Did Keith Richards really play the guitar solo on "Sympathy For the Devil"?

Keith did some piercing lead work during the 68/69 period--Sympathy, Gimme Shelter, and Stray Cat Blues, specifically. My favorite Keith period hands down.

 

Yes it's production but Page has so many more memorable solos I don't get the comparison. Keith is not known for solos anyway. And as far as a producer
Jimmy Page is far more skilled in that area then Keith Richards.

 

I didn't know that at the time but its clearly Page on the all to brief solo - thanks for the tip.

 

Frankly, I think the solo is somewhat forgettable, but Keith's work on bass on SftD is rippin'.

 

EXACTLY! The soloing isn't much different than what he was doing on Buttons/Majesties, and the horrible amp sound is what makes it sound so odd.

 

Steve Winwood plays the solo on "Dear Mr. Fantasy", as far as I know.

 

It was ole Nanker yankin on them strings !

 

I think you are misunderstanding my point.
I was not comparing Page to Richards as soloists.
I was comparing the fact that both sat in the studios for days, until they got a solo they were satisfied with.

 

You're the third one to tell me! Line forms on the left.

 

Sorry, I didn't read the posts after yours, I just responded immediately. My bad.

 

Just to clarify, the quote is "5 strings, 3 chords, 2 fingers, 1 a**hole"

 

The entire solo is in a couple positions which IIRC Keith favored...it was all vibrato and feel. Those rakes at 2:56 and 3:00 are a Keith trademark.

 

Those rakes aren't particularly difficult, but man he times them perfectly.

 

I never get tired of this solo. It's absolutely perfect and the best I've ever heard him play.

 

I last saw them live in Puerto Rico 2005 or 06 (?) and they did Sympathy with the backing tapes for the percussion (cheesey) and Keith took a long solo (I think Mick took a break and went away and Ronnie didn't feature in the solo). It was absolutely terrible. We were all commenting if he had suddenly completely forgotten how to play. Just a long (at least it felt long) mess of chords and notes, with no apparent structure or thought to make a coherent solo. The low point of an otherwise very good show. Mick and Charlie were amazing!

It seems to me that in a latter day Stones show that Charlie, Darryl (bass) and Chuck (keyboards) play the songs to perfection and KR and RW approximate some semblance of the general proximity of the songs on their guitars. Somehow it works.

 

Yeah it's just Keith showing off (for a change).

 

Chris Spedding

 

I'm sorry for misunderstanding. But Jimmy Page was a studio musician for many years before joining the Yardbirds and had to go into a studio and play something on the producer's demand. So Jimmy Page always had a good understanding when in a studio what he wanted that's why he produced all of Led Zeppelins albums. That is what I was trying to convey the differences between Page and Richards.

 

Watch their Rock n Roll Circus performance - Keith plays the leads.

 

Sure who else played the leads? Brian Jones could barley hold a guitar at the Rock & Roll Circus! As a matter of fact that was his last performance live as a Rolling Stone. But from 1962- 67 Brian played the leads often that is a fact.

 

I never thought so either, he's one of my favorite guitar players.

 

I agree 100%! Keith just goes through the motions, Keith has not been a good guitar player with fire or energy for years. Keith has been posing for years it's a shame.

 

I was told it was Page too, back in the early 80's. As a teenager it sounded like Page's tone to me at the time, and I thought that seemed credible.

 

Wow, I did not know that! I guess the record cover made me cringe so hard I didn't really notice the liner notes.

 

I always described the Ya-Ya's version as pretty much the definition of rock 'n' roll in a nutshell - just absolutely perfect, and it never gets old.

"Sympathy ..." might have been Keith's greatest solo, but I would certainly put the "Gimme Shelter" solo up against it. That has always been my favorite guitar solos by anyone.