Crosscut Saw
Albert King, 1967, from Born Under a Bad Sign. Solo by Albert King.
Huge bends from an upside-down Flying V.
Albert King's playing on 'Crosscut Saw' is a masterclass in how big a few notes can sound. Playing left-handed on a guitar strung for a right-hander, he bends strings in ways other players struggled to copy, pushing notes up with enormous, slow-motion force. Over a rolling, rumba-tinged groove, his solos are short and punchy, full of those massive bends and a sharp, cutting tone. His influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton and countless others is hard to overstate. Listen for how he lets a single bend rise, hover and fall, so one note seems to tell a whole story before the next phrase arrives.
Crosscut Saw by Albert King is ranked #178 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Albert King and the song was released in 1967. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #45 (Classic Rock (Louder)).
In our lists
- The 25 Greatest Blues Guitar Solos — #11
- Short & Perfect — #18
- Rolling Stone vs. Everyone — #24
- The Best Albert King Guitar Solos — #5
Sources
- Classic Rock (Louder): The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock — #45
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #77
Who played the guitar solo on Crosscut Saw?
Albert King played the solo on Albert King's Crosscut Saw (1967).
What guitar was used on the Crosscut Saw solo?
A gibson flying v, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Crosscut Saw rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#178 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 2 of them.