After performing major surgery on a number of albums to remove the excess flab, and cosmetic surgery on a few others to give them a nip and tuck here and there, my attention turned to some of my favourite horn-led songs, and I wondered what they would sound like without their brass sections. Pretty good, as it turns out, as most of them remain great tracks even without the horns, and with some you don't even miss them despite hearing them hundreds of times already in their familiar versions. So purely as a bit of fun, and as an experiment to see what these programmes can do, here is a collection of songs which are famous for their inclusion of a horn section, presented in all their naked glory.
Track listing
01 25 Or 6 To 4 - Chicago
02 Bitch - The Rolling Stones
03 And When I Die - Blood Sweat & Tears
04 Keep The Customer Satisfied - Simon & Garfunkel
05 No Reply At All - Genesis
06 Spinning Wheel - Blood Sweat & Tears
07 Reward - The Teardrop Explodes
08 Wake Up Boo - The Boo Radleys
09 Questions 67 & 68 - Chicago
10 You've Made Me So Very Happy - Blood Sweat & Tears
11 5:15 - The Who
12 Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
11 5:15 - The Who
12 Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
After some back and forth discussions and a bit of re-thinking, I've decided to remove the Moody Blues track, as despite a Reddit post citing it as one of the best rock songs with horns, I now realise that it doesn't actually have any on there, so it shouldn't really be here.
No.
ReplyDeleteJust NO.
LOL
Brilliant idea, but need a hint, I've tried every word in the title, both individually & collectively in my searches, but I can't find this gem - please PJ?
ReplyDeleteSorry about that. It wasn't in the right folder so should work now with 'horns aiwe'.
ReplyDeletePerfect - thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat Moody Blues song never had any horns.
ReplyDeleteI always thought that as well, but it was on a Reddit list of 'best rock songs with horns', and when I ran it through the programme it found some at 1:01 and 2:16, although they might be synths as they are fairly indistinct. I'll leave it on there anyway. I also felt that 'Deacon Blues' didn't sound that different, but it was just a fun experiment. On the other hand, '25 Or 6 To 4' is a great song with or without the horn section.
DeleteThe "horns" are Mike Pinder's chamberlin and Justin Hayward's distorted guitar. In other words, no horns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Just_a_Singer_(In_a_Rock_and_Roll_Band).
DeleteDeacon Blues, on the other hand, definitely has horns.
sorry dont know why it formatted that way.
DeleteEven though it's a great track, listening to it again I do agree that there are no horns on there, so I think I will remove it from the album, as it will still be a good length without it.
DeleteThis is fantastic... especially the Chicago tracks. Terry Kath's guitar work is amazing. Nice to hear it not covered up by horns.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought when I first heard it shine through when the horns were removed.
Deletenice, so clean
ReplyDeleteVol. 2 requests
ReplyDelete"Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder
"One Step Beyond" by Madness
“One Fine Morning” by Lighthouse
"Shining Star" by Earth, Wind, and Fire
“What Is Hip?” by Tower of Power
“Pick Up the Pieces” by Average White Band
“Vehicle” by The Ides of March
"My Old School" by Steely Dan
"My Wife" by The Who
"Dance to the Music" by Sly & The Family Stone
"Spanish Flea" by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. A silly suggestion, since it's almost all brass, no vocals.
I was going to include something from 'Vehicle', but before I had a chance to listen to the album and choose something I found I had enough music for the post already. Definitely a contender for Vol. 2 if there is one.
Delete