5 Best Guitar Solos of 1987 – And 1 That’s Not Good

1987 didn’t have that many mainstream guitar solos you see on the lists created by Rolling Stones magazines, etc. (except Sweet Child O’ Mine and Surfing With The Alien), but in reality, it was full of amazing guitar work. In this article, we spotlight five of the best guitar solos from the year 1987. But not every solo hit the mark, we’ll also take a look at one that just doesn’t work. And as always, leave your thoughts and top 5 in the comments (you’ll find comments after the article below!).

Did you know? Number 1 was initially intended to have vocals, but after the lead singer struggled to find a fitting vocal melody, the guitarist turned it into a legendary instrumental.

<Jump to the best guitar solos of 1986

Jump to the best guitar solos of 1988>

First, here are some great albums from the year 1987 with amazing guitar playing in them:

Artist	Album Name	Genre
Aerosmith	Permanent Vacation	Rock
Anthrax	Among the Living	Metal
Bryan Adams	Into the Fire	Rock
Celtic Frost	Into the Pandemonium	Metal
David Bowie	Never Let Me Down	Rock
Def Leppard	Hysteria	Rock
Dio	Dream Evil	Metal
Dokken	Back for the Attack	Metal
Faster Pussycat	Faster Pussycat	Metal/Rock
Gary Moore	Wild Frontier	Blues/Rock
Great White	Once Bitten	Rock
Guns N’ Roses	Appetite for Destruction	Metal/Rock
Helloween	Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I	Metal
INXS	Kick	Rock
Joe Satriani	Surfing with the Alien	Rock
King Diamond	Abigail	Metal
KISS	Crazy Nights	Metal/Rock
Metallica	The $5.98 E.P. – Garage Days Re-Revisited	Metal
Mötley Crüe	Girls, Girls, Girls	Metal/Rock
Motörhead	Rock ‘n’ Roll	Metal
Overkill	Taking Over	Metal
Ozzy Osbourne	Tribute (live album)	Metal
Pink Floyd	A Momentary Lapse of Reason	Rock
R.E.M.	Document	Rock
Rush	Hold Your Fire	Rock
Savatage	Hall of the Mountain King	Metal
Testament	The Legacy	Metal
The Cult	Electric	Rock
The Jesus and Mary Chain	Darklands	Rock
Twisted Sister	Love Is for Suckers	Metal/Rock
U2	The Joshua Tree	Rock
White Lion	Pride	Metal/Rock
Whitesnake	Whitesnake (aka 1987)	Metal/Rock
Y&T	Contagious	Metal/Rock

Now, let’s check these solos out!

1. Dokken – “Mr. Scary” (George Lynch)

Dokken - Mr Scary

From Back for the Attack, Lynch’s instrumental showcase is a shredder’s delight, blending speed, shredding, and melodic phrases that make Geaorge Lynch a Legend.

2. Helloween – “Halloween” (Kai Hansen & Michael Weikath)

Halloween

In this 13-minute power metal epic, Kai Hansen unleashes a blazing, neoclassical-inspired solo packed with rapid-fire runs and soaring melodies. Michael Weikath complements with tight harmonies and soloing support, adding depth to the track.

Browse the best solos of other years:

3. Gary Moore – “The Loner” (Gary Moore)

The Loner

From Wild Frontier, Moore’s solo is slow and full of emotion, dripping with sustain and soul. My favorite Gary Moore solo.

4. Dio – All The Fools Sailed Away (Craig Goldy)

All The Fools Sailed Away

Craig Goldy’s solo in “All The Fools Sailed Away” from Dream Evil is a melodic gem. Solo perfectly complements Ronnie James Dio’s soaring vocals and fits the nightmare vibe of the whole album extremely well.

5. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (Slash)

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine

From Appetite for Destruction, Slash’s solo has left a mark for many generations. It starts off with melodic bends that build up to the part where the speed kicks in. Many consider this solo to be one of the best solos of all time. I like it, but it’s still not a GOAT level solo to me.

Honorable Mention

An honorable mention goes to Joe Satriani for his solos on Surfing With The Alien. It’s a great song and displays true guitar wizardry, but it can’t match the deep melodies that the top 5 had this year.

1 Not-So-Good Guitar Solo: MEtallica – “The Small Hours ” (Kirk Hammet)

The Small Hours (Remastered)

This song has some killer riffs, but the solo falls flat and sounds out of place (random shredding).

<Jump to the best guitar solos of 1986

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