Favorite solos not on a standard rock instrument

[Jimmy1104]

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.

[nobody_home]

The first that comes to mind is the freaked-out, electric violin solo in the middle of Frank Zappa's "The Gumbo Variations".

[big_man_pig_man]

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.

[johnnyguitar]

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:

[Foxy]

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

Great suggestion!

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

[RonJonSurfer]

I forget the name of the instrument, but the Beach Boys use it at the end of Good Vibrations...sort of a high pitched sound.

[Foxy]

I forget the name of the instrument, but the Beach Boys use it at the end of Good Vibrations...sort of a high pitched sound.

I think it was an electro-theremin?

[Aunt_Acid]

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.

[RonJonSurfer]

I think the use of the instrument is secondary in why people like the song...mainly, it's just a good song.

[Aunt_Acid]

The use of the instrument is just an example of some things he did in the song that weren't supposedly ordinary, so people went nuts and said it was the best song ever.

[Batman]

They also use a theramin in "Whole Lotta Love." I don't like the theramin in either song.

[bazooka]

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.

[Aunt_Acid]

Victor Wooten is amazing. I've heard one Flecktones album I can't remember which one though. All I know is that Vic Wooten is the man. Ever listen to Vital Tech Tones?

[Steel2Velvet]

Love the sitar solo midway through BJ Thomas' "Hooked On A Feeling" and even better as a solo refrain fade out at the end of the song. The jags from low to high tones are very cool.

[big_man_pig_man]

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.

[RonJonSurfer]

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.

[johnnyguitar]

I bet it wasn't an Ocarina in the Trogg's Wild Thing...much more likely it was a treble recorder. (See also 'Hitchin' a Ride')

JMHO

[johnnyguitar]

PS Didn't Jimmy Page play Dazed and Confused live using a violin bow AND a Theremin with his Les Paul?

::

[_jr_]

'Hitchin' a Ride'

I just heard this yesterday. Vanity Fair.

[johnnyguitar]

Got it in one....

[josef]

I like the Vocal Solo by Clare Torry from the Great Gig in the Sky from The Dark Side of the Moon album....

[bazooka]

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.

[Lucky]

Not necessarily a solo, but how about Fleetwood Macs Tusk, and the USC Marching Band?

[big_man_pig_man]

PS Didn't Jimmy Page play Dazed and Confused live using a violin bow AND a Theremin with his Les Paul?

::

yes yes yes...earlier i said that i thought Paige played a guitar solo with a violin bow on Whole Lotta Love, but i think it was on Dazed and Confused.

it's one or the other.

[big_man_pig_man]

I like the Vocal Solo by Clare Torry from the Great Gig in the Sky from The Dark Side of the Moon album....

but of course.