Ticklin' The Ivories

I’ve been trying to write a post about piano solos for the last few weeks and somehow, the number of songs I discuss keeps getting way out of control. There are just too many awesome piano dominated songs to talk about in just one post, so I’ve forced myself to limit myself to just a few songs that I’ve been more partial to recently.

Piano is a very versatile instrument.  It works with a number of different genres and rarely sounds out of place. Also, I love how you can get such a full sound with just the one instrument. While I don't have the same infatuation with piano solos as I do with guitar solos, I do love listening to a really great piano part. There are tons of piano dominated music ranging from the classical pieces, to ragtime (Scott Joplin was pretty awesome, by the way), to jazz, to early rock ‘n’ roll. The Beatles used it constantly in their songs (and there are a number of great Beatle-piano songs). Queen and Elvis Costello are no strangers to piano music – and Billy Joel and Elton John are known for it. Fiona Apple has a large amount of piano driven songs, as well. There just doesn’t seem to be an end to artists that feature great piano parts, which is why I had to take a step back and re-evaluate before writing this post! But here are a few of my favorites:

 

I’ve still been on an Elliott Smith kick as of late. I mentioned in my last post about Elliott’s talent as a songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, but he also was pretty decent behind the keyboard. (If you don’t believe me, search on youtube for Elliott Smith playing Rachmaninoff). One song that I’ve been going back to lately is off of the album Figure 8, “In the Lost and Found”. It has a pretty nice ragtime-y piano riff that I enjoy listening to. It’s not the most impressive solo, but it’s catchy as hell.

 

The Carpenters also had a ton of piano songs – Richard is an exceptional pianist with an inclination towards jazz influenced solos, though, he’s no stranger to classical composers (the arrangement of “From This Moment On” accompanied by Bach’s “Prelude in C Minor” proves that). And there are quite a few Richard solo songs featured on various Carpenters albums, but one of my favorite solos is from “This Masquerade”. As is Richard’s style, his excellent technique is showcased with jazzy runs and a lovely variation of the melody. Though, the tune “Flat Baroque” is a lot of fun to play – and his tribute to Karen, “Karen’s Theme” is exquisite.

 

I have already mentioned that The Beatles often featured the piano in their music – and after the band called it quits, the instrument continued to consistently be featured in their solo efforts. I suppose the most popular of these songs is John’s “Imagine” – and while it is gorgeous song – I’m more than a little partial to the piano solo in the song “Out the Blue” from Mind Games. (I find this album is quite underrated, but that is best saved for another post). While the piano isn’t performed by John, but rather jazz pianist Kenny Ascher, it is fantastically performed. Wonderful mixture of rock and jazz combine into this love song. And the solo is amazing. Love the tremolo moments and the arpeggios at the end of the solo. As for Paul, he constantly uses piano in his songs as well – and though (again) there are a number of songs I’d love to mention, my favorite is probably “Maybe I’m Amazed.”  While Paul was never classically trained as a pianist, he definitely can hold his own – and the chromatic runs are so much fun to play! (Of course, the guitar is great as well!).

 

Jumping ahead in time a bit, Ben Folds is a rather impressive pianist. He has a rather distinctive style that I enjoy listening to. Since he is a pianist, you’re going to find some pretty remarkable piano work in all of his songs. My favorites, however, may be the songs “Philosophy” and “Landed”. Both include captivating intros and catchy melodies and lovely solo work. In “Philosophy”, I really enjoy the ending – particularly when he launches into a bit of “Rhapsody in Blue”. And I always love glissandos on the piano and how the very end it finishes with a crash of chords. “Landed” is really just a really beautiful song so I wanted to mention it here. (Though, he also has an Elliott Smith tribute song, “Late”, which I have learned to play on the piano!)

 

It seems that there are quite a few women in pop music who have a talent at the piano and Carole King is one of my favorites. She obviously has significant talent for songwriting – since she co-penned dozens of chart topping hits through the ‘60s, but she can really rock on the piano. The song, “I Feel the Earth Move”, off of Tapestry, has a great, driving piano part and pretty rocking solo.

 

Another female who rocks the piano is from one of my favorite bands, The Dresden Dolls. The Dresden Dolls is a “Brechtian punk cabaret” band out of Boston. There are just 2 members of the band, Amanda Palmer on piano and Brian Viglione on drums. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live and they are both amazing to watch perform. Amanda, as a pianist, is forceful and theatrical. I highly recommend the album, Yes Virginia, particularly if you like piano driven rock – or women who play their instruments with an uninhibited passion. The song with one of my most favorite piano solos is “Necessary Evil”. I feel like that solo just builds to a wonderful climax.

 

The last piano soloist I’m going to talk about here is Billy Preston. He’s well-known for his work on The Beatles album, Let It Be, but he had a few hits during his solo career as well. “Nothing From Nothing” is a song that never fails to put a smile on my face. It has a great swingy piano groove that is a bit reminiscent of the ragtime saloon style of the 1890s. The intro and solo are both amazing – and like I’ve mentioned in other solos, I adore the tremolo part. The other solo of his that just astounds me is during his performance of “Isn’t It A Pity” at the tribute Concert for George. What I find so impressive about his organ solo is that he seems to be able to bend the notes the way a guitarist or vocalist can do – a technique you don’t hear all that often on the keyboard. It’s really a fantastic performance. (Of course, Eric Clapton’s solo is up there too!)

I’m never gonna know you now, but I’m gonna love you anyhow…

This entry has actually been rather difficult to write, because I have so much to say about this artist and when trying to choose songs to mention, I’m finding that every song that he wrote is worth talking about. There are so many gems in so many songs, it’s damn near impossible to just pick a few. I’m going to attempt to limit this post to just a few of my most played songs of his, but I’m not gonna guarantee anything!

So, Elliott Smith has been a major part of my life for the last five years. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his work, he was an indie singer-songwriter. He wrote some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard – with absolutely gorgeous imagery and layers of emotional depth. I love the way he strings together those words... I've always had a fascination with the way a writer strings together words, where they become a beautiful poetic jumble – and he would use some really pretty words. His melodies are exquisite and feature an intricate musical structure. Elliott was an amazing guitarist and his voice… Well, I’m more than a little in love with that voice. It’s soft, haunting, ethereal … and distinctive. But you should know, he did not write happy and silly pop songs. His lyrics articulate thoughts of sadness and loneliness and feelings almost anyone can relate to at one time or another. His life was, admittedly, kind of a mess – marked by unhappiness and drug use and ending tragically with his sudden death in 2003. But the way he wrote about his troubles, it makes the pain and heartbreak beautiful.

My relationship with Elliott began in the summer of 2007 and I was immediately taken by him. The first song of his I ever heard was “Condor Avenue” from the album, Roman Candle. He wrote that song while he was still in high school. That is one song that I love singing because of all the great words and imagery he uses. “…slipped past into rhythmic quietude”, “the chimes fell over each other”, “they never get uptight when a moth gets crushed, unless a light bulb really loved him very much”, and “I’m lying down, blowing smoke from my cigarette, little whisper smoke signs that you’ll never get”… I don’t know. The words are just so pretty and paint such vivid images. You’ll hear a lot of imagery in Elliott’s songs. His words in “Waltz #2” about how she “stares into space like a dead China doll” are another example. And in the song, “Plainclothes Man” (that was recorded while he was still with his band, Heatmiser) has possibly my favorite way of describing a photograph: “A perfect moment in a flash of light”. How amazing is that? Or is it just me? … Yeah, okay.

My first favorite song of his was off the album, Figure 8. “Wouldn’t Mama Be Proud.” Love the harmonies – and love hearing Elliott singing harmony with himself. And the lyrics (as always), pretty amazing. “Stupidity Tries” was another of my favorites upon first listen. It has a wonderful build up and I love the guitar “falls” (I have no idea if that’s the technical term for what’s going on, but it happens in every verse – the first time is about 13 seconds in, after “and he’ll cut…” and the guitar notes slide down. You would think I’d know the technical terms, wouldn’t you?). And it’s pretty awesome that he uses the word “conquistador” in a song. Not often that you hear that word in music – except, y’know, the Procol Harum song, but I digress. Another song from Figure 8 that gets a lot of airtime on my playlists is “L.A.” As far as Elliott songs go, this is maybe one of the happiest. So yeah, maybe he was feeling bad the night before, but today he’s feeling better. It’s extremely catchy, more great harmonies, and the guitar… Great riff and I love (love, LOVE) the palm muted, clicky guitar bit. Kind of a ‘70s-ish vibe to it. It’s one of those songs that always makes me smile.

Honestly though, just about every song you listen to, you’re going to find something amazing in it. Some of my other most played Elliott songs are “Say Yes”, “Between the Bars” (lyrics are fantastic on both of those), “Cupid’s Trick” (as fantastic as the album version is, I am a bit partial to the live version of the song), “Coming Up Roses”, “A Fond Farewell”, “New Monkey”, “No Name #4”, “Independence Day” (fabulous groove to the song), “Bottle Up and Explode”, “Waltz #2” (yeah, I dig the way he names some of his songs too), and today my song of the moment was "Oh Well, Okay"… And then there are a couple of bootleg recordings I got my hands on, but my favorite of those may be the song, “See You In Heaven”. There aren’t lyrics, but the music, the melody… It’s beautiful and uplifting.

One of the things about Elliott though… It’s a little bizarre, but I feel a connection with him. I feel like I know him – and what’s even crazier, I feel like he knows me and understands me. It probably says more about me than I should be revealing in such a public forum, but there have been periods of my life where I’ve felt like he’s the best friend I have. I know it’s strange to feel such a strong connection with someone I didn’t even know existed until after he died (though, it may be a little reminiscent of “Pictures of Lily” by The Who), but I think it says a lot about his songwriting ability – that he was able to build that kind of connection with people through his music. I know in reality, if I had known him, he wouldn’t have been the easiest person to be friends with… I know enough about him personally to have figured that much out, but I’m also pretty sure I would have loved him just the same.

And okay, I’ve got a bit of a crush on Elliott…

Guitarin'

So… I have a confession. I have a thing for guitarists. I have since junior high when I fell in love with Keith Partridge, but as much as I dig guitarists, I’m even more a fan of guitar solos. *sigh!*

Guitar solos… Honestly, I’m not sure when my obsession started with them, but I’ve definitely been in the basic realm of “guitar solo whore” for the better part of a decade at least. Guitar solos almost always can give me a bit of a thrill. I have never been moved to tears by a guitar solo – But they do have quite an effect on me. Something I can hardly explain at times. There are the ones that make me absolutely giddy. There are ones that are like an adrenaline rush, where I have the urge to step on the accelerator and zoom to 90 mph on the freeway with the windows down. Then there are the ones that I close my eyes and let the notes wash over me like a waterfall, ones that hit notes that send shivers down my spine…

The guitar solos I love the most are the melodic ones. I’m all about the melody (something I’m sure I’ll write about in a later post). Believe me, I have respect for the guitarists that play the rapid-fire, shredding solos that are so prominent in heavy metal songs – but for me, those can’t compare with the note bending, clean solos. The way a guitarist can make the instrument speak… That is something that can always send me.

There are a number of solos that I am particularly inclined towards – and before I get into this list, allow me to say, these are just my favorites. I know there are hundreds of fabulous guitar solos out there! This is not a professional ruling, just the opinion of someone who is infatuated with guitar solos and the musicians that play them! (And it’s a safe assumption that you will be hearing about these artists again in future posts).

“25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago has a pretty cool solo – though, not super clean, and very of its time – particularly with the use of the wah-wah pedal. “Let It Rain” by Clapton… Of course, I have to have Clapton included on a list of guitar solos. I’m also in love with his solos in “White Room” (Cream) and the solo he does on the Concert for George version of “Isn’t It A Pity.” I was particularly proud of myself while listening to that solo for the first time and knowing it was Eric playing before I saw it was him. This was while I was just beginning to recognize various guitarists’ styles – and Eric’s style is as distinctive as a voice. It couldn’t be anyone else.

I’m crazy about the solo in “Peace Frog” by the Doors. The solo in Elvis Costello’s “I Want You” is pretty hot, despite the fact that it’s just 2 slightly off-key notes. It totally works in that song. The Carpenters song, “Goodbye To Love” is probably the first guitar solo I ever really took notice of. Of course, the song is fantastic (and one of my favorite Carpenters songs), but Tony Peluso rocks that solo. And it wasn’t common at that time to have a love ballad with a fuzz guitar solo interjected in the middle of it. Rock on, Carpenters!

So it doesn’t seem like I have an aversion to more modern guitar solos, allow me to include The White Stripes’ “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart” (I have a major thing for slide guitar), The Raconteurs’ “Consoler of the Lonely” (yeah, yeah… I dig Jack White), Stone Temple Pilots’ “Lady Picture Show” (the acoustic version is really amazing too! Gorgeous song and gorgeous solo), Velvet Revolver’s “Fall to Pieces”, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “21^st Century”.

Obviously, any catalog of guitar solos would be sorely lacking if I didn’t include Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. There are so many of both that are featured in lists of the best solos… “Stairway”, “Heartbreaker”, “All Along the Watch Tower”, and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” are the ones I see all the time on those kinds of lists, but my favorites are Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold as Love” (I really dig ballads – and love that under water sound) and Zeppelin’s “Over the Hills and Far Away”.

I’m a big fan of Elliott Smith and while he doesn’t have the super-impressive guitar solos that usually dominate lists, I’m completely in love with his style and his guitar work on “Southern Belle” and “Almost Over” are remarkable (I really dig that style of playing the same note over really fast in a tremolo effect). My favorite solos of his, though, are in his live performances of “Cupid’s Trick” and “Mr. Good Morning”. They’re not extended solos by any means, but something about them absolutely sends me.

I’ve been quite a fan of Queen and in particular, Brian May, for quite some time – in fact, I had quite a crush on him as well! (Like I mentioned before, I have a thing for guitarists). Brian’s style is quite unique, particularly with the orchestrating of guitars. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the most popular of his, but I’m even more impressed with the orchestrating of a Dixieland band of electric guitars in the song “Good Company”. The guitar solos in “ Dead on Time” and “Keep Yourself Alive” are electrifying, but my all time favorite Brian solo is from one of my favorite songs of his, “Sail Away Sweet Sister”. The part that always sends my insides swirling is from 2:10-2:20, with the guitars playing in harmony.

This brings me to my favorite band of all time – rather predictably, The Beatles. John, Paul, and George all had some amazing guitar solos throughout their career as Beatles. “Taxman,” “Drive My Car”, “I Feel Fine”, “Yer Blues”, “Something”, “Back in the USSR” (more of that playing the same note over really fast during that last verse. *sigh!*), and of course, “The End”, featuring all three alternating for the solo. Though, I think my favorite solo of theirs (at the moment at least) is “Hey Bulldog”. The bit from 1:23-1:28… God, yeah. Love that bit.

But my all time favorite guitar solo is from George Harrison’s last solo album, Brainwashed. The song, “Rising Sun”, is a beautiful song, but that solo… It’s so silky smooth… so sleek, so clean – it makes my heart race. And at 3:59, when he hits that one note – Oh my god! There’s that swirly feeling in my stomach, shivers down my spine, and there’s an overwhelming feeling of happiness. I just find myself grinning idiotically by the end of that song. No other solo affects me quite in that way…

So yeah, I told you… I’m a guitar solo whore.