# Starship Trooper guitar solo

> Steve Howe's guitar solo on Starship Trooper by Yes (1971) starts at 6:40. From the album The Yes Album. Ranked #110 of all time across 80 lists.

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/song/yes-starship-trooper/>

Yes, 1971, from *The Yes Album*. Solo by *Steve Howe*.

The 'Würm' finale builds and builds.

Steve Howe's playing across this suite shifts constantly, from bright, country-tinged picking to jazzy chord work, but the closing 'Würm' section is where the guitar takes over. Built on a simple descending chord sequence repeated again and again, it lets Howe layer increasingly intense lead lines on top, the tone thickening as the band swells behind him. It's less a showy solo than a slow crescendo, and its patience stood apart from the flashier prog guitar of the day. His hollow-body Gibson gives the lines a rounder, woodier voice than you might expect from a rock climax. Listen for the moment the lead guitar steps forward from the rhythm, then keeps climbing all the way to the fade.

Starship Trooper by Yes is ranked #110 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Steve Howe and the song was released in 1971. It appears on 6 lists, placing as high as #29 (Top 40 Weekly).

## In our lists

- [See Them Live](https://greatestsolos.com/list/see-them-live/) — #36
- [The 25 Greatest Prog Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/prog/) — #12
- [The Best Steve Howe Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/steve-howe-guitar-solos/) — #1
- [The Best Yes Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/yes-guitar-solos/) — #2
- [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1971](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1971/) — #6
- [The Best Outro Guitar Solos: Songs That End With a Solo](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-outro-guitar-solos/) — #8

## Sources

- [Top 40 Weekly: Best 70s Guitar Solos: Top 40 Greatest of the Decade](https://top40weekly.com/best-70s-guitar-solos/) — #29
- [Music in Minnesota: 38 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time](https://www.musicinminnesota.com/best-guitar-solos/) — #36
- [Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos](https://bombaylives.substack.com/p/100-greatest-guitar-solos) — #68
- [Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd)](https://www.10h26.com/top-100-des-plus-grands-solos-de-guitare) — #68
- [Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitar-solos-1235519961/) — #79
- [Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time](https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/200-Best-Guitar-Solos-of-All-Time) — #128
- [Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos](https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_guitarsolo.html) — #157

### Who played the guitar solo on Starship Trooper?

Steve Howe played the solo on Yes's Starship Trooper (1971).

### What guitar was used on the Starship Trooper solo?

A gibson es-175, according to widely reported accounts.

### Where does Starship Trooper rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#110 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 6 of them.

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