Andy Kershaw featured this – Litiot by Shaba Kahamba et les Esprits Saints – which features a splendid 10-second one-note guitar solo (from about 4:24) in one of his recent podcasts. Sadly this 1993 French CD is in very short supply (cheapest I’ve found is 45 quid from Germany).
Anyhow, it made me think of the solo in La Bamba by Los Lobos and Buzzcocks’ What Do I Get?
Can the Massive think of any more?
Solo at 1:13 – even I can play that.
What a band. Singles Going Steady is the greatest compilation ever.
Careful. I think you mean your favourite compilation ever.
Obviously!
See also Boredom
Two notes.
One-note (bit of the) solo at 1:04
Sun Zoom Spark by Captain Beefheart has, what sounds to my non musician ears, a one note solo
Guitarists here, may correct me. There might be two. What cannot be argued with though, is that Sun Zoom Spark is the greatest title of any tune by anyone ever. Apart from “Papa Was A Rolling Stone Journalist” by Lambchop.
I also thing that the solo in Rip It Up by Orange Juice, while it has maybe two notes, is so wonderfully ham-fisted and the sax solo which follows is so beautifully incongruous. It’s a true moment of musical wit.
And the solo’s preceded by ‘..and my favourite song’s entitled ‘Boredom”
Yep, that’s two notes, ‘influenced by’ “My favourite song’s entitled Boredom” as in Boredom by Buzzcocks (them again) solo at 1:25:
Not sure if this counts as it may have been a sample played on a keyboard, but who cares. Crank it up loud!
Walking on Sunshine is the big hit example.
So it is. And, blimey, hasn’t Butler’s Wharf changed since then? I have’t been since the Design Museum was there.
60 whole seconds of bug-eyed monomania from Dr Feelgood here, from 1:25.
Fantastic! Less is more, indeed.
That’s an incredible clip!
Beats anything by Ritchie Blackmore in my book.
Also two notes. But still ace.
Brilliant.
Are they the only band who’s members were all called John, either first or second name? John Martin (drums), John Sparks (bass), Lee John Collinson (vocals) and John Peter Wilkinson (guitar)?
The Three Johns?
Jon Langford
John Hyatt
Phillip “John” Brennan
In a non-related observation the other day, there’s a clip of early Steely Dan doing Reelin’ In The Years on YouTube, and the whole band sing during the song; Dias, ‘Skunk’, Becker, Fagen, Palmer and Hodder.
Well there was, er, The Three Johns.
Although that may have just been a reference to their leisure activities.
Tchuh, Fents beat me to it because I had to make that crack about prozzies.
Many Neil Young solos
also – Vampire Blues
A couple of one-note sax solos if that’s any good
Bryan Ferry doing his best Bryan Ferry impression there.
XTC’s Love at First Sight has a solo which, if not one note, is one chord repeated over and over again, speeding up as it does.
Their ‘Stupidly Happy’ is mostly one chord and one riff repeated. I love the way the different instruments come in during the song, and the round-like chorus ending.
Stupidly Happy is like Krautrock for Idiots.
Who – I Can See For Miles (at various points in the track, but most noticeable at 4:07)
Ramones – I Wanna Be Sedated (0:54)
it’s decades since I listened to Road To Ruin, but I’m still expecting Go Mental to start as soon as that finishes.
Robert Fripp on Heroes
?
Oh yes, Bob does like a fussy prog solo with too many notes, doesn’t he? (from 4:27)
Can’t think of a one-note solo but here’s a one-chord song with a two-note solo.
Stretches the rules a bit, but basically this entire barnstorming set-closer is a one-chord solo. The few times he tries to change the chord, it’s no good:
Reminds me of this.
“Have you got the one that goes BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”
Great footwork in that Bo clip! Sure beats staring at yer shoes.
Crikey, that takes me back. What do you mean, I’m not 19 any more?
It’s a fine old album, innit? And the current CD has the very generous Today Forever EP tacked on the end…. quide phedobedal, as Mike Smash said in those days.
It’s All Over Now – Keef finds that good note and sticks to it
One note intro?
Does a single looooooooong note suffice?
At 2 minutes in:
Isn’t there a Gary Moore live thing where he holds one note for about a year?
I’ve just read that the secret of Mick Ronson’s sustain was that he had a conveniently deformed fingernail (tumfuttle)
Re: Gary Moore…think it was a regular feature during Parisienne Walkways, when he played it live…