How I Wrote…“Take It Off the Top”

Steve Morse opens up about the Dixie Dregs’ long-running fan favorite.

- JOE BOSSO

“A LOT OF our songs are very complicated, but this is one of our most straightforward tunes,” says Steve Morse, speaking about “Take It Off the Top,” the high-octane, fun and frisky prog-rock instrumental that kicked off the Dixie Dregs’ second album, 1978’s What If. “At the time, our road manager said to us, ‘It’s good to finally hear you play straight-up rock and roll for a change.’ I was trying to be as to the point as possible, but leave it to me to throw in a bunch of stuff that destroyed any chance at commercial success.”

Even though What If failed to ascend higher than number 182 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Take It Off the Top” became an instant favorite among Dixie Dregs devotees. As Morse notes, “My style is what it is. I’ll go along for a few bars, but then I’ll veer off into jazz or classical. It kept us off the charts, but it won us fans who stayed with us.”

SCIENCE FRICTION