5 Best Guitar Solos of 1983 – And 1 That’s Not Good

1983 was a true golden year of guitar solos. It was full of all-time best-list level solos. Here are the five best —plus one that is nonsense to me. And as always, leave your thoughts and top 5 in the comments (you’ll find comments after the article below!).

Did you know? Number 3 is actually a cover of a 1973 Slade song.

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First, here are some great albums from the year 1983 with amazing guitar playing in them:

Artist	Album Name	Genre
Metallica	Kill ’Em All	Metal (Thrash)
Iron Maiden	Piece of Mind	Metal (Heavy)
Dio	Holy Diver	Metal (Heavy)
Slayer	Show No Mercy	Metal (Thrash)
Quiet Riot	Metal Health	Metal (Glam)
Night Ranger	Midnight Madness	Hard Rock
Motörhead	Another Perfect Day	Metal (Heavy)
Ozzy Osbourne	Bark at the Moon	Metal (Heavy)
Def Leppard	Pyromania	Rock (Glam)
ZZ Top	Eliminator	Rock (Blues-Rock)
Journey	Frontiers	Rock (AOR)
The Police	Synchronicity	Rock (New Wave)
U2	War	Rock (Post-Punk)
Yes	90125	Rock (Prog-Pop)
Stevie Ray Vaughan	Texas Flood	Blues (Blues-Rock)

Now, to the solos!

1. Ozzy Osbourne – “Bark at the Moon” (Jake E. Lee)

Bark at the Moon

Jake E. Lee’s solo in Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” (from the album of the same name) is a burst of soloing brilliance. It features rapid-fire picking, soaring bends, and a dark, melodic edge that perfectly complements the song’s eerie vibe. One of my favorite solos of all time. This song also has one of the greatest metal riffs ever.

2. Iron Maiden – “The Trooper” (Dave Murray & Adrian Smith)

Iron Maiden - The Trooper. HQ audio.

The guitar solo in Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” (from 1983’s Piece of Mind), performed by Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, is a dynamic, twin-lead masterpiece. This solo is also surprisingly easy to play. I recommend you go and master it.

Browse the best solos of other years:

3. Quiet Riot – “Cum On Feel the Noize” (Carlos Cavazo)

Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize (HQ)

Carlos Cavazo’s solo in Quiet Riot’s “Cum On Feel the Noize” (from 1983’s Metal Health) is a spirited burst of glam-metal energy. It’s built on punchy bends and rapid licks. Extremely underrated.

4. Metallica – “Seek & Destroy” (Kirk Hammett)

Seek & Destroy (Remastered)

Kirk Hammett’s solo in Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy” is a raw piece thrash-metal. Hammett’s chaotic yet controlled approach delivers a deathly punch, setting the tone for Metallica’s groundbreaking debut and the thrash genre’s rise.

5. Dokken – “Breaking the Chains” (George Lynch)

Dokken - Breaking the Chains

The solo in “Breaking the Chains,” from Dokken’s 1983 debut album (in UK end Europe it was released earlier) of the same name displays George Lynch’s pure skill. Played on a “Tiger” Charvel guitar, Lynch rips through a barrage of aggressive & melodic bends that fit the song perfectly.

Honorable Mention

This time the credit goes to Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble for the amazing “Pride and Joy” solo. In pretty much any other year it would have been in the top 5, but this year was full of Masterpieces. I had to leave so many amazing solos out.

1 Not-So-Good Guitar Solo: Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” (Steve Stevens)

Rebel Yell (Remastered 1999)

This solo is just nonsense to me. I don’t get it. Maybe I’m the problem…

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