Article: The Best Saxophone Solos in Pop History (When Saxophone Solos Mattered)*

Men at Work - Who Can It Be Now? & Overkill
RIP Greg Ham

 

To my mind, it starts with "The Pink Panther".

 

The great Lenny Pickett totally nails the solo in Elton's The Bitch is Back

 

Quarterflash- Harden My Heart.

 

Listening to a homemade cd.
24 hours at a time live Marshall Tucker
California John mayall

 

I'm especially fond of Bobby Keys' solo on Nilsson's "Take 54."

 

I like the sax solo on Queen's One Year of Love

 

I would say best but I like.

The sax on Little Feat's Waiting For Columbus - Mercentary Territory where the sax sets up the Lowell George guitar solo.

War - All Day Music

Bruce Sprigsteen / Clarence - She's The One

Weather Report

The Crusaders.

Sax on the original Henry Mancini Peter Gunn and The Blues Brothers Original Soundtrack Peter. Gunn.

Garth Hudson - Last Waltz - It Makes No Difference

Bowie sax on Walk On the Wild Side.

Sax on Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat

For starters

 

King Curtis - You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling

 

The Sax with Little Feat is Lenny Pickett, the horn section is Tower of Power,the same on Elton John Caribou.And Jr Walker should be listed on his own as well.

 

Weather Report is Wayne Shorter, also has had an extensive solo career, as well as stints with Miles Davis & Art Blakey and numerous guest spots with others.
Crusaders saxophone was by Wilton Felder, who also doubled on bass in the studio.

 

Nice list, but it didn't go back far enough...

 

My fav Baritone Sax Solo: The Crystals Da Doo Ron Ron.

My fav Tenor Sax Solo: Clarence Clemons Jungleland

My fav Alto Sax Solo: Mel Collins w/Dire Straits, Theme from Local Hero

My fav Soprano Sax Solo: Garth Hudson It Makes No Difference

My fav Silly Sax Solo: The Benny Hill Show theme.

 

wasnt this sax break inspired by “Soul Makossa”?

 

I'm just going to name the absolute greatest sax in the history of RnR.

That honor belongs to Boots Randolph on Reconsider Baby taken from Elvis Is Back.
With Elvis egging him on nothing comes close.

Basically any King Curtis @ #2

#3 Bobby Keyes

#4 Maceo

#5 "Fathead" Newman

 

That version of "Photograph" on the Concert for George.

 

Dave Clark Five - Can't You See That She's Mine

 

Phil Woods
Steely Dan -Dr. Wu
Billy Joel - Just The Way You Are

Never heard of Woods before Dr. Wu, I currently own over 1 dz. Phil Woods records!

 

Yy

 

Barclay James Harvest: Play to the world.
Camel: Fingertips.
The Cure: A Night Like This
...

 

Maneater - Hall & Oates
You Belong To The City - Glenn Frey
Rio - Duran Duran
Careless Whisper - Wham

Darryl

 

To me sax in rocknroll really mattered between 1947 when Roy Brown released Rockin At Midnite & ended in 1960 when Boots Randolph performed rocknrolls greatest sax solo on Reconsider Baby on Elvis Is Back album...

The best sax is found on pieces of thick wax known as 78 RPMs & its brothers the 7" in. 45 RPM single...

Obviously there are exceptions to post 1960 , King Curtis ,Motown& various Bobby Keyes work with the Stones are fine examples..


With that said I dig all kinds of music but rocknroll is my forte up till about 1980 after Pere Ubu appeared (a group I love till this day)because I basically had quit buying new music because my eras are the first 3 decades anyway...

I revisited my collection of 78s 45s etc and picked out 63 that really stand out...

I have chose 26 to post tonight it is my wish that someone will discover new music & become hooked like I did 60+ years ago....

My fav artist is the Grateful Dead but the #2 spot goes to Ike Turner , a towering inescapable figure in the history of rocknroll...

Ike Turner is just as important as Fats , Chuck ,Little Richard & Elvis but regrettably not as popular that is why I begin with lots of Ikes early sides....

Oh by the way all that killer tremolo bar guitar pyrotechnics & stomping piano on 1-10 is Ike "By God " Turner...

1.Willie King w/ Ike Turner featuring Billy Gayles - Peg Leg Woman
2.Billy Gayles w/Ike Turner Kings of Rhythm - Take Your Fine Frame Home
3.Jackie Brenston w/Ike Turner Kings of Rhythm -What Can It Be
4.Billy Gayles w/Ike Turner Kings of Rhythm - Just One More Time
5.Ike Turner and His Orchestra - Trail Blazer
6.Bonnie and Ike Turner - Looking For My Baby
7.The Rockers - Why Don't You Believe
8.The Rockers - Down In The Bottom
9.The Gardenias -My Baby's Tops
10.The Starrs - Crying Over You
11.The Five Keys - When Pa Was Courtin Ma
12.Roy Brown - Rockin At Midnite
13.The Clovers - I Confess
14.The Coasters - That Is RocknRoll
15.The Coasters - Along Came Jones
16.The Drifters - Money Honey
17.The Robins - Riot In Cell Block #9
18.Richard Berry- Be My Girl
19.Richard Berry - Mess Around
20.Ray Charles - I Got A Woman
21.Ray Charles - Hallelujah (I Love Her So)
23.The 5 Royales - The Real Thing
24.The 5 Royales - Messin Up
25.The 5 Royales - Don't Be Ashamed
26.The 5 Royales - Tell The Truth

I could go on for hours but this is fine start for anyone on the hunt...

There is virtually 100s of great sax & horn performances on 1950s rocknroll because until Eric Clapton appeared in the early 1960s sax was the prominent solo instrument in rocknroll & r&b with obvious exceptions ie...Ike Turner, Chuck Berry , James Burton , Scotty Moore & Rockabilly cats & Lowman Pauling..

Some of the artists are known but sadly some of these fine musicians are unknown...

Every one of these tracks are stellar performances that will surely reach out and grab your very soul & put a smile on the listeners face...

50% of these songs were recorded when ELVIS was still gazing in the window of Sun and dreaming...

Thanks for reading

 

... See Fats Domino records.....!!! M

 

Any music with Apollo Records studio band in the early 50s...

Charlie "Little Jazz " Ferguson & His Orchestra....

Charlie & Orchestra can be found backing the 5 Royales on their early 50s Apollo sides...

Charlie himself is the cat blowing his lungs out on those recordings...

Blow man blow !

 

Mash Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp.
Sax kills me