Yellow Ledbetter
Pearl Jam, 1992, from Jeremy (single). Solo by Mike McCready.
McCready's lead lines run through the whole song, a gentle Hendrix tribute that became a fan-favourite concert closer.
Yellow Ledbetter is not built around a single solo; instead, Mike McCready's lead lines run through the whole song. His playing is gentle and fluid, a clear tribute to Hendrix, with soft bends, slides and chordal fills that weave around Eddie Vedder's vocal. The song's relaxed, dreamy feel makes it a fan-favourite concert closer, and McCready has often stretched it out live. It shows the warmer, more melodic side of Pearl Jam's guitar work. Listen for how his lines drift between rhythm and lead, blurring the line between accompaniment and solo.
Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam is ranked #243 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Mike McCready and the song was released in 1992. It appears on 3 lists, placing as high as #95 (Bombay Lives (Substack)).
In our lists
Sources
- Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #95
- Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #95
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #113
Who played the guitar solo on Yellow Ledbetter?
Mike McCready played the solo on Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter (1992).
Where does Yellow Ledbetter rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#243 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 3 of them.