Well, let me tell you about that… Oh, never mind 
Strangely, I really liked the songs they had out on the time when I heard them on the radio (that, along with free tickets, is why I went in the first place), just not in concert. I remember going and feeling all proud that they were starting a world tour at my college (St. Mike’s, right next door to Burlington), but that pride turned quickly to revulsion when I saw the concert (and the vacuum didn’t help!).
Uh, since my latest post seems to be the start of a new page of this thread, let me clarify that the above refers to Phish (in case you didn’t happen to see the last post of page #2).
Carry on.
John Cale of the Velvet Underground played a viola in “The Black Angel’s Death Song” and other VU tunes.
Not to mention:
left-handed sewer flute
Horn & Hardart
steam calliope (in the “Toot Suite”)
Saint Bernard dog
lasso d’amore
pumpflute
double reed hookah in F
police trombone
windbreaker
slide windbreaker
shower hose in D
kazoo
bagpipes
balloons
double reed slide music stand
balalaika
ocarina
grosse ocarina
tonette
nose flute
Oscar Mayer weiner whistle
slide whistle
chord organ
foghorn
snake
wine bottle
worm
and lest we forget, the pandemonium.
A connoiseur of audible anomalies, you are!
Bob Dylan is credited with playing the police car on Highway 61 Revisited.
Ooo ooo ooo, if Mobius74 and Musicat are allowed to talk about PDQ Bach, am I allowed to talk about all the serious musique concrete guys in the mid 20th century? Typewriters, metronomes, vacuum cleaners, radios, you name it they used it - and the funny thing is, these guys were actually taking themselves seriously! I know of pieces that involved destruction of Steinway grand pianos, and even one piece that didn’t finish until the piano ate the bale of hay (don’t ask!) And a teacher of mine once burnt a piano and recorded the sounds for use in a theatre score (apparently as it heated up and strings began to snap it made some amazing combinations of sounds).
And I myself must admit to once (in my wanky-composition-student days) having written a piece for synthesiser and wooden chair.
eek!
Sorry for the hijack, nineiron… Okay, everyone, back to ROCK songs with oddball instruments…
Ever heard of a ring modulator? Didn’t think so. It’s an electronic music gadget that takes the input frequency and splits it into two frequencies, one higher and one lower than the carrier oscillation. The further you crank the controls, the further apart the two frequencies get. Let me tell you—you haven’t heard dissonance until you’ve heard some of the crazy intervals the ring modulator puts out. It’s a good effect for turning a normal voice into a menacing demented monster-demon voice.
Pink Floyd’s “One of These Days”, on Meddle, is a fast instrumental jam and somewhere in the middle there’s this horrible monster-demon voice growling “One of these days I’m gonna tear you into little pieces!” The only example of the ring modulator in pop music that I can think of.
In 1979 I saw Pere Ubu at the Cleveland Agora. The lead singer David Thomas during one tune made rhythm by striking a hunk of iron with a hammer.
Such a shame that Jethro Tull has trashed the idea that a flute doesn’t belong in rock music. If not for them, there might have been some other rock song with a flute worthy of mention. Oh, well. Guess this is just an example of great rock music with an instrument that should have had a place in this thread…
Peter Gabriel played flute in lots of early Genesis songs such as “Supper’s Ready.”
Actually, contrary to very popular belief, that oo-OO-oo sound in “Good Vibrations” is not a proper theremin, but rather a “Tannerin” or “electro-theremin”. Paul Tanner built this device based on some of the concepts in Leon Termen’s original instrument. This misconception is so widespread that it even made its way into Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, an otherwise excellent documentary about the instrument. (Of course, the claim is made by Brian Wilson, who demonstrates in his on-camera interview just how far removed from reality he is.)
The theremin is the earliest electronic instrument, and works on the principle of capacitance. The two antennae on the exterior of the case are connected to copper coils inside, and a surprisingly simple curcuit board (or vacuum tupes in the originals). The musician plays the instrument by moving his hands in the vicinity of the two antennae–one for pitch, and one for volume.
The Tannerin, on the other hand, is a mechanically-controlled oscillater. It is a more accurate and easily-played instrument, but (IMHO) does not have the richness of tone, nor the magical quality of playing without contact. I love playing my theremin, although I’m really not that good at it. It has an extremely steep learning curve for serious music.
Many bands today use theremins, most often the Etherwave model built by Robert Moog. Yes, that Robert Moog. The theremin is usually used for sound-effects rather than melody, which is a shame, as it has an amazing sound for actual music. For virtuoso theremin performances, check out Clara Rockmore and Lydia Kavina, both of whom are available on Amazon.
A nice theremin resource:
Robert Moog’s Big Briar Instruments:
More information on the Tannerin is found here:
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/4611/etfaq.htm
Mobius74, a few of Scottish band The Delgados’ songs feature a flute.
It is strange, Sam, but the song was "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School**, off the same album as JNAS.
Also, pldennison, the bubbles in a glass of water were in “Octopus’s Garden”.
Nitpick over. Okay. “I’m Only Sleeping”, also by the Beatles, used a backwards guitar riff to simulate a yawn.
I found out on this board, though I can’t remember who posted it, that in “Book of Love” by the Monotones, the “thunk” between “who…” and “…wrote the book of love” is a basketball hitting a backboard. Or was it a basketball hitting a bass drum? No, that would break the drum. Anyway, it was a basketball hitting something.
I can’t name a specific song, but the Mellotron is a truly hilarious instrument.
Thanx, IJGrieve. My daughter plays flute so we may have to hunt down some tunes by The Delgados and have a listen.
How about Procol Harum and the Edmonton Symphany Orchastra?
“Conquistador” seriously rocks!
In “Indiana Wants Me” they use sirens and also on “The Night Chicago Died” I think there might have been some shooting as well. I know there was a whole shootout on “Bonnie and Clyde”.
Oh Yeah, can’t forget all the boiling cauldrens etc. on “Monster Mash”
One last shot- the Bagpipes on “Mull of Kintyre” Maybe not rock, but Paul McCartny anyway.
Oh Yeah, It’s early and odd, but what jangles on “They’re Coming to Take Me Away”? Ka-chunk Ka-chunk Ka-CHUNK!
Flute? Didn’t Men at Work use a flute?