10 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos Of All Time
7. Alive - Pearl Jam
For as much of an impact grunge made in the 90's, most bands in the early days were not necessarily known for their shredding. The guitar tracks from Mudhoney always seemed particularly slapdash, and while Nirvana's Kurt Cobain wrote some great songs, most of his guitar leads could be figured out by any rudimentary player.
On the other hand, Pearl Jam always had a different vibe whenever they picked up their instruments. The riffs were more in tune with classic rock, while Mike McCready's leads gave the band more hard rock street cred. There are many moments on the band's debut Ten where McCready really lets loose, but "Alive" may be the tastiest solo of the entire grunge movement.
The whole outro of the tune is dominated by McCready's shredding, as he goes from blues licks to Jimmy Page style ripping. Whereas the other band members were rooted in hard rock and punk, McCready was able to show his deep love for blues rockers like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.
Recorded in just two takes, this solo was what made a million guitarists perk up their ears about this mysterious band from Seattle. In just a few short minutes, McCready captured the spirit of Hendrix and put it in a different context for a new generation.