Greatest rock and roll sax solo of all time - vote early but not often

I wish I could say it was the first thing I though of as well, but that Pink Floyd "Us And Them" solo came into my head first.

As for Cafferty, it's amazing how when those songs come on I can only picture Eddie (Michael Pare) singing it. Good casting and he did soem excellent lip synching.

 

If we're going to anoint The Big Man as the best rock 'n' roll saxophonist ever, I'd like to share my favorite on-the-road story.
As a traveling baseball writer, we were in Chicago. We were always on the lookout for concerts and music shows. One of our guys looked through the paper and saw a listing in agate type at the bottom of the page that had "Things To Do" in Chicago in the entertainment section.
"Clarence Clemons and the Red Bank Rockers."
The concierge got us tickets for a Saturday night, 7:30 show. No problem with Cubs playing all day games before they lit up Wrigley.
So, of course, they play 15 innings. By the time we were done with our stories, it was 7:15. Show started in 15 minutes somewhere in Chicago. We had no idea where it was.
We dumped our computers and brief cases in the PR office and headed out of Wrigley through the security office behind home plate. We asked the security officer to call us a cab. He said, OK, where you going? We showed him the tickets: Stages Music Hall.
He walked us out of the stadium onto sidewalk, pointed down the left-field line and said, "See that red awning? That's it."
This place could have been anywhere in Chicago and it was a half block from Wrigley. If Sammy Sosa had hit one 500 feet that went foul, it probably would have landed at the club.
It was a great show, the place held about 300 people, 6 bars around the main floor. We were standing about 10 feet from the stage.
Clarence had about half of the E Street Band there, and a skinny black dude signing some of Bruce's lyrics.
Awesome show.

 

Beatles Division:

Brian Jones, "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"

John Lennon, "Helter Skelter" (during the fadeout)

Legit sax solo: "Lady Madonna," Ronnie Scott

 

Billy Joel, "Say Goodbye To Hollywood."

 

For a great cover version of that song:
Ronnie Spector & the E Street Band "Say Goodbye to Hollywood"

 

No love for the man who was probably as big an influence on Clemons's style than anyone: King Curtis, who played on the immortal "Yakety Yak":

(Not much sax here, but an absolute killer groove played some absolute studs like Bernard Purdie and Cornell Dupree)

 

Very original thread idea and well done, Devil.

BTW, another great sax riff that deserves mention here is in Dire Straights' Your Latest Trick:

 

"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" is good in the Billy Joel division, but no mention of "New York State of Mind"? Shame, shame ...

The late Don Myrick deserves some love on this thread, not only because he was the saxophonist for Earth, Wind and Fire - much of the group's catalog could help stir the debate here - but also for working the brass section for Phil Collins' solo efforts, including "One More Night" and deeper cuts like "If Leaving Me Is Easy" and "I Cannot Believe It's True."

Big nods to "Baker Street" and "Born To Run," too.

 

Speaking of Dire Straits, love the great sax solo by Mel Collins in the version of "Two Young Lovers" on the Alchemy live album.

 

Second on King Curtis, who was absolute greatness on the Coasters' hits of the '50s among others.

And add the solo I wore out trying to copy when I was a teenage sax stud (don't laugh -- OK, go ahead) -- "Pick up the Pieces" by the Average White Band.

 

I'll throw in Little River Band's "Cool Change" in the honorable mention.

 

One of my favourites when I was still playing tenor sax: "Green Onions" by Booker T & the MGs.