If there is one thing missing in today’s music, it is the glorious night wailings of the saxophone. In the era of shoulder pads and pop socks, every song worthy of a chart position had a saxophone.
Glen Frey (formally of the Eagles) was a massive culprit – two of his biggest songs, ‘You Belong To The City‘ and ‘The Heat Is On‘ (from Beverly Hills Cops) were saxxed to the maxx!!!!
Huey Lewis, he of Back To The Future soundtrack ‘Power of Love‘ and immovable Princess Di bouffant/mullet hair and face a bit like Kevin Costner melting into Don Johnson, loves a sax solo. ‘Hip To Be Square’s’ video is a great example of a saxophonist in a small box with a big camera. Unwieldy nightmare.
Speaking of Don Johnson and his pug features…. Not only is he a wonderful actor of the highest calibre (Miami Vice was like Shakespeare in pastels), he and his stubble decided a singing career was a great option for him to mix action, romance AND power guitar! While his big hit ‘Heartbeat’ in 1986 sadly had no saxophones (though he made up for it in artistic merit within the promo video, it’s fucking deep), by the time 1989 swung round, Donny thought the better of it and before grunge tore his career aaprt, he made this wonderful, heart wrenching tribute to a model who couldn’t stop twirling. In 1989 she was on the surface, as we speak she is somewhere near the centre of the Earth.
I can’t leave out the dude from The Lost Boys though. This was pure genius. A beach party for SoCal tearaways that featured the campest muscle mary ever to grace the US of A. Wearing chains, a stunning noodle perm mullet and enough Crisco to fry a vat of chips, the singer/saxophonist of the beach band (did they have a name?) is actually Tim Capello and he’s a very good muso. You can see him in Tina Turner’s ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero‘ video as well, which is the one where she raided Mad Max’s wardrobe department and killed a few ferrets for her hairstyle. He’s working it, sistah!!!
INXS had a sax player. But apart from Michael Hutchence, I can’t remember any of the other members. I’d show you a pic but I think MH in his glory days will give me more of a brain sex (sax?) rush!
Check Hall n Oates who were big into shiny instruments that make sounds like cats yowling for dinner while being squeezed by a pair of pliers. And if you’re really into eardrum torture there’s the ever unforgettable (sadly) ‘Careless Whisper‘ by George ‘Asleep At the Wheel’ Michael. It’s also the video where millions of women went, ‘oh how could he be gay!’, despite the shots showing him handling hairy lengths of rope, tugging on a big chain and owning red satin sheets. Oh Georgios, you saxy beast!
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I love the t-shirt the Hutch is wearing. I remember when he was wearing this in some Dolly type teen magazine and it caused quite an uproar. The bondage, oral theme perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come?