Happy New Year, everybody! Sorry for the delayed follow-up in my Great Eight series. While traveling to Kansas and South Carolina to visit family for the holidays, this new topic struck me. Here are eight of my favorite “guitar god” moments from His Royal Badness in no particular order:

1. Shhh! (from The Gold Experience, 1995): "Ah, you say you want a slow jam? Then listen up, girl!" Prince scorches his guitar in Isley-esque fashion. Good call on Prince's part to keep this song to himself rather than giving it to Quincy Jones’ child protégé Tevin Campbell. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 5:04
2. Just My Imagination (from Small Club, 1988): Often considered his greatest after-show set, Prince and his Lovesexy band take this Temptations classic to new heights. His guitar work here is honestly one of his best ever. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 2:30
3. Bambi (from Prince, 1979): Ladies and gentlemen, this song inspired me to write this Great Eight post. His pent-up aggression jolts your senses and the ending solo is perfection! An underrated song on an underrated album. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 3:16
4. Joy in Repetition (from One Nite Alone… Live, 2002): If you read my previous Great Eight post on "Love Ballads" then you know I'm a huge fan of this song. If you own this live album, you understand why this is a no-brainer. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 2:53
5. Purple Rain (from NFL Super Bowl Halftime Show, 2007): No list would feel complete without this gem. Yes, you may have heard this song thousands of times but when he played this in front of a rainy Miami crowd, there was a newfound appreciation for it. His Super Bowl performance is generally considered the gold standard of all sporting events (but I say it's a toss-up between him and Michael Jackson's 1993 set… but that's a topic for another day). GUITAR GOD MOMENT: When Prince asks the crowd "Can I play this guitar?"
6. Let's Go Crazy (from Purple Rain, 1984): "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life…" The sound of it all makes me feel like I'm in a church... only difference is we've got Prince standing in the pulpit. From the organ intro to the heavenly guitar solo at the end, this track gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 3:52
7. When Doves Cry (from Purple Rain, 1984): We get a glimpse of what Prince's real-life relationship was like with his parents (primarily his mother since he did re-connect with his dad through their love of music). When he says "How could you just leave me standing? Alone in a world that's so cold?" that may have been a question he wanted to ask his mother who, he feels, abandoned him. GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 3:36
8. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man (from Sign o' the Times, 1987): Sign o' the Times is my all-time favorite Prince album and this tune is one of the many reasons why. That way he transitions between his electric/blues riffs is a stroke of genius! GUITAR GOD MOMENT: 2:52

Again, I apologize for the late post. How do you feel about the list above? Comment below.

While my guitar gently weeps should be #1 at the 2004 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

djdaffy1227 said:

While my guitar gently weeps should be #1 at the 2004 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Ooh, I should've known I was missing one. I was looking through my iTunes collection and I personally don't have an audio recording of WMGGW. Good eye, my friend!

djdaffy1227 said:

While my guitar gently weeps should be #1 at the 2004 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Agreed. I think you need to be somewhat familiar with the original song in order to really appreciate how that solo comes together and how he uses every note from the original track to forge his burning solo which sounds so "Prince" but is built completely and organically from the original song. Not to mention the way it's played, the actual performance - with every ounce of his epic arrogance thrown on top for good measure. Genius. at. work.

One of my all time favorite guitar god moments is from the Purple Rain tour, live in Atlanta when he performs Take Me With U. In the middle of the song he rips into a soaring guitar solo. Look for it and watch and listen. Your jaw will drop.

vinaysfunk said:

One of my all time favorite guitar god moments is from the Purple Rain tour, live in Atlanta when he performs Take Me With U. In the middle of the song he rips into a soaring guitar solo. Look for it and watch and listen. Your jaw will drop.

If I ever get a chance to come across the Atlanta '85 show, I'll keep an ear open for that solo. Thanks for checking out the list!

Noodled24 said:

djdaffy1227 said:

While my guitar gently weeps should be #1 at the 2004 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Agreed. I think you need to be somewhat familiar with the original song in order to really appreciate how that solo comes together and how he uses every note from the original track to forge his burning solo which sounds so "Prince" but is built completely and organically from the original song. Not to mention the way it's played, the actual performance - with every ounce of his epic arrogance thrown on top for good measure. Genius. at. work.

Well said. Prince definitely delivered the goods and paid homage to the original material. From what I've read, Prince was allegedly "sour" that Rolling Stone left him off of their Greatest Guitarists list at the time (hence the epic arrogance throw on top for good measure). If you look at the list today, you'll see that he's sitting comfortably at No. 33 all-time.

You have a great list, some of my all time favorite solos are on there like "I could never take the place of your man" and "Just my imagination". One of my other favorites not on your list is the solo at the end of "Why you wanna treat me so bad".

djdaffy1227 said:

You have a great list, some of my all time favorite solos are on there like "I could never take the place of your man" and "Just my imagination". One of my other favorites not on your list is the solo at the end of "Why you wanna treat me so bad".

It's funny you say that because when I was compiling this list, there was a toss-up moment between WYWTMSB and Bambi. After much debate, I went with Bambi because I felt that it had more "umph" behind its solo. Appreciate your feedback, my friend.

nopdaddy said:

One that should be on the list, it is on mine is Prince's performance Of Motherless Child from his Spanish TV show. When I first saw it it just made my jaw drop. I was so proud to be a long time Prince fan. I had that "In your face everyone" feeling. Love love loved that performance.

Can't say that I have seen/heard this performance yet. Any idea where I can hunt it down? I'm very interested!

If not the best then most likely one of his most beautiful is Pink Cashmere in my opinion. Together with the strokes at the end. My god, how good.

Great but Prince didn't keep Shhh to himself, he did give it to Tevin but recorded his own version.

Here's Tevin's version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqt56pTM5vU

ChrisLacy1990 said:

Noodled24 said:

Agreed. I think you need to be somewhat familiar with the original song in order to really appreciate how that solo comes together and how he uses every note from the original track to forge his burning solo which sounds so "Prince" but is built completely and organically from the original song. Not to mention the way it's played, the actual performance - with every ounce of his epic arrogance thrown on top for good measure. Genius. at. work.

Well said. Prince definitely delivered the goods and paid homage to the original material. From what I've read, Prince was allegedly "sour" that Rolling Stone left him off of their Greatest Guitarists list at the time (hence the epic arrogance throw on top for good measure). If you look at the list today, you'll see that he's sitting comfortably at No. 33 all-time.

Arrogance perhaps wasn't the right word. But he plays with a lot of showmanship and nonchalance, not simply content to play a clever, fairly complex and at times very fast solo. He also makes it look so effortless - pulling faces, showing off on the fret board and even falling backwards off the stage in a leap of faith moment. On top of all that he's also mechanically acurate thoughout.

Brilliant list from you, ChrisL1990.......

Indeed, thats some very excellent "guitar God moments"..

Nice list. I thought I could easily come up with another 4 or 5, but truth is I got nothin. Good list

Excellent list indeed and difficult to argue with. Those are indeed extremely valid choices.

Here are some others I think worthy of consideration :

I Hate U

The Ride

Another Lonely Christmas

Dinner With Delores

Empty Room

Alexa de Paris

When Will B Paid

When I Lay My Hands On U

Witness 4 the Prosecution

Kiss

... among a few I care to mention. If we indluded live boot material, the list would be much longer.

Aerogram said:

Excellent list indeed and difficult to argue with. Those are indeed extremely valid choices.

Here are some others I think worthy of consideration :

I Hate U

The Ride

Another Lonely Christmas

Dinner With Delores

Empty Room

Alexa de Paris

When Will B Paid

When I Lay My Hands On U

Witness 4 the Prosecution

Kiss

... among a few I care to mention. If we indluded live boot material, the list would be much longer.

VERY nice list, Aerogram! "Alexa de Paris" and "I Hate U" were contenders on my early configurations also. And yes, if we expanded upon live bootleg material, the list would be RIDICULOUS!

By the way, thank you for the correction earlier on the Tevin Campbell bit.

thedance said:

Brilliant list from you, ChrisL1990.......

Indeed, thats some very excellent "guitar God moments"..

Thank you very much! Feel free to check out my previous Great Eight posts. Would love to hear your thoughts on those topics as well.

mostbeautifulboy said:

Nice list. I thought I could easily come up with another 4 or 5, but truth is I got nothin. Good list

Really appreciate your comment! I do my best to stay true to the topic I'm discussing. I understand that a list won't be perfect but I want my Great Eight to be so strong that Org members say "OK, I see why Chris chose this song instead of (insert any Prince song here)."

Taurus said:

The solo in Another Lonely Christmas should be listed here.

Hmm, I will agree with you that the ending solo here is pretty neat (the long note he holds is where the sweet spot is!)

Wolfie87 said:

If not the best then most likely one of his most beautiful is Pink Cashmere in my opinion. Together with the strokes at the end. My god, how good.

Oooh, you definitely got me there! Only dilemma I have now is deciding which song "Pink Cashmere" would replace? Ugh, this is the curse of the "Great Eight". Awesome choice!

DarylB said:

Where is Peach?This great rocker isn't mentioned!

"Peach" is definitely a contender for this list! Man, Prince has TOO many hits to fit on a Great Eight post.

joyinrepetition said:

Don't forget I'm Yours! Straight rocker from beginning to end. Bass is slamming in this joint too! Shit, so are the drums.

Yet again, another tune I overlooked! At 2:47, Prince goes absolutely mental on the axe. Good looking out on that one.

Wolfie87 said:

If not the best then most likely one of his most beautiful is Pink Cashmere in my opinion. Together with the strokes at the end. My god, how good.

That's what I'm saying

Did I miss it or has nobody mentioned the performance of "Fury" on SNL?