Robby Krieger
Electric Guitar Solo on
When The Music's Over

About

Robby Krieger's electric guitar solo is the sole improvisation on "When the Music's Over," the epic eleven-minute closing track of The Doors' 1967 album Strange Days. Robby Krieger said this was his best solo. It is actually two solos being played simultaneously. He said the solo was a real challenge because the harmony is static. He was inspired by John Coltrane and was trying to play something totally out there in terms of tonality. Krieger solos at a relaxed 99 BPM in E with a rock feel, creating one of the most ambitious guitar statements in The Doors' catalog. The track ranks alongside "The End" as one of the band's most extended compositions, and Krieger's dual-tracked guitar solo is the centerpiece of its instrumental exploration.

Robby Krieger was 20 to 21 years old at the time.