RUSH Guitarist Alex Lifeson Chooses Three Favourite Guitar Solos

February 4, 2009, 15 years ago

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Musicradar.com spoke with RUSH guitar legend Alex Lifeson about his three favourite solos. His answers are as follows:

1. 'Limelight' (1981):

"I love the elasticity of the solo. It's a very emotional piece of music for me to play. The song is about loneliness and isolation, and I think the solo reflects that. There's a lot of heart in it. It's a feel thing: you have to feel a solo as you play it, otherwise it's going to sound stiff. I never had that problem with Limelight."

2. 'Kid Gloves' (1984):

"That song is from our Grace Under Pressure album. What I like about the solo is, it's the opposite of 'Limelight': it's got a hip, kind of slinky attitude, a little goofy humor. When I play it, I feel a certain confidence, also like a prankster, which is not the way I am in real life at all.

3. 'Freewill' (1980):

"It's a really hard solo to play. I think I feel a certain amount of pride in that fact alone. Every time I play it, I'm amazed I got through it. It's so frenetic and exciting. The rhythm section too - Geddy and Neil are all over the place. It's probably one of the most ambitious pieces of music Rush has ever done."

Read more of Lifeson's commentary here.

'Limelight':

'Kid Gloves':

'Freewill':


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