5 of the Most Epic Guitar Solos of the 70s

Nothing hits like a killer guitar solo. And some of the most epic guitar solos of all time burst out of the seams of songs from the ’70s. For nostalgia’s sake, let’s look at just a few of the very best guitar solos to come out of the 1970s era of rock music!

1. “Time” by Pink Floyd

“Comfortably Numb” could have gotten a spot on this list, but we’re particularly fond of the incredible guitar solo in “Time” by Pink Floyd. David Gilmour was not playing games on this track from the 1973 album The Dark Side Of The Moon. The way he plays is simple, but that simplicity is far from boring. “Powerful” is a better word for this performance.

2. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

This wouldn’t be a decent list of epic guitar solos from the ‘70s without mentioning “Free Bird”. The song itself has gotten bigger than the band in a way. This incredible guitar solo from 1973 was Allen Collins’ finest recorded performance, and it wasn’t overly complicated. The live versions are all stellar, too.

3. “Highway Star” by Deep Purple

Ritchie Blackmore delivered quite a few iconic guitar solos through the 1970s. In fact, we’d be bold enough to say that he’s a bit of an unsung hero when it comes to guitar solos that inspired generations of rock guitarists who followed in his footsteps. His solo on “Highway Star” is a great example, and also a noteworthy example of Blackmore’s love of Johann Sebastian Bach.

4. “Eruption” by Van Halen

Epic guitar solos from the ‘70s have come from a number of iconic guitarists, and Eddie Van Halen dominated most of them. So many aspiring guitarists heard the solo in “Eruption” for the first time and got that final push to pick up a guitar and start playing. At almost two minutes long, the solo in “Eruption” is a great example of Van Halen’s endurance as an instrumentalist.

5. “Beyond The Realms Of Death” by Judas Priest

“Beyond The Realms Of Death” by Judas Priest is heavy metal godhood in just under seven minutes. It’s one of the most recognizable power ballads of all time. The whole of the song is legendary, from Rob Halford’s incredible vocals to both Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing’s respective guitar solos.

Photo by Ian Dickson/Shutterstock

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