20 greatest guitar solos named

England's Guitarist magazine recently did a poll to select the greatest guitar solos of all time.

Admittedly a totally subjective pursuit, they nonetheless asked their readership to nominate their all-time favorites. Once the suggestions were in, they took the top twenty and put them up to a second vote to get the final ranking.

The results were a rather standard list of rock guitar greatness topped by a rather unlikely record, 2007's Blackbird by post-Creed rockers Alter Bridge. It received 16.52% of the final vote (compared with number 20's .57%). In between are two from Eddie Van Halen (one with Van Halen and one for Michael Jackson), Slash, John Petrucci, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix.

The final list (18 of 20 are by veteran artists):

1.Blackbird - Alter Bridge (Mark Tremonti & Myles Kennedy)
2.Eruption - Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
3.Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses (Slash)
4.November Rain - Guns N' Roses (Slash)
5.Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (Pulse: Live) (David Gilmour)
6.Hollow Years - Dream Theater (Live at Budokan) (John Petrucci)
7.Under a Glass Moon - Dream Theater (John Petrucci)
8.Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
9.Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd (Gary Rossington & Allen Collins)
10.Tornado of Souls - Megadeth (Marty Friedman)
11.Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix
12.For the Love of God - Steve Vai
13.All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
14.Hotel California - Eagles (Joe Walsh & Don Felder)
15.Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler)
16.Since I've Been Loving You So Long - Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
17.Still Got the Blues For You - Gary Moore
18.Beat It - Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen)
19.Motorcycle Emptiness - Manic Street Preachers (James Dean Bradfield)
20.Aqualung - Jethro Tull (Martin Barre)