Chances are, any self-respecting lead rock guitarist will tell you that solos are the place where they can truly shine — where they can wield their instrument as an extension of themselves and make their voice heard.
So when a lead guitarist secretly outsources their solo to another musician, it’s not a decision made lightly.
For decades, producers and musicians have employed “ghost players” on a myriad of recordings. These players are typically veteran session musicians, and they’ll show up to add a little extra zest to a recording, or to hasten the proceedings when a band’s actual lead guitarist hits a roadblock.
Despite the prevalence of these ghost players, uncredited guitar solos remain a dirty little (open) secret in the rock world. It’s easy to see why: Rock guitarists are judged with scrutiny similar to Olympic athletes, and even if they’ve got dozens of brilliant solos under their belt, passing off one job to an uncredited session player can jeopardize their credibility, and their pride. In other cases, ghost players will play on a recording without credit because of contractual obligations or other agreements that would otherwise preclude them from doing so.
Below, we’ve included well-documented examples of 5 Classic Rock Songs and Albums With Uncredited Guitar Solos. This list is far from comprehensive, and it doesn’t include artists like Jimmy Page, who made a living as a veteran session player in his pre-Led Zeppelin days but didn’t always contribute lead guitar. We’re focusing exclusively on solos here, because they’re a lead guitarist’s bread and butter, and the highest hill to die on for players and fans alike.
Aerosmith, “Train Kept a Rollin'” (Dick Wagner, Steve Hunter)
During the sessions for Aerosmith’s sophomore album Get Your Wings, producer Jack Douglas called up veteran session guitarists Dick Hunter and Steve Wagner (best known for their work with Alice Cooper) to cut some additional leads, most notably on the band’s cover of Tiny Bradshaw’s “Train Kept A-Rollin’.” “It was Jack who had the difficult task of breaking the news to Joe [Perry] and me, and of course, that went down like a lead balloon,” Brad Whitford told Guitar World. “At first you fight, and you’re a little bit angry, and then you get sad to where you’re like really bummed out that you can’t do it. And the thing was that we’d done some good stuff and could play good stuff, but the tracks required some real finesse, you know?” Despite his disappointment, Whitford had to give credit where it was due. “Listen to ‘Train Kept A-Rollin’ today, those are some fucking genius rock leads,” he added. “That was some great stuff and probably some of the stuff that they were most proud of out of anything they’d done. That solo is blistering.”
The Beatles, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Eric Clapton)
The Beatles were at the height of their dysfunction and animosity during the making of their self-titled 1968 album, colloquially known as the White Album. George Harrison, in particular, was frustrated with his bandmates’ apathy toward his composition, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and he was consequently unhappy with the group’s first attempt at recording the song. Seeking to shake things up, Harrison invited friend and guitar virtuoso Eric Clapton — who was then at the helm of British blues-rock power trio Cream — to record a solo on the track. “He said, ‘Oh, no. I can’t do that. Nobody ever plays on the Beatles records,'” Harrison told Guitar Player. “I said, ‘Look, it’s my song, and I want you to play on it.'” The result was one of the most famous solos in rock history and one of Clapton’s most aching, scorching performances. The formally uncredited guest spot from “Slowhand” also had another positive side effect: “So Eric came in and the other guys were as good as gold – because he was there,” Harrison said. “Also, it left me free to just play the rhythm and do the vocal.”
Kiss, Creatures of the Night (Vinnie Vincent, Robben Ford, Steve Farris)
Kiss’ Creatures of the Night was a transitional record in several ways. It marked a return to riff-driven hard rock after several poorly received forays into disco, pop and prog, and it was the last album to feature guitarist Ace Frehley as an official member of the band — even though he didn’t play a note on the record. In his place, Kiss recruited session players Robben Ford, Steve Farris and Vincent Cusano AKA Vinnie Vincent. Although Vincent made several key contributions to Creatures of the Night and would become their new lead guitarist for 1983’s Lick It Up, the process was far from smooth. “I do feel Vinnie’s contributions are overstated,” Gene Simmons told Guitar World. “To begin with, that’s not even Vinnie playing on the entire record. He played on a few tracks in total.” Simmons added that he and Paul Stanley “would bring [Vincent] specific solos; we gave them to him and asked him to play them verbatim, but he refused. He didn’t want to do that, but honestly, everything that Vinnie did sounded like Yngwie Malmsteen on crack. You know, the kind of stuff that the rest of us normal human beings hate. It was ridiculous, and it certainly wasn’t Kiss.”
Michael Jackson, “Beat It” (Eddie Van Halen)
Eddie Van Halen initially went uncredited for his fretboard-melting solo on Michael Jackson’s chart-topping “Beat It,” though his instantly recognizable playing style made it a moot point. The guitarist went so far as to rework the underlying chord progression and contribute his solo free of charge — partly because he didn’t think the song would catch fire, and partly because he was violating Van Halen’s rule against extracurricular musical endeavors. “I don’t even think I’m credited on the record. It just says, ‘Guitar solo: Question Mark’ or ‘Guitar solo: Frankenstein’ [the name of his guitar],” Van Halen told CNN. “I said to myself, ‘Who is going to know that I played on this kid’s record, right? Nobody’s going to find out.’ Wrong! Big-time wrong. It ended up being Record of the Year.” Ironically, the success of “Beat It” kept Jackson’s Thriller at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, blocking Van Halen’s 1984 from the top spot. Decades later, Eddie’s “Beat It” collaboration remained a point of contention for his brother and bandmate Alex Van Halen. “Why would you lend your talents to Michael Jackson? I just don’t fucking get it,” the drummer told Rolling Stone. “And the funny part was that Ed fibbed his way out of it by saying, ‘Oh, who knows that kid anyway?’ You made the mistake! Fess up. Don’t add insult to injury by acting stupid.”
Warrant, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (Mike Slamer)
When Warrant released their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich in 1989, they were competing with a murderer’s row of wizkid guitarists. There was absolutely no room for error in the six-string department, so producer Beau Hill knew he’d have to call in the big guns for the album. “I went to their manager, Eddie, and I said, ‘Look, we’ve got a problem with the guitar players, because we’re in an era now where it’s Eddie Van Halen and Warren DeMartini,'” Hill said in Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock’s book Nothin’ But a Good Time. “‘These guys, they’re sweet and they’re good rhythm guitar players, but they can’t play solos to save their souls. I’d like to consider bringing somebody else in to do it.'” That somebody turned out to be ex-Streets guitarist and session musician Mike Slamer, who continued to work with Warrant after D.R.S.F.R. was finished. The band might not have been thrilled with the decision, but they begrudgingly agreed to it and used it as an opportunity for growth. “I’m like, ‘Okay, if I need to get my shit together here, if I’m not good enough to play all the solos on this record, I’m gonna learn from this guy,'” Warrant guitarist Joey Allen said. “I’d go over to Mike’s house four or five days a week and sit down with him and say, ‘Teach me, man.’ And we got a great relationship out of it.”
Rock Guitar Heroes Who Died Too Young
They are survived by their six-string prowess.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
