best example of George’s early work and shows that even back in 1963 George was a great guitarist.

6. And Your Bird Can Sing

George-Harrison-guitar-3-the-beatles-7383766-500-661.jpgImage Enlarger

Despite being used constantly live, most believe that George never used his Casino in the studio, this is one of the few times where George pulls out this beast and plays low harmony lead while Paul plays high harmony lead for this classic song that has a great harmonized solo.

5. Taxman

paul-mccartney-1966-epiphone-casino.jpg

What a song to open Revolver with, this is the only time someone other than John or Paul opened a Beatles album and it’s such a great song that is about tax and politicians that take advantage of this, the backing track is great with George on his Fender Stratocaster and Paul on his Rickenbacker bass but it’s the solo that is so good, they used it again, Paul McCartney shows everybody that he can play guitar nearly as good as George Harrison .

4. Octopus’s Garden

77138e5732817613f910fd5d3598e36c.jpgImage Enlarger

Some speculate that this is the last song George Harrison used his 1961 Fender Stratocaster Rocky on, I think it sounds more like a Telecaster but regardless, this is a great follow up to Yellow Submarine and contains a great guitar solo by George who was really getting in a groove of making great guitar solos at the time.

3. The End

[Image Can Not Be Found]

This is a great song, although it’s practically an instrumental, it has a great solo, which is actually a truel by Paul on his Epiphone Casino, George on what seems to be his Gibson Les Paul, and John on his Epiphone Casino only for the solo to end and for the message to be heard, a great instrumental with a great solo and a great drum solo as well, but that’s for another list.

2. Let It Be

ecd9135f7b022c6befd29d122c704717.jpgImage Enlarger

Fun fact about this song, this was the last guitar solo George ever recorded with The Beatles and man was it a good one to go out on, George really puts a punch into this solo and decides to give it his all one last time before biting the dust and leaving The Beatles for nearly 25 years.

1. Something

[Image Can Not Be Found]

What a beautiful solo, so elegant and well thought out and performed in front of a live orchestra, this solo showed that George Harrison was a great guitarist and it also showed off his red 1957 Gibson Les Paul Standard he called Lucy, there’s a good reason this solo is at number 1 in front of every other and it makes me sad when it’s not on best guitar solos of all time lists.

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15 March 2017
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Pablo Ramon
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Too many rules for me, I don’t take my list making so seriously.

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15 March 2017
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Dark Overlord
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If I didn’t include filters in there, there would’ve been maybe 2 solos at the most made before 1968 and at least 17 of them would’ve been by George and it would make it a lot harder to make a list.

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15 March 2017
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I’d love to do this, but I don’t have time right now. If someone could please tag me (to remind me), I’d be very grateful. 

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15 March 2017
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@The Hole Got Fixed 

Your solos are due! 

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