10 Greatest Guitar Solos Of The '70s

9. La Grange - ZZ Top

Even though rock was progressing beyond the tradition methods of the '60s, there was still a big market for blues rock. While bands were tinkering with prog and punk was on the horizon, bands like ZZ Top were holding down the fort for some of the greatest licks to come out of the heart of Texas. The band would certainly attain legendary status in the '80s, but their classic material first reared its head on "La Grange."

From a structural standpoint, there isn't much with this tune, with most of it being centered around just one chord, but Billy Gibbons ends up blowing our minds in the bridge. Switching to a completely different key, Gibbons wails with some of the most emotional guitar bends of the entire decade, almost as if he's trying to squeeze the life out of every phrase he plays. Rather than sounding like an imitation of Zeppelin or the Yardbirds, Gibbons' playing feels like the direct antecedent of the true blues cats like Albert King and Muddy Waters.

Dialed in with just the right amount of distortion, the entire solo has a weird sheen that both calls back to the classic blues sound while pointing the way forward to the more futuristic sounds of the band's '80s hits. Some people might tell you the key to rock is about speed, but Billy Gibbons taught us all that the real power comes from how much much emotion you have.

 
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