Paradise City
Guns N' Roses, 1987, from Appetite for Destruction. Solo by Slash.
Slash gets two chances to shine on this anthem: a tidy, melodic solo in the middle and a flurry of fast pentatonic runs as the song kicks into a higher gear at the end. His Les Paul tone is warm and growling, and his phrasing balances speed with melodic hooks that stick. The final section, where the tempo climbs and Slash keeps pushing, is one of the most exciting endings in 1980s rock. It helped define the band's blend of punk energy and classic-rock craft. Listen for how he threads short melodic ideas into the fast runs, so even the most frantic passages still have a shape you can follow.
Paradise City by Guns N' Roses is ranked #116 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Slash and the song was released in 1987. It appears on 4 lists, placing as high as #3 (Magazyn Gitarzysta).
In our lists
- The Most-Taught Solos — #45
- See Them Live — #40
- The Road Trip 50 — #26
- The 25 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos — #23
- The 1980s — #23
- Best of Slash — #3
- Most Divisive — #18
- The Best Guns N' Roses Guitar Solos — #4
- The Best Slash Guitar Solos — #3
Sources
- Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #3
- Planet Rock (UK radio) listener poll, reported by laut.de: Umfrage: Bestes Gitarrensolo aller Zeiten gesucht — #17
- Planet Rock: The 75 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #73
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #136
Who played the guitar solo on Paradise City?
Slash played the solo on Guns N' Roses's Paradise City (1987).
What guitar was used on the Paradise City solo?
A gibson les paul, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Paradise City rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#116 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 4 of them.