Holy Are You
Electric Prunes, 1968. Solo by Ken Williams.
Holy Are You pairs a reverent, slow-moving vocal with fuzz guitar that sounds as if it has wandered in from a much louder record. Ken Williams keeps his lines short and textural, using the fuzz to add grain and tension rather than to show off. The contrast between the devotional mood and the gritty guitar is the whole appeal, and it captures the late-1960s urge to fold sacred music into psychedelia. The Gretsch underneath gives the fuzz a thin, brittle edge that sits well against the voices. It is a small, strange period piece that rewards patient listening. Listen for the way the fuzz notes swell and hang in the air, filling the gaps between the vocal lines.
Holy Are You by Electric Prunes is ranked #215 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Ken Williams and the song was released in 1968. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #43 (NME).
In our lists
Sources
- NME: 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #43
- Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #187
Who played the guitar solo on Holy Are You?
Ken Williams played the solo on Electric Prunes's Holy Are You (1968).
What guitar was used on the Holy Are You solo?
A gretsch, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Holy Are You rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#215 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 2 of them.