The Messiah Will Come Again guitar solo

Roy Buchanan, 1972, from Roy Buchanan. Solo by Roy Buchanan.

Buchanan's volume swells, pinch harmonics and spoken intro make this Telecaster slow burn a study in dynamics.

Roy Buchanan opens this instrumental with a spoken introduction, then lets his Telecaster do the rest. The piece is a slow, hymn-like build, and Buchanan treats it as a study in dynamics, using volume swells so notes seem to rise out of nowhere and pinch harmonics that squeal above the melody. He moves from near-whispers to ferocious runs without ever losing the mournful theme. Buchanan was a player other guitarists revered for exactly this kind of control, and the track is still a go-to example of how expressive a Telecaster can be. Listen for the swells in the opening minutes, where the attack of each note disappears and the guitar sounds almost like a violin.

The Messiah Will Come Again by Roy Buchanan is ranked #355 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Roy Buchanan and the song was released in 1972. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #49 (Gibson.com (via Georgia Straight)).

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Blues Guitar Solos — #21
• The Best Roy Buchanan Guitar Solos — #1
• Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1972 — #11
• The Greatest Telecaster Solos — #3
• The Saddest Guitar Solos Ever Recorded — #12

Sources

• Gibson.com (via Georgia Straight): Gibson.com's Top 50 Guitar Solos of All Time — #49