Tag Archives: Bobby Keys

Song of the Week – F.U.C. Her, The New Barbarians

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This was a terrible week for rock and roll. We lost two giants in the field, albeit they were guys that toiled in the background. Sax man Bobby Keys died last Tuesday at the age of 70. Ian McLagan died the next day at the age of 69.

I needn’t reiterate their bios here. Anyone that reads these posts already knows who they are and appreciates the huge contributions they made to rock music. In fact, for just that reason I hadn’t planned to dedicate today’s SotW to them. But Friday my friend John S. reminded me that they toured together in 1979 as the New Barbarians – a band Ron Wood and Keith Richards assembled to help Keith meet some obligationsto the Canadian government and to support Ron’s solo effort, Gimme Some Neck. That confluence is just too good to pass up. (Thanks John!)

The SotW is dirty little number called “F.U.C. Her” from the first leg of that tour.

The reason I’ve chosen this song from the album is because it highlights the contributions of McLagan and (especially) Keyes better than most of the others on the album. The band plays it fast and loose, just as you would expect from this group of hell-raisers. A little past the midpoint, Keyes rips off a sax solo that highlights his playing style. The only problem with the performance is that the vocals are unbearable – so just hang in there for the sax solo.

So thank you Bobby and Ian for adding your magic to hundreds of great recordings we all know and love and sing and play. Your memory will live on for decades. Rest in peace.

Enjoy… until next week.

Song of the Week Revisited – Whatever Gets You Through the Night, John Lennon

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Today the great sax player, Bobby Keys, died at the age of 70. In his honor I’m re-posting a SotW I originally sent out 2 years ago tomorrow – November 3, 2012.

One of my favorite session men is tenor sax player Bobby Keys. Known mostly for his long association with the Rolling Stones – that’s Keys on “Brown Sugar”, “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” and all over Exile on Main Street – Keys also made significant to contributions to recordings by everyone from Joe Cocker, to George Harrison, to Harry Nilsson, to Buddy Holly.

He played the sax on Elvis Presley’s “Return to Sender.” That’s him again on Dion’s “The Wanderer.”

Keys rock star lifestyle excesses are legendary. In February he published an autobiography titled Every Night’s a Saturday Night: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Life of Legendary Sax Man. I haven’t read it yet, but I’m certain it contains some great stories.

My pick for the SotW is John Lennon’s collaboration with Elton John – “Whatever Gets You through the Night.”

I chose this song because Lennon really created a lot of space for Keys to do his thing. (And let’s face it; it’s a really fun song that you probably haven’t heard in a dog’s age.) From the opening note, Keys is blaring away. Then he gets a couple of opportunities in between each verse and chorus to add short solos. He really makes the song.

As a side note, WGYTTN has an interesting story to go along with it. Apparently, in the recording studio Elton predicted it would be a hit. Lennon didn’t agree, so they made a bet. If the song reached #1, Lennon would have to appear on stage to perform it with Elton. Indeed, the song hit #1 on the Billboard charts on November 16, 1974. Lennon made good on his wager and appeared with Elton at Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974.

Enjoy… until next week.