Steve Morse replaced Ritchie Blackmore in 1994 and spent the next 28 years proving it was the best decision Deep Purple ever made. This is my ranking of his 10 greatest studio solos — and the man deserves to be judged on his own terms.
Studio recordings only. No live performances. From Purpendicular (1996) through Whoosh! (2020), these are the solos and instrumentals that define what Steve Morse brought to Deep Purple — technical precision, jazz-influenced phrasing, neoclassical composition, and a willingness to serve the song instead of stealing the spotlight.
🎸 THE RANKING:
My 10 Picks:
#10: Weirdistan (Now What?!, 2013)
#9: Loosen My Strings (Purpendicular, 1996)
#8: Cascades: I’m Not Your Lover (Purpendicular, 1996)
#7: Bananas (Bananas, 2003)
#6: Throw My Bones (Whoosh!, 2020)
#5: Don’t Make Me Happy (Abandon, 1998)
#4: Contact Lost (Bananas, 2003)
#3: Birds of Prey (Infinite, 2017)
#2: The Well Dressed Guitar (recorded during Bananas sessions, released on Rapture of the Deep special edition)
#1: Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming (Purpendicular, 1996)
Steve Morse joined Deep Purple after a career with the Dixie Dregs and the Steve Morse Band that had already established him as one of the most technically accomplished guitarists in rock. He brought a completely different approach to the band — where Blackmore drew from Bach and the blues, Morse pulled from jazz, country, classical violin technique, and progressive rock. The result was a Deep Purple that sounded different but never lost its identity.
Three of these picks come from Purpendicular, his debut album with the band. Three more were recorded during the Bananas sessions. That’s not a coincidence — Morse arrived fully formed and hit a creative peak in the studio with both Jon Lord and Don Airey that produced some of the most technically demanding and emotionally expressive guitar work in Deep Purple’s entire catalog.
This is Part 3 in my series ranking the greatest solos by every Deep Purple member:
Part 1: Ritchie Blackmore’s 10 Greatest Solos – https://youtu.be/5CUh_HATMoQ
Part 2: Jon Lord’s 10 Greatest Solos – https://youtu.be/2cv-SFY303c
Coming next: Ian Paice’s 10 Greatest Performances
What did I get wrong? Drop your Steve Morse top 10 in the comments.
Subscribe for weekly Deep Purple deep dives, rankings, and analysis.
Support the channel and buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/deeppurplevibes ☕💜
#SteveMorse #DeepPurple #SteveMorseSolos #DeepPurpleSolos #BestGuitarSolos #SometimesIFeelLikeScreaming #TheWellDressedGuitar #BirdsOfPrey #ContactLost #Bananas #ThrowMyBones #DontMakeMeHappy #Cascades #LoosenMyStrings #Weirdistan #Purpendicular #Abandon #RaptureOfTheDeep #Whoosh #DeepPurpleMorse #JonLord #DonAirey #IanGillan #RogerGlover #IanPaice #ErnieBallMusicMan #ClassicRock #HardRock #GuitarSolo #NeoclassicalRock #RockHistory #DeepPurpleRanking #DixieDregs
[ad1]
————————————————————————–
🎛️ Expand Your Guitar Practice Arsenal
Looking for a professional-grade backing track library to accelerate your guitar practice and performance sessions?
Introducing the Ultimate Backing Tracks Collection for Guitar Players:
✔️ Over 4,000 high-resolution audio files (MP3, WAV formats)
✔️ More than 15GB of content, organized by genre, tempo, and key
✔️ Styles include Rock, Blues, Jazz, Metal, Funk, Fusion, and more
✔️ Ideal for improvisation training, technique drills, tone testing, and studio recording
✔️ Compatible with all DAWs, mobile apps, and hardware loopers
Now available at 70% OFF for a limited time.
Download the Full Collection Here »
Give your practice sessions the professional edge they deserve.
Steve Morse
source
