Aerosmith’s No More No More has a good one. Coda starts at about 2:50 (of 4:35) and sounds like the jam might have continued for a while.
Neal Schon ends Journey’s “Stone in Love” with a gorgeous – and improvised – solo.
Listen to David Gilmour close out Paul McCartney’s “No More Lonely Nights”.
The end of this tune is the first I thought of…
Ozzy - Tonight, w/Randy
…from the best (non-pop) Boz album ever!
Pink Floyd, High Hopes
I totally forgot about that one.
Fortunately it does last around 12:30 before that fadeout. I’ve always heard rumors that the full take is sitting in somebody’s vault and it might last another 10 minutes, but whoever owns it at this point isn’t interested in releasing the rest. I’d certainly like to hear it.
See also: American Girl.
+1.
Also Reelin’ In The Years and Black Friday have sweet fade-out solos. And Peg, where you hear a solo just begin at fade out.
America for Beginners by Latin Quarter. It’s a longish solo anyway, but I wish it were longer.
I could play along and mention my favorites (any love for acoustic outros? I LOVE Poco’s "What Do People Know" – Richie Furay and Jimmy Messina going nuts in a good way), but I thought of something more entertaining:
A friend of mine’s band used to fade out their songs just to be funny. Not easy on acoustic guitars, live without a sound guy… they got really good at singing and playing softer and softer, till they were strumming air and mouthing the lyrics… and the audience had to decide when to start applauding.
Note: Band was Sadhana, Milwaukee, late 70’s. They could even do it at parties or on a street corner. Great effect.
Rocker by AC/DC.
Sultans of Swing, as noted above.
Unveiling, by Paul Clark & Friends. Phil Keaggy is guitarist.
Obviously been lurking. Really enjoy the choices and the musical snapshots they evoke.
Can I just say, tangentially - and in no way trying to threadshit - that fade-out solos have always driven me crazy as a player?
As a listener, I get it - a fade-out frames the music as part of a never-ending experience - because there is no fixed end, your mind can continue to fill in the blanks about how the epic music continues, with even more emotion and melody and crescendo…kinda like a good Mark Rothko painting.
But as a player - if I can’t reproduce it live, it doesn’t count. Look, I know that is “wrong” on so many levels - using the studio as an artistic tool is totally legit; my favorite album is Revolver fercrissake*. But when it comes to guitar, well, I expect the player to “stick the landing.” Own the end and deliver something that respects the promise that the entire upstream solo leads to. Beethoven did it with his Symphonies. Own the end.
There are some exceptions, where the endless end is so central to the song’s experience - Layla, Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’, Hey Jude (at least a couple of which DO have instrumental endings, but still sound like they could be gloriously endless).
Just some thoughts on an interesting topic. Sorry if this feels too hijack-y.
*the one part of Revolver - and the Revolver-sessions single Rain - that I have always only been Okay with are the back-tracked guitar solos. They can’t be reproduced live and they sound more like a stunt-sound than a real melodic/tonal addition (totally IMHO). I was pleased when I read that they never used that technique again, having felt like they’d gotten what they could out of it…
Love the “stick the landing”. Live, you have to have a landing of some sort. It got me wondering if the genesis of fade outs was contemporaneous with when records started getting played on the radio. To give the announcer something to talk over, or to give a smoother transition between records.
Cherish the Moment by legendary Christian guitarist/singer Phil Keaggy. Got to hear him perform this one live back in '81, before it was released on the album.
Lindsey Buckingham’s all over this thread.
First thing that came to mind was the coda from “Hold Me.” I find myself turning up the volume in vain to hear those last few notes…
Fade to Black - Metallica
Feel like makin love - Bad Company
Goodbye to love - Carpenters - who would a thunk it?
Reasons to be cheerful Par 3 - Ian Dury and the Blcokheads