Worst solos - Progressive Rock Music Forum

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nimrodel

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 07:47

not prog but every audioslave or rage against the machine solo... urgh

We want... a shrubbery!

The Hemulen View Drop Down

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 10:07

Steve Howe's solo on that rubbish too-jolly-for-its-own-good track on "The Ladder" (Lightening Strikes, is it?) is pretty jaw-droppingly poor, especially from the man behind the licks on Awaken.

Progbear

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 14:55

Worst guitar solo: anything Davy O’List played on The Thoughts Of Emerlist Davjack

Worst keyboard solo (overall): Gayle Moran’s piano solo near the end of Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Eternity’s Breath”

Worst synth solo: Wakeman’s Polymoog (ugh!) solos on “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom”. Actually, the sound of the solo on “Don’t Kill The Whale” is worse, but this one’s harder to listen to because it’s a great, great Yes song with horrible, horrible synth solos. It’s the aural equivalent of taking a big, steaming dump on the Mona Lisa.

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floydaholic View Drop Down

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 15:14

Europa-Santana

I'll see you on the Darkside of the moon...

gr8dane

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 15:27

Jim Garten wrote:

beterdedthnred4 wrote:

This may be blasphemy, but I just cannot take the atonal xylophone solo in Gentle giant's Knots

You think that's blasphemy? HAH!

I cannot stand the moog solo on ELP's 'Lucky Man' - cobbled together & stuck on at the last minute, totally inappropriate to the song, & whilst Emmo's noodling around, Lake gets bored & buggers off leaving Palmer to keep up the pretence of backing the moog, then even he thinks "sod this, I'm going for a pint" & just stops.

Great song, terrible ending.

If I remember corectly.Lucky Man moog solo was the first moog solo on an album.It was also done in a take or 2,by one of the first owners of a moog besides Moog.

Prosciutto View Drop Down

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Posted: October 12 2005 at 21:03

Progbear wrote:

Worst synth solo: Wakeman’s Polymoog (ugh!) solos on “On The Silent Wings Of Freedom”. Actually, the sound of the solo on “Don’t Kill The Whale” is worse, but this one’s harder to listen to because it’s a great, great Yes song with horrible, horrible synth solos. It’s the aural equivalent of taking a big, steaming dump on the Mona Lisa.

Actually almost all the keyboard sounds Rick used on the "Tormato" era are plain awful. Overall the whole band's playing on Tormato is far from their best.

Don't be a prog-hole, please...

transend

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 00:48

Not really prog, but did anyone notice that on 'Cinnamon girl' by Neil Young his solo consists of almost entirely ONE note....

I have to agree with 'Lucky man' to a certain extent, it was innovative and different, but I always felt that is did not fit the song. However, Keith is likely the best synth player ever...weird really.

Generally in prog though, because of the caliber of musicanship there are not too many bad solos. I do agree about the keyboard solo on the DT 'Budokan', but single instrument solos without the context of a song around them I find fairly pointless anyway....I mean, didnt Rudess have enough solos in that show anyway??!!!!

Harry Hood View Drop Down

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 00:53

transend wrote:

Not really prog, but did anyone notice that on 'Cinnamon girl' by Neil Young his solo consists of almost entirely ONE note....

Yes, but I think he plays that one note quite well.

Robert Fripp also did one-note solos.

Cygnus

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 03:34

Odd24 wrote:

Uriah Heep - Gipsy

The keyboard solo really RUINS the entire song.

Without solo 9/10, with solo 5/10.

I have made a special edit of this song and now I'm really satisfied with it.

Have to agree with that. Also I never liked the guitar sound on Paranoid's solo

salmacis

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 09:43

By the way, the reason I heard Ginger Baker was forced to leave Hawkwind was that he tried to bring Jack Bruce in, then he toured with only one other member (I think Simon King??) and called that Hawkwind!!

'Levitation' is one of their best albums no doubt, though.

Prosciutto View Drop Down

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 11:22

Cygnus wrote:

Uriah Heep - Gipsy

The organ solo on Gypsy is OK for me. I choose the horrible "solo" Manfred Mann did at the end of July Morning, that solo goes nowhere. I wonder why the Heeps invited such a mediocre keyboardist having already the very talented Ken Hensley.

Don't be a prog-hole, please...

elpprogster View Drop Down

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 11:56

The Gypsy organ solo on the Live 79 album is truly awesome, some of the best Hensley has ever done!

elpprogster View Drop Down

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 11:59

I guess Uriah Heep has chosen Manfred Mann to do the solo because around 1971 Ken Hensley wasn´t yet playing synth on record with the band, only from the Demons & Wizards sessions on.

salmacis

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 13:17

Funny- I think both the 'Very 'Eavy..' and 'Live 79' versions of 'Gypsy' have somewhat scrappy solos- I enjoy the one on 'Very Eavy' because it's roughshod yet still terrific (adding much charm and grit), yet the live 79 one is just a mess, in my opinion. (much of that original '79 album is in a similar vein- the CD version greatly expands it to a better degree) Hensley's absolutely stunning work on the 'Live '73' version outshines both for me.

If you like the Uriah Heep 'Live In Europe 79' set, the new box 'Chapter And Verse' has recordings from Newcastle in this era, and they absolutely rip through the songs- by far the best gig judging by the songs on the box..

The solo on 'July Morning' is one of the best recorded imo- Manfred Mann was one of the few people in the UK at the time that used a Moog to any good degree, alongside Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman.

Heep otherwise have had mostly superb solos in their career- in some cases, the solos are better than the song' 'Cheat 'N' Lie', 'Shady Lady' and their unnecessary cover of 'Hold Your Head Up', which has an extremely meaty solo by Mick Box.

Anyone ever hear the 'California Jam 74' version of 'Space Truckin' by Deep Purple? Jon Lord sounds as if he's learning to play the moog right there and then- it's awful!

As has been said earlier, 'Don't Kill The Whale' has an embarassing solo that's the epitome of those fake strings sounds on late 70s keyboards...Most of Rick's album 'Rhapsodies' has truly awful and cheesy solos too- 'Rhapsody In Blue' and 'Swan Lager' are just terrible!

Prosciutto View Drop Down

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 19:34

salmacis wrote:

Anyone ever hear the 'California Jam 74' version of 'Space Truckin' by Deep Purple? Jon Lord sounds as if he's learning to play the moog right there and then- it's awful!

I was very disappointed with the "Cal Jam" version of Space Truckin', it sounds a little under-rehearsed specially the "Mandrake Root" jam, I will always prefer the great Made in Japan version of that song. About the "Mark III" line-up, Live in London is a much better live album than the Live at the California Jam, it has better sound quality and much better performances, sadly it doesn't feature Space Truckin'...

Don't be a prog-hole, please...

BaldJean

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 19:40

salmacis wrote:

'Levitation' is one of their best albums no doubt, though.

you probably mean violinist and keyboarder Simon House

A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta

Pingree

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 20:55

laplace wrote:

Rush - Bastille Day

That's just evil dude!

It's an amazing solo! I must admit as a guitarist I find it hard to call a prog solo sh*t, I mean listen to the f**king sh*te solo in Green Day's American Idiot and there you have a good example of an awful solo!

Prog solo's are good at the end of the day, I mean how many can you play, technically they are legendary!

'Man was created in 1 day, it took him the other 6 to create Prog'

Angeldust

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Posted: October 13 2005 at 21:50

Slayer have propably the worst solos..They fit with their music though.....(not saying that their music is bad