Brian May's Bohemian Rhapsody Guitar Solo Voted Greatest Of All Time

Eleanor Rigby 14 · 01-19-2021, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psy-Fi

If I made a list of my top 50 favorite guitarists, Brian May wouldn't even make the list.
If I made a list of my top 50 favorite guitar solos, the solo in Bohemian Rhapsody wouldn't even make the list.
If I made a list of my top 50 favorite rock groups, Queen wouldn't even make the list.

I agree with the second sentence.
But Brian May would definitely be in my top 50 favourite rock guitarists, mainly because I don't think I can name more than 25 rock guitar players.
And Queen would also be in my top 50 rock groups because it's the band I've probably listened to the most, it's the only band from which I've listened to all albums more than once, I'd say they're a bit like The Beatles in the sense that everyone knows at least 4 songs by them. I don't know if they're overrated or not, if I start talking about that, the whole thread is gonna turn into "which bands do you think are overrated and underrated?", but I think it's just that their music is much more famous and popular for our generation than Led Zeppelin's, Jimi Hendrix's, The Who's, Pink Floyd's or even The Beatles' music. And sounds more modern and catchy. Their music is present in many TV adverts. I can't think of any other good musicians whose music is present in 50% of TV adverts.
And apart from that Freddie Mercury was an amazing singer and songwriter (and he died young)
So it's normal that people have voted that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

The guitar solo on We Will Rock You is the greatest thing he ever did and one of the greatest moments in the history of recorded music. I’m surprised the universe didn’t collapse the first time he played it.

Do you mean it ironically? Just to know because I don't even understand irony in Spanish, so I don't know.

Trollheart · 01-19-2021, 10:36 AM

Hawk's always waiting/hoping for the universe to collapse.

The thing about solos is, how do you define "best" or "greatest"? It's not going to be just shredding. There are so many. You can have introspective acoustic or classical ones that just drop your jaw

Shredders
(from 3:35)
(from 5:17)
Bluesy ones
(from 3:51)
Emotional ones
(from 6:40)

All of which kick May's solo into Slash's cocked top hat.
I don't think most people even consider Bo-Rhap as a guitar solo song anyway. I certainly don't. This is just, as already pointed out, guitar players licking each other's arses.

Trollheart · 01-19-2021, 10:39 AM

I forgot our old buddy Plankton!

OccultHawk · 01-19-2021, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Do you mean it ironically? Just to know because I don't even understand irony in Spanish, so I don't know.

No. I don’t joke about music.

The way there’s nothing but percussion and voice there’s essentially no guidelines for him to start from plus it’s such an incredibly unique and addictive tune up to that point - I don’t care what anybody says there was nothing like it before or after and until hip hop came along it was the greatest chant in the English language. So much was hinging on that solo. He doesn’t go prog. He doesn’t upset the tempo. It’s not a corny mimic of the chorus. It’s perfect. The song is unimaginable without it but it still seems like he pulled perfection out of nothing. It’s such a triumphant moment. There’s so much power from that unforgettable beat and chant - something that is immortalized in our consciousness- everyone knows it - but the guitar solo still rises above again - even above all that greatness that was already there - it’s perfectly powerful and masculine and astonishingly raises the song to even greater heights.

Eleanor Rigby 14 · 01-19-2021, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OccultHawk

No. I don’t joke about music.

The way there’s nothing but percussion and voice there’s essentially no guidelines for him to start from plus it’s such an incredibly unique and addictive tune up to that point - I don’t care what anybody says there was nothing like it before or after and until hip hop came along it was the greatest chant in the English language. So much was hinging on that solo. He doesn’t go prog. He doesn’t upset the tempo. It’s not a corny mimic of the chorus. It’s perfect. The song is unimaginable without it but it still seems like he pulled perfection out of nothing. It’s such a triumphant moment. There’s so much power from that unforgettable beat and chant - something that is immortalized in our consciousness- everyone knows it - but the guitar solo still rises above again - even above all that greatness that was already there - it’s perfectly powerful and masculine and astonishingly raises the song to even greater heights.

I just thought that cause you said:

Quote:

I’m surprised the universe didn’t collapse the first time he played it.

So you like We Will Rock You, but you don't like Queen?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Hawk's always waiting/hoping for the universe to collapse.

The thing about solos is, how do you define "best" or "greatest"? It's not going to be just shredding. There are so many. You can have introspective acoustic or classical ones that just drop your jaw

Shredders
(from 3:35)
(from 5:17)
Bluesy ones
(from 3:51)
Emotional ones
(from 6:40)

All of which kick May's solo into Slash's cocked top hat.
I don't think most people even consider Bo-Rhap as a guitar solo song anyway. I certainly don't. This is just, as already pointed out, guitar players licking each other's arses.

The guitar solo with more feeling is Firth Of Fifth obviously.

Plankton · 01-19-2021, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

I forgot our old buddy Plankton!

Trollheart · 01-19-2021, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eleanor Rigby 14

The guitar solo with more feeling is Firth Of Fifth obviously.

As far as I remember, "Firth of Fifth" is mostly driven on Tony's piano; don't remember any great guitar solo in it? I'll have to relisten to it.

OccultHawk · 01-19-2021, 12:50 PM

I like queen

Eleanor Rigby 14 · 01-19-2021, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

As far as I remember, "Firth of Fifth" is mostly driven on Tony's piano; don't remember any great guitar solo in it? I'll have to relisten to it.

Very funny, it has a wonderful solo c'mon. I know many people whose favourite solo is that one.

Trollheart · 01-19-2021, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eleanor Rigby 14

Very funny, it has a wonderful solo c'mon. I know many people whose favourite solo is that one.

I'm not kidding, I really don't remember it. I'll listen to it again.

Edit: listened to it. Yeah. Guess I had a blank (Banks?) space there; so much keyboard in that song I forgot about the guitar solo. It's good yeah but I wouldn't rate it as my favourite Genesis by any means.

01-19-2021, 10:36 AM	#42 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Hawk's always waiting/hoping for the universe to collapse. The thing about solos is, how do you define "best" or "greatest"? It's not going to be just shredding. There are so many. You can have introspective acoustic or classical ones that just drop your jaw Shredders (from 3:35) (from 5:17) Bluesy ones (from 3:51) Emotional ones (from 6:40) All of which kick May's solo into Slash's cocked top hat. I don't think most people even consider Bo-Rhap as a guitar solo song anyway. I certainly don't. This is just, as already pointed out, guitar players licking each other's arses. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-19-2021, 10:39 AM	#43 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	I forgot our old buddy Plankton! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

01-19-2021, 12:50 PM	#48 (permalink)
OccultHawk one-balled nipple jockey Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Dirty Souf Biatch Posts: 22,006	I like queen __________________ 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Member of the Year & Journal of the Year Champion Behold the Writing of THE LEGEND: https://www.musicbanter.com/members-...p-lighter.html