Today’s “Best Beatles Guitar Solos” is ‘The End’ (1969) |

"The most complete set of solos in a Beatles song came at the very end of their career, aptly titled ‘The End’. 

The song features nine guitar solos with each one lasting around two bars with Paul, George and John all given three apiece. It makes for a perfect reflection of their talent and their individual personalities.

Naturally, George and Paul provide the more eloquent expressions with their guitar solos but there’s something fitting about John’s third and final go. 

Not only does he force it over the line with brute energy, but he also picked up the final solo acting as the final recorded moments of The Beatles—the band he started all those years ago.

“The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’ – well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first,” said engineer Geoff Emerick.

“But he saw how excited John and Paul were so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding.

“Yoko was about to go into the studio with John – this was commonplace by now – and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys – who knows?”

Above are Paul and John with their Epiphone Casino guitars they used during The End solos and George with his Les Paul Gibson “Lucy”"

Abbey Road Tribute 

Thanks to Boris for these images and contribution to this post.