Life in the Fast Lane
Eagles, 1976, from Hotel California. Solo by Joe Walsh.
Walsh's snarling riff and lead work gave the Eagles one of their hardest-rocking tracks soon after he joined.
Life in the Fast Lane is the moment the Eagles sounded like a real rock band, and Joe Walsh's guitar is the reason. The song is driven by his sharp, snarling riff, which carries the verses as much as any vocal line. His lead work adds bite and swagger, full of tart bends and aggressive attack that match the song's portrait of excess. Walsh brought a rougher, rowdier edge to a band known for harmonies and country-rock polish, and this track shows the fit working perfectly. Listen for how the riff and the lead lines interlock, and notice the grit in the tone during the solo, which sounds deliberately untidy compared with the band's earlier records.
Life in the Fast Lane by Eagles is ranked #301 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Joe Walsh and the song was released in 1976. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #50 (SiriusXM (countdown transcribed on PRS Guitars forum)).
In our lists
- The 25 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #14
- The Best Eagles Guitar Solos — #2
- The Best Joe Walsh Guitar Solos — #5
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on Life in the Fast Lane?
Joe Walsh played the solo on Eagles's Life in the Fast Lane (1976).
Where does Life in the Fast Lane rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#301 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.