The guitar solo that both Dave Grohl and Joe Satriani are in awe of: “Bring you to tears”
The 1970s was the decade of the guitar solo.
It was a period in musical history where rock and roll opulence was given permission to flourish. Music wasn’t hampered by expectations of humility and conservatism that preceded it, nor was it competing with the oncoming wave of new instruments and electronic music. No in the ‘70s, music had hit a sweet spot of expressive confidence and the guitar was the champion of that.
The blues scene that had developed in the late 1960s had platformed the new purveyors of this idea. Jimi Hendrix led the way, turning the guitar into a virtuosic companion that inspired the likes of Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. All of these icons were footsoldiers of the London blues scene that helped make expansive guitar playing what it was in the ‘70s, bending licks and cascading down scales whenever the song allowed and in turn, helped define the guitar solo as a concept.
Maybe it’s Page’s name, that steps forward in this debate to be crowned the true king of the guitar solo. He wrote what is arguably the most iconic and influential in ‘Stairway To Heaven’, as well as countless others for Led Zeppelin. And it was in that catalogue of songs, unfairly named as others, that both Dave Grohl and Joe Satriani found inspiration.
It came just one album before ‘Stairway To Heaven’, where the band were still building off the humble blocks of blues rock. But it was on ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ that Page showed how his power and ability could turn a simple and traditional sonic idea, into something more expansive.
Satriani explained, “‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ was a perfect example of taking a blues structure but striking out on your own. They were breaking ground, not copying. I love that Page would always just go for it. Some other guitarist might have better technique, but what Page did would always trump it because the spirit was so overwhelming. Whatever he did would turn into a technique.”
Of course, Page’s performances could overwhelm listeners, with its astonishing representation of technique. But that never came at the expense of feeling and emotion. Staying faithful to the true intent of blues rock, Page wrote licks and solos in a way that made sure some emotional response was triggered, despite the hypnotic style of his playing.
”When I listen to Zeppelin bootlegs,” Grohl told Rolling Stone, ”His solos can make me laugh or they can make me tear up. Any live version of ‘Since I Been Loving You’ will bring you to tears and fill you with joy all at once. Page doesn’t just use his guitar as an instrument. For him, it’s like some sort of emotional translator.”
It was Page at his very best. Blending blues rock conventions with the expansive style of ‘70s rock and roll, and his continued ability to sit somewhere between these two lines is ultimately what made him one of the most respected musicians of the era.
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