Tigerdaisy wrote:I think drum solos probably belong in jazz and don't really fit into popular music- mostly they are too long and not really thought out that well. As the Youtube video said the most important thing is the song not some pathetic attempt at virtuosity from a drummer or guitarist/bass player. Very few guitar solos have been successful as being an important part of a song- of course there are some very notable guitar solos that fit well as part of a song, mostly from American artists. Ring Starr was a 'good' drummer in that his style fitted perfectly with what the Beatles were doing, no more or no less.
Whilst I don't wish to move this discussion away from drummers and onto guitarists, I was just curious about the comment you made above where you state "
Very few guitar solos have been successful as being an important part of a song- of course there are some very notable guitar solos that fit well as part of a song, mostly from American artists." Are you saying that it is mostly American guitarists who have been successful in this respect, or are you meaning American singers - and therefore, I suppose by default, mostly American guitarists?
As I see it, in the post-Rock n Roll era, most of the guitarists who have contributed memorable and perfectly suited guitar parts to songs have been BRITISH. Of these, I'd name the following off the top of my head as being the most significant and widely celebrated: Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, Peter Green, Dave Gilmour, Pete Townshend, Gary Moore, Ritchie Blackmore, Martin Barre and Mark Knopfler. I must have missed some out, but those are the ones that come most easily to mind. Ironically, all of them have cited The Shadows or Hank Marvin in particular, as an influence. All of these have been and remain acknowledged masters of their craft and led the field by a long way during the 1960s and '70s.
During the 1980s, it seemed that the art of the guitarist was becoming more and more a case of who could play the fastest. There are literally too many of these to name and most of them contributed little if anything to the art. Having said that, the ones that stand out as being particularly revolutionary and admired include: John Sykes (British), Edward Van Halen (Dutch), Yngwie Malmsteen (Swedish) and, admittedly, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani (American). Perhaps the most famous guitar solo/guitar melody from this era came from Guns N' Roses 'Sweet Child o' Mine' and was written and played by Saul Hudson (better known as 'Slash'), who also happens to be British.
If I have misunderstood your post, then my apologies. If, on the other hand, I have not, then I would be very interesting in seeing your list of post-R'N'R era American guitarists who can be ranked alongside (or above) the British ones I have listed.