Greatest Guitar Riffs Trivia Quiz

Answer: Carlos Santana

"Brightest Star" was released in 1981 on Santana's "Zebop!" album. The song's lyrics speak of a lover that walked away and now he realized she was his "brightest star". The track featured a slow bluesy guitar solo that is one of Carlos Santana's finest slow jams.

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

"Van Halen II" was released in 1979. The big singles were "Dance The Night Away" and "Beautiful Girls". But between those party songs, Eddie Van Halen included a flamenco guitar solo instrumental called "Spanish Fly". The song clocked in at barely over one minute but showcased Eddie's intricate guitar skills.

Answer: Carlos Santana

"Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)" is an instrumental tour de force that first appeared on Santana's 1976 album "Amigos". Not many instrumentals chart but "Europa" reached number one on the Spanish Singles chart. The single starts off slow and delicate and ends with a frenzied guitar solo.

Answer: Jimmy Page

"Classic Rock" magazine voted Jimmy Page's guitar solo in "Stairway To Heaven" the greatest guitar solo ever. The track was released on Led Zeppelin's fourth album and the epic song was over eight minutes long. "Stairway To Heaven" begins with some intricate and delicate guitar work but the last two minutes is Page building the intensity to a fever pitch.

Answer: Prince

The title track from Prince's 1984 album clocked in at over eight minutes long. "Purple Rain" concluded with a majestic guitar solo that Prince showcased at the end of his Super Bowl Halftime performance in 2007. The song was edited for radio airplay and much of the solo was lost when the track was cut to four minutes.

Answer: Jimmy Page

On 1969's "Led Zeppelin 2" we get the raw guitar work on "Heartbreaker". Jimmy Page's solo comes in three distinct parts with each one a unique style that influenced heavy metal bands for the decades to follow. "Heartbreaker" was the first song on side two of the vinyl release.

Answer: Prince

"Computer Blue" was not released as a single by Prince but it was an incredible showcase of his talents. The guitar work in the 1984 track is pure rock, then a jazzy interlude, and a wild use of the wah-wah guitar effects. Add in a little guitar feedback reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix and you have one of Prince's greatest guitar solos.

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

The big rock song on Michael Jackson's ultimate album "Thriller" was "Beat It". The song is best known for the landmark video and the killer guitar solo. Originally Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro of Toto were working on the guitar solo but Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen was called in. The guitar solo is often listed on "best of" guitar solo countdowns.

Answer: Eddie Van Halen

"Eruption" was the instrumental guitar jam on Van Halen's debut album. The song clocked in at 1:42 on the studio album but was often pushed to more than six minutes when Eddie Van Halen played it live. "Eruption" showcased Eddie's two handed guitar tapping technique that influenced a generation of 80s hair metal bands.

Answer: Carlos Santana

The first song to be at number one of the Billboard Hot 100 of the 2000s was the collaboration between Santana and Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox 20. "Smooth" was released on Santana's multi-Grammy winning album "Supernatural" in 1999. The three big Grammy awards won by "Smooth" include Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Answer: Jimmy Page

On "Led Zeppelin III", Jimmy Page recorded one of his finest slow blues guitar solos. "Since I've Been Loving You" feels like a vintage track by artists like Muddy Waters or B.B. King. Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai stated that Page was "breaking ground, not copying" on the epic Zeppelin ballad.

Answer: Prince

"The Question of U" was released on Prince's soundtrack for "Graffiti Bridge" in 1990. The song is spiritual, sexy, and showcased an incredibly emotional guitar solo. The song was originally recorded for Prince's "Parade" album but was re-interpreted for the "Graffiti Bridge" release a few years later. "Joy In Repetition" from the same album was also a phenomenal Prince guitar showcase song.