The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and MoreShow Notes
Dave and Milt plug into one of rock nerd-dom’s favorite barstool arguments: Rolling Stone’s freshly dropped list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever. Naturally, they treat it less like gospel and more like a karaoke machine somebody spilled beer on. Using the list as a launching pad, the boys unveil their own rankings, judging solos not by how many fingers caught fire, but by the stuff that actually matters — memorability, emotional punch, whether the solo lifts the song into another zip code, and whether it makes you involuntarily air-guitar while driving a Honda Civic through Dedham. Before the countdown, they detour into the baffling world of the new Michael Jackson biopic, debating what the filmmakers left out, why critics and audiences seem to be watching completely different movies, and whether the smarter move would’ve been focusing tightly on the Quincy Jones years instead of trying to cram an entire galaxy into one film. There’s also a shoutout to fill-in co-host Deirdre, plus Dave proudly announces that son Griffin has officially been accepted to Temple Medical School — proving at least one member of the family made responsible life choices. Then the amps crank up. Their combined Top 10 rips through The Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” Van Halen’s “Eruption,” Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” Eddie Van Halen’s face-melting cameo on “Beat It,” and the Eagles’ “Hotel California.” But when the smoke clears, the #1 slot ends in a dead heat between Prince casually humiliating every mortal guitarist during “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at the Rock Hall ceremony and The Knack’s gloriously unhinged “My Sharona” solo — because apparently subtlety was not invited to this episode.
Topics 00:59 Star Wars banter 01:28 Michael biopic debate 06:25 Shoutouts and announcements 08:14 Rolling Stone solos list 11:12 Ranking criteria and format 14:38 Number 10 The Cars 19:31 Number 9 AC DC 23:34 Number 8 Queen 26:48 Jazz Fest tangent 28:45 Number 7 Free Bird 33:15 Number 6 Eruption 38:46 Play date misquotes quiz 45:15 Myth Quotes Wrapup 47:03 Stairway Solo Debate 52:02 Beat It Eddie Story 56:17 Hotel California Duel 01:01:28 Tie Twist And Also Rans 01:02:08 Runner Ups Rapid Fire 01:16:27 Prince Hall Of Fame Solo 01:21:12 My Sharona Takes Top Spot 01:28:12 Final Thoughts And Signoff
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