That Smell
Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1977, from Street Survivors. Solo by Steve Gaines, Allen Collins.
Released days before the plane crash, it features the band's three-guitar attack at its most menacing.
That Smell is a grim warning about drink and drugs, and the band's three-guitar lineup gives it a coiled, uneasy sound. Steve Gaines and Allen Collins handle much of the lead work, with twisting, biting lines that cut through the dense mix and never quite settle into comfort. The guitars often answer the vocal phrases, adding sharp little stabs that sound like warnings of their own. Harmony passages bring a slightly eerie edge, because the voicings feel tense rather than sweet. It captures the late lineup at its most focused and hard-hitting. Listen for the way the three guitars split into separate roles, rhythm, fills and lead, and how the tension between them keeps the groove unsettled.
That Smell by Lynyrd Skynyrd is ranked #367 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Steve Gaines, Allen Collins and the song was released in 1977. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #189 (Digital Dream Door).
In our lists
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on That Smell?
Steve Gaines, Allen Collins played the solo on Lynyrd Skynyrd's That Smell (1977).
Where does That Smell rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#367 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.