Top 5 Electric Guitar Instrumentals of All-Time

(Originally posted on "Moment of Truth" on Tuesday, January 15, 2008)

This is a subject I care deeply about. But seriously, it is difficult to make an instrumental pop track that is truly compelling. I feel that the following tracks meet that requirement. They also showcase some truly incredible playing!

1) Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Little Wing" - The original, composed by Jimi Hendrix, is a pop masterpiece, and (naturally) contains some great guitar playing. The song has been covered numerous times, most notably by Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton + Duane Allman = best band to record only one album? that list coming soon...)

2) Eric Johnson, "Cliffs of Dover" - You may not have heard of this song, but if you've listened to hard rock radio much, I guarantee it will sound familiar to you. The best original composition for an instrumental guitar song ever, with only one other that even comes close, IMHO (see #5, below).

3) Yngvie Malmsteen, "Canon in D" - Fans of this classical classic, if you've ever wanted to hear this song truly rocked out, Malmsteen's version is a must-listen. I have to point out here that there is a video of an amateur guitarist playing Canon in his bedroom on youtube, and this video happens to be the 10th most-viewed and 2nd-most favorited video of all time on Youtube (as of this writing). And it is a good rendition. I still prefer Malmsteen's version. That's how good it is.

4) Jeff Beck, "A Day in the Life" - An instrumental of one of Beatles' greatest and most highly regarded songs, this track was recorded for inclusion in George Martin's In My Life, an album of Beatles covers put together in 1999 (George Martin produced most of the Beatles' music, including Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's, and Abbey Road, as well all of their early stuff). This album may be better known for Sean Connery's version of "In My Life," but "A Day in the Life" is the true highlight.

5) Santana, "Samba Pa Ti" - From the classic album Abraxas, Carlos Santana demonstrated early on that his guitar was the true lead singer of Santana.