In 1972, a session guitarist walked into a studio, plugged his Stratocaster into a bass amp and recorded what would become one of the most admired guitar solos in rock history.
That guitarist was Elliott Randall, who turns 79 on June 15.
Randall is best known for playing the celebrated lead guitar work on Steely Dan's breakthrough hit "Reelin' in the Years." More than 50 years later, the solo remains legendary among musicians and fans alike, thanks in part to praise from one of rock's greatest guitarists.
When Steely Dan was recording its debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill, songwriters Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were searching for the right guitar solo for "Reelin' in the Years."
According to a 2023 retrospective from Classic Rock, neither of the band's guitarists had found the sound they wanted, so they called in Randall, a freelance musician who had previously crossed paths with Becker and Fagen through their connections to Jay & The Americans.
Randall later recalled that his entire lead performance was recorded in one continuous take. The guitarist plugged his 1965 Fender Stratocaster into an Ampeg SVT bass amplifier and delivered the now-famous solo that helped define the song.
The performance earned an especially notable fan: Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page.
Classic Rock reported that Page told the magazine in 1999 that Randall's work on "Reelin' in the Years" was his favorite guitar solo of all time. Years later, during a 2016 interview with Oliver Patrick Loughnan, Page revisited the subject and gave the solo a playful rating of "12 out of 10."
Randall later said he was honored by the praise.
"I'm flattered," Randall said in 2021. "It was actually very easy. The song virtually played itself."
More than 50 years after its release, "Reelin' in the Years" remains one of Steely Dan's signature recordings, and Randall's solo continues to be cited by critics, fellow musicians and fans as one of rock's most memorable guitar performances.
In its ranking of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in Rock, Classic Rock placed Randall's performance at No. 28, calling attention to the fact that Randall's lead, intro and closing guitar work were all captured in one continuous take, creating what it described as a near-perfect 27-second solo in which "not a note is wasted."
Rolling Stone has also repeatedly highlighted "Reelin' in the Years" as one of Steely Dan's defining songs. In its list of the band's 10 essential tracks, the magazine praised the recording's combination of Fagen and Becker's sharp songwriting with Randall's "white-hot guitar dazzlement." The publication later included the performance in its roundup of the Greatest Yacht Rock Guitar Solos, praising the way the song launches almost immediately into Randall's distinctive lead guitar work before the vocals even begin.
Although Randall never became a household name, his résumé extends far beyond Steely Dan. Over the years, he recorded with artists including Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Pat Benetar, Joan Baez and Irene Cara, playing the guitar work on Cara's hit "Fame" as well.
Still, for many fans, Randall's legacy will always be tied to those unforgettable seconds on "Reelin' in the Years," a solo that even Jimmy Page couldn't stop talking about more than two decades later.
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