# The Calvary Cross guitar solo > The guitar solo on The Calvary Cross by Richard & Linda Thompson (1975) starts at about 4:10. From the album I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight. Canonical URL: Richard & Linda Thompson, 1975, from *I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight*. Solo by *Richard Thompson*. A 13-minute Stratocaster séance. In its extended live form, 'The Calvary Cross' becomes a long, hypnotic exploration of Richard Thompson's unique guitar voice. His playing draws on British folk, with modal lines, drones and ornaments reminiscent of bagpipes, blended with rock intensity and a sharp, biting Stratocaster tone. He moves between melodic statements and wild, jagged runs, building slowly toward moments of ferocious energy. It's one of the finest showcases of his singular style, and a reminder that folk tradition can power a truly adventurous rock solo. Listen for how Thompson uses repeated, droning notes to anchor the solo, letting his melodies twist around them like smoke. The Calvary Cross by Richard & Linda Thompson is ranked #177 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Richard Thompson and the song was released in 1975. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #18 (uDiscover Music). ## In our lists - [Genre Champions](https://greatestsolos.com/list/genre-champions/) — #9 - [The 25 Greatest Folk Rock Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/folk-rock/) — #1 - [Greatest Live Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/live/) — #8 - [The Best Richard Thompson Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/richard-thompson-guitar-solos/) — #1 - [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1975](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1975/) — #7 ## Sources - [uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-guitar-solos-ever/) — #18 - [Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitar-solos-1235519961/) — #82 ### Who played the guitar solo on The Calvary Cross? Richard Thompson played the solo on Richard & Linda Thompson's The Calvary Cross (1975). ### What guitar was used on the The Calvary Cross solo? A fender stratocaster, according to widely reported accounts. ### Where does The Calvary Cross rank among the greatest guitar solos? #177 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 2 of them. --- GreatestSolos ranks the greatest guitar solos by consensus across published lists. Agent guide: [llms.txt](https://greatestsolos.com/llms.txt) · [Sitemap](https://greatestsolos.com/sitemap.xml) · [Dataset (CSV)](https://greatestsolos.com/data/greatest-guitar-solos.csv) · [How we rank](https://greatestsolos.com/method/)