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]

sax solo

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]

Its gotta be Boots Randolf...Brecker... and Sonny!

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.

 

[bengrbm]

Keys - Allen

1) Bobby Keys in "Brown Sugar". This may not be the best most technically difficult or lengthy solo, but the sax really adds to this guitar driven song. It gives a perfect old school rock 'n roll feel to a hard rock classic. This is a great moment. It was recorded in Muscle Shoals where Keys was a legendary session man. The sessions were produced by Jimmy Miller, giving his murky percussive sound that is forever linked to the Stones. The sax comes out from the depths to completely change the texure of the signature dark, driving open electric/acoustic guitar and drum sound that dominates the first half of the sound. It is extremely effective. Plus the man played sax for Buddy Holly when he was 14 yrs old!!!

2) Nearly a tie - Lee Allen in "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard. This could be one of several Little Richard songs. The man is the king of the classic early rock n' roll sax players and, really, is the person whose chops one thinks of when recalling what a rock n' roll sax solo truly is. He really wails and provides a wildness that compliments Little Richards out-there quality perfectly. Every time Little Richard stops singing and the sax takes over, the bachanal strongly suggested in his Richard's lyrics and piano becomes manifest in the wailing sax. Bobby Keys takes this same strategy in choice #1.

3) Sonny Rollins would be choice #3....

 

[Fierce Mice]

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?

Such a tough question! Lisa Simpson and Bleeding Gums Murphy hold a place near and dear to my heart. I can't seem to find any good recordings of their work though =)

Seriously though, Your Latest Trick by The Dire Straits is great. But when I think of saxophone solos, I think of Yackity Sax by Boots Randolf and Jungleland by Clarence Clemens. Clarence Clemens was the first sax musician I saw where you could feel the emotion and fire. His passion, energy, enthusiasm...they are unmatched and are truly representative of how I think the sax should be used in a rock mix.

Having said that, Yackity Sax is a revolutionary piece that is (for me) synonymous with the sax. It's the only thing that I can think of that could top even Clarence Clemens. When I first read the question, Clarence came immediately to mind, but to be honest, even he is edged out by Yackity Sax!

It's disappointing how underutilized the sax is in modern rock. It seems, with rare exceptions, that if the music doesn't fit a formula, it's not accepted. The sax has not been a part of the accepted formula, and has been neglected.

Edit: I didn't want to spoil my answer by reading what others posted first, but after reviewing the thread, I realized I completely neglected David Sanbourn. In my book, David Sanborn's alto sax solo in "Let Me Be Your Pirate" by Nena should have been mentioned by me above, and although not the best of the best, is a strong honorable mention!

 

[PSU80]

Artist has to be Clarence Clemons. So many good songs but if I have to pick... Jungleland.

 

[bersik]

I'm a fan of Clarence from the E-street band. For a single song, I'd have to go with the River

 

[bullet]

Even though its not rock


Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here
I like how it has a mixture of guitar and sax

 

[HiRez1394]

Best saxophone solo?

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 nominate **** Parry's sax solo on "Money," a rock classic by Pink Floyd, on "The Dark Side of the Moon" album re-mastered in a 5.1 surround-sound mix for SACD in 2003. "Money" is a classic, not least because of Parry's notable solo, which distinguishes itself during SACD playback. The SACD mix quality for the whole album has been used as a reference demo for this high-resolution format.

 

[Ziptree]

I'm going to have to go with Clarence Clemons on "The River" also.

 

[nm2285]

I love dire straits "Your Latest Trick" from Communique. That song would be nothing without the touch of saxophone that it includes. The live version that appears on "Sultans of Swing," their greatest hits disc, is a fantastic recording.
This would be my pick to demo.

 

[soundhound]

the sax in Shine On You Crazy Diamond is great (i'd vote 2nd place ) but for pure *rock and roll,* it has to be Can't You Hear Me Knocking by the Rolling Stones, with Bobby Keys on sax. he complements Keith's rythmn guitar perfecly throughout the entire "jam" section, keeps the song driving forward to Mick Taylor's solo, and comes back in strong again at the end to add harmony and bring it on home. although in a sense it's very short and simple, it's also restrained and focused, not all over the place with a million notes. it's also very "gutty" and visceral, which is what rock and roll is, not refined and jazzy. spirits in the night by bruce springsteen might also be in the top 5 (i think that one has sax, maybe i'm thinking of another song), but since i'm not really a big springsteen fan, if i wanted to let people know what the role of the saxophone is in rock and roll, i'd point to the Stones' CYHMK.

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

I didn't even realize there were so many examples of sax in rock. The one and only song I recall that has sax is "Urgent" by Foreigner. An aggresively hard rockin' almost frantic solo, despite it being a "pop" song.