what are your favorite chords, notes played, etc. that lead into an awesome guitar solo? here are some off the top of my head:
when eddie slides up the neck at the beginning of the beat it solo
when brian may gets feedback then rips that one chord going into the we will rock you solo
the scale/slurry of notes into the solo in i am a viking(yngwie)

The one that immediately comes to mind is the notes that Eddie plays in Bottoms Up leading into the guitar solo after the singing breakdown. Cool lead-in, and the guitar tone when he starts the solo is so great.

This isn't quite what you're asking, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway.

Nuno's solo in "Get The Funk Out", about halfway through the solo he slides down the neck and the feel of the solo gets funkier & more rhythmic. Always makes me wanna move y'know?

smilies/biggrin.gif

In an attempt to force this square peg into the required round hole, I'm gonna say it's like two separate solos, one immediately after the other. So technically that's the 'lead in' to the second solo.

Pathetic aren't I? smilies/rolleyes.gif

But I've always loved that bit so I wanted to mention it before I forgot. Thanks for listening...

The last few chords Ed hits before the solo on 5150, especially in the LWAN vid!

The chords just before the outro solo in cigarettes by Kings X is great!

The riff before the solo in Feelin

The interlude before the solo in Push Comes To Shove

Same with Hear About It Later

The chords one measure before the solo in Panama always kill me; great key change, even if only for 4 beats.

Huey Lewis' Power of Love-the whole song resets with the main guitar riff, and just hangs there until the lead guitar comes in.

Right before the solo to Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam) when Mike McCready mutes all strings and strums em a few times then pounds on the low E. Doesnt get any better.

Steve Vai's playing on Wings Of The Storm - Whitesnake is a awesome one! smilies/cool.gif

[ June 08, 2001 at 06:08 PM: Message edited by: YankeeRose ]

th efirst time i heard the solo to wings of the storm, i couldn't belive how high the note got in the first few bars of steve's solo...it blew my mind

mine are very simple, but i think that they accomplish what they were set out to do.
right now, right before sam yells out "right now", and the lead in to stairway to heaven, are awesome, because they set the mood to the solo, if you know what i mean. smilies/wink.gif

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mark Van Halen:
th efirst time i heard the solo to wings of the storm, i couldn't belive how high the note got in the first few bars of steve's solo...it blew my mind<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Mine too Mark! That's definately one of Steve's best! smilies/cool.gif

This may sound like a cop out, but for me, it's every solo on the Ozzy Osbourne-Randy Rhoads Tribute CD. God, every solo just tears my head off, they all have brilliant lead-ins to the solos, and they're all different. Phenomenal!