Which 80s finger slinger wrote the most unique solos?

japetus said:
Amazing tone. I was too young to really be into 80's music but that playing is just badass and a killer tone for the vibe of the production. Operation Mindcrime is an amazing album to just isolate yourself, maybe puff something, get some good headphones and go on a journey.
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Same! I was born 90, and though I was definitely saturated with 80s music in my youth from older people like my Dad, only a few bands stuck, though the influences to my playing couldn't be denied. When I was in my 20s, I would get EVH comments all the time even though I never listened to him myself. Steve Vai and Satch, all the normal 'Guitar God' influences when you are a kid.

I have grown out of enjoying a lot of that like I used to, but not that QR album. Mindcrime is just a little bit of a masterpiece. I am surprised that I can listen to it now with even more joy than when I was younger.
 
japetus said:
Amazing tone. I was too young to really be into 80's music but that playing is just badass and a killer tone for the vibe of the production. Operation Mindcrime is an amazing album to just isolate yourself, maybe puff something, get some good headphones and go on a journey.
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I showed the album to my wife after we got married. I'll randomly sing a line, and she can finish it. The album has some absolute smash hits. The intro to 'The Mission' is still amongst one of the greatest track openings EVER. 'Suite Sister Mary' - Yes.

EDIT: WIfe heard me playing 'The Mission' from the other room and just came in singing it LOL She said "I don't even like 80s music but that album is BADASS."

I was wrong, we listened to Queensryche together when we pretty much first met and randomly went on a 2 week trip together. That trip changed my entire life.
 
JackBootedThug said:
I always laugh when guys mention poison, white lion, winger and some others… back in my high school days they were considered posers and chick bands…lol… watched a dude get his ass whooped in the bathroom because he wrote in the school paper white lion was better than AC/DC… ohhh the silly stuff back then compared to now…
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His name didn’t happen to be Stewart, did it? 😁
 
stratjacket said:
On those first few albums when I’ve really didn’t know too much about how to play, I really thought Michael Wilton was the “good guitarist” but as I got older and learned those tunes it was Chris Degarmo who had all the sexy melodies and hooks. I think he was the key to the band because after he left they never sounded the same.
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Well said................Degarmo was the soul of Queensryche
 
romanianreaper said:
Warren DeMartini, and isn't even close. Listen to the solo on "Nobody Rides for Free". His catalog was peppered with goodness like that.
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Seeing Warren ripping on stage at his peak was certainly awesome.

For me Jake was a step above him.

Randy was about 2 steps above Jake.

Imho.



 
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JackBootedThug said:
I always laugh when guys mention poison, white lion, winger and some others… back in my high school days they were considered posers and chick bands…lol… watched a dude get his ass whooped in the bathroom because he wrote in the school paper white lion was better than AC/DC… ohhh the silly stuff back then compared to now…
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You could've been killed for knocking AC/DC. There was like a dozen dudes in a clique that wore their shirts every day. And when it wasn't AC/DC shirts kicking the shit out of kids it was Kreator dudes with mullets in Camaros chasing them down. Also, if you liked Bob Marley you also better profess a strong love for Pantera or the Pantera dudes and the rednecks would both work together to eliminate you from the gene pool. Dangerous times.

I had a buddy who lived across the lake who would only listen to his favorite band, Kix, when he was out in the safety of his small runabout. :LOL:
 
Metalhex said:
Zakk wylde. Blazing fast pentatonic lickd and his signature lick that is hard to describe.....the 3 note lick where does a tap and pull of thing where the notes are either descending or ascending chromatically. He does it for example in I don't want to save the world if that helps
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It's his fake whammy harmonic. Did it a lot on No Rest especially.

Zakk is definitely one of the most unique guys to come out of the 80s, and he brought a more straightforward, AC/DC blues rock vibe to Ozzy. In a time when super liquidy tapped arpeggios was king, his playing was deliberately choppy and straightforward pentatonics.
 
DanTravis62 said:
Criss was a fucking monster of a player, and has a very idiosyncratic technique

His stuff is really "slippery" with a lot of odd hammers/pull offs and it's really uniquely voiced
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Criss is easily in my top four favorite guitar players. To me, he's up there with EVH, Yngwie and Lynch. I’ve learned a lot playing his music.
 
psychodave said:
Criss is easily in my top four favorite guitar players. To me, he's up there with EVH, Yngwie and Lynch. I’ve learned a lot playing his music.
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Same. He approaches leads and melodies in a really original way that sounds like no one else, and learning his stuff has opened my mind to a ton of new voicings and ideas
 
VonBonfire said:
You could've been killed for knocking AC/DC. There was like a dozen dudes in a clique that wore their shirts every day. And when it wasn't AC/DC shirts kicking the shit out of kids it was Kreator dudes with mullets in Camaros chasing them down.
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Not that anyone will be surprised, but I spent a good chunk of the 80s wearing a Kreator Pleasure to Kill shirt while sporting a mullet and driving a 75 Camaro.
 
Agree with Vito, Lynch, Warren, and it's awesome that Chris Oliva is mentioned here. I was just thinking about him yesterday cause I heard Doc (former drummer) on a local radio ad here. Chris had such cool phrasing. That band never really survived his death imo.
 
What about Dan Huff? Didn't he play some great 80s metal solos that the original members couldn't pull off.
 
A lot of good stuff here so I was trying to think of someone who has not been mentioned yet. So I'm going to say Skid Row. Dual guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill. I loved the riffs and the solo tones. Little known fact is that they had to pay Gary Moore for the rights to use the name because he already had a band named that in Europe :dunno:

+1 Reb Beach. Huge influence on me.

JackBootedThug said:
I always laugh when guys mention poison, white lion, winger and some others… back in my high school days they were considered posers and chick bands…lol… watched a dude get his ass whooped in the bathroom because he wrote in the school paper white lion was better than AC/DC… ohhh the silly stuff back then compared to now…
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I definitely get that. I had friends in both camps and both sides made fun of the other. But I could go from Megadeth to Poison on my cassette player without concern. :lol:

 
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