# Organ music in rock **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443 "2003-10-30T14:39:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/41 "2003-10-31T18:34:25Z")
The grooviest Hammon organ solo of all time is in The Buckingham’s _Kind of a Drag_, hitting #1 on the charts in late 1966. You can almost see Teri Garr and Toni Basil twisting in miniskirts and vinyl boots. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/42 "2003-10-31T18:52:37Z")
I winder what instrument was used on ‘Fire’ by Arthur Brown, it was pretty important to the sound of that song. Deep Purple used organs quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/43 "2003-10-31T19:18:12Z")
The Doors have popped up a few times on this thread, but I don’t believe Ray Manzarek played a Hammond B-3 (which has sort of become the hijacked subject). He and a number of others played Vox or Farfisa organs, which always sounded a little metalic and thin (at least to me). Think of that “bink bink bink bink” sound at the beginning of ? and the Mysterians song “96 Tears” - that’s the sound I associate with the Doors. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/44 "2003-11-01T18:00:14Z")
How in the world has this gone so far without mention of the best one so far: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/45 "2003-11-03T15:45:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by twickster \* > \*\*Okay… ( **TelcontarStorm** , remember Wakeman’s _Six Wives of Henry VIII_? I’d be curious to hear it again and find out if it was a tenth as cool as I thought it was at the time. **twickster** A few years ago,I was cleaning out my father’s house and ran across his casettes of R.W. Though the sound has been a bit degraded as they’d sat for years near electronic equiptment,they were just as cool sounding as always. I must say that I still like _King Arthur_ better. Now,I Wish I’d have had the brains to save the L.P.s ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/46 "2003-11-03T16:22:21Z")
**TelecontarStorm** – Come to think of it, I still have it on vinyl. Maybe I should fire up the ol’ turntable. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/47 "2003-11-03T17:22:50Z")
How about Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_? Nothing but organ and analog synth, all 20 gloriously overblown minutes of it, IIRC. As for modern artists using vintage organ tones, The Black Crowes use a fair amount - especially on the album _The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion_ KTM ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/48 "2003-11-03T17:53:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Krebnar the Magnificent \* > \*\*How about Mike Oldfield’s _Tubular Bells_? Nothing but organ and analog synth, all 20 gloriously overblown minutes of it, IIRC. \*\* And “grand piano . . . reed and pipe organ . . . glockenspiel . . . bass guitar . . . double speed guitar . . . two slightly _distorted_ guitars . . . mando_lin_ . . . Spanish guitar, and introducing accoustic guitar . . . plus — _tubular bells!_” Not to mention the heavenly female choir that helps close out the 25:29. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/49 "2003-11-03T18:14:13Z")
> [@](#): > > And “grand piano . . . reed and pipe organ . . . glockenspiel . . . bass guitar . . . double speed guitar . . . two slightly distorted guitars . . . mandolin . . . Spanish guitar, and introducing accoustic guitar . . . plus — tubular bells!” > > Not to mention the heavenly female choir that helps close out the 25:29. Yes, but weren’t they all synth versions of those instruments - reproduced by organ/synth? 😃 KTM ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/50 "2003-11-03T18:18:45Z")
No, all those instruments were the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/51 "2003-11-03T18:31:19Z")
[The full credits for Tubular Bells](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=MISS70311031329&sql=Apq5j8qfbbt04). ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/52 "2003-11-03T18:41:52Z")
Yea, I stand corrected - I could’ve sworn they were synth. You learn something new everyday - thanks Walloon! I also found it here: [http://tubular.net/discography/TubularBells2003.shtml#notesIns](http://tubular.net/discography/TubularBells2003.shtml#notesIns) KTM ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/53 "2003-11-03T19:05:55Z")
Organ music in rock? **My Ding A Ling** Actually, Deep Purple’s _Lazy_ was the first thing that came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/54 "2003-11-03T20:07:21Z")
“Meadowlands” by Jefferson Airplane: a little-known, but really cool bit of trippy late-60s organ music. It can be found on their “Volunteers” disc. It’s basically the Soviet Union army marching music played on a full pipe organ, accompanied by a snippet of an old New York merchant hawking his wares. It’s weird, polemic and funny all at the same time. “Ever-buddie entitled to a buy… Ever-buddie entitled to a GUD buy…” ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/55 "2003-11-03T22:33:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\*The grooviest Hammon organ solo of all time is in The Buckingham’s _Kind of a Drag_, hitting #1 on the charts in late 1966. You can almost see Teri Garr and Toni Basil twisting in miniskirts and vinyl boots. \*\* Ah, such a lovely image! And a second, for the Buckinghams, a talented bunch often overlooked by oldies stations. Perhaps one of the board’s organ experts can enlighten me — I’m wondering what type of organ did the glorious bridge in Del Shannon’s **Runaway**? Some organ-heavy groups from the sixties in the Northwest included Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Kingsmen and The Sonics (“She’s a Witch”) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/56 "2003-11-04T04:31:33Z")
That organ solo in Del Shannon’s _Runaway_? Max Crook on the [The Musitron!](http://go.zibycom.com/members/002222119/Site4/maxmusitron.html) ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/57 "2003-11-04T04:53:01Z")
Damn! That’s an **excellent** site. That Runaway break has echoed in my head since I first heard it more than 40 years ago Many thanks **Walloon**! ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/58 "2003-11-04T22:41:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\*And "grand piano . . . reed and pipe organ . . . glockenspiel . . . bass guitar . . . double speed guitar . . . two slightly distorted guitars . . . mando_lin\* . . . Spanish guitar, and introducing accoustic guitar . . . plus — _tubular bells!_" > \*\* There’s a nice gratuitous stereo effect in that bit where each solo instrument, as it comes in, starts on one side of the “stage” and crosses to the other, except the tubular bells, which come in BONG! in the middle. You hear it best through headphones. As a nipper I always liked the riff in _Son Of My Father_ (Chicory Tip), but that was a moog UIVMM, not a Hammond. Unlike many of the other reasons why I wanted to learn to play organ/keyboards, I can actually play that bit now. ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/59 "2003-11-05T18:55:05Z")
Don’t know the organ, but hey-- El Chicano? “Viva Tirado, pt 1” with the hot organ by Bobby Espinosa? You can’t drive through East LA without putting on the deck. It’s the law. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443/60 "2003-11-06T05:43:11Z")
Another vote for the _Lee Michaels_ album. Just Lee on the organ and Bartholomew Smith-Frost on drums. A day and all-nighter in the studio (the liner notes called it something like “As close to live as you’d want to get without being forewarned”), and a lot of passion. Has there been anything like it since? Oh, and don’t forget “The Mothers of Invention Play Louie, Louie on the Royal Albert Hall Organ” 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-music-in-rock/210443.md?page=4)