Enter to Win: Music from Impact Acoustics

[Tom Andry]

The Impact Acoustics team wants you to win. To that end, one (1) random winner and one (1) selected by the Impact Acoustics team for the most thoughtful, detailed and informative post will each receive six (6) compact discs chosen by the IA team. These discs are carefully selected to be representative of what the IA team think the best rock saxophone solo is. The list of 6 discs, and a short review of why they were chosen, will be posted after the winner is selected.

To be eligible to win, you must: 1) Be a registered Audioholics forum member, 2) Have USA Residence 3) Answer the following question in this contest thread.

Contest Question: Which rock song do you think has the best saxophone solo? Think in terms of best sound quality, best recording quality, and best instrumental performance. If you had to provide a single example of saxophone in a rock and roll song demonstrating how a saxophone would be used in a rock mix, which artist, musician, song and recording would you select?

Note this contest ends on May 31st, 2006. Winners will be drawn shortly thereafter

Have fun and good luck!

[JaceTheAce]

Contest Question: Which rock song do you think has the best saxophone solo? Think in terms of best sound quality, best recording quality, and best instrumental performance. If you had to provide a single example of saxophone in a rock and roll song demonstrating how a saxophone would be used in a rock mix, which artist, musician, song and recording would you select?

I think the best saxophone solo ever was David Sanborn's alto sax solo in "Let Me Be Your Pirate" by Nena, from the 99 Luftballoons album. Sanborn's trademark bright sax sound highlights this wonderful rock ballad that doesn't receive enough credit for.

"Let Me Be Your Pirate" is a great rock ballad that I often use to put me asleep. Sanborn gets into some funky grooves and into the altissimo register (a third upper register later found by experimenting saxophonists) with his alto saxophone even though the song is a slow ballad. It all ties in wonderfully. The drum beat transitions into a bass drum "heart beat" towards the end of the recording. It is at the very end when the sax microphone captures Sanborns last breath that runs across the saxophone reed...sort of sounds like an ocean breeze. I highly recommend everyone to listen to this recording.

[westcott]

I would have to give the nod to the late Richard **** Perry from Pink Floyd as one of the greatest rock and roll saxophonists. The solo on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" is still one of my all time favorites.

Yeah, there are a lot of good saxophonists out there, from the past and the present, but selecting one that plays "true" rock and roll as you described, has to be Richard **** Perry.

Pink Floyd was one of the first bands to record their albums digitally, master them digitally, and released them in the same format. Based on your requested criteria, this is another primary reason for selecting **** Perry and Pink Floyd.

Lastly, since his passing, it is only befitting that he be recognized, even if it is just a forum contest!

[Nomo]

Hard to choose.
I guess I'll say "The Big Man" Clarence Clemons on Springsteen's Jungleland.

[JaceTheAce]

Hard to choose.
I guess I'll say "The Big Man" Clarence Clemmons on Springsteen's Jungleland.

I'd definately agree with you too!

[Svenhook]

I'm going to agree and go with Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Or Possibly Supertramp's The Logical Song.

[Hawkeye]

**** Perry dead? I don't get it. Did I miss something? Does *he* know?

Ok, I'm going to have to say another sax player involved with, among many other rock heavy weights, the Pink Floyd crew gets my vote. Mel Collins hit the road with Roger Waters during the Pros and Cons.. tour, as well as the Radio KAOS tour. The super-smooth playing Collins was also a member of the Prog band Camel for a while (check out the song 'Fingertips'). But Collins' playing really puts me not on an island, but just off one, everytime I hear his work on Richard Wright's 'Wet Dream' album. On the aptly named instrumental, 'Waves' listening to his flowing sax you can almost feel the waves as they peacefully lap up against your drifting sailboat as you lie, bobbing on the open water, in a state of semi-conscienciousness. Hey cats and kittens, this may be the next best thing to taking a cruise without even having to leave your easy chair.

[aarond]

I don't know about best but, I like David Sanborns work on David Bowies
Young Americans

[dlrepp]

The first one I noticed was the song "California" on the Turning Point album by John Mayall. The soloist was Johnny Almond. The sax solo seemed to suspend time while I listened to it.

The other is the ubuitous "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty where the soloist is Raphael Ravenscroft. Too bad the song is overplayed on classic rock stations.

[jzac]

I can think of a few for the 2-part question...

1) As for the best sax solo it's gotta be Yackity Sax by Boots Randolf -This was an incredible work! The guy still has the influence in today's music biz. Also, Sonny Rollins sax solo in Stone's "Waiting on a Friend" was just incredible! Another good one is Clarence Clemmons solo in "Jungleland".

2) Michael Brecker's "Maxine" sax solo from the Nightfly album of Donald Fagan is probably one the best engineered and produced song I have ever heard, but then again all of Donald Fagan's work is sweeeeet! Michael Brecker kicks a$$! He has a good solo in one of James Taylor tunes too... the name skips me.