Sax on California Dreamin'?

[Surfer Joe]

Yeah, I think that's available on the box set.  That idea was greatly improved upon by the final version.

To me saxes are like anything, including the gratuitous it's-time-for-the-guitar-solo guitar solo, unless you have a great guitarist (or saxophonist) who can bring something to it, or a fresh idea, like "Salt  Lake City", or any George Harrison guitar solo (which amounted to separate acts of songwriting rather than just improvs)- without a fresh idea it's just mechanical.

What makes the unimaginative and gratuitous sax solo so bad is that it's the musical equivalent of somebody popping on a pair of sunglasses and thinking that's shorthand for "cool". Pop on a pair of sunglasses and play a bad sax solo?  I'll wait in the car.

Agree that "Baker Street" is a good use of it. Brian Jones was brilliant on "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number).". Wasn't there a nice moody one on Dark Side Of The Moon?  Now somebody has to come up with the all-time worst sax solo.

I nominate, on general principles, the porn-movie solo that was dubbed into Natalie Cole's forgettable vampire duet with her undead father, Nat K., on "Unforgettable", in place of the very tasteful strings, which they said were "dated".

[wgolly]

yeah, I think brian usually uses the sax pretty tastefully.  As a bad example, joe thomas' sax solos in imagination.  There was definately a cheesey vibe there.  it can ruin a song for sure.

speaking of the sax in gok, what point in the finished version does it occur.  I cant really imagine a sax there, but maybe it fits?

[Aegir]

The sax solo in God Only Knows was instead of the the wordless vocal thing before the final verse/chorus. You know, the "ah-ah, ah-ah, doo doo doo doo doo doo doo ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba-ba-ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba aaaaaaaaaaah God Only Knows what I'd be without you, if you should ever leave me..."

I really like the sax solo in Goin' South. And Shut Down, haha.

[John]

If a sax solo isn't rocking like Salt Lake City or Bobby Keys on Exile On Main Street, I can live without it. Any non-rockin' sax is anathema to me.

[Pretty Funky]

Try this Phoebe Snow tune 2.30 mark. Just right IMO.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NBfTpVBxF8