From the man who put the rhythm in the lead, When Keith Richards nails a solo he really nails a solo... here are my favorites.

Sympathy for the devil - Ya's Ya's
Honky Tonk Women - single
Let it Bleed - Slide solo on the Let it Bleed Album
Time is on My side - Still Life
Let it Rock - Rarities
Gimme Shelter - 92 tour with the Winos
Slave - Tattoo You

Peace.

Tie You Up - Undercover
Let Me Go - Still Life
SFTD - Ya-Ya's
SFTD - Love You Live
Bitch - Atlantic City 89
Down In The Hole - Emotional Rescue
Star Star - Goat's Head Soup
Hang Fire - Tattoo You
Almost Hear You Sigh - Steel Wheels
Fight - Dirty Work
Carol - Ya-Ya's

Cry to me

2 1 2 0

So, what's the wrong with SFTD studio version, huh?

- Doxa

Hold on to your Hat has some good licks.
Miss Amanda Jones too.
Stewed & Keefed is excellent.

Bitch (studio)
Happy (London 1990 ay the max)
@#$%& (06/06/76 paris)
It's all over now (studio)
Stray cat (studio )

the solo's on carol-ya yas and honkey tonk women-single. are done by mick taylor

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the solo's on carol-ya yas and honkey tonk women-single. are done by mick taylor

Wrong. Have another guess...

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CharliesSinger

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the solo's on carol-ya yas and honkey tonk women-single. are done by mick taylor

Wrong. Have another guess...

charlie

close

wrong form of the word? ok, then: charles

correct. prince charles in fact.

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the solo's on carol-ya yas and honkey tonk women-single. are done by mick taylor

Ehhhh!? Chigau! Keith-san wo hikimashita yo!!!

nothing really that special about keef's solo on the studio version, imo - he really didn't establish his signature solo until he hit the stage with it

Well, to try and veer back on topic, here are my 5 faves:

Sympathy (studio version and Ya-Yas)
Neighbors
She Was Hot (studio)
Beast of Burden (Live Miami 94)
Tie: Dead Flowers (that was Keith and not Mick T, right?) and Time Is On My Side

I know he's best thought about as a soloist for his killer Chuck Berry riffs (at least they used to be killer), but aside from Neighbors and She Was Hot, he really is underrated for some his classy, melodic solos and that's what I love about the other 3.

BIG runners-up for me would be Wild Horses (again following the consensus that's him playing and not Mick T), Almost Hear you Sigh, Bitch, and Happy from Live at the Max. I never found open-G tuning the easiest thing to solo in, but he turns out an awesome, riff-filled break on that last one. It's almost ugly, and so damned cool at the same time.

My all time favorite is his playing on 'Let It Rock' from Leeds during the '71 tour. His lead and rhythm are playing the penultimate example of how rock and roll guitar should be played. Another fave is his playing on 'Oh Carol' from Ya-Yas. Perhaps his most soulful and poignant solo though can be heard on 'Wild Horses' I can hear the longing in his playing that the lyrics invoke. Truly great stuff. 'Dead Flowers' was one I used to think he played but after more listens than I have had hot dinners I was forced to conclude that it was Mick Taylor who played it and not Keith. 'Bitch' from Sticky Fingers also ranks as a Keith high point. For these alone he will be granted a place in Rock and Roll Heaven...

chris - i remember reading a thorogood account of keith's work on the Leeds Let it Rock - he thought it was the best example of Berry soloing he'd ever heard...

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ChrisM
My all time favorite is his playing on 'Let It Rock' from Leeds during the '71 tour. His lead and rhythm are playing the penultimate example of how rock and roll guitar should be played. Another fave is his playing on 'Oh Carol' from Ya-Yas. Perhaps his most soulful and poignant solo though can be heard on 'Wild Horses' I can hear the longing in his playing that the lyrics invoke. Truly great stuff. 'Dead Flowers' was one I used to think he played but after more listens than I have had hot dinners I was forced to conclude that it was Mick Taylor who played it and not Keith. 'Bitch' from Sticky Fingers also ranks as a Keith high point. For these alone he will be granted a place in Rock and Roll Heaven...

Good call on Let It Rock. When I think of Keith, I think more of rhythm and riffs than solos. But Let It Rock is a top notch example of both in his prime.

And can somebody officially clarify who soloed on Dead Flowers? Some say Keith some say Taylor. To my ears, it sounds like the some person did the guitar breaks on Dead Flowers and Wild Horses. They're definitely a little more melodic than your usual KR solo, more in the Mick T style, but an awful lot of people say those were Keith. Answers, thoughts, anyone?

Some good studio work:

Locked Away

It Means a Lot

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theimposter

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ChrisM
My all time favorite is his playing on 'Let It Rock' from Leeds during the '71 tour. His lead and rhythm are playing the penultimate example of how rock and roll guitar should be played. Another fave is his playing on 'Oh Carol' from Ya-Yas. Perhaps his most soulful and poignant solo though can be heard on 'Wild Horses' I can hear the longing in his playing that the lyrics invoke. Truly great stuff. 'Dead Flowers' was one I used to think he played but after more listens than I have had hot dinners I was forced to conclude that it was Mick Taylor who played it and not Keith. 'Bitch' from Sticky Fingers also ranks as a Keith high point. For these alone he will be granted a place in Rock and Roll Heaven...

Good call on Let It Rock. When I think of Keith, I think more of rhythm and riffs than solos. But Let It Rock is a top notch example of both in his prime.

And can somebody officially clarify who soloed on Dead Flowers? Some say Keith some say Taylor. To my ears, it sounds like the some person did the guitar breaks on Dead Flowers and Wild Horses. They're definitely a little more melodic than your usual KR solo, more in the Mick T style, but an awful lot of people say those were Keith. Answers, thoughts, anyone?

I know what you mean regarding the solo on Dead Flowers as this topic has come up more than once here. Of all the guitar solos on Stones records, this one has turned out to be the only one where it isn't quite obvious to me who played it. I used to think it was all Keith but there are elements of both Mick and Keith in it. The phrasing reminds me of Mick in places (the melodic flow for example) but of Keith in others (playing behind the beat and the use of ghost notes) but it's over melodic sense is more a hallmark of Mick Taylor to my ears. Some will say otherwise but the truth is we may never know for sure unless some asks Mick or Keith directly.

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chris - i remember reading a thorogood account of keith's work on the Leeds Let it Rock - he thought it was the best example of Berry soloing he'd ever heard...

I wouldn't disagree with George. I have heard that version hundreds of time and it knocks me out every time.

Here are some great Keith guitar solos no one has menitoned. These are all studio versions. I liked the fact that Keith didn't do these spotlight guitar solos like some other guitarists. Keith's guitar solos were usually short and simple but were perfect for the song.

The Last Time
Heart Of Stone
Think
Down The Road Apiece
It's All Over Now

Oh No Not you Again - great double stops. Pure Chuck Berry!

Dead Flowers solo is Taylor.

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Stones Blah
Dead Flowers solo is Taylor.

What are your reasons for thinking so?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-09-23 00:13 by ChrisM.

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nothing really that special about keef's solo on the studio version, imo - he really didn't establish his signature solo until he hit the stage with it

Don't know about signatures but it is really one of the meanest solos ever caught on tape - and it is pure Richards in every sense of it: every note is statement, and everything he does with those three notes or so (and don't forget the significat pauses), and few seconds he spends with them, serves only the dramatics of the song - it is more than perfect: it is a work of a genious. With Brian's "I Wanna Be Your Man" it is the most striking guitar solo ever heard in a Stones record...

To say it mildly...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009-09-23 00:07 by Doxa.

remember - he only knows three notes....

<What are your reasons for thinking so?>

Obviously the style and the phrasing. Half way into the solo, Taylor does bends that Keith just doesn´t do.

Doxa, I think the solo on the studio version of SFTD is great. However, imo, both Ya-Ya´s and Love You Live-versions are superiour. Especially keith´s solo on the LYL-version.

Down The Road Apiece has always been an absolute favourite. Little By Little, Can I Get A Witness, Walking The Dog, etc. Session guys aside, Keith was the no.1 group lead guitarist in Britain during the 64-65 period, IMO.

One of his finest moments presented in the IORR great thread section :

[www.iorr.org]

You Gotta Move