The Width of a Circle
David Bowie, 1970, from The Man Who Sold the World. Solo by Mick Ronson.
Across eight minutes Ronson moves from acoustic strum to heavy, extended soloing that previewed the Spiders from Mars sound.
The Width of a Circle runs for eight minutes and moves through several moods, with Mick Ronson's guitar at its center. It starts with acoustic strumming, then shifts into heavy riffs and extended solos that foreshadowed the Spiders from Mars sound. Ronson's phrasing is bluesy and bold, full of wide vibrato and dramatic bends, and his tone is thick and cutting. The song showed how Bowie's music could carry hard rock intensity alongside theatrical ambition. Listen for how Ronson's solos build over the band's riffs, turning the track into a guitar showcase without losing its narrative thread.
The Width of a Circle by David Bowie is ranked #305 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Mick Ronson and the song was released in 1970. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #64 (uDiscover Music).
In our lists
- The 25 Greatest Glam Guitar Solos — #4
- The Best David Bowie Guitar Solos — #4
- The Best Mick Ronson Guitar Solos — #2
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on The Width of a Circle?
Mick Ronson played the solo on David Bowie's The Width of a Circle (1970).
Where does The Width of a Circle rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#305 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.