California Dreamin'
Eddie Hazel, 1977. Solo by Eddie Hazel.
From his only solo album; Hazel turns the Mamas & the Papas hit into a heavy guitar showcase.
On his only solo album, Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs, Eddie Hazel takes the Mamas and the Papas' folk-pop hit and remakes it as a heavy guitar feature. The familiar melody is still there, but his thick fuzz tone and swooping bends turn it into something darker and more psychedelic. He stretches out in the solo sections with the same long, crying phrases that made his work with Funkadelic so affecting. It is a reminder that Hazel could make a pop tune his own simply through tone and feel. Listen for the way he dwells on single notes, shaping them with vibrato, instead of filling space with speed.
California Dreamin' by Eddie Hazel is featured in our Funk & Soul (#14) list. The solo is played by Eddie Hazel and the song was released in 1977.
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Who played the guitar solo on California Dreamin'?
Eddie Hazel played the solo on Eddie Hazel's California Dreamin' (1977).