At the end of last week’s Top 9 list, I thought I’d throw readers for a curve and announce this week’s list as “The Top 9 Best Synthesizer Solos.” I should have planned more carefully before I wrote that. Here’s the Top 9 reasons why that list just isn’t going to happen:
9. What I consider to be a genius synth solo just won’t cut it for most people.
8. Do you know how many synthesizer solos there are out there? Exactly, neither do I.
7. Most of my favorite synth lines are actually background parts or repetitive riffs.
6. Almost every single solo on the list would have been played by George Duke.
5. While Raydio has some of the best synth lines ever, they rarely happen as a solo.
4. Do Daft Punk synth parts count as solos or not? They loop them so damn much.
3. The solo from “One Hundred Ways” sounds better sampled in “Rhymes Like Dimes.”
2. Synths get used so much now that your favorite flute solo might actually be synth.
1. The only solo locked down on my list was #1: “Blow Your Head” by Fred Wesley & the JB’s.
And with that said, there’s nothing much else to say. If you have a favorite synth solo, post it in the comments.
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Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is a better number. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.
Let me put in a vote for “The Hut of Baba Yaga” by the one and only Keith Emerson. Listen to the album version. Technically it is not a solo, since there are accompanying instruments.. but it certainly ranks as one of my top all time synthesizer tunes.
i love rhymes like dimes. its my favorite MF Doom track.