Cover illustration made with an AI image tool, chosen and framed by the editor.
A playlist for…
The Great Rock Guitar Solos
From “Johnny B. Goode” to “Alive”: the solos critics’ lists and readers’ polls keep naming, plus a few favorites of their own. Roughly in release order, about 2¼ hours.
- Length
- 2h 15m
- Tracks
- 22
- Energy
- Lively
- Vocals
- Mixed vocals
Mostly songs with singing built around the solo. Eruption is instrumental, and Maggot Brain is instrumental after a short spoken opening.
Listen on SpotifyPublished October 29, 2026
Some guitar solos are so well known that people can hum them. This playlist collects standouts from critics’ lists and readers’ polls, including the recurring favorites, running roughly in the order they came out, from Chuck Berry in 1958 to Pearl Jam in 1991.
We didn’t rank them ourselves. We checked four lists first: the top 10 of Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitar solos, Guitar Player’s readers’ poll, Seymour Duncan’s survey of its audience and guitarguitar’s top 50. Three solos made all four: “Stairway to Heaven,” “Eruption” and “Comfortably Numb.” Every solo we found on at least two of them is here, and strong picks from a single list fill it out. (For Rolling Stone we read the reported top 10, and separately confirmed that “Alive” is in the full 100.)
It covers a lot of ground. Jimi Hendrix appears three times, once live with the Band of Gypsys. There’s funk in “Maggot Brain,” pop in “Beat It,” and metal near the end with Pantera and Megadeth. Several of the most famous solos belong to players outside the band whose name is on the record: Eric Clapton on the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Eddie Van Halen on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.”
Turn it up and wait for the solo.
Tracklist
Side A
- 01Johnny B. GoodeChuck Berry2:42
No. 6 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitar solos. [source]
- 02All Along the WatchtowerThe Jimi Hendrix Experience4:01
- 03Voodoo Child (Slight Return)The Jimi Hendrix Experience5:13
- 04While My Guitar Gently WeepsThe Beatles · Remastered 20094:45
No. 10 on both Rolling Stone’s list and the Guitar Player readers’ poll. The solo is Eric Clapton’s, playing on a Beatles record. [source 1] [source 2]
- 05Machine GunBand of Gypsys · Live, Fillmore East12:40
No. 2 on Rolling Stone’s list, behind only “Purple Rain.” Recorded live, on the album Band of Gypsys. [source 1] [source 2]
- 0625 or 6 to 4Chicago · 2002 Remaster4:50
- 07Maggot BrainFunkadelic10:19
- 08Stairway to HeavenLed Zeppelin · Remaster8:03
One of three solos on all four lists we checked: No. 3 with Guitar Player’s readers, No. 7 for Rolling Stone. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3] [source 4]
- 09Free BirdLynyrd Skynyrd9:07
- 10Bohemian RhapsodyQueen5:54
- 11Kid CharlemagneSteely Dan · 2025 Remaster4:34
Side B
- 12Hotel CaliforniaEagles · 2013 Remaster6:31
No. 3 for Rolling Stone and No. 5 with Guitar Player’s readers. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3]
- 13EruptionVan Halen · 2015 Remaster1:42
On all four lists: No. 2 with Guitar Player’s readers, No. 5 for Rolling Stone. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3] [source 4]
- 14Sultans of SwingDire Straits5:49
- 15Comfortably NumbPink Floyd6:22
The closest thing to a consensus pick: No. 1 in the Guitar Player readers’ poll and the Seymour Duncan survey, No. 4 for Rolling Stone, and on guitarguitar’s list too. [source 1] [source 2] [source 3] [source 4]
- 16Mr. CrowleyOzzy Osbourne5:03
- 17Beat ItMichael Jackson4:18
The solo is Eddie Van Halen’s. Seymour Duncan’s survey and guitarguitar both picked it. [source 1] [source 2]
- 18Purple RainPrince and The Revolution8:42
No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s list. [source]
- 19Sweet Child O' MineGuns N' Roses5:56
- 20Cemetery GatesPantera7:03
- 21Tornado of SoulsMegadeth5:23
- 22AlivePearl Jam5:41
Total2h 15m
At a glance
- How long is the “The Great Rock Guitar Solos” playlist?
- 2 hours 15 minutes, 22 tracks, played in the order listed.
- Does it have singing?
- Mostly songs with singing built around the solo. Eruption is instrumental, and Maggot Brain is instrumental after a short spoken opening.
- Where can I listen to it?
- On Spotify, as a public playlist. Anyone can see the tracklist there, and playing it needs the Spotify app or web player.
- Who made it?
- It was picked, put in order and listened through by the editor at A Playlist For…. Software did not choose the songs.