Gotta Love the Marimba!

Not long ago I posted some thoughts about the use of an ocarina as a solo instrument in pop music. (see 5/05/10: An Ocarina?) I admit the subject might have been a little bit lame to blog about, and so I apologize to anyone who thought I was being a tad harsh at best, or, at worst, terribly boring. (Just for the record, I don’t really think it was that bad of a subject, but hey, I can take a little constructive criticism from time to time.)

So allow me now to write on a more positive note about yet another instrument you don’t hear used much in pop music, at least not as a solo instrument: the marimba. Yes, that’s right – the marimba. (You know, that xylophoney-looking thing with metal tubes protruding down from down under the keys.) The marimba is known for its mellow lower register, and frequently used to create an “island” kind of mood, sounding a little like a muted version of steel drums.

Now, the marimba has been used a few times as a solo instrument in pop music, namely in the Rolling Stones’ Under My Thumb and Elton John’s Island Girl. But, without a doubt, the all-time standout marimba solo appears in the song Moonlight Feels Right (1976) by the Atlanta-based band, Starbuck – a group formed in 1974 by keyboardist and vocalist Bruce Blackman and marimba player Bo Wagner. (Yes, they’re the two guys up and to the right, dressed in those suave and sofisticated outfits, reminding us of why the chic styles of the 70s didn’t last!)

Given the fact that one of the band’s founding members was a marimba player, it’s no wonder that a 16-bar solo works its way into the middle of the song, giving Wagner a chance to show off his mallet chops while wowing his fans with sixteenth note triplets and chromatic scales. (Okay, too technical? Did I mention I was a percussion major for a big part of my college career?)

Anyway, the song made it all the way to #3 on the Billboard charts in 1976, and was the only real hit Starbuck ever had. Maybe the marimba just doesn’t appeal to a wide enough audience… Ya think?