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Great keyboard solos in pop tunes


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Piano solo in Van Morrison's "Moondance" by business tycoon Jef Labes. https://www.irocku.com/store/piano-lessons-with-jef-labes/

 

Moog solo and best Marimba solo in a pop song on "Moonlight Feels Right" by Starbuck.

 

Synth solo with Piano accompaniment on "Breaking Us in Two" by Joe Jackson.

 

Hammond solo on Ambrosia's " You're the Only Woman".

 

Synth solo on "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" by the Four Seasons.

 

 

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Synth solo from Toto's Rossana!

Rock song, but a POPular one!

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Been listening to some old Sting recently, first 4 solo albums. Of course you have Kenny Kirkland killing it all over the first one.

Ten Summoner's Tales - '93 has amazing work by David Sancious with a truly wonderful Hammond solo on track 7, St. Augustine in Hell, in 7/8 time. That song isn't necessarily pop, but I'd certainly classify the album as.

 

In general, great keyboard all over Sting's catalog, including the Police.

 

Oh yes!

 

Kenny Kirkland's AMAZING solo on "When the World is Running Down (You Make the Best of What's Still Around)" off the "Bring on the Night" live album kills me, every time.

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I hate to be a buzzkill, but here's the problem....I think that most of the solos that have been cited in this thread are over 30 years old. How come new pop songs don't have any good instrumental solos? Not only keyboard solos, but guitar and sax solos have disappeared as well. (Although I am not lamenting the disappearance of guitar solos on pop).

 

I used to be a voracious reader of Keyboard magazine. I recall when they cited "That's All" by Genesis and "Don't Want to Fall in Love" by Jane Child as being notable for HAVING solos (organ and synth respectively). Just looked 'em up--Jane Child's song is the newer one, from 1990.

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree with most of the selections on this thread as being great. I also would nominate "Don't Want to Fall in Love" for this thread. However, I am dismayed that the pop music has abandoned lead solos.

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Basia - New Day For You

Norah Jones - Don't Know Why

Fine Young Cannibals - Good Thing (Jools Holland solo)

Marc Anthony - You Sang To Me (Accordion solo)

Anita Baker - Giving You The Best That I Got (piano by Sir Gant, he is/was a KC member)

The Band - All La Glory (my favorite Garth Hudson solo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Been listening to some old Sting recently, first 4 solo albums. Of course you have Kenny Kirkland killing it all over the first one.

Ten Summoner's Tales - '93 has amazing work by David Sancious with a truly wonderful Hammond solo on track 7, St. Augustine in Hell, in 7/8 time. That song isn't necessarily pop, but I'd certainly classify the album as.

 

In general, great keyboard all over Sting's catalog, including the Police.

 

Oh yes!

 

Kenny Kirkland's AMAZING solo on "When the World is Running Down (You Make the Best of What's Still Around)" off the "Bring on the Night" live album kills me, every time.

 

THIS! Saw Sting & The Dream of the Blue Turtles band live, sitting in the front row with a Photographer friend of mine, mesmerised by Kenny's skill & seemingly limitless inventiveness.

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I hate to be a buzzkill, but here's the problem....I think that most of the solos that have been cited in this thread are over 30 years old. How come new pop songs don't have any good instrumental solos? Not only keyboard solos, but guitar and sax solos have disappeared as well. (Although I am not lamenting the disappearance of guitar solos on pop).

 

I used to be a voracious reader of Keyboard magazine. I recall when they cited "That's All" by Genesis and "Don't Want to Fall in Love" by Jane Child as being notable for HAVING solos (organ and synth respectively). Just looked 'em up--Jane Child's song is the newer one, from 1990.

 

Don't get me wrong, I agree with most of the selections on this thread as being great. I also would nominate "Don't Want to Fall in Love" for this thread. However, I am dismayed that the pop music has abandoned lead solos.

 

All is not lost! Check out the piano work on the song 'Dear Life' from Beck's album 'Colours' (released early last year I think). VERY tasty piano playing:

 

 

Someone's been listening to The Beatles :)

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You might think this is a cheesy tune but I like the tone of this Hammond. This guy is a decent player:

 

[video:youtube]

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Always liked the one on the Cars' Bye Bye Love...maybe not technically difficult but just gets the blood going and fits perfectly.

 

Maybe not "pop" but Head East's Never Been any reason has some nice stuff.

 

A more recent "solo" (of sorts) I heard in Walk The Moon's Shut Up and Dance...again, not a hard one but hearing a keyboard solo on pop made in the last 10 years was a bit of a shock.

 

Yeah, not a lot of solos of any kind in pop over the last 30 years. Then again I don't listen to pop that much so I'd be out of touch.

 

There's a couple nice solos on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, though not on the singles.

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Got to give it to Sly and his iconic organ stabs in Dance to the Music, 7 seconds of pure joy

 

There was discussion some years ago that these solos were actually played by Billy Preston. I don't know if that ever was definitively resolved or not. The passing chords on the Wurlitzer from Family Affair also sound particularly Billy-esqe.

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One of my all-time favorite keyboard solos is Craig Doerge in Jackson Browne's Load Out / Stay. The guy has a way of making keyboard sound like singing with his bending and phrasing.

 

Here's a live version that shows the playing. First solo starts around 4:10, and another around 7:00.

 

[video:youtube]

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So I just worked up Rhythm of the Night (DeBarge, written by Diane Warren). Got called for one of the corporate bands I play in. Never learned it back in the day until now. I dig the synth "flute" solo, so I learned the thing verbatim. Was it Jeff Lorber on the recording?

 

Lorber was all over many pop hits of the late eighty's. Loved his clav breakdown in Pebble's Mercedes.

Lenny
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Three ancient pop/rock performances that first embedded the keyboard solo idiomthe very possibility of such a thingin my adolescent wannabe brain: Del Shannons Runaway (Max Crook); The Animals House of the Rising Sun (Alan Price), The Rascals Good Lovin (Felix Cavaliere). Short, tight, lyrical, essential to the song....and not impossibly difficult to learn and cover.

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You might think this is a cheesy tune but I like the tone of this Hammond. This guy is a decent player:

That is a nice solo. Especially love the line around 4:33. I'll take a tuneful solo over a shredder any day. It's a cheesy tune, but it works and is a solid hit.

 

I also miss full story-themed music videos. As silly as it is, I couldn't help but smile at the intro.

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You might think this is a cheesy tune but I like the tone of this Hammond. This guy is a decent player:

That is a nice solo. Especially love the line around 4:33. I'll take a tuneful solo over a shredder any day. It's a cheesy tune, but it works and is a solid hit.

 

I also miss full story-themed music videos. As silly as it is, I couldn't help but smile at the intro.

 

There is a little organ in "Do you believe in love " also. I hope Huey has his hearing problem solved because he would like to tour last I heard.

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

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You might think this is a cheesy tune but I like the tone of this Hammond. This guy is a decent player:

That is a nice solo. Especially love the line around 4:33. I'll take a tuneful solo over a shredder any day. It's a cheesy tune, but it works and is a solid hit.

 

I also miss full story-themed music videos. As silly as it is, I couldn't help but smile at the intro.

 

There is a little organ in "Do you believe in love " also. I hope Huey has his hearing problem solved because he would like to tour last I heard.

 

Huey Lewis & The News was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. TOP Horns, exciting, well-crafted and tightly arranged tunes played by real players. Keyboards were exactly what they should have been. I really, really liked that band.

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It's short and sweet, but I always enjoyed the synth solo on Head Over Heels.

 

[video:youtube]

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You might think this is a cheesy tune but I like the tone of this Hammond. This guy is a decent player:

That is a nice solo. Especially love the line around 4:33. I'll take a tuneful solo over a shredder any day. It's a cheesy tune, but it works and is a solid hit.

 

I also miss full story-themed music videos. As silly as it is, I couldn't help but smile at the intro.

 

There is a little organ in "Do you believe in love " also. I hope Huey has his hearing problem solved because he would like to tour last I heard.

 

Huey Lewis & The News was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. TOP Horns, exciting, well-crafted and tightly arranged tunes played by real players. Keyboards were exactly what they should have been. I really, really liked that band.

 

Wasn't that like in 2001? I think they have a horn section now made up of other guys?

"Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello"

 

 

noblevibes.com

 

 

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Some pop keyboard solos

This has a few Minimoog solos

Also note the Yamaha organ (same model Steve Winwood used in John Martyns album he was on)

Organ solo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GpvMeefaR0M

Organ solo again at 1:03. Its a YC-45D if you remember that model.

The solo in Whats Love Got To Do With It is a sound I still use

I also like the solo in IGY by Donald Fagen as well as

Daft Punk - Da Funk

Daft Punk - Around The World

Hetty Koes Endang - Demi Cinta Nih Ye (DX7 but still a solid tone)

Sting - An Englishman in New York (newer live versions) (definitely has a synth or keys solo in it in the live newer versions where his keyboardist plays the sax part)

This one cover of a TOP song I did had a synth brass solo in it. Im not joking, Ive done covers of TOP and Muscle Shoals songs with synth horns.

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When I was a young lad, "She's Not There" made me give up drum lessons and start hitting the piano. "Light My Fire" was also an inspiration.

Being from northern NJ, the (Young) Rascals were bigger than the Beatles to me. Anything Felix did, I tried to copy. Including pointing up in air while holding down some high notes on my Farfisa/Leslie rig.

After high school I got my first B3 and was into rock/fm radio rather than pop/am radio. Deep Purple, Nice (just trying to understand Keith), Argent.....

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