"Is there gas in the car?"

Lyrics from "Kid Charlemagne," by Becker-Fagen."

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Phil Wood's beautiful alto saxaphone solo on Steely Dan's Dr. Wu

By Jack Brummet, 20th Century Music Ed.

I know people have a lot of other candidates, and that a group of folks can't countenance the saxaphone at all,  but the sweetest sax solo I've heard in a rock song is Phil Woods' turn on the Steely Dan song Dr. Wu.  The solo kicks in at 1:30 and runs to 2:12.  a) it's sweet the Dan gave Woods a 40 second solo on a four minute song; b) I just love the alto anytime at all; and c) the Dan were a spotty group, and while I held them on a pedestal for a few years in my youth, really, what they did was deliver four great songs on every album (some with, say, six) and then a handful of what you might charitably call less stellar tunes ('though perhaps not in the realm of Phil Spector's legendary "two hits and eight pieces of s**t."

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Dr. Wu by Steely Dan (from Katy Lied), with lyrics

Katy tried
I was halfway crucified
I was on the other side
Of no tomorrow
You walked in
And my life began again
Just when I'd spent the last piaster
I could borrow
All night long
We would sing that stupid song
And every word we sang
I knew was true

Are you with me Doctor Wu
Are you really just a shadow
Of the man that I once knew
Are you crazy are you high
Or just an ordinary guy
Have you done all you can do
Are you with me Doctor

Don't seem right
I've been strung out here all night
I've been waiting for the taste
You said you'd bring to me
Biscayne Bay
Where the Cuban gentlemen sleep all day
I went searching for the song
You used to sing to me
Katy lies
You could see it in her eyes
But imagine my surprise
When I saw you

Are you with me Doctor Wu
Are you really just a shadow
Of the man that I once knew
She is lovely yes she's sly
And you're an ordinary guy
Has she finally got to you
Can you hear me Doctor
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