I'm a sucker for fuzz guitar and other subtly shit-hot leads! There are plenty of underwritten songs and even entire albums (eg, The Pretty Things' SF Sorrow) that I otherwise might not give the time of day if not for the soul-stirring fuzztone guitar parts. There are other songs, like The Blues Project's version of "Back Door Man," that are loaded with subtly shit-hot leads that will forever be burned in my mind.

Over the weekend, on the way to a soccer game, Edwin Starr's "War" came on the radio, and I cranked it up for my son and his friend. I LOVED this song since I was a little kid, but I hadn't heard it for years. I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle, shit-hot fuzz guitar fills on the choruses, fills that seemed to be a precurssor to the fills The Isley Brothers would put in their early '70s hits. I'd forgotten about them and how much they added.

Then I thought about the time many moons ago, when Townsman Andyr pointed out to me maybe the most unexpected use of fuzztone and subtle, shit-hot fills: those that appear in the distance midway through Simon and Garfunkle's thoughtful "Sounds of Silence." The song was forever improved for me, and the consciousness of these fills made me aware of Paul Simon's penchant for working subtle, shit-hot fuzztone leads into his seemingly placcid music. Think about the guitar fill that follows the doobie-smokin' line in "Late in the Evening."

I'm sure I'm not alone in my appreciation for fuzztone and shit-hot leads. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in holding some subtly shit-hot examples of these qualities in mind. What are your favorite uses of unexpected fuzz guitar and other subtle, shit-hot fills?