# Best Rock Flute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654 "2019-09-22T17:17:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/21 "2019-09-22T22:20:41Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zLp0AsKXMEs/hqdefault.jpg "John Mayall - Room to Move (The Turning Point, 1970)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLp0AsKXMEs) John Mayall - Room To Move This might be the hardest flute ever. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/22 "2019-09-22T22:42:41Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > [_Legend of a Mind_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcS-z3pqVEM) Oh man, awesome, I forgot about that song, partially as I didn’t know the name. > [@drad\_dog](#): > > John Mayall - Room To Move > > This might be the hardest flute ever. Good one, I guess I never realized there was a flute, the harmonica overwhelms it a little. Morgyn, can you link to a rock song of theirs? [I found this which is not rock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1WHAzY2pd8). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/23 "2019-09-22T23:31:20Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > [_Legend of a Mind_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcS-z3pqVEM) Nights in White Satin is great too. I know some of you don’t like the song, but listen to Ray’s flute from about the three minute mark to the four minute mark. It’s wonderful. ETA: Oops. Link. [https://youtu.be/MjUqfRrWwcM](https://youtu.be/MjUqfRrWwcM) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/24 "2019-09-23T02:32:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There are plenty of examples of flute played in rock songs. Ian Anderson is the only one who plays Rock Flute. Yeah, I’m rarely a purist, but this is an idea I can cosign on. He’s the singular Rock Flautist. [Cross Eyed Mary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuACu9eFWbs)’s solo rocks in a way few flute solos do, and holds its own with the fuzz happening all over the song. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/25 "2019-09-23T02:48:27Z")
Gotta mention [Down Under](https://youtu.be/Tj_luloRFio?t=127). ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/26 "2019-09-23T03:50:29Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Morgyn, can you link to a rock song of theirs? [I found this which is not rock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1WHAzY2pd8). There are only three official videos out, and I don’t think he played flute on any of them. He does play it on a couple of the songs on their recently released album. Sadly, I haven’t listened to it enough yet to know which, other than it isn’t on Wolf Totem, Yuve Yuve Yu, or Shoog Shoog. ETA: [Wolf Totem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc) is the first song of theirs I heard. No flute. Definitely rock. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/27 "2019-09-23T04:20:36Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Morgyn, can you link to a rock song of theirs? [I found this which is not rock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1WHAzY2pd8). No, that’s Jaya playing a traditional song, I believe. > [@Morgyn](#): > > There are only three official videos out, and I don’t think he played flute on any of them. He does play it on a couple of the songs on their recently released album. Sadly, I haven’t listened to it enough yet to know which, other than it isn’t on Wolf Totem, Yuve Yuve Yu, or Shoog Shoog. > > ETA: [Wolf Totem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc) is the first song of theirs I heard. No flute. Definitely rock. This is a video for [The Legend of Mother Swan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjGavYduscc). It’s not metal, but it is rock and he does play flute. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/28 "2019-09-23T04:49:34Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Nights in White Satin is great too. I know some of you don’t like the song, but listen to Ray’s flute from about the three minute mark to the four minute mark. > > It’s wonderful.[https://youtu.be/MjUqfRrWwcM](https://youtu.be/MjUqfRrWwcM) I played the solo in “Nights” I-don’t-know-how-many-times on stage with a friend who needed a flute player for that solo. It is beautiful, and a joy to play. My friend got me to do the flute solos for a lot of popular stuff that he was asked to play in the pub on weekend nights–the solo in Elton John’s “Daniel” was often asked for, as was Van Morrison’s “Moondance.” There were others, of course. Then there was the time we were asked to do Harry Chapin’s “Taxi,” which I knew the words to, but he didn’t, though he could play it on his guitar. I protested; while I was capable of singing most of the song with my voice, there was no way I was going to hit the high vocals in the middle (“Baby’s so high that she’s skying…”). “You can do that too,” my friend said. “Just use your flute there, instead of your voice.” I did, and we pulled it off. I studied flute for years, and play it still, but I’m no Ian Anderson. But I have always felt that there is a place for flute in popular music. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/29 "2019-09-23T07:25:23Z")
[Going Up the Country](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0PjECSyJ7w) by Canned Heat ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/30 "2019-09-23T10:00:49Z")
[Motherless Child](https://youtu.be/26b5CMMzdcw), by Sweetwater. The instruments start about a minute into the song. (Hey, it was the 60s.) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/31 "2019-09-23T10:10:42Z")
Firefall had some hits with flute in them, but I wouldn’t claim them as particularly great. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/32 "2019-09-23T10:52:02Z")
Hocus Pocus by Focus. Also Kyle Gas’s solo band (without Jack Black) Trainwreck has some great flaunting. Though I don’t know any if the song names. I saw em live and they rocked. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/33 "2019-09-23T11:13:17Z")
Give me Nik Turner from Hawkwind. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/34 "2019-09-23T11:56:19Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Jaya of The Hu plays flute on several of their songs, and they are most \*definitely \*rock. Good call! ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/35 "2019-09-23T12:42:20Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Hocus Pocus by Focus. You can add to that almost anything else by Focus. Most of their songs feature a flute, and it’s played to great effect. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/36 "2019-09-23T18:07:51Z")
Does a recorder count? Because Brian Jones’ recorder on “Ruby Tuesday” is worth noting because it’s the only time I know when this dull instrument was put to good use. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654/37 "2019-09-23T18:14:46Z")
There’s an absolutely incandescent flute solo in “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head. You might consider this technically more of a show tune but damn, it rocks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-rock-flute/840654.md?page=1)