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

Warm Beer and Cold Women...Tom Waits.

 

Johnny Hodges' alto solo on Duke Ellington's 1932 recording of It Don't Mean A Thing. Yeah, it's jazz but it's also pure pop music. One of the greatest singles ever released.

 

I'm not a fan of a honking sax blasting its way through rock or pop stuff, stick it in some r and b or rock and roll and you're laughing though.



Herb Hardesty!

 

Probably not one of the best but quite a surprising one : Taste - On the Boards featuring Rory Gallagher on sax (starts at about 4 mins)
Had this on a 12" single and thought it was fantastic.

 

Wouldn't argue the best but a favorite. At 1:34.

Dusty Springfield - Anyone Who Had a Heart

 

Here's a nice 3 minute sax solo. Mother Earth from Eric Burdon Declares War. Makes me want to start smoking again..

From 4:20 Don't drink the bong water

 

Another favorite, starts at 1:15

One Two Three - Cilla Black

 

Damn, you beat me to it. Was listening to this last night in fact.

 

Gato Barbieri

 

I'm not an 80s music basher, but that list sure did seem heavily slanted towards that era. There were plenty of fantastic sax solos from the 70s among the progressive set: King Crimson, Soft Machine, Gong, Van Der Graaf Generator, Traffic, Zappa, etc.

 

...plenty of Fats Domino records with herb Hardesty....

 

I would add Phil Kenzie's work on Poco's "Heart Of The Night"

 

Clarence Clemons' solo at the end of Bruce Springsteen's "Bobby Jean" from the "Born in the USA" album is highly effective and emotional, IMO.

A live version:

 

King Curtis on Buddy Holly's True Love Ways.

 

Drive All Night, melt your life sax right there.

 

Well I love 50s honkers so I'm gonna post the following which features great solos by King Curtis on sax and Adolph Jacobs (?) on guitar. Definitely from the Peter Green less is more approach ! Not sure I've ever met an 80's sax solo I've liked but outside of jazz I'm a big fan of the sax in rock n roll 50s style.
Special mention for King Curtis on Buddy Holly's Reminiscing (which Curtis wrote I believe) and Lennon's I Don't Want To Be A Soldier too. Plus top marks to whoever's on sax on Little Richard and Larry Williams Specialty cuts - Plas Johnson ?

 

Simple, but perfect.