La Villa Strangiato
Rush, 1978, from Hemispheres. Solo by Alex Lifeson.
A nine-minute instrumental suite.
Alex Lifeson's main guitar was a Gibson ES-355, and the heart of this nine-minute instrumental is 'A Lerxst in Wonderland', a long, slow solo over sustained string-synth pads, bass and drums. He builds from lyrical, vibrato-heavy phrases toward faster, more intense runs, while elsewhere the guitar doubles tricky unison lines with Geddy Lee's bass through odd-meter sections. Lifeson described the instrumental as a chance to change styles every half-minute. It shows the band's playfulness as well as its skill. Listen for the slow solo section, where Lifeson's vibrato-heavy phrases sit on top of the synth pads like a voice over a choir.
La Villa Strangiato by Rush is ranked #111 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Alex Lifeson and the song was released in 1978. It appears on 5 lists, placing as high as #5 (Far Out Magazine).
The story of La Villa Strangiato
'La Villa Strangiato', subtitled 'An Exercise in Self-Indulgence', is a nine-and-a-half-minute instrumental that closes Hemispheres. Its structure came from Alex Lifeson's dreams: he would arrive with vivid, bizarre dream stories, and the band turned the episodes into musical sections. Neil Peart recalled that the dream reports became a running joke, with groans starting as soon as Lifeson announced what he had dreamed the night before. The title loosely means 'strange village' or 'weird town'.
The piece is split into twelve labelled parts with names such as 'Buenas Noches, Mein Froinds!', 'A Lerxst in Wonderland', 'Monsters!', 'The Ghost of the Aragon', 'Danforth and Pape' and 'The Waltz of the Shreves'. It moves from a nylon-string classical guitar opening through a slow, brooding solo section into jagged, fast-changing passages. The 'Monsters!' sections borrow from Raymond Scott's 'Powerhouse', and although the time limit for legal action had passed, the band paid Scott and his wife anyway.
Rush cut Hemispheres in summer 1978 at Rockfield Studios in Wales with co-producer Terry Brown, their longest and most expensive session to that point. The plan was to play the instrumental live off the floor in a single take, with the band baffled off from each other. It proved far harder than expected. Geddy Lee said they spent longer on it than on the whole of Fly by Night, and Peart admitted the final track was assembled from several takes.
Accounts of how many attempts it took vary widely, from Lifeson's memory of essentially one shot to Lee's recollection of dozens of takes and tape edits dividing the piece into four sections. The track closed side two of Hemispheres, released on October 24, 1978, and quickly became a showcase in concert, where the band reshaped it tour after tour. Later tours added comic touches and improvised passages.
The solo
Lifeson's main guitar for the track was a Gibson ES-355 semi-hollow, played mostly through Marshall amplification, which he called his real workhorse, alongside a Fender Twin, two Hiwatts and a Roland Jazz Chorus for chorused tones, according to MusicRadar. The heart of the piece is 'A Lerxst in Wonderland', a long, slow solo over sustained string-synth pads, bass and drums, where Lifeson builds from lyrical, vibrato-heavy phrases toward faster, more intense runs. Elsewhere the guitar doubles tricky unison lines with Lee's bass through odd-meter sections. The band tracked the backing together in the studio, and Lifeson overdubbed his solo afterwards, though he has said he no longer remembers the overdub details. He has described the instrumental as a chance to change styles every half-minute.
Legacy
The instrumental became a fan favorite and a benchmark for progressive rock musicianship. Classic Rock placed it at No. 2 among the 50 greatest Rush songs, and Rolling Stone readers voted it No. 9 among the band's best. It remained a concert fixture for decades, reworked with jokes, polka intros and improvised rants, and it has attracted covers from virtuoso guitarists. In 2025 Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo played part of it on stage in Toronto, and Alex Lifeson met with them during the visit.
Top 10 facts about La Villa Strangiato
The twelve-part structure was based on dreams Alex Lifeson described to his bandmates.
WikipediaGeddy Lee said the band spent more time recording it than on the entire Fly by Night album.
WikipediaThe 'Monsters!' sections adapt Raymond Scott's 'Powerhouse', and Rush paid Scott even though the legal deadline had passed.
WikipediaNeil Peart admitted he could not nail a perfect full take, so the track was pieced together from several performances.
WikipediaHemispheres cost around CAN$100,000, making it the most expensive Rush album up to that point.
WikipediaLifeson played a Gibson ES-355, with Marshall amps as his main workhorse and a Roland Jazz Chorus for chorus sounds.
MusicRadarThe band set up together in the studio with baffles between instruments to record the backing live.
MusicRadarOn Exit... Stage Left, Lee sang a Yiddish nursery rhyme over the 'Danforth and Pape' section.
WikipediaClassic Rock ranked it No. 2 among the 50 greatest Rush songs.
WikipediaKirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo played it in Toronto on April 26, 2025 during Metallica's M72 tour.
Rush is a Band
Live versions
- Exit... Stage Left (1981) Adds Lee's Yiddish nursery rhyme over 'Danforth and Pape' and a bass solo in the reprise.
- Rush in Rio (2003) Features a drum and bass vamp with Lifeson's stream-of-consciousness rant before the final theme.
- R30: 30th Anniversary World Tour (2005) Classical intro switched to electric or dropped; includes Lifeson's improvised monologue.
- Time Machine Tour (2011) Opened with a polka version of 'To sleep, perchance to dream' before the original arrangement.
Notable covers
- Steve Morse Fusion guitarist's version is catalogued by SecondHandSongs.
- Greg Howe Shred guitarist's recorded version listed by SecondHandSongs.
- Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo (2025) Short on-stage tribute at Metallica's Toronto concert.
In our lists
- See Them Live — #37
- The 25 Greatest Guitar Instrumentals — #11
- The 25 Greatest Prog Guitar Solos — #10
- Instrumentals — #12
- The Best Alex Lifeson Guitar Solos — #1
- The Best Rush Guitar Solos — #2
Sources
- Far Out Magazine: From Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Page: The 10 greatest live guitar solos of all time — #5
- Top 40 Weekly: Best 70s Guitar Solos: Top 40 Greatest of the Decade — #16
- Planet Rock: The Top 40 Greatest Guitar Solos Ever — #18
- Guitar Solo Legends: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — Ranked (2026) — #24
- Orchestra Central: 30 Best Guitar Solos of All Time — #25
- Planet Rock: The 75 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #48
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #79
- Wikipedia: La Villa Strangiato
- Wikipedia: Hemispheres (Rush album)
- MusicRadar: The making of La Villa Strangiato
- Rush is a Band: Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo cover La Villa Strangiato
- SecondHandSongs: La villa Strangiato versions
Who played the guitar solo on La Villa Strangiato?
Alex Lifeson played the solo on Rush's La Villa Strangiato (1978).
What guitar was used on the La Villa Strangiato solo?
A gibson es-355, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does La Villa Strangiato rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#111 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 5 of them.
What does La Villa Strangiato mean?
Roughly 'the strange village' or 'weird town'; it reflects the dream-based concept of the piece.
What is La Villa Strangiato about?
It is an instrumental whose twelve sections were inspired by Alex Lifeson's dreams.
What guitar did Alex Lifeson use on La Villa Strangiato?
A Gibson ES-355, with Marshall amps as his main amplification.
How long did La Villa Strangiato take to record?
Longer than the whole Fly by Night album, according to Geddy Lee; the final version was edited from multiple takes.
Is La Villa Strangiato based on another song?
Its 'Monsters!' sections adapt Raymond Scott's 'Powerhouse', and Rush compensated Scott.