There’s a reason that Dark Side of the Moon was one of the highest selling albums ever released. It’s just so well crafted, each song flowing seamlessly into to the next in what would soon become a Pink Floyd trademark. It’s filled throughout with sound effects, long intros, instrumental songs and classic radio hits like Time, Money and Us & Them.

My Dad used to play this album for me when I was 9 or 10. It wasn’t just one song here or there. He would put on the album and we would sit in the living room and listen to the whole thing. I remember liking it, but not loving it. It was kind of creepy and I found the strange voices, heartbeats and screams distracting. The ringing clocks at the beginning of Time were always surprising and jarring, but I do remember loving the long slow-building intro with the epic rototom drum pieces that perfectly built up and flowed into the beginning of the song.

I don’t have any specific memory of loving the guitar solo as a child, but later when I became a David Gilmour fan, I would marvel at the beauty of his solos, and Time is no exception. It’s brilliantly put together, with bends all over the place, including half-steps, whole bends, double bends, reverse bends, tremolo and even a tricky 1 1/2 step bend at the very top of the neck. It’s gorgeous and challenging, and I think it will be fun to learn as well.

I’ve borrowed a friend’s Strat again so I can try to capture the classic Gilmour sound. Can’t wait to dive in.

Resources:

Guitar Lesson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIVRil5W8DQ

Tabs (GuitarPro): http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pink_floyd/time_ver4_guitar_pro.htm

Tabs (Text): http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/p/pink_floyd/time_ver5_tab.htm

Backing Track: http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/play/pink_floyd/time_(4).htm

Inspiration:

Here’s a video of Gilmour performing the solo live at the Royal Albert Hall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihQT-RlFbc4

PS: If I look a little mad in the video, it’s because in earlier takes I kept missing notes at the end, and the takes were otherwise perfect until the very end — I was getting really frustrated with myself. I didn’t even have the energy to smile when I finally did nail it. Oh well.

Like most of the guys my age I first heard Welcome to the Jungle via the video on MTV (which you can watch here). I had been out of high school for a while, flunked out of a semester of college at UT and was working the night shift at the IRS. The music video was on heavy rotation in 1987 and although I didn’t know why I liked it so much at the time, I realize now that it was because Guns N’ Roses killed the ’80s hair band. They kind of looked like Poison and Cinderella, but their music was edgy, raw and complex, without the forced “bad boy” image of bands like Mötley Crüe and Ratt.

They really were bad boys. They shot heroin and drank Jack Daniels straight from the bottle. People rioted and threw beer bottles at the stage during their concerts. They put a half-naked woman who had been raped by a robot on their debut album cover. And their music was fucking good.

Their songs were well-produced, but not over-produced. They were all great musicians, but the songs had a feeling like they were always about to come off the rails. They were indulgent and authentic at the same time. And a big reason for that was the amazing solo work of Slash.

I have to admit, I’m a little scared of taking on a Slash solo. Not only is he an amazing guitarist with incredible skill and a very distinctive style, his solo work is just super, super clean. It’s going to take a lot of practice to match the clean notes with the deceptively simple-sounding, but actually pretty difficult riffs.

Here’s the Les Paul Goldtop that Slash played in the early years. It’s a beautiful guitar with a tone that is very full and rich. I’m lucky enough to have a Les Paul from around that time (1989) and I’m hopeful I can get a similar sound.

Resources

Guitar Lesson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1BHBtVJVg

Tabs (GuitarPro): http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/g/guns_n_roses/welcome_to_the_jungle_ver3_guitar_pro.htm

Tabs (Text): http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/g/guns_n_roses/welcome_to_the_jungle_solo_tab.htm

Backing Track: http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/play/guns_n_roses/welcome_to_the_jungle_(2).htm

I got back into practicing a few days ago and polished it off fairly quickly. I’m proud of how this turned out. Let me know if it captures the essence of Mick Jones’ raunchy style.

Jak bought a few Styx and Journey albums, and he got some heavy metal albums from a friend whose evangelical Mom had forced him to get rid of them. My first contribution to our shared collection was the debut Foreigner album, simply called Foreigner. I had heard “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice” on the radio, but I fell in love with some of the other, less-known songs like “Long, Long Way from Home,” “Starrider,” and “Headknocker”. The feeling of playing the first music that I had purchased with my own money is something I can’t describe, but in a way I was proud of that album, and that made me like it even more.

I wanted to include a Foreigner solo in this project, but none of the songs on their first album had the right combination of difficulty and length. I already discussed my experience with Jukebox Hero, so I didn’t want to rehash that, so I picked the raunchy, instant-classic solo from “Hot Blooded”. Here’s the whole song. Solo starts at 2:40.

I bought the album Double Vision pretty soon after Foreigner and I was a little nervous bringing it home and putting it on the turntable. Would I be disappointed after loving their first album so much? The driving beat and distortion guitar at the beginning of “Hot Blooded” caught me instantly. I was not disappointed. The solo fits perfectly in the progression, with some difficult speed work, insane bends and a reckless feel. I can’t wait to dive in.

Mick Jones is more well-known as a songwriter and producer, but he’s an amazing guitar player. He’s not one to solo for 3-4 minutes, but his short solos pack a lot of power and skill. Here’s a picture of his signature black Gibson Les Paul. He’s lately been seen playing a sunburst Les Paul, but this is the one he’s best known for.

Resources

Backing Track: http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/play/foreigner/hot_blooded_(2).htm
Tabs: http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/f/foreigner/hot_blooded_guitar_pro.htm
Lesson: http://vanderbilly.com/Guitar-Lesson-foreigner-hot-blooded-part-22-solo,11986,1.html

Inspiration

Live in Concert in the mid-80s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDnXll1zyNA

The first raunchy chords of “Back in Black” boomed from the speakers. It was my first exposure to AC/DC and I had never heard anything like it. The singer had a voice that sounded like a cross between a growl and a scream. We drove slowly around the high school parking lot. By the time “You Shook Me All Night Long” came on, I was hooked. I knew I would love this band forever. I later went back and listened to the older stuff, with Bon Scott, and fell in love with that too, but it would never have the visceral gut-level appeal that the album Back in Black does for me.

Although there are many good solos on that album, I chose “You Shook Me…” because I feel it captures the essence of Angus Young’s solo style and it has a great build up to it that sounds fun to play. Here’s the full song and the original music video on YouTube.

I don’t have an SG, but I think I can get a similar sound from my Les Paul. Here’s a photo of Angus Young’s signature cherry SG — what a sweet guitar:

I never got to see AC/DC live as a teenager, and now that I could see them (they are playing Houston and Dallas in a few weeks), I find the thought mildly distasteful. I don’t want to ruin my memories of that time with a chunky Brian Johnson and balding Angus parading around the stage. I’m sure they still sound great, but they are way past their glory days.

Here’s how I want to remember Angus Young, the wild child with the schoolboy outfit who just knew how to rock:

Resources:

Video Lesson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydOctq2pJOo

Text  Tabs: http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/ac_dc/you_shook_me_all_night_long_ver13_tab.htm

GuitarPro Tab: http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/a/ac_dc/you_shook_me_all_night_long_ver4_guitar_pro.htm

Inspiration:

A live version of the song from a concert in 1991

This is the first solo where I’m just glad it’s over. I don’t want to denigrate The Cars or Eliot Easton in any way. The song and the solo are amazing. It’s just not my style and it’s so damn fast.

I’m really glad I stuck with it, though. The speed and finger work I had to learn will definitely help me down the road. That said, I cannot wait to start learning the next solo, which is…  well, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to learn that.

I recorded this one sitting down. Standing up was just not comfortable for this one. Let me know how I did.

But no. I’m still here and still plugging away. The summer was difficult as there is not a set routine, and finding the time to practice proved hard, but since school has started and I am back on a predictable routine, I’ve been practicing religiously. It’s starting to pay off.

Here’s a very rough video of where I am on Best Friend’s Girl. It’s by far the most difficult solo I’ve tried to learn, but I think I’m getting there. Let me know in the comments.