Good call. "Green Onions" by I wanna say Booker T, and "Rebel Rouser" by Duane Eddy need a mention.
If we're just talking solos & not instrumentals: drum intro from "Hot for Teacher"
ETA: great list, Neil. Esp Floyd Cramer, forgot about that one.
I have "Last Date" on a mixed CD I burned awhile back. It is in the portfolio thing in my truck and gets played from time to time. Whenever that song comes on, whoever is riding with me usually gives me a funny look, but I don't care. However, my favorite Floyd Cramer tune is "Flip, Flop & Bop".
My parents had Herb Alpert LPs they played on the "Hi-Fi", a big piece of furniture in our living room with built in speakers, sliding doors on top, and a turntable and radio receiver on one side, LP storage on the other. Songs like "Whipped Cream", "The Lonely Bull", and "Spanish Flea" still remind me of being 6 years old.
To tell the truth, I could take or leave the music, but I remember staring intently at the
album covers. If we are talking instrumental parts of otherwise vocal songs, I'll take the last 2/3 of The Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" off of
Sticky Fingers. Some fans hate it, because the first third of the song is kick-ass Keith Richards guitar riffs, then the rest is kind of jazzy. It may have to do with time and place, i.e., where I was and what I was doing when I was turned onto it, but that song kind of mesmerizes me whenever I hear it. Perfect for laying on the floor with headphones (real ones, not "ear buds".) Mick Taylor stretches out, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman move up in the mix, and Bobby Keys' sax is all over the place. Awesome.
For quick maximum emotional impact, Keith's apocalyptic riff in the opening bars of "Gimme Shelter" is still my go-to. With Mick Jones on "London Calling" a close second, or maybe Andy Gill's stiletto-like lead on Gang of Four's "Damaged Goods".
