Rumble
Link Wray, 1958. Solo by Link Wray.
The distorted power chord that started it all.
Rumble barely has a solo in the usual sense, yet few guitar recordings have mattered more. Link Wray leans on slow, heavy, distorted chords, letting each one ring and decay while the tremolo shimmers underneath, and the menace comes from what he leaves out. The grit in his tone was unusual for 1958, and the story that he poked holes in his amp speaker to get it has become part of rock folklore. Its sound was considered threatening enough that some radio stations refused to play an instrumental with no words at all. Later players who built careers on power chords and loud amps have pointed back to it. Listen for the pauses between chords: the silence is doing as much work as the notes.
Rumble by Link Wray is ranked #208 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Link Wray and the song was released in 1958. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #56 (Rolling Stone).
In our lists
- One and Only — #33
- The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #18
- The 25 Greatest Rock and Roll Guitar Solos — #7
- Whammy, Fuzz & Feedback — #22
- Rolling Stone vs. Everyone — #15
Sources
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #56
- uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments — #94
Who played the guitar solo on Rumble?
Link Wray played the solo on Link Wray's Rumble (1958).
What guitar was used on the Rumble solo?
A danelectro, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Rumble rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#208 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 2 of them.