Anarchy in the U.K.
Sex Pistols, 1976, from Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Solo by Steve Jones.
Jones layered heavy guitar overdubs into a solo that sounds bigger and more rock-trained than punk myth allows.
Anarchy in the U.K. is often held up as punk's rejection of rock virtuosity, but Steve Jones' guitar tells a different story. His solo is built from heavily layered overdubs, making it sound thick, powerful and surprisingly polished. Jones draws on classic rock and glam influences, creating a dense wall of sound that gives the song its weight. It reveals that punk's energy often relied on skilled studio craft. Listen for the stacked guitar tones that create a massive, roaring sound, and for how the solo blends raw aggression with a clear sense of structure, balancing chaos and control in a way that became a template for punk guitar.
Anarchy in the U.K. by Sex Pistols is ranked #292 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Steve Jones and the song was released in 1976. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #63 (Classic Rock (Louder)).
In our lists
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Who played the guitar solo on Anarchy in the U.K.?
Steve Jones played the solo on Sex Pistols's Anarchy in the U.K. (1976).
Where does Anarchy in the U.K. rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#292 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.