(Credits: Far Out / Dana Wullenwaber)
Sun 15 February 2026 18:38, UK
There is one guitar solo that young guitar players all over the world look to as a means of inspiration – a solo that defines an era of classic rock flamboyance, and puts the six-stringed instrument at the very front of that legacy. It is, of course, none other than Led Zeppelin‘s ‘Stairway To Heaven’.
It’s widely regarded as the greatest guitar solo of all time, not only for its technical composition that brings out the very best of one of music’s most beloved guitarists, but for the drama and emotion it packs into the song.
It’s more than just an added luxury, designed to stroke the ego of Page, instead, it feels like a necessary crescendo to a song that has been slowly building tension from the very outset.
That sense of sonic relief is appropriate, given how Page remarks it as just a natural and instinctual response to the song thus far. “I just said, ‘Roll it,’ took a deep breath, that’s what I usually do, and then go. I had a couple of cracks at it because you didn’t have as many options as you would have now.”
But his perfectionism as a guitarist, combined with the somewhat ad-hoc nature of this recording, means that he looks back on it with mixed emotions, and while he’s inevitably proud of the historic reception it garnered, there’s a subtle sense of ambivalence towards it that means it slips through the cracks when naming his favourite solos. “It’s pretty damn good,” he claimed, adding, “If everyone else says it’s my best solo, then that’s great, that’s good, but there are others that I prefer.”
While he was hesitant to name any of his own as his all-time favourite, he was willing to extend the gratitude elsewhere, and like many other guitarists of his generation, Page was inspired by blues rock in the 1950s, so when he was pressed to label one solo as his first musical love, it was unsurprising to hear him hark back to that decade.
Page named ‘How High The Moon’ by Les Paul & Mary Ford, when asked to pick a solo that he first fell in love with. He continued, “I was just dazzled by the Les Paul recordings, and I think most young guitarists were. When I first heard ‘How High The Moon’, I just thought, ‘Goodness gracious, what is that?’ because it was so radically different from anything else that was going on. His whole guitar arrangements and orchestration. And the solos were just amazing.”
Ultimately, we have more to thank Paul for than a simple song of inspiration. It was under his stewardship that Gibson began making a catalogue of guitars that Page would later use during his recording days for Led Zeppelin.
It was, in fact, his double-neck custom Gibson SG that he used to play the 12-string parts on ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and thus gave the world the guitar solo that it would universally adore. Quite simply put, without Les Paul, there would be no Led Zeppelin.
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.