Superfuzz Bigmuff: What is the best guitar solo in grunge?
During the mid-1970s, when the revolution of punk rock rolled around, fueled by adrenaline, sweat, and safety pins, rock and roll music was stripped to its bare essentials. Gone were the overblown, overcomplicated riffs and self-important solos, replaced by short, sharp power chords and a snarling attitude. However, the more infectious aspects of guitar playing – namely, solos – started to creep back into the realm of punk, becoming an integral part of the grunge scene which blossomed during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Forged in Washington, grunge took heavy inspiration from DIY punk and hardcore, with groups like Black Flag providing an essential part of the scene’s inspiration. Much like their earlier punk contemporaries, grunge initially favoured a stripped-back, raw guitar sound, reflecting its confrontational slacker lyricism. Nevertheless, the scene produced a wealth of awe-inspiringly talented guitarists, ranging from Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard to Alice In Chains axeman Jerry Cantrell.
By the late 1980s, when grunge was beginning to break out of its Seattle hub, the art of the guitar solo had been hijacked by the influx of hair metal bands that populated the rock charts for much of the decade. These soloists often opted for overly complex and generally emotionless solos as a means of showing off their skills, while often adding very little to the substance of a song.
In contrast, the grunge scene always favoured substance over style, and iconic solos like that of Soundgarden’s ‘Black Hole Sun’ perfectly reflected the inherent rebellion of grunge and how it sought to move away from the commercialism of mainstream rock at the time. Certain groups tended to favour the art of the solo more than others – Nirvana, for instance, did not always burst into guitar solos, particularly when compared to a group like Alice In Chains, who produced so many beloved solos.
But what is the best grunge guitar solo?
Given the grassroots nature of grunge, which always acted in defiance of commercialism and mainstream appeal, the idea of a solo hierarchy doesn’t necessarily fit with the ethos of the movement. However, grunge fans all inevitably have their preferred guitar solos. While the likes of ‘Brush Away’ by Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam’s ‘Do The Evolution’, or even ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ by Nirvana make up some fan favourites, it is difficult to think of a guitar solo which sums up the grunge movement as expertly as ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ by Mudhoney.
Although they were never afforded the same mainstream appeal as groups like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, or Soundgarden, Mudhoney were an utterly essential band in the development of the grunge scene. Formed from the ashes of Green River back in 1988, the group laid the foundations for many of the sounds of conventions that went on to define the grunge scene, and guitarists Mark Arm and Steve Turner crafted a host of raw, distorted, and utterly captivating guitar riffs to reflect this sonic revolution.
‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ was the band’s debut single, released in 1988 via Sub Pop, and quickly became a defining moment for Mudhoney and the wider grunge scene. A riotous two-and-a-half minute track, the song captures virtually everything that was so appealing about grunge: its raw power, aggression, distortion, and DIY ethos were all placed in focus on ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’. As such, the song’s iconic guitar solo reflects the spirit and manifesto of grunge equally as adeptly.
Sure, the solo might not be as complex or expansive as some other contenders for the greatest grunge solo, but it is difficult to think of any other track which so succinctly and expertly captured the spirit of grunge in a few short licks. You only need to look at the chaos caused during the song’s live performances to understand the lasting power of its composition.
