Going somewhere, Solo?

Few elements are more important to a rock song than the solo.  In fact, virtually every song in the genre has one.  Usually, it falls somewhere after the second chorus, maybe right after the bridge.  It’s the point in the song when the lead singer finally shuts up and allows someone else to step into the limelight for 8-16 measures.  Normally, it’s a guitar solo.  One of the most memorable guitar solos of the eighties was Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”.  Man, did Edward rip THAT one up.

Sometimes, though, a band might opt for a different instrument for the solo section.  One that comes to mind is Toto’s “Africa”.  Although Steve Lukather was one of the decade’s most sought-after guitarists, the band opted to rely on synth wizard Steve Porcaro for the instrumental break in their #1 hit from 1982.

Another common solo instrument in rock music is the saxophone.  Duran Duran’s “Rio” and Hall & Oates’ “Maneater” feature two of the best sax solos from the eighties.  Andy Hamilton’s sultry rasp on the former was perfectly matched to the band’s debonair British style.

The charm of the latter was as much a result of imaginative engineering as Charlie DeChant’s virtuoso playing with the 4-beat delay filling in the gaps in the first half and building to a glorious mess by the end.

However, from time to time, a band may choose to do something completely off-the-wall during the solo section of their song.  That’s when things REALLY get interesting.  The following is a list of the best “unique” solos of the eighties:

Mick Jagger – “Just Another Night” (typewriter solo)

Rather than hire a top-notch guitarist to fill the huge gap left by the absence of Keith Richards and Ron Woods on his first solo album, Mick instead chose to use…a typewriter.  That’s right, in the last solo section (around 4:00) of this song where a screaming lead guitar might have been, there’s some guy typing.  Seriously.  Somebody is typing on one of those old-fashioned typewriters.  It’s the damnedest thing.  How do you even think of that?  Perhaps, Jagger was finishing up the final draft of the lyric while the band was doing overdubs and the engineer had a “eureka moment”.  Regardless of the "hows" and "whys", it actually works.

Men Without Hats – “Safety Dance” (“Lock & Chase” solo)

I’m sure most people would tell you that the signature musical line in this song was played on a synthesizer…but they’d be wrong.  I know because when I was a kid, one of my favorite Atari games was “Lock & Chase” and the sound made by the little robber as he picked up gold bars was identical to the tone on the song.  Not only that, if you chose the correct path through the maze, the time signature of the notes even matched.  (Listen closely around :40)  Clearly, Stefan was playing Atari while Ivan was writing this song.  At least, I hope so.

Eddy Grant – “Electric Avenue” (giant spring solo)

Although I’m pretty sure now that Eddy Grant says “boy” during the intro of his 1983 hit, I spent a number of years thinking he said “boing”.  That’s probably because that section of the song features what sounds like a spring.  Now, I’ll admit it’s probably a synthesizer, but I’ll always prefer to picture Eddy in the recording studio with a pair of giant springs attached to his feet jumping up and down while he records his vocal.

Information Society – “What’s On Your Mind?” (Spock solo)

For their debut hit, the Information Society decided to use a human being as a solo instrument.  Of course, if you’re going to use a human, why not use one of the greatest human beings who ever lived – none other than Leonard Nimoy.  The recurring sample of Mr. Spock saying “pure energy” helped to propel “What’s on Your Mind?” into the Top 10 and was a helluva lot better than William Shatner’s album.

Genesis – “Throwing It All Away” (tea-sipping solo)

Leave it to the ever-quirky Phil Collins to drink a cup of tea while recording the vocal for the band’s 1986 hit.  Not that we would have ever known had he not gone “ahhh” after every sip.  It’s one of the coolest hooks ever.

Berlin – “Sex” (sex solo)

It’s hard to think of a better solo instrument in a song called “Sex” than…sex.  Terri Nunn was Madonna before Madonna was.

Michael Jackson – “Thriller” (Vincent Price solo)

Long before the Info Society played a Spock solo, MJ utilized horror legend Vincent Price for a couple of passages in his campy masterpiece.

Thomas Dolby – “She Blinded Me With Science” (scientist solo)

Sometimes, the best ideas are the obvious ones.  Such is the case with the bumbling scientist who mutters throughout Thomas Dolby’s 1982 hit.  No guitar could have said it better.

Big Country – “In A Big Country” (fake bagpipe solo)

Scotland’s answer to U2 burst onto the scene in 1983 with their signature song which featured a wall of bagpipes.  We would later learn that it was actually guitars making the sound, but it sure as hell sounds like bagpipes.

Starship – “We Built This City” (DJ solo)

With Craig Chaqico in the band, it had to be tempting to just turn him loose during the solo section of the band’s #1 hit from 1985.  However, the band decided to use DJ Les Garland instead.  No offense to Craig, but it was WAY cooler than a guitar solo would have been.