What the heck ever happened to Solos in Popular Music?

[BlueJazz]

I been hooking up my new JBL (speakers) this morning and have been playing some oldies and even the new stuff and one thing truly stands out and that's the lack of interesting solos, whether it be from a Guitar, Sax or what have you.

Sure there's great stuff in Jazz and even new stuff that's not played on the (top 100) radio but still, I long for the cool solos
in popular music like Phil Wood's solo on "Just the way you are" or Van Halen on "Jump" (interesting note here: Listen to the ending Guitar solo on "Morning desire" by Kenny Rogers..double cool) And of course, there's hundreds more.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying that the above solos are the greatest things ever recorded but at least, they were heard by just about everybody who listened to music....Nowadays it's just BORING!

Is it just more of the Dumbing Down of America?.....or is it because so many (top 100) bands just don't have the skill to "Pull it off"??

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. Yeah. Bring back the drum solo.

That's what I want.

[Westegg]

2. I've got a 40-minute Bonham drum solo you might like!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. Yeah, baby!

[BlueJazz]

5. Yep, That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about!

Even a short 45-60 second solo (like that) would break up the monotony in today's popular stuff. (Folks that heard it would want to hear more)

[Westegg]

4. Punk rock in the '70s aimed to, among other things, kill off...

the "decadent, self-involved and pretentious" soloing of rock at that time. I happen to dig punk AND decadent, self-involved, pretentious soloing myself. When soloing is good (say, Page, Hendrix, etc.) it can attain a certain mantra-like trance quality that is quite intense. Certainly, great bands like the Velvets and Television got into some fiercely long jams, though jamming isn't, I guess, the same thing. SLB? What say you? You're my hero when it comes to the rock and the roll.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

7. There's a fine line between expressive solos and musical wanking.

Television had it down pat, Janes Addiction also. There's a lot of extended instrumental passages in Krautrock, but not much in the way of solos. Sonic Youth could pull it off, particularly on tracks like 'The Diamond Sea'.

[Westegg]

11. The Diamond Sea. So damn mesmerizing! Pure, perfect...

degeneration into a wall of noise. I was wondering if that song might be an homage to Brian Wilson. Any thoughts?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

13. Y'know, it had never occurred to me. Maybe.

I thought there was a bit of Echo and the Bunnymen in it.

[Westegg]

20. Check out Diamond Sea lyrics:

Time takes its crazy toll
and how does your mirror grow
you better watch yourself when you jump into it
'cause the mirror's gonna steal your soul

I wonder how it came to be my friend
that someone just like you has come again
you'll never, never know how close you came
until you fall in love with the diamond rain

throw all his trash away
look out he's here to stay
your mirror's gonna crack when he breaks into it
and you'll never never be the same

look into his eyes and you can see
why all the little kids are dressed in dreams
I wonder how he's gonna make it back
when he sees that you just know it's make-belief

blood crystalized as sand
and now I hope you'll understand
you reflected into his looking glass soul
and now the mirror is your only friend

look into his eyes and you will see
that men are not alone on the diamond sea
sail into the heart of the lonely storm
and tell her that you'll love her eternally

time takes its crazy toll
mirror fallin' off the wall
you better look out for the looking glass girl
'cause she's gonna take you for a fall

look into his eyes and you shall see
why everything is quiet and nothing's free
I wonder how he's gonna make her smile
when love is running wild on the diamond sea


"Time takes its crazy toll"; "Sail into the heart of the lonely storm"; "I wonder how he's gonna make her SMILE/when love is RUNNING WILD on the diamond sea"; "Look out he's here to stay", etc.

Yeah, maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I know Thurston has always been a big Brian Wilson fan, and SY contributed a song (Little Trouble Girl) to Allison Anders' 1996 movie "Grace of My Heart" which featured Matt Dillon as a Brian Wilson-inspired musical genius/recluse. There's also a Beach Boys-like lilting quality to this beautiful song, at least until the extended ending, which sounds to me like a man losing his mind.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

21. Neat theory. 'Grace of My Heart' is a great movie. Killer soundtrack, too.

[Westegg]

24. Yep, first-rate flick, great soundtrack. No one fucking saw it, alas...

...but it was one hell of an iconoclastic and risk-taking personal vision that dealt with a fantastic American pop-culture subject. It's really nice to know that someone else digs it.

You rawk!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

25. Cheers.

:yourock:

[DenverDem]

6. Check out some jam bands, Widespread Panic, Radiators et al.

Tasty soloing every song.

[stilleon]

8. All about making it commercial

I am in the music biz and know exactly what you mean... I loved those solos. But the reason they are no longer is one of the two following reasons:

Reason 1. These days song lengths has dropped back to about 3.5 minutes to make it "radio friendly" in regards to time (how else can a station play "the most hits in another 30 minute music set"). In order to shorten them something had to go, and that is the solo. Better to restate the vocal hook (usually the title) so people can go buy the song than have an instrumental section. It sucks.

Reason 2: It's Bush's fault. He ordered his buddies who own the major labels to get rid of solos so liberal music lovers who remember great solos will argue about that instead of him.

There you go.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

9. It's the rise of formatted commercial radio.

That's the stranglehold.

[BlueJazz]

18. Stilleon...Welcome to DU! ...Also....

...The thing I remember when I used to play in Bands (I was a Jazz Player, Sax and Piano but played in Rock Bands to eat, I'm sure you understand :) )....anyway, I remember people asking me "Who plays that solo you just played in "just the way you are"? I want to hear more of Him/Her!

So it seems like having solos (Well, Great ones) would actually increase sales to some degree...???

Any thoughts?

[Richardo]

10. I'm giving you all a great solo earworm for the day...

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's work in Steely Dan's "Bodhisattva". Including the "trading 8s" with Fagan on the keyboards.

I'm blissing out right now just thinking about it. :hippie:

[Westegg]

12. Yeah, Skunk rocks hard. Too bad about his politics.

[Richardo]

15. Yeah there's that.

But WTF, the guy can play.

[gpandas]

16. i put it on, you're post made me n/t

[Richardo]

22. You diggin' it, gpandas?

:smoke::thumbsup:

[TrogL]

14. How can you have solos in rap?

There isn't any melody, harmony, bass line or key.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. Untrue

rap is ALL bass line

[TrogL]

26. Typical rap base line

E-EE-E-EEE-E-E-EEE-E-E-E-EEE

...and I'm supposed to do what?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. dance

[Westegg]

19. Sweet sax solo at the end of P.E.'s "Fight the Power"...

It's just a few bars, but adds so much to this great song. IMO.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

29. Love PE..No one has surpassed Chuck D

[Westegg]

30. Unbelievable how good they were. P.E. was nothing less than...

...a new way of communicating. "1989, the number/another summer. Sound of the funky drummer. Music hittin' ya hard 'cause I know you got soul, brothers and sisters..." Etc. Shit. 15 years on. Seems like a lifetime ago, frankly.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

31. Mos def. PE were the bomb.

[bo44]

23. Replaced by rappers

a rapper adds instant credibility to a pop song much like a guitar or sax solo by a revered player did for pop songs before the rise of hip hop.

[NightTrain]

27. The same thing that happened to musicians in popular music.

They were replaced by a synthesized, fascist dance beat. :puke:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

33. Yup

It's cheaper that way.

They've been doing that on Broadway; and have oftimes suggested replacing opera pit orchestras with 2 pianos. Of course, some numbf@ck of note always manages to come out with "I really can't tell the difference", and "Why not, if it'll keep ticket prices down?"

[GumboYaYa]

32. Listen to Robert Randolph, it's almost all pedal steel solos.

Or check out Phish, moe., String Cheese Incident, or any number of other jam bands. All they do sometimes is play long solos.