by Matt Barr

Greatest guitar solo

A Small Victory via Sanity's Edge are wondering aloud: What is the greatest rock and roll guitar solo of all time? The greatest rock and roll guitar solo of all time, let me be perfectly clear, is solo #1 from "Telegraph Road," by Mark Knopfler from Love Over Gold by Dire Straits. The only guitar solo which even approaches this is the solo to end "Tunnel of Love," by Mark Knopfler from Making Movies by Dire Straits. That there is debate on this topic betrays... I don't know, a fat lot of nonsense.

The five songs on Love Over Gold, including the 14:15 opus "Telegraph Road," were carefully hand-crafted to perfection -- that is, played over and over and over and over until absolutely perfect to Knopfler's taste. This is the reason he's cited for the band releasing its Twisting By the Pool EP immediately afterward, a four-song get-your-yah-yahs bit of sloppy rock that must have been cathartic after spending so much time on the likes of "Private Investigations."

Every note in "Telegraph Road" is testament to this attention to detail. Attention to detail, of course, can't make a crap song good, but they're all good songs, not great, and I daresay more time was spent perfecting them than your run of the mill rock album fare. The first solo, running from about 4:06 to about 4:59, is perfect. Perfect in every way. Perfect beyond adequate description (if you hadn't noticed). Go listen if you don't believe me.

A piano solo hands off to it, and it flexes a little and starts off with a chug followed by trademark Knopfler bends and lilts expertly woven into the background rhythm. It complements what's going on around it in the song so perfectly you're left with the impression the solo must have played itself, organically springing from the background after the piano player petered out and said "you have a go." Part of Knopfler's trademark sound is accomplished by his not using a pick, and there's no stray "clang" or chirp in this solo; it is sublimely beautiful and perfect. I think I've said that already, but it is.

Ok, we've cleared that up, then. I've also added two songs to my top 25, neither involving Mark Knopfler nor, indeed, guitar solos.

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