What happened to guitar solos? Remember them? There aren’t any to be found in the mindless drivel that is today’s popular “music.” Doubtless some evil record company executive found a way to squeeze more money out of music without solos.

A late night commercial for “Heavy Metal Ballads from the 80’s” or some such K-Tel Records crap made me think about guitar solos. (Seriously… stick with me here…)

Back when music was good, the guitar player was the singer’s right hand man. David Lee Roth had Eddie Van Halen, Jon Bon Jovi had Richie Sambora, that singer from Poison had that weird looking guitar player, whatever his name was. Hell, the Scorpions singer was so bad, he needed TWO guitar players!

But they soloed. At some point in the song, the mediocre vocals would take a rest, and there would be a minute or so for some melody, for the guitar to take the spotlight. And now, all the cookie cutter bands that look the same and sound the same and act the same just… sing. Cut and paste, music-by-the-numbers, manufactured formula songs that are squeezed out like so many turds. It’s sad, really.

And what of the sidekicks? Those guitar gods… The ones that, according to that late night commercial “taught us how to love”? Where are they now? Ritchie Sambora just got dumped by Heather Locklear after many years of marriage. Eddie Van Halen also got dumped AND had a hip replacement. That Poison guitar guy? Who the hell was he? He can’t even get on a cheezy reality show these days.

Sad but true, once the soloing stops… and cookie cutter manufacturing takes over… you just end up… solo.

Author: frenchy