| The Horse | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Cliff Nobles and Company |
| A-Side: | Love Is All Right |
| Released: | 1968 |
| Genre: | Soul |
| Length: | 2:34 |
| Label: | Phil-L.A. of Soul 313 (US) Columbia C4-2812 (Canada) |
| Producer: | Jesse James |
| Prev Title: | The More I Do for You, Baby |
| Prev Year: | 1968 |
| Next Title: | Judge Baby I'm Back |
| Next Year: | 1968 |
"The Horse" is an instrumental song by Cliff Nobles and Company. It was released as the B-side of the single "Love Is All Right" and is simply an instrumental version of that song.
Although Nobles is the title artist, he does not personally perform on the track. The song was simply "Love Is All Right" without his vocal track. The horn section which is featured eventually became the group MFSB.[1] Mike Terry played the baritone saxophone on this recording.[2]
The track itself features a simple, unvarying rhythmic line played by different instruments, finished off each time around by a melodic, heralding horn section line.
According to Bobby Eli, a guitarist on the session, the instrumental track was the result of his jamming in the studio with guitarist Norman Harris, bassist Ronnie Baker, and drummer Earl Young (later to become the first MFSB rhythm section and the core of the group the Trammps). The jam was then "tweaked" by arranger Bobby Martin and recording studio owner and engineer Frank Virtue. Neither Cliff Nobles nor producer Jesse James was present for the session.
It peaked at number 2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (in June 1968) and the US Billboard R&B chart.[3] [4] In Canada the song reached number 7.[5]
The song sold a million copies within three months of release, and attained the Gold record award from the Recording Industry Association of America in August 1968.[6]