100 Songs, 58 Instruments. No errors.

Update:The graphic below is accurate and true, and still fun to look through. The error I spotted has been corrected. For the record, the original graphic listed the clavinet as being played on Eddie Cochran’s Summertime Blues. It now has Superstition by Stevie Wonder listed. Yes, indeed. That’s some funky clavinet.

So, Contest over. Cancelled. No one else caught it before it was corrected.

I’m such a music geek.

Original Post
Berklee Online analyzed Rolling Stone’s list of top 100 songs of all time and identified all the instruments used on those recordings. They came up with fifty-eight, although they admit a few may have been missed. It makes for an interesting infographic, included below. Swarmandal anyone? (used by The Beatles, of course).

There’s a couple of oddities in the list. Why list the bass drum on Norwegian Wood separately from the bass drums in the drum kits that are used on 94 of the recordings? Maybe it was a really big bass drum. And it’s the only drum on the song, of course.

I did find one real error, though. But instead of telling you what it is, I’ll let you find it for yourself. A signed copy of my first two novels and a Best of Bad Dog CD to the first person who comments below or emails me with the correct answer.

Hint: This instrument wasn’t available when the song it’s listed on was recorded.

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