Muchly belated, the second part of my music blogs (yes, you remember my “completely-random-songs-with-awesome-bits-Ann-clearly-had-no-imagination-when-thinking-up-a-title”1 post about a gazillion months ago? Good), all with the good intent of introducing you to superior music, aka Ann forcing her music upon anyone who still listens to her. Today, my dears, she shall introduce you to her favourite guitar solos evarr2, most of which will probably be played by Finland’s sexiest guitarist also-evarr, Emppu Vuorinen (video complete with all the cute winks, smiles and awesomeness he emitted in End of an Era). Yes, the short one.
Firstly, I have to have one of the songs in the video above, and my favourite live Emppu-solo evarr. During End of an Era (get the back-story from someone else) Nightwish covered Pink Floyd’s High Hopes, and Marco’s sexy voice and the guitar-ified solos quickly made it better than the original (although I’m aware this is heresy in many people’s opinons), and a firm favourite. The particular solo I love – there are two – can be heard starting at 4:39 through to 5:22, or 2:23 on the video.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
One song which I fell in love with because of the solo, and which also introduced me to Symphony X, was Accolade II. Symphony X is, in general, all about the guitar and the epic quality, which I find can often be a little too much for me. However, this song balances out nicely, and has a pretty epic guitar solo. What clinched it for me was at 6:28, where the time signature changes from in two to in three (omg EPIC) and then zooms up to the high note at the end, which I just love in any context (the whole solo starts out at about 5:35/ 5:58 depending on opinions).
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Moving back to Emppu’s stuff, I tried to choose only one favourite solo from False Metal, Brother Firetribe’s debut album. It was tough – Brother Firetribe is Emppu’s side-project so he can put in as many awesome guitar-based things as he likes without Tuomas and the rest of Nightwish telling him where to stick it. I ended up going for one of my favourite songs on the album anyway – Spanish Eyes. It has a very High Hopes-esque feel to the solo, but as if that wasn’t enough, the song changes key on the last note of the solo *swoons*. The solo starts at 3:14
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I’m going to tear myself away from metal and Emppu to say something familiar and comforting to those who don’t know what or who I’ve been on about so far: Violet Hill3 by Coldplay. This song used to get me out of bed in the mornings, just so I could play air guitar to the riffs in between phrases, and the solo at is pretty cool, you have to admit.
Okay, I’m allowing Evanescence in here (can you tell now that I’m scrolling through my iTunes in alphabetical order by artist, after the first two songs inspired me to write this post?). I know what everyone except my best friend says about Evanescence, I agree, and this particular album is a load of crap in addition, but I do like Lacrymosa, and the solo. I’m happy with liking something Mozart originally wrote, anyway, and the solo (2:32), for those of you who speak music, consists of some pretty cool hemiola rhythms.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I doubt many of you will be in the habit of listening to Christian music. My next absolute favourite guitar solo comes from an album I bought whilst on camp last summer, and the first song has a great guitar line and solo, starting at 2:15.
I promised myself I would only choose two Nightwish songs. Now, it’s pretty hard choosing only two songs out of your almost favourite 78 in your whole library, and I’m really hoping you’ve seen the whole of that video so you know what your missing out on by my limits – but in the end, I tried to forget personal preferences and I think the absolute best Nightwish guitar solos have to be Creek Mary’s Blood (3:33), and Sleeping Sun (3:02) (I would say Nemo, but everyone says that). My personal favourites “just because” are Master Passion Greed (2:24), End of All Hope (2:51) and Ever Dream (2:56) (what can I say? I love everything about that song) (shutupIknowthat’sfive).
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Edit: OH CRAP I left out Over the Hills and Far Away – the song that got me into Nightwish, and has the best guitar solo out of all of them. I can’t not mention it – it is seriously Fantasmic (see what I did there?). The solos are littered about the place in OTHAFA, so watch the video I linked at the beginning, where they’re all put together. OMG.
Finally, as a bit of a different one, like last time, I’m going to leave you with Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End. Best use of guitar solos in a movie about pirates evarr.
- that post is updated with the song on the page, I made it readable, and the comments are still open hint hint [↩]
- the two “r”s and the a give the word more emphasis, you see [↩]
- sorry, I don’t have the right version for audio player [↩]
Tags: awesome, Brother Firetribe, camp, Coldplay, Delain, Evanescence, fangirl, guitar, likes, loves, me, Nightwish, Pirates of the Carribean, solo, soundtrack, swoons, Symphony X
I loved the use of guitars in the At World’s End (and other PotC movies) soundtrack!
I love Creek Mary’s Blood as well as the clip you linked from PotC, I really want to learn how to play the guitar!
Regina’s last blog post..Classes
If you’re into guitar solos and all that jazz then I highly recommend you listen to Steve Vai, a guitar virtuoso. The man has a liquid arm! And his music is simply amazing — it has all of these little effects which make every song quirky yet rockin’. “In Your Eyes” is one of my favorite songs by him. Check it out!
Robmarie’s last blog post..That Crazy Heart Day
[...] worked, I discovered my favourite guitar solo EVARRR and actually completed one resolution. Go [...]