During the recording sessions for Laurasia’s 50th Anniversary release, “Brotherhood,” guitarist John Houshmand created five impromptu guitar solos as possible introductions for the song “The End of the Road.” Rather than use them as intros, the band decided to let John’s sparkling playing and creative sparks stand for themselves.

The direction was simply this: Take the theme and harmonic progression of “The End of the Road,” which John himself wrote, and create a guitar solo version that will complement but contrast with the full-band, vocal version of the song that appears on the album. John’s five takes were recorded back-to-back, and each one represents a different direction, with new ideas bubbling in and out as the tape rolled.

The result – a great showcase of John’s improvisational style as well as his guitar technique.