Achilles Last Stand
Led Zeppelin, 1976, from Presence. Solo by Jimmy Page.
Jimmy Page treats the solo on Achilles Last Stand less as a single statement than as an arranging job, stacking guitar lines into harmonies that sound almost orchestral. Over John Bonham's relentless galloping rhythm, the lead phrases rise and fall in waves rather than resolving neatly, which suits a ten-minute song built on forward motion. His Les Paul tone is bright and slightly raw, and the parts interlock so tightly that it can be hard to tell where one overdub ends and the next begins. It showed a generation of rock players that a solo could be composed and layered like a score. Listen for the moment the harmonized lines split apart and answer each other across the stereo field.
Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin is ranked #155 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Jimmy Page and the song was released in 1976. It appears on 4 lists, placing as high as #17 (Tower Records Japan (TOWER RECORDS ONLINE)).
In our lists
Sources
- Tower Records Japan (TOWER RECORDS ONLINE): 【結果発表】「ギターソロがかっこいい曲」アンケートキャンペーン — #17
- Ranker: The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #50
- Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) — #70
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #127
Who played the guitar solo on Achilles Last Stand?
Jimmy Page played the solo on Led Zeppelin's Achilles Last Stand (1976).
What guitar was used on the Achilles Last Stand solo?
A gibson les paul, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Achilles Last Stand rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#155 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 4 of them.