EMI
Sex Pistols, 1977, from Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Solo by Steve Jones.
Another dense Steve Jones solo, built from simple rock-and-roll phrases.
EMI is the Sex Pistols' sneering farewell to the record label that dropped them, and Steve Jones' guitar gives it muscle. Like much of his work, the solo is dense and layered, built from simple rock and roll phrases that stack up into a thick, roaring sound. Jones keeps it direct and aggressive, favouring power and attitude over complexity. His approach helped define the sound of British punk guitar. Listen for the familiar, Chuck Berry-derived licks that underpin the solo and how they are thickened by overdubs, and for the way the guitar drives the song forward alongside the relentless rhythm section and Johnny Rotten's mocking vocal.
EMI by Sex Pistols is ranked #300 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Steve Jones and the song was released in 1977. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #61 (uDiscover Music).
In our lists
Sources
Who played the guitar solo on EMI?
Steve Jones played the solo on Sex Pistols's EMI (1977).
Where does EMI rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#300 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.