In progressive rock a guitar solo is rarely there just to show speed: at its best it is a movement in its own right, written into a long piece rather than bolted on to a short one. The best prog rock guitar solos of all time are listed here with the facts behind each one – the song, the album, the year – and, where they exist, the polls and critics that have singled them out. Here are five landmark solos, plus a handful more worth hearing.

“Comfortably Numb” — David Gilmour, Pink Floyd

“Comfortably Numb”, from The Wall (1979), actually holds two David Gilmour solos, the second of which carries the song to its end. It also ranks high on lists that cover every genre. Rolling Stone’s staff list of the 100 greatest guitar solos places it fourth, and in Guitar World’s 2022 readers’ poll it came third. For the rest of the band’s catalogue, start with my guide to the best Pink Floyd songs.

“Firth of Fifth” — Steve Hackett, Genesis

Steve Hackett’s lead break is the guitar centrepiece of “Firth of Fifth”, one of the longest songs on Genesis’s Selling England by the Pound (1973). It dates from the Peter Gabriel era of the band, when Genesis built its songs as extended suites. The best Genesis songs guide puts it in the context of that period.

“Starship Trooper: Würm” — Steve Howe, Yes

“Würm” is the third and last part of “Starship Trooper”, from The Yes Album (1971), the first Yes record with Steve Howe. Howe had written the instrumental section before he joined the band. Guitar writers Pete Prown and Lisa Sharken describe it as “a Bolero-paced chord sequence that builds into an explosive solo”. More from the band in the best Yes songs guide.

“La Villa Strangiato” — Alex Lifeson, Rush

“La Villa Strangiato” closes Rush’s Hemispheres (1978): an instrumental in several named sections, subtitled, with some self-awareness, “An Exercise in Self-Indulgence”. At its centre is an extended Alex Lifeson solo. The best Rush songs guide covers the rest of that run.

“Under a Glass Moon” — John Petrucci, Dream Theater

“Under a Glass Moon” comes from Images and Words (1992), the second Dream Theater album and the first with singer James LaBrie; the solo is John Petrucci’s. The best Dream Theater songs guide takes the story further.

More essential guitar solos

The list runs deep. Steve Rothery plays the lead on Marillion’s “Sugar Mice”, from Clutching at Straws (1987), and Andrew Latimer on Camel’s “Lady Fantasy”, from Mirage (1974). David Gilmour returns with the solos of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, from Wish You Were Here (1975), and Jan Akkerman plays lead on Focus’s “Hocus Pocus”, from Moving Waves (1971). In heavier territory, Mikael Åkerfeldt’s breaks run through Opeth’s catalogue. Any of these could head a list of its own.

Go deeper

Meet the players behind these moments in my countdown of the best progressive rock guitarists of all time, then explore the most memorable guitar riffs, the guitar tones and the essential guitar albums in the genre, plus the heavyweights of prog metal guitar. The prog musicians hub has the rest – from the greatest keyboardists to the finest drummers – and you can settle a few rivalries in the prog rock band comparisons.

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