100 best organ solos, or breaks, or general performances that might not be considered "riffs"

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100. Del Shannon: Runaway

99. Deep Purple: Rat Bat Blue

98. Grateful Dead: Cold Rain and Snow (album version)

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

97. Steppenwolf - Hodge Podge Strained Through a Leslie

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:19 (twenty-two years ago)

96. Everything else Goldy McJohn ever touched, but I'll just stick with the long, grinding "solo" on Magic Carpet Ride.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Everything by Larry Goldings, Larry Young, Jack McDuff, Jimmy Smith, Joey deFranceso, and Davell Crawford. Etc.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

95. Brenton Wood - Oogum Boogum

― angel duster, Friday, 30 January 2004 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

94. Karn Evil Nine First Impression whatever whatever
93. Roundabout
92. 96 Tears
91. "Sexy Boy" by Air
90. The entire M83 album from last year

― otto, Friday, 30 January 2004 20:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Presence of the Lord - Blind Faith
Low Spark of High Heeled Boys - Traffic (That bit at the end, dig?)

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

92 is a riff!

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

89. "Whiter Shade of Pale" Protocol Harum

― BrianB (BrianB), Friday, 30 January 2004 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

re 92, I didn't read the question properly.

New 92: Harmonia [i]Deluxe[i/], the entire album

― otto, Friday, 30 January 2004 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

make that, [i]Deluxe[/i]

― otto, Friday, 30 January 2004 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

88 Time Of The Season - The Zombies
87 Green Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf
86 Hush - Deep Purple

― billstevejim, Friday, 30 January 2004 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

consider me an [i] idiot [/i].
to make up for board clogging, I offer

85. "Queen of You" Monster Magnet

― otto, Friday, 30 January 2004 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

84. XTC - Science Friction

― mzui, Friday, 30 January 2004 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

83. The Clique - Wormin' (VA Totally Wired #3)
82. Nino Ferrer - Mirza
81. Pleasure Beach - Smells Like Teen Spirit
80. Makin' Time - Where The Rhythm Takes You
79. Alan Moorhouse - Expo In Tokyo
78. The Out Cast - Kimamana Shelly (VA, GS - I Love You)
77. The James Taylor Quartet - The Money Spyder
76. Theo Schumann-Combo - Korallenriff

― eleki-san, Friday, 30 January 2004 22:27 (twenty-two years ago)

75. Deep Purple - Child in Time

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 30 January 2004 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

74. Sun Ra - Atlantis

― udu wudu (udu wudu), Friday, 30 January 2004 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

(Oh, a first Sun Ra entry... Was high time. Cheers, udu wudu!)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Friday, 30 January 2004 23:05 (twenty-two years ago)

73. The Band - "Chest Fever"

― Broheems (diamond), Friday, 30 January 2004 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

74. Crowded House, "Don't Dream It's Over"
75. The Clean, "Tally-Ho!"
76. Jimmy Cliff, "Many Rivers to Cross"

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Saturday, 31 January 2004 04:41 (twenty-two years ago)

time-sly&family stone
another the letter-wire (may be a riff at times tho)

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

70. Faust - Teutonentango (actually difficult to pick one, the organ playing is always brilliant)
69. Soft Machine - Hibou, Anemone and Bear (see above)
68. Velvet Underground - Sister Ray (the winner by several light years)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

aint sister a riff tho', dadaismus?.. cuz somebody got chewed out on another thread for some such shit...but i feel you, yo!

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Tim Friese-Green's life.

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

That's no riff Thomas, that's a symphony

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

amen

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:35 (twenty-two years ago)

67. Deep Purple-Lazy
66. Lyres-She Pays the Rent
65. Plan 9-I Like Girls

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Saturday, 31 January 2004 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Brian Auger "Light My Fire"

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 1 February 2004 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

63. Miles Davis - RATED X
62. The Damned - I JUST CAN'T BE HAPPY TODAY

― Dr. Annabel Lies (Michael Kelly), Sunday, 1 February 2004 08:04 (twenty-two years ago)

61 DJ Shadow - "Organ Donor"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Sunday, 1 February 2004 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)

60.) Electric to Me Turn~Bruce Haack

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Sunday, 1 February 2004 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

59. When the organ breaks in at the beginning of "Love and Happiness" by AL Green. For me, its an all-time great moment!

― peepee (peepee), Sunday, 1 February 2004 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

58. Yo La Tengo: "Sudden Organ"

― Ryan Pitchfork, Sunday, 1 February 2004 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

eleven years pass...

57. Dick Hyman - the liquidator
56. The Greg Foat Group - dark is the sun (part 1 main theme)

― meisenfek, Thursday, 30 April 2015 16:56 (eleven years ago)

55. Jack White - Missing Pieces
54. Deep Purple - Highway Star

― thom yorke state of mind (voodoo chili), Friday, 1 May 2015 00:50 (eleven years ago)

eleven years pass...

reo speedwagon - roll with the changes
boston - smokin'

― mookieproof, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:02 (three days ago)

Brother Jack McDuff - The Vibrator

― Strait of Merzbow (Eazy), Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:23 (three days ago)

50. The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down

Billy Preston, what a guy! Shows up on a whim and ends up giving the sessions some of their most awesome adornments.

― TheNuNuNu, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:25 (three days ago)

otm, and so natural and uncomplicated sounding too. that's him soloing on "Get back" too, right? killer.

― brimstead, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:27 (three days ago)

no amount of tv/movie/ad placements can reduce the adrenalizing effect of "foreplay" when it gets really hot

― brimstead, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:28 (three days ago)

yesss

― mookieproof, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:31 (three days ago)

and so natural and uncomplicated sounding too.

Yes! watching Get Back only added to the awe: he's always got a cigarette in his mouth, and a huge grin on his face, and he looks totally relaxed, but out come these wild melodic breaks as if it's no goddam deal.

― TheNuNuNu, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:38 (three days ago)

btw with this revival i do not care about what is or is not a 'riff'

give me all the rock songs with cool organ parts

(can't believe 'hush' wasn't first)

― mookieproof, Saturday, 16 May 2026 04:47 (three days ago)

In that case
48. Brainticket - Cottonwood Hill

― change a word make a third (Matt #2), Saturday, 16 May 2026 05:00 (three days ago)

47. Olivier Messiaen's Livre du Saint-Sacrement

(Haha. The 20 year-old thread title doesn't reeeeeeally seem to rule it out, but I now see that a post arriving during my couple hours of re-listening does.)

― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Saturday, 16 May 2026 06:11 (three days ago)

i am not really a todd terje guy but this early b-side "glittertind" has some of the most beautiful sounding organ soloing i've ever heard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L6Bj4xMFcs

― brimstead, Saturday, 16 May 2026 08:01 (three days ago)

46. Ferry's organ solo in "Editions of You."

― boners for bombs (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 16 May 2026 09:48 (three days ago)

45. and practically the same solo on "Another Time, Another Place".

The two Billy Preston/Beatles examples are electric piano, though.

― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 16 May 2026 12:07 (three days ago)

44. The Lemonheads - "My Drug Buddy"

― Vast Halo, Saturday, 16 May 2026 12:15 (three days ago)

43. Atomic Rooster - "A Spoonful of Bromide Helps the Pulse Rate Go Down"

and some more textural choices:

42. Pink Floyd - "Astronomy Domine" live on Ummagumma
41. Tangerine Dream - "Atem"
40. David Sylvian - "The Boy With the Gun"

― Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 16 May 2026 12:21 (three days ago)

and practically the same solo on "Another Time, Another Place".

yes!

― boners for bombs (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 16 May 2026 12:29 (three days ago)

39. Susanne Sundfør - "Accelerate"

― Vast Halo, Saturday, 16 May 2026 13:06 (three days ago)

38. Hugh Banton's apocalyptic Hammond start-motor breakdown/up introducing the second section of Van der Graaf Generator's 'Lemmings'.

37. Keith Emerson's solos in any given live version of 'Rondo' or 'America' with The Nice.

― Knife fight at the Optimists Club (atonar), Saturday, 16 May 2026 13:33 (three days ago)

39. Susanne Sundfør - "Accelerate"

The point where it comes back in is one of my favourite moments in this century’s pop (or whatever you’d call this)

― woof, Saturday, 16 May 2026 13:40 (three days ago)

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