Jump to content

Favorite solos not on a standard rock instrument


Aunt_Acid

Recommended Posts

I love the flute solo in 'Walk Away Renee' by The Left Banke and the violin at the start of Bowie's version of 'Sorrow' then the sax at the end. I like the flute in 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away' by The Beatles and the mouth organ in 'Love Me Do'.

Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson played the flute on alot of their hits.

As for the violin, Kansas used it on Dust In The Wind and of course there was the great fiddle solo by Charlie Daniels on The Devil Went Down To Georgia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 52
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

You know, this has probably been covered, but everyone else reposts and reposts heavily covered topics and gets away with it. This topic is about solos on anything like Sax, Violin, Flute, Trombone, Trumpet, Cello, Jew's Harp, or other things that aren't a staple of rock bands. The reason I thought of this is because I just bought Relics by Pink Floyd, and really liked the Trombone solo on Biding My Time. It's grand. A great flute solo is in Anonymous by Focus. And my favorite violin solo is probably the one in that off-the-wall version of I'm A Believer. I'm not sure who did it, but that violin solo in the middle of it is just so cool.

there's a violin at the end of Wish You Were Here

according to Roger, but i never hear it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You'd like the Hayseed Dixies then....ever heard a violin solo on an AC/DC track...or Motorhead? You will from them. Good banjo too :guitar:

Totally agree johnny! Hayseed Dixies solos rock :rockon:

Great suggestion!

I love the sax solo on Hazel O'Connor's "Will You"...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A theremin. I've complained on here numerous times about the fact that people liked the song because he used an obscure instrument on the track. Theremins are cool though. I have one and am always messing around on it. It never really got too far in rock music though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

some sort of related rambling random thoughts:

[*] How about that ocarina solo in Wild Thing by The Troggs?

[*] The electric violin stuff on Zappa albums is mostly from the late legendary Don 'Sugarcane' Harris whose checkered forty-year career also included work with Little Richard and John Mayall.

[*] John Mayall's unique drummerless Turning Point album highlights fantastic flute and sax by Jon Mark and Johnny Almond, not to mention Mayall's amazing "mouth percussion" on the track Room To Move.

[*] When I tell people about the bluegrass fusion group Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, they first think it is some kind of joke. Don't pass up an opportunity to see them Live. Bela is an absolute master of the banjo and exotic stringed instruments. Plus Roy 'Futureman' Wooten on the drumitar is an experience not to be missed.

[*] I need to steal back the vinyl album Aurora by Jean Luc Ponty that I bequeathed to my son (it looks hard to find on CD). Here's another style of electric violin and very different jazz-rock fusion. Ponty has tons of recordings, but this is my favorite from the ones I've heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is about solos on anything like Sax, Violin, Flute, Trombone, Trumpet, Cello, Jew's Harp, or other things that aren't a staple of rock bands.

the electric guitar replaced the sax in the 50's as the blues solo instrument...up until then the sax was the more common solo instrument... rock and roll and blues are closely related, so it's not unheard of to hear sax solo's on rock songs.

didn't led zep's Jimmy Page play a guitar solo with a violin bow on one of their songs? Whole Lotta Love or something?

the beatles had a sitar on Norweigan Wood.

and a clarinet/oboe on When I'm 64.

harmonica solos aren't that unusual.

The Who had that twangy thing on Join Together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the electric guitar replaced the sax in the 50's as the blues solo instrument...up until then the sax was the more common solo instrument... rock and roll and blues are closely related, so it's not unheard of to hear sax solo's on rock songs.

I have substituted my sax playing for guitar solos over the years and it works fine. Guitar solos can easily be converted to sax solos with a nice result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bet it wasn't an Ocarina in the Trogg's Wild Thing...much more likely it was a treble recorder.

You'll lose that bet, johnnyg.

Confirmation that Reg Presley played ocarina on Wild Thing can be found a hundred places on the web, but especially

from the site of Terry Riley, foremost vessel flute monger

"In 1994 Reg Presley of The Troggs asked me whether I could make a replacement ocarina following accidental damage to the one he used in Wild Thing. The replacement had to be unbreakable and loud enough to be played with a rock band. I worked on an epoxy resin copy of the original red plastic ocarina and eventually perfected an instrument which was capable of being played as loud as a trumpet."

If you get lucky, you might view a five-second video clip here.

It's off topic, but my surfing also ran me into both the notorious Troggs Tapes and Reg Presley's book exploring his fascination with UFOs, crop circles, and government secrecy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...