Best Pink Floyd Guitar Solos

The Top Ten
1 Comfortably Numb

Pink Floyd produced countless solos. It's a hard decision, but I think it has to be said that Comfortably Numb is the best. Full of emotion, full of brilliance.

I believe the current order (Comfortably Numb, Time, High Hopes, Shine On You Crazy Diamond) is a perfect top 4.

Perfection. The first solo is heart-wrenchingly beautiful, and the second has such incredible energy and aggression.

I could listen to this track all day long. Yes, perfection.

The best solo out there. Absolutely brilliant live on Pulse/Albert Hall. The sound and timing are spot on. There will never be anything better!

2 Time

It is by far the most transporting guitar solo I've ever heard. It tells a story so deep, while playing with time as a concept. It makes my mind feel like I'm jumping through space at vast velocities.

There's creative genius all over this solo. No flash or tricks, just pure emotional bliss. I would say that this solo is on the same level as a quality piece of classical music, such as the emotional center of Holst's Jupiter movement. And that's high praise.

This one is the greatest example of Mr. Gilmour's brilliance. It's not a show-off. It's not flashy, uber-quick, or whatever else you have from other "greatest guitar solos" polls. It has soul.

Every damn note is played with such feel. It moves me to tears quite often, actually. And I'm a grown-ass man.

3 High Hopes

Less technical than Comfortably Numb, no doubt, but a lot more melodic. That uplifting feeling of surfing forever and ever - only that lap steel solo can give it to you.

This is the best solo in the history of rock (on the version of The Division Bell). It almost makes me cry every time I listen to it.

The raw emotion of Gilmour's playing encapsulates the entire song. It is the summary of an entire career of anguish and yet hope.

4 Shine On You Crazy Diamond

It was between this and Time. Although Time is probably the best single guitar solo from Pink Floyd, this song has multiple of the best, especially if you count all of the parts.

The solos in the song are maniacally good.

Amazing number, just incredible how they got this together, especially when the band was not getting along well. Sometimes the best things grow out of tensions within a band.

Absolute brilliance. In short, truly one of the best Pink Floyd songs and absolutely the best Pink Floyd solo without a doubt.

5 Dogs

When you hear the dogs barking in the background, you slowly hear the entire mood of the song change. Man, I love the solos for Time, Comfortably Numb, and Pigs (Three Different Ones), but this is the one that does it for me.

Seventeen minutes long, and every note is delicately placed for just the right mood the song was meant to establish. This solo is a masterpiece, and so is the song it belongs to.

I have to say that this is the best song ever. The multiple solos link together perfectly and change the mood in such a way that it just puts me on another world.

To be honest, I'm not really sure which guitar solo it is meant to be about, but this one song contains at least 4 or 5 top-quality solos.

6 Another Brick In the Wall, Pt. 2

This solo is just so damn good, I can't even put it into words! Although I can say similar things about other Gilmour solos for sure (particularly Echoes and Shine On You Crazy Diamond).

But this one is just brilliant in its very own way, although I don't even really like the song itself. I think it's quite an annoying song - just with the best solo ever!

Most Pink Floyd fans seem to be indifferent about this song, but I think that the guitar solo in this song is actually better than Comfortably Numb's.

Edit: What am I saying? Comfortably Numb is way better.

7 Money

In a little over 2 minutes, Gilmour manages to make one of the most vibrant and outstanding guitar solos of all time. Such a range of notes and sounds, all woven together into a solo that gets me every time.

Absolute genius.

Everyone says Time and Comfortably Numb, but this one is done so much better.

Bluesy and funky. The Money solo is brilliant and sometimes underrated.

8 Hey You

Best guitar solo ever! It has everything, and the background music makes it even better - a reference to Another Brick In The Wall.

How is "Hey You" only 6th? The guitar solo in this song is absolutely amazing, Gilmour's best work hands down.

No logic behind it. I just love it. It drains my blood.

9 Echoes

Wow, this definitely deserves to be much higher than this. I mean, come on, has any PF fan here heard the Live at Pompeii version of this?

Phenomenal solo. Blows minds.

Absolutely a masterpiece! I love all of Floyd's solos, but Echoes sounds so special to me.

Echoes is a perfect work of art. But this music is crafted for people with patience. Teenagers tend to prefer Comfortably Numb.

10 Coming Back to Life

I often put this song on repeat because I am trying to learn to play it. I think it deserves a higher position than 10, but I know a lot of old-school Roger Waters fans did not really continue their passion for Floyd after The Wall, so I get it.

But in my humble opinion, this should be closer to the top 5 on this list anyway.

This sits easily at the top of the list. The solos are ambient, spacey, atmospheric, and melodious. It's hard to imagine that a human actually made this song.

Probably not fit for the top 10, but definitely a wonderful series of solos.

The Contenders
11 Poles Apart

The solo speaks more than the lyrics themselves, which is saying a lot.

12 Mother

The guitar solo is so powerful! Even though it's just 30 seconds!

Although it's thirty seconds, this solo hits like the bombs Roger sings about at the start.

13 Pigs (Three Different Ones)

This, along with Comfortably Numb, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Echoes, Hey You, High Hopes, Dogs, Time, Another Brick, and Money, should be the top ten list of guitar solos of all time.

This ties with Comfortably Numb for 1st place on that list. Tenth? Kinda sad.

Honestly, this is my favorite, probably because the radio hasn't worn it out. This solo evokes some really intense emotions in me.

Can't really tell you why, but I do have this vision of Elizabeth Banks on the back of my bike cruising the Pacific coast at sunset.

14 On the Turning Away

This absolutely takes off and soars. I remember hearing it and thinking if I go to heaven, I want this to be the soundtrack.

Simply divine.

I would absolutely put Comfortably Numb first, On the Turning Away a very close second, and High Hopes a solid third place.

The Gilmour guitar solo at the end is fantastic, right up with the very best of Dave Gilmour's talents.

15 A Great Day For Freedom

How was this not even on the list? An absolutely incredible solo, should at least be in the top 10.

The live version in Gdansk is just as good, if not better, than the Comfortably Numb live Pulse version.

16 Marooned

Once you listen to this, there's no turning back. You'll find yourself putting it on loop, listening to nothing but Marooned and zoning out, trying to surpass time.

Such an underrated solo. The depth of emotion in this is staggering. David twists and bends his instrument to make it squeal with raw emotion.

Apparently this is really underrated! I am surprised to see it so low on the list!

17 Is There Anybody Out There?

Most beautiful acoustic part by Mr. Gilmour, no doubt.

18 What Do You Want from Me?
19 Let There Be More Light
20 Not Now John
21 Louder Than Words

The final solo should be much higher!

22 Atom Heart Mother

Beautiful solo. It adds to the emotion and feel of the song, but it's also quite "harsh" and utilizes overdrive that almost sounds like distortion (if it isn't!).

Love it. Great piece of music, totally underrated. Should be in a solid 7th place or so.

It's got three beautiful solos: a slide solo at the beginning, a funky solo in the middle, and a reprise of the slide solo at the end.

23 Young Lust
24 The Thin Ice
25 Sorrow

I was blown away by Sorrow on Gilmour's last tour (2016 - Rattle That Lock). Those two nights in Pompeii... I will remember until the end of my days!

I upvoted this because it's too good of a solo to be down this far. Top 10 Dave Gilmour solo for me, and the beginning of the song is different from any other Floyd song.

Gives me chills, it's so beautiful.

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