Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • Purdie on the Purdie shuffle
  • Type beats
  • 86000+ free music samples
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • Three-chord trick

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

10 terrible solos by great guitarists

By Total Guitar
published 11 October 2011

A countdown of career low points

Blur - Country House
(Image credit: Jon Ragel/Corbis)

Blur - Country House

A baffling act of self-sabotage from Graham Coxon, who lumbers Blur’s 1995 chart-topper with a lead break so twee you’ll swear it’s being played by a garden gnome.

At 2:16, following a genuinely painful top fret squeak, he finally knocks this bleak farce on the head, apparently satisfied that he’s done enough to wreck the entire song.

Listen: Blur - Country House (offending solo at 1.53)

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Warrant - Cherry Pie
(Image credit: Contographer/Corbis)

Warrant - Cherry Pie

It’s bad enough regular Warrant guitarists Joey Allen and Erik Turner had to make room for ‘guest star’ CC DeVille.

Worse still is that the Poison hairball’s atonal run up the neck has all the grace of a drunk man climbing a ladder to unblock a gutter.

Listen: Warrant - Cherry Pie (offending solo at 2.25)

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
The Libertines - Vertigo
(Image credit: Rune Hellestad/Corbis)

The Libertines - Vertigo

Hats off to Pete Doherty and Carl Barât for having a go, but on an album that’s a great advert for tuners and metronomes, the breakdown in Vertigo takes the biscuit, sounding like two barrow boys rolling a dustbin full of guitars through Dagenham Market.

Listen: The Libertines - Vertigo (offending solo at 1.49)

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
(Image credit: Katy Winn/Corbis)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Returning not quite match-fit from drugs hell, John Frusciante described the Californication album as “someone trying the best they can at that time”.

He coped, except on the title track, where he sounds positively scared of his guitar, gingerly fretting notes like there’s a scale book open on his lap.

Listen: RHCP - Californication (offending solo at 3.20)

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me
(Image credit: Reuters/CORBIS)

Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me

A lovely little sun-kissed strummer, this – until Tom Morello steams into a solo that’s weirdly sloppy by his godlike standards.

Following a few alarming note choices, he tries to turn things around by just playing really, really fast… but it’s too late.

Listen: Audioslave - Doesn't Remind Me (offending solo at 2.50)

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Metallica - 2x4
(Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Corbis)

Metallica - 2x4

Kirk Hammett dunks his hands in treacle for a solo that manages the seemingly impossible and makes the wah pedal sound sexless.

Slow, sad and desperate, you’d be forgiven for concluding Kirk sent his mum to the studio while he stayed in bed.

Listen: Metallica - 2x4 (offending solo at 3.20)

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
The Beatles - All You Need Is Love
(Image credit: Bettmann/CORBIS)

The Beatles - All You Need Is Love

George Martin’s lush orchestral arrangement only manages to highlight the shrill twang of George Harrison’s fumbled effort after the first chorus.

It’s only about three seconds long, but enough to set your teeth on edge at every wedding disco ever.

Listen: The Beatles - All You Need Is Love (offending solo at 1.19)

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
(Image credit: Mitchell Gerber/CORBIS)

Smashing Pumpkins - Zero

Nul points for this effort from Mellon Collie…, complete with a shrieking whammy pedal tone that recreates the sensation of being trapped in a jam jar with a castrated wasp - twice.

Listen: Smashing Pumpkins - Zero (offending solo at 1.48)

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Van Halen - Jump (live)
(Image credit: Robert Padgett/Reuters/Corbis)

Van Halen - Jump (live)

Not the original from 1984, we’re talking about the notorious, near-mythical live performance at the 2007 reunion show in Greensboro.

It saw a cheerful EVH play his heart out, unaware that his guitar was in an entirely different key to the rest of the band.

Listen: Van Halen - Jump (Live in Greensboro)

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Derek And The Dominos - Layla
(Image credit: Neal Preston/CORBIS)

Derek And The Dominos - Layla

Specifically, the ‘legendary’ outro duel, in which Eric Clapton and Duane Allman compete to see who can do the best impression of a kitten being put through a mangle.

Mewling, schmaltzy and unforgivably long, by the time it’s finished, you’ll come to realise that 10 years have passed, you’ve grown a beard and your family have all died.

Listen: Derek And The Dominos - Layla (offending solo at 3.30)

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

More about guitars
Ian Ly

Watch bluegrass guitarist Ian Ly become the 2023 US National Flat-picking Champion

Guitarist playing onstage

10 famous rock guitar solos and what you can learn from them

Latest
Electro-Harmonix Pico pedals

Electro Harmonix unveils the 9 mini Pico effects pedals for its NYC DSP Series – with reworked old favourites and new designs

See more latest ►
Most Popular
9 time-saving plugins that will speed up your workflow in the studio

By Si Truss21 September 2023

“When it came in as a demo, I assumed the rest of the song was going to be built out”: Kylie Minogue didn't realise Padam Padam was finished when she first heard it

By Ben Rogerson21 September 2023

Get your voice heard, and win a £300/$350 Ticketmaster gift card by taking our quick survey

By MusicRadar21 September 2023

Hania Rani on bringing synths and drum machines into contemporary classical: “I spent 20 years playing one instrument, but I’m still interested in investigating others”

By Danny Turner20 September 2023

Genelec’s 9320A Reference Controller enables you to switch between three sets of studio monitors and your headphones

By Ben Rogerson20 September 2023

When Derrick May sold Frankie Knuckles his 909, and house music was born: "This is a Roland 909 drum machine, and it's going to take us to the future. It'll be the foundation of music for the next 10 years"

By Matt Mullen20 September 2023

Black Friday studio headphone deals 2023: Everything you need to know ahead of this year's Cyber Weekend sales

By Simon Arblaster20 September 2023

What could the new Headrush Core offer that the multi-effects pedal competition doesn't?

By Rob Laing20 September 2023

UK synth company Modal Electronics declared insolvent and goes into administration

By Ben Rogerson20 September 2023

It looks like Yamaha is about to launch the Montage M synth, and there’s speculation that it’ll come with a new AN1x-style virtual analogue engine

By Ben Rogerson20 September 2023

8 steps to a better-sounding home studio

By Jon Musgrave20 September 2023

  1. Musician Joe Bonamassa performs onstage during the "Celebrating Bowie Tour" at Saban Theatre on October 07, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California.
    1
    "It's become so elitist" – Joe Bonamassa weighs in on players being priced out of the vintage guitar and amp market
  2. 2
    “Sometimes Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriend would go and buy us breakfast because we had no money”: Rod Stewart says early days of the Jeff Beck Group were no picnic
  3. 3
    Cindy Blackman Santana tackles the iconic In The Air Tonight drum fill as she joins Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg on a new version of the song for ESPN’s Monday Night Football
  4. 4
    “Right now I’d like to do a song, it’s a little thing by Howlin’ Wolf…”: Listen to Jimi Hendrix’s newly unearthed performance of Killing Floor at the Hollywood Bowl, 1967
  5. 5
    “He doesn’t do Zoom”: Mick Jagger reflects on how his songwriting partnership with Keith Richards has changed and discusses Paul McCartney’s bass playing on new Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds
  1. Best synthesizers: Modal Electronics Cobalt8
    1
    UK synth company Modal Electronics declared insolvent and goes into administration
  2. 2
    Cindy Blackman Santana tackles the iconic In The Air Tonight drum fill as she joins Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg on a new version of the song for ESPN’s Monday Night Football
  3. 3
    “He doesn’t do Zoom”: Mick Jagger reflects on how his songwriting partnership with Keith Richards has changed and discusses Paul McCartney’s bass playing on new Rolling Stones album Hackney Diamonds
  4. 4
    Hania Rani on bringing synths and drum machines into contemporary classical: “I spent 20 years playing one instrument, but I’m still interested in investigating others”
  5. 5
    9 time-saving plugins that will speed up your workflow in the studio

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.