My Favorite 10 Guitar Solos From The '60s US Billboard Top 40

[Inyo]

A personal list for the group's consideration--Here are my top 10 favorite guitar solos from songs that reached the US Billboard Top 40 during the 1960s. I've limited this list to that specific parameter. Sometime in the future I might weigh in with my favorite album solos from the 60s. Anyhow, here goes:

1) Eric Clapton with Cream--Crossroads (#28 US Billboard, early 1969)



2) James Burton with Ricky Nelson--Hello, Mary Lou (#9 US Billboard, 1961)



3) Jeff Beck with The Yardbirds--Shapes Of Things (#11 US Billboard, 1966)



4) Ritchie Blackmore with Deep Purple--Kentucky Woman (#38 US Billboard, 1968)



5) Jourma Kaukonen with Jefferson Airplane--Somebody To Love (#5 US Billboard, 1967)



6) Mike Mitchell with The Kingsmen--Louie Louie (#2 US Billboard, 1963)



7) Tony Sheridan with The Beatles--My Bonnie (#26 US Billboard, 1964)



8) Jerry Corbitt with The Youngbloods--Get Together (#5 US Billboard, 1969)



9) Jimi Hendrix with The Jimi Hendrix Experience--All Along The Watchtower (#20 US Billboard, 1968)



10) George Harrison with The Beatles--Something (#3 US Billboard, 1969)



Honorable mention:

Terry Williams with The First Edition--Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
Johnny Rivers with his Johnny Rivers Go-Go Band--Secret Agent Man
Dave Davies with The Kinks--All Day And All Of The Night
Rick Zehringer with The McCoys--Hang On Sloopy
Drake Levin with Paul Revere and The Raiders--Just Like Me
Jim (now Roger) McGuinn with The Byrds--Turn! Turn! Turn!
Jim (now Roger) McGuinn with The Byrds--Eight Miles High
Rodd Prince and Todd Potter with Bubble Puppy--Hot Smoke And Sassafras
Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with The Yardbirds--Happenings Ten Years Time Ago
Zal Yanovsky with The Lovin' Spoonful--Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?
Zal Yanovsky with The Lovin' Spoonful--Do You Believe In Magic
Mark Manko with Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels--Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly
Mark Manko with Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - Jenny Take A Ride
Mark Manko with Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels--Sock It To Me Baby
Sam Taylor with Joey Dee and The Starliters--Peppermint Twist
Dennis LePore with the Blues Magoos--(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet
Alan Parker with Donovan--Hurdy Gurdy Man
Hank Garland with Elvis Presley--Ain't That Loving You Baby (recorded in 1958, but released in 1964)
Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe with The Rooftop Singers--Walk Right In
Russ Ballard with Unit 4 + 2--Concrete And Clay
Keith Potger with The Seekers--A World Of Our Own
James Burton with Rick Nelson--Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)
Billy Strange with Nancy Sinatra--Friday's Child
Chuck Berry--No Particular Place To Go (second solo, to end of record)
Joe Maphis with Johnny Bond (that brief but blazing solo at the 1:57 mark)--Hot Rod Lincoln
Don Rich with Buck Owens--I've Got A Tiger By The Tail
Al Austin with The Outsiders--Time Won't Let Me
One of the musicians performed the solo (haven't identified specifically which one just yet): Harold Bradley, Jerry Kennedy, Joe Tanner or Ray Edenton with Roy Orbison--Mean Woman Blues
Derek Leckenby with Herman's Hermits--I'm Henry The Eighth, I Am
Robby Krieger with The Doors--People Are Strange
B. B. King--Rock Me Baby
B. B. King--Paying The Cost To Be The Boss
B. B. King--The Thrill Is Gone (reached it's highest chart position in 1970, but was released in December, 1969)
Mike Mitchell with The Kingsmen--Money
Alan Ward with The Honeycombs--Have I The Right
Grady Martin with Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires--(You’re The) Devil In Disguise
Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin--Whole Lotta Love
Jose Feliciano--Light My Fire
Bob Arlin with The Leaves--Hey Joe
Keith Richards with The Rolling Stones--The Last Time
Tommy Tedesco with Elvis Presley--Do The Clam
Reggie Young with B. J. Thomas--Hooked On A Feeling (technically speaking, Young played an "electric sitar," of course)
Louis Shelton with The Monkees--Vallerie
Ted Nugent with The Amboy Dukes--Journey To The Center Of The Mind
John Fogerty with Creedence Clearwater Revival--Susie Q Part 1
Duane Allman with Wilson Pickett--Hey Jude
Eric Clapton with Cream--White Room
Eric Clapton with Cream--Sunshine Of Your Love

Addendum--I would have included both White Room (#6 US Billboard, 1968) and Sunshine Of Your Love (#5 US Billboard, 1968) in my top 10, but one must note that on the original mono 45rpm single vinyl versions released in the US, Clapton's exceptional extended solos (preserved on the vinyl albums Wheels Of Fire and Disraeli Gears, respectively) are with hideous editing sadly shortened. Ergo, White Room and Sunshine Of Your Love must remain absent from the top 10 here.

Too, I would have included Jimmy Page with Donovan on Sunshine Superman in the Honorable Mention section, except that Jimmy's nice extended solo, present on the album version, is cut and shortened for the US-released 45rpm single vinyl record release that went #1 US Billboard for Donovan in 1966.

And of course--the same holds true for Robby Krieger with The Doors: He would have received honorable mention for Light My Fire, if only his excellent extended album solo had not been so severely snipped for the 45rpm single that soared to #1 in 1967.

[LAPlayer]

I would add anything from Creedence Clearwater Revival as John Fogerty has/had a knack for recognizable intros and solos.
Also, anything Hendrix, IRON BUTTERFLY - IN A GADDA DA VIDA (one of the longest guitar solos of all time) and, of course, Carlos Santana.

[12barBill]

What? No Dickie Betts on the list? C'mon man.



Edit: ...and now I realize this was based on Billboard top 40 during the 1960's. My bad... I should read more carefully.

[boombox]

Great idea for a thread! Some wonderful choices, so to include some from different artists, in no particular order, and some in live or mimed versions to give you something to watch:







I can't not include this one - actually a B side, but always one of my top 60s solos:



As well as this solo - cut from the hit single version, but here in all it's glory live:

[Jimbo00]

Just a couple more to add for consideration. Nov 1969 recording (some might call that 1970), Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeglgSWKSIY

Deep Purple, Hush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Puoxbnm8v74

[Inyo]

At the conclusion of my original post, I listed several honorable mentions that didn't quite crack my personal list of ten favorite guitar solos from singles records that attained the US Billboard Top 40 in the 1960s.

I here present ten of those honorable mentions of guitar solos from 45rpm vinyl singles that made the US Billboard Top 40 during the 1960s--listed here in no particular order of preference, by the way:

Terry Williams with The First Edition--Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) (#5 US Billboard, 1967)



Johnny Rivers with his Johnny Rivers Go-Go Band--Secret Agent Man (#3 US Billboard, 1966)



Dave Davies with The Kinks--All Day And All Of The Night (#7 US Billboard, 1964)



Rick Zehringer with The McCoys--Hang On Sloopy (#1 US Billboard, 1965)



Drake Levin with Paul Revere and The Raiders--Just Like Me (#11 US Billboard, 1965)



Rodd Prince and Todd Potter with The Bubble Puppy--Hot Smoke & Sasafrass (#14 US Billboard, 1969)



Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page with The Yardbirds--Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (#30 US Billboard, 1966)



Hank Garland with Elvis Presley--Ain't That Loving You Baby (recorded in 1958, but released in 1964) (#16 US Billboard, 1964)



Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin--Whole Lotta Love (#4 US Billboard, 1969)



Russ Ballard with Unit 2+4--Concrete And Clay (#28 US Billboard, 1965)

[Kbonger]

I always liked 25 or 6 to 4, but that was 1970.