Ollie Halsall best guitar solos

[@worldline7147]

Alvin Lee, in International Musician - Aug 1975 "Oly Halsall is a very good guitar player. At one time, I got tagged with the 'Fastest Guitar in the West' title. It was a bit silly really, it was never my intention, but Ollie can play twice as fast as I can, twice as clean, and he's a far better guitarist, he's just unrecognized. He's just over the heads of most people."

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

I live in Mallorca and was visiting a village called Deià, had a walk around the cemetery and came across a grave with electric guitar volume and tone knobs on it. Looked up the name and it turned out the guy played guitar with The Rutles. That is how I discovered Ollie.

[@philiphart6688]

I only learned of Ollie very recently when I read (Island Records recording engineer) Richard Digby Smith's autobiography "One Two Three Four". And, even though I had lived in Mallorca for 3 years pre-pandemic, I knew absolutely nothing of his association with the significant community of creatives who lived in Deià.

[@jotaerreito]

Está enterrado en Deià? Lo digo porque creo que murió en Madrid.

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

@@jotaerreito Efectivamente murió en Madrid, pero sus cenizas fueron enterradas en Deià. Y al lado suya está el bueno de Kevin Ayers que decidió ser vecino de Ollie en dicho cementerio.

[@jotaerreito]

@@thehotyounggrandpas8207 Muchas gracias por contestar. Un abrazo!

[@paulcross6962]

I bought the first Patto LP in 1970 and have been a fan since. Saw him playing with Kevin Ayers around 1975. Awesome genius.

[@blainebaxter7684]

Pure fascinated by halsall. Stumbled across him and he’s a true one off and mostly forgotten to time. There’s guitarists then there’s halsall. Defiantly will be trying to pick out some of his playing…. Here and there where I can 🥲

[@mikestokes1402]

I Was fortunate enough to see Ollie play live several times with Mike Patto at the 1832 club in Windsor. The band Patto were very inspirational to me at that time and I'll always remember them with lots of love. x

[@mickfretless]

Now I hear an enormous Halsall influence in early Alan Holdsworth, especially Soft Machine/Bundles

[@Seventysongs]

I read somewhere that Allan said that Ollie was an inspiration to him. Not to mention that Ollie replaced Allan in Tempest and they played together at Allan's farewell show. This recording exists and it's fantastic...just look for it here on YT. They're amazing.

[@tattyshoesshigure5731]

Often used to see Patto play at Sisters Club in South Tottenham, they were a great, somewhat under appreciated band. Ollie had a most unusual style of playing for that time, his jazz influenced improvisations were superb, as was his vibraphone playing, still with his Gibson SG strapped on!

[@victorvasylenko]

saw Patto twice in Bradford. Ist time, me and my friend were sat on the floor watching at the front. Ollie came on with short hair and tweed jacket, started with a Blues jam. Ollie's solo started and we both fell back laughing it was mind blowing

[@Coneman3]

Best mostly unknown guitarist and a genuine pioneer and nice guy who passed many years ago 😢

[@paulcooper534]

Saw Ollie play with Tempest at the Whiskey a go-go HE WAS AMAZING, to say the least...opening for Rory Gallager. What a night!

[@terenceflood2861]

I'd say Rory liked him....

[@jeffbecker4345]

That must have been some show.

[@johnlannikk2701]

Saw him play at The Black Prince in Timebox blew my trousers off

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Was it Tony Hill who said "leave your Blues at Home"!

[@paulperry1593]

You lucky sod!!

[@sterioapple]

Never heard of this guy. 52 seconds in and I'm a fan!

[@michaelshore2609]

that first solo is from Patto's "Give It All Away" and I agree it may be his best of many brilliant tracks with that fabulous, sadly overlooked unit

[@neilunknown]

Ollie was on another planet. Miss him and Blue Traff.....😔

[@wealthedge]

Wow. 30 years of playing guitar and I never heard of this dude until today. It’s all Terry Kath and Peter Green and a little Wes Montgomery / Joe Pass jazz stuff too. Crushing me.

[@wohltemper]

Happens to the best of us ;-)

[@user-uo8yh9tb8g]

guy was unreal good, welcome to the club and beyond anyone in rock guitar harmonically...helps he was a legit vibraphone player first----- another guy you might've never heard of who is unreal when he's on is Sonny Greenwich: kzbin.info/www/bejne/opWlnHyeaaqDfas

[@wwayne8021]

Those "best" lists translate to "most popular". Ollie halsall brought a bright spot to every song he played. He is 1 on my go-to list of off the neck leads.

[@mikehouser2518]

Ollie and Robert Quine are where I go for solos . Always inspired .

[@sailorpete136]

Lucky to see Ollie and Patto many times in London 71/72 mainly at the Greyhound, Hammersmith. Shakin' All Over was great.

[@ManuelPelaezRodriguez-dx8yr]

Lucky guy 😊

[@fabiocollina]

Pure genius, unforgettable

[@ganazby]

Holy shit! Just discovered Ollie. What a player. Total virtuoso, with personality in every note. That SG sound.

[@solaroberto7435]

Questo ragazzo è proprio grande! Lo amo! PEACE & LOVE

[@massimotoccafondi4288]

Ollie was a great musician. We miss him so much!!!

[@johnlannikk2701]

It sounds very much like he is sweeping, genius. Saw him play in 1967 I think the band was called Timebox, blew my socks off.

[@rastignac4790]

Eccellente, tecnica mostruosa

[@NIGELpugh14]

Saw Patto at the Roundhouse Chalk Farm (early 70's)..they were brilliant...especially Ollie Halsall...what a guitarist he was!!

[@ytnsanw]

I always liked his solo on Patto's 'Loud Green Song' - intense!...

[@adamchafetz2986]

Oalways one of my very favorite players. He's the best kept secret in the world. My favorite is his fantastic playing on the Kevin Ayers song Blue

[@alexruiz1320]

Tremendo músico. Abrazos donde quiera que hoy se encuentre.

[@barrywilliams829]

Saw Patto many times down the temple in wardof street soho, olly was brilliant and the others fronted by Mike Patto made an incredible jazz fused rock 4 piece buy the first album, listen and you'll rush out to buy the rest, awesome

[@bubbaz7064]

Io sono un fan accanito di Allan Holdsworth. Ma se dovessi scegliere un altro, sceglierei Ollie Hallsall. Semprlicemente fenomenale.

[@deirdreniemann4044]

This guy is absolutely ripping 20 years ahead of his time, I would have been a player if I discovered him when I way young in the 80's

[@KosmicCharley]

He was in a band named Boxer who toured the UK extensively as a support band, mid to late 70's. I must have seen him at least 7 times but never took it in as I was there for the headliner. DOH! His work with Kevin Ayers is also top notch.

[@ativozne]

uno dei migliori senza dubbio!

[@accorillo]

Già, peccato poco conosciuto

[@ativozne]

ne avevo studiato un paio di song dei Patto@@accorillo

[@LorisEmanuelCianni]

Sembra che solo gli italiani stiano tenendo vivo il ricordo di Ollie.

[@MG-gn2ik]

Such a talented guitarist. Personally I think the solo on Kevin Ayers 'Didn't feel Lonely Till I Thought of You' is up there too. Short but amazing.

[@BarryMonks]

Yes, there are plenty of others. To be fair, it does say Patto solos :)

[@KosmicCharley]

@@BarryMonks The 2nd solo is from May I?

[@michaelshore2609]

@@KosmicCharley YES IT IS AND IT IS A GREAT ONE

[@Coneman3]

Totally agree, it’s sublime.

[@MakoGo]

Wow! Just discovered Ollie via The Rutles. What a crazy world when someone this insanely talented and original is mainly only heard via a goofy Beatles parody, singing like Paul and playing like George. Gone way too soon.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Check out Patto, Timebox and Boxer, three other bands that had Ollie on lead guitar.

[@KosmicCharley]

@@synthonaplinth5980 And Kevin Ayers.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@KosmicCharley True, though his playing style had largely changed by the time he was with Kevin. Oh, I forgot that Ollie was in Tempest, as well.

[@edwardcooper7857]

And check out Radio Futura: Spanish band, active throughout the 'eighties. Halsall played with them. Great band.

[@richybatty234]

Never knew that about the Rutles . You live and learn ! 👍 Great guitarist

[@leothecuisinart]

some of the most creative guitar lines I've ever heard

[@alebest1955]

Immenso Ollie ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@swaxesarlschweiz]

No comment. He WAS THE ONE.

[@rickypersell]

ollie is not featured in the lists of 100 greatest guitar players ,but according to rolling stone the edge is in there along with loads of others who coudnt lick his boots olie as far as im concerned should be number one

[@CS-mo7xp]

the edge always figures in those things. I mean...he has a fairly distinctive strumming style? erm... yeah

[@pepebotella971]

Never trust those tops haha, they are just silly and mostly based on popularity than anything

[@user-oy7gz5bf2h]

The thing is, The Edge is one of the most influential guitarist ever. His signature delay parts have been copied ever since and are on countless records. But yeah, nothing to do with blistering solos.

[@ganazby]

The Hedge has his thing. But Ollie was in a different league - Holdsworth, McLaughlin, etc.

[@ASQUITHZ9]

@@user-oy7gz5bf2h Bollocks!

[@SourSnatch]

Happy Birthday!!!

[@grahamtaylor3093]

It was never where the others had been but always where he was going. At times unbelievable..

[@nasticanasta]

Pre Holdsworth....wicked guitar work

[@1.2.3-i8c]

One of my favourite with ...Terry Kath (CTA)

[@rickypersell]

another one not in the roling stone top 100 who should be

[@johnlannikk2701]

pretentious trollop magazine

[@adamchafetz4941]

His playing on kevin ayers song BLUE, is 1 of the all time great solos!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@sofo.9926]

adam chafetz the song is called blue ? I can’t seem to find it

[@careyatchison1348]

"Blue" from the Kevin Ayers album 'Yes we have no Mananas..' is barred from KZbin for some legalistic reason as are many other songs from this lp. (one of my faves)

[@ganazby]

Phenomenal.

[@SuperMarioJamesSMJ]

The June 74 may I solo is just a message from another place

[@sunbearwizard]

An unreal piece of music, forever and always heartwarming

[@michaelshore2609]

spot on mate. Ollie at his most "inside" and sweet, but just freaking gorgeous

[@barravince]

out of this planet

[@user-uo8yh9tb8g]

Wow, thanks for these....when he's on he's just the best cross of real rock guitar with sublime chops for me--helps he was a legit vibraphone player first, and in two short years became the mature Ollie we here on guitar... unreal fluidity and taking it out harmonically too... was never nobody that out in rock guitar until Vernon Reid came along

[@michaelshore2609]

agree BUT may I suggest Sonny Sharrock in terms of shredding and Zoot Horn Rollo in terms of tone/approach, if you call either of them "rock"...

[@juanpedroparrasanchez4884]

Un enorme talento. Nunca fue justamente,reconocido.

[@326vince]

I have nothing but thanks for your post. I first heard him when I got Tempest LP. Anyway. Thanks bro!

[@jjohn341]

Totally Killer playing , reminds me a little of another great 70s guitar player , Steve hillage

[@michaelshore2609]

Spot-on leading with "Give It All Away." There's only one player I can say Ollie reminds me of and that's Sonny Sharrrock...at least when he shreds like this (and on "Money Bag"). Criminally underrated genius and he could play vibes too!

[@Mathias-hr8sb]

great!

[@giovanniguarini1022]

il mio preferito

[@juanpedroparrasanchez4884]

Ollie era un "puto"genio. Fue siempre tremendamente infravalorado. Lo vi tocando una vez con K.Ayers en un teatro de Barcelona y me impresionó muchísimo.

[@City2x]

Never forget.

[@flaviogrisolia146]

Il mio chitarrista preferito sin dall'uscita del primo disco dei Patto, comprato tramite un importatore, come si usava allora.

[@sophiehanssel2017]

Leppo will forever be missed

[@synthonaplinth5980]

At least he knew how to have a good time.

[@MrDunkiep]

Southport's finest!

[@1.2.3-i8c]

Back in years I had a real shock when I first heard him (Patto). Certainly the main influence of Allan Holdsworth, mostly underrated guitarist, and underrated contribution to the "fusion" guitar. Check him out !

[@aliensporebomb]

The fact that they were in the same band at the same time - it couldn't last. It would have caused a matter-anti-matter conversion destroying the universe!

[@donkeyshot8472]

"main influence"? hardly: if you go back and listen to holdsworth in ìgginbottom, you realise that he was pretty much on his own trajectory from the get-go. the tempest BBC recordings show that while there are stylistic similarities, both holdsworth and halsall were two very distinctive players.

[@fusionfan6883]

@@donkeyshot8472 Totally agree, Ollie was a maverick genius for sure, but no way was he an influence on Holdsworth. Harmonically they were poles apart. That said, if I had a time machine, one of the gigs I would go back to is that Shepherd’s Bush Tempest gig where the two of them duelled it out until the very air caught fire!

[@brianfoster6302]

Nothing like Allan Holdsworth. Holsworth was on a different planet to every guitarist there has ever been.

[@iras.9508]

This is also a showcase of the work of John Halsey for sure

[@jimharrison5601]

My favorite part is at 8:53!

[@Oenloveslife]

Thank you for posting! Can you please list each performance? Thanks!

[@brokenegg4714]

Ollie is insane!!!!!

[@swaxesarlschweiz]

This guy was it. Patto, Boxer. Man, how underrated and forgotten he is. Shit !

[@peterknol1937]

I’ve seen and heard Ollie twice on a live gig. With the Kevin Ayers band in Wageningen and in the band of John Cale in Groningen. In that gig he had some problems with his Vox AC 30 (‘fuck!’, ‘shit!’) Great Guitar player!

[@MikeHF]

Ollie has a lot more best solos not heard here! These are killer though just the same!

[@philoupaulo]

arg ! Damned left handed ....

[@MrMrh1958]

He was a pretty good vibes player too!✌️🇬🇧

[@jacquescourtois8068]

Pourquoi Ollie Halsall n'est pas dans le top 100 des meilleurs guitariste et plutôt vers le début??????🥵☹🤔

[@Happy-Me.]

Apparently Holdsworth recommended Ollie and John Etheridge for the Soft Machime after he left. I can hear why!

[@psicotropicaband]

Hi. So good. Upload the vd again? My suggestion would be to balance the volume of the samples and finish each one in a decrescent manner, so that it does not cut sharply. Thank you

[@dryter]

He was kind of like Roy Buchanan in that his greatness wasn't what the music industry wanted to sell, and he didn't get the breaks.

[@TheMerseySound1]

This video needs a tracklist

[@mmbb8731]

7:08 solo, anyone?

[@michaelshore2609]

hmm, that might be "Money Bag" from the first Patti LP. If not, sure sounds like it. And that LP is a work of total cliche-averse GENIUS start to finish so seek it out!

[@miketaylor803]

Ollie started off by playing vibraphone and piano and "picked up" the guitar - he made me want to put mine down tbh after listening to him play First thing I heard was the solo on Kevin Ayers album confessions of Dr Dream .... "didn't feel lonely ...." (as a kid in the 70's - it was my older brothers LP) Never knew the guitarists name but it blew me away but years later I discovered Timebox , Patto, Boxer etc and discovered it was Ollie Halsall - amazing that not many people have even heard of this fabulous guitarist kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6XCnYhrmsacntE

[@brokenegg4714]

does anyone have timestamps of the video with the song names?

[@johnlannikk2701]

No but I have song stamps of the audio with time names

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Anyone know what song the solo at 01:17 is from?

[@accorillo]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5mZZ3-Fbcl4mrc

[@ASQUITHZ9]

"May I" Keven Ayers 1974 Album named 1974

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Sorry June 1 1974 Brian Eno etc etc

[@accorillo]

@@ASQUITHZ9 Kevin Ayers

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@ASQUITHZ9 No worries. Thanks!

[@stratosoldano]

...credo che c'era lui quando attorno ai '70 i Tempest suonarono in un festival d'avanguardia ( c'erano Battiato, il Balletto di bronzo, forse la PFM , gli Osanna) che si tenne a Mestre...

[@WindsOfNeptune]

His TONE. Like a dirtier Bloomfield. Got to be cranked Fender combos?

[@BarryMonks]

Princeton Reverb and Super Reverb linked together (Timebox/Patto). Mind you he used various others later on and still sounded just as good :)

[@MikeHF]

@@BarryMonks Its in the hands right? That is what Jaco used to say. Ollie would sound like Ollie no matter what he was playing through.

[@326vince]

He had Holdsworth sweating. So he left Tempest!

[@morbidmanmusic]

Not likely. This is pretty basic in compression.., even to early Allan.

[@326vince]

How come it’s always a guy who doesn’t have any video. I just said “I” enjoy it. You don’t have to agree

[@mbcase]

And he was a lefty playing right handed guitars, like Hendrix.

[@juanpedroparrasanchez4884]

Una cosa está muy clara, técnicamente es muy,muy bueno. No se puede entender, lo poco valorado que ha sido.

[@axelibrotherus3526]

This is missing one the best guitar solos I have ever heard and its from ollie. It was a two album project from a band called tempest. In their second album there is a song called dance to my tune. That guitar solo is heavenly in so many ways.

[@rolandkobelbauer8280]

..imagine if he became a rolling stone after mick taylor left.....poor keith...😂

[@rickxlcr]

Saw Oliie with Patto so many times and with Boxer, Kevin Ayers etc. in my opinion is and was the best, 50 years ago now, Yikes!

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Nice one!

[@Dulac79]

Hombres G - La carretera

[@simonagree4070]

Brilliant player, a pity about the drug thing. He could have been bigger than Clapton. I do love a Gibson SG too.

[@dantean]

A shame in a way that he's not better known. On the other hand, he spent his career pursuing his musical passions rather than notoriety and money (I'm looking at YOU, Allan) so maybe it wasn't really such a shame after all.

[@johnlannikk2701]

Do strawberries taste better if lots of people have known them?

[@cadle11]

Only the main players gets mentioned such a shame...

[@MickManningly]

This guy was a shredder before it became standard & prb. hardly known . Sad !

[@stevehood418]

The Southport Southpaw rides again

[@deirdreniemann4044]

Not trying to be rude but he is much better than Zappa on guitar, Zappa's genius was in writing and arranging

[@morbidmanmusic]

Why would you bother with such a worthless comparison?

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Zappa's strength was in the unusual rudimentary patternms that he played. Most guitarists play whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, etc. Zappa was playing fives and sevens which not a lot of folks had done before.

[@ijohnny.]

Ollie supplied Alan's future musical, and stage, identity. Period. Alan jumped on it, and expanded the style into a Coltrane-esque flow, replete with at least some appropriate harmonic changes, and left the rock band trappings, like for example vocals!, behind (perhaps to the detriment of Alan's career).

[@fusionfan6883]

I love Ollie but you are so wrong in your statement. Allan was already very different to Ollie right from the outset with Igginbottom, and Ollie had a much more conventional approach to harmony than Allan. If you listen to them duelling on that Tempest BBC gig the difference is plain to hear.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@fusionfan6883 From an interview by Joe Satriani asking Allan about Ollie Halsall: ALLAN HOLDSWORTH: "Yeah, he was a fantastic guitar player. When I played with this Top 40 band, we'd play upstairs on the weekend and the big bands would play downstairs, and then the rest of the week we'd be downstairs, and usually the band would come up and check out the other band. And I remember these guys sayin', ‘Hey, you sound like that guy Ollie Halsall,' and I'd never ever seen him before; I didn't know who he was until we played in Tempest. He played totally legato, but I'd never heard him. But he was an influence on me because he was an extremely creative individual. When I first moved to London, he was the popular guy; everybody was saying, ‘Hey, check out Ollie.'

[@fusionfan6883]

@@synthonaplinth5980 I know he admired Ollie but harmonically they were very different is all I am saying.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@fusionfan6883 Oh, no argument there. They're both way too complex harmonically for me to tell the difference, though.

[@ariesmercurio1869]

Dirk mcquickly

[@nickhirst999]

and then you do Heroin

[@sunbearwizard]

But first your best friend dies

[@robertosolito1276]

...poor Holdsworth...

[@morbidmanmusic]

This is 101 basic compared to Allan. Those who can't hear that are just fanboys.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

@@morbidmanmusic Allan cited Ollie as an influence.

[@angelroman7385]

Pienso que Allan holdsworth desarrolló su estilo basado en el de Ollie Halsall.

[@wohltemper]

6.40 - Joe Pass plays fusion ….

[@LorisEmanuelCianni]

Holdsworth is most ingenious player ever, but Ollie make that before, so

[@terenceflood2861]

Alan Halsall I called him..he totally ripped Ollie off

[@honved1]

I think Halsall is more “listenable” than holdsworth

[@Fontsman-14]

​@terenceflood2861 Absolutely rubbish. Allan forged his own path. They were very different musically.

[@swaxesarlschweiz]

He was way better than Hendrix. I have all his stuff. Period.

[@accorillo]

he was better than Hendrix only technically, the genius was Hendrix

[@swaxesarlschweiz]

@@accorillo Hendrix based his stuff on effects and feedbacks, but he used the same riffs all the time. I play guitar and I know it. Sure, he was a pioneer in soloing, but Ollie could play Jazz, Rock and Blues in the same song, in one solo. Hendrix was limited in the blues scale.

[@peeper879]

@@swaxesarlschweiz Maybe, but it was how Hendrix put the notes together, and the way he used his technique. If Ollie had played for as long as Hendrix and put in as much time on the instrument and laid off the coke......... Both were great players.

[@nateeto]

As good as Allan Holdsworth

[@morbidmanmusic]

Not at all. Basic scales. Nothing new.

[@racl1954]

Very clever but also very boring. Would rather listen to Paul Kossoff play 2 notes than listen to any of these widdlers play 20,000.

[@SirMikeyD]

In the first place, Ollie is an acquired taste, not for everyone - but (though he tops my personal guitar pantheon) the way this video was assembled - slamming together a bunch of context-free lightning bolts - is hardly an ideal introduction to the man and his work. You might be trolling, but you’re not wrong: hearing it like this, it DOES come off like 20K-nps (notes per second) “widdling”!

[@johnlannikk2701]

If this is widdling then teach me how to widdle.

[@guitarplayernoteworthy2857]

Remember, what year this was....unheard of at the time! Laying the ground work for people like YOU.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

It's pretty boring listening to one solo after another out of context but Halsall is a great song player and a great interactor and you shouldn't judge him by this video. I love Koss and Ollie and all sorts of other players too

[@LorisEmanuelCianni]

You don't like jazz maybe