You’re gonna get sick of me saying this…but Here Comes The Mummies got some of the best horns I’ve heard.
Beatle’s Penny Lane
Several by The Who. Entwistle blew a mean horn. A few that come to mind:
5:15
I’m A Boy
Overture from Tommy
The Underdog by Spoon
Love and Happiness by Al Green
Kiko and the Lavender Moon by Los Lobos
Who by David Byrne and St. Vincent
Second Song by TV on the Radio
Chicago by Sufjan Stevens
Does Al Hirt doing the Green Hornet theme count as pop?
Because it most definitely kicks horn ass.
For that matter, so does Peter Gunn, but the horn and bass line take turns holding the guy and kicking his ass.
Pretty much anything by Morphine should qualify. Radar is a good example.
Probably my favorite song for horns My Old School Steely Dan.
Holy shit just found this! I was going to say you can’t go wrong with the Blues Brothers. A fantastic band with a great horn section. And I found this. A version of Shotgun Blues I didn’t hear before. Anyone know where it comes from? (fits the thread great horn work.
Huh. I was just listening to the song Doctor Worm by They Might be Giants when I saw this thread.
How about Tower of Power, most anything from their catalogue… And The godfather os Soul, James Browns I feel good, and Papas got a Brand New Bag, and Living in America
Can’t hardly wait - Replacements.
Reward by The Teardrop Explodes.
Busted by Ray Charles. Well…most Ray Charles, really.
Would I Lie to You by The Eurythmics is a good example.
Most of the best have already been named, but I’d add these specifically:
Sussudio
Birdland
What Is Hip
Chameleon
Cissy Strut (had no horns I guess, but all versions of it that did were slammin)
Ska can’t be considered pop (unless it’s the late 90’s) but I really love everything from “The Times” by the Skoidats. The drummer is way up there with my all time favorite drummers too.
Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story was not a box office hit, but its soundtrack is pretty kick-ass. My personal favourite, and somewhat relevant to this thread, is Guilty as Charged.
Just to take advantage of a thread asking for songs with horns, the delightful Helen McCookerybook and her horn dudes (Dave Jago: Trombone; Paul Davey: Sax; Chris Smith: Trumpet) always make me smile. It’s more retro than modern pop, but I hope they can fit in here, because, really, when am I ever going to get another chance to share these?
Helen & The Horns - “Surry With The Fringe on Top”
Helen & The Horns - “Footsteps At My Door”
Helen & The Horns - “Secret Love”
Helen & The Horns - “Take Five” (instrumental)
I can’t believe you left out I Want a New Drug off that list, first thing I thought of.
Young Americans by David Bowie has a wonderful sax opening and great finish.
Spinning Wheel, It also has the recommended daily dosage of cowbells.
Lighthouse: One Fine Morning