Otis Rush. I really like the intros he plays on guitar. Any Place I'm Going has numerous examples of this. |
I've always liked the intro to Fleetwood Mac's "Hypnotized" from the album Mystery To Me. |
The first song on Kid A by Radiohead, a real grabber. |
The intro to Gasoline Alley from Rod Stewart. |
"Enter Sandman" by Metallica |
A couple of well-known song intros that I'll probably always listen to when they come on the radio, even if I often switch away from the songs themselves 'cause you hear 'em so much: "Honky Tonk Women", "Sweet Emotion". |
How about the Joe Walsh intro to "Funk #49" by the James Gang? I know it gets my attention. :-) |
"over the Hills and Far Away" - Led Zeppelin
When I first heard this I thought "this is great! Really new!" Unfortunately (to me) the song is not developed but collapses into some kind of rompin' stompin'.
"Pick up on my Mojo" - Johnny Winter
Don't get your steak to close unless you like it well done...
"Crossroads" - Cream
Very compelling (What was this Clapton kid eating?)
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If we are talking rock:
Queen "Fat Bottom Girls", "Another One Bites the Dust", "Under Pressure", "We Will Rock You/We are the Champions"
David Bowie: "Space Oddity" Probably any song off of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. I love this album so much, I named one of my dogs Ziggy.
Pink Floyd: "Money", "Dogs of War", "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", and others that are too numerous to name...
Jimi Hendrix: Nearly any song he ever did.
Chess: "One Night in Bangkok" It is off of the musical Chess. Extremely clever lyrics with a beat that is so right and enticing. I love this entire musical.
Dave's True Story: "Trollop" Any song that starts with vocals about famous authors and literary works, I cannot turn away from.
KF |
I forgot to mention the intros to "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple, "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers, & "The Boys Are Back In Town" by Thin Lizzie. Insant song identifiers all.
Showing my age,
Ed |
"We're An American Band" by Grand Funk - that'll get you playing air-drums every time. |
Good choices, haven't heard most of em' for quite a while. Lou Reed/Sweet Jane (R&R Animal), Mountain/Mississippi Queen, Urge Overkill/Sister Havanna, Alice Cooper/18, Zappa/I Am The Slime, and a couple of the segue/intros on The Pixies Trompe le Monde recording work pretty good. |
"When the Levee Breaks" has always been a favorite. |
Speakin of ZEP how about "in the light" on Physical
Graffiti... That one always got my attention. Or how
Rush 2112 intro is pretty good too.
4yanx, did you get the pics? |
Hotel California either version (original from 1976 or Hell Freezes Over from 1994)- Anticipation followed by rush of Adrenalin.
Smoke on the water - Deep Purple |
"Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss ME" by the Cure |
Pink Floyd "Wish you were here" for acoustic guitar
Pink Floyd "Money" for bass
Led Zeppelin "Heartbreaker" Electric guitar |
good vibrations; the beach boys |
Hey Y'all,
How about the opening chords of "You really got me" by Van Halen. That guitar always gets my blood pumping.......John |
Counting Crows "Mr. Jones" |
Also, how about "Crazy" by Willie or Patsy? |
Genesis - piano intro to Firth of Fifth
Tony Bank work is incredible & emotional |
Genesis "Watchers of the Sky" |
"Birdland" by Weather Report is always awe-inspiring on a good system and at a liberal gain setting! :-) |
Some excellent examples above. A few others, "Sympathy" by the Stones "Watchtower" by Hendrix, "Whole Lotta Love"by Led Zep, "Light My Fire" Doors, "Hot Rats" by Zappa. I love 4yanx suggestion of "Birdland" by Weather Report one of my all time favorite groups. Cheers!! |
Dust in the Wind, Kansas. Spoonful from Wheels of Fire. Blues Deluxe (Truth album) Jeff Beck. Day Tripper, the Beatles. Start me up, Stones. Pinball Wizard, Who. Run like Hell, Pink Floyd.
Just a few of the many that came quickly to mind.
REL2 |
Trencherman by Virgil Donati |
"Telegraph Road" opening on Dire Straits' Love Over Gold LP |
Slipknot1, I was waiting for that one. That intro truly IS great. I think the intro to "Private Investigations" on the same album is also pretty nifty. |
Last Splas by the Breeders |
More excellent choices mentioned above. The subtle ones are just as impressive as the loud heavy ones. How about "Fields Of Joy" by The New York Rock Ensemble, if anyone else can remember that one,a beautiful slow, smooth, rolling electric piano groove.Cheers!! |
T-bone-
I waited to post "Telegraph Road" because I couldn't decide if I should go with that or "Private Investigations" Should have listed both. Good call on your part.
While we are at it: I like the opening of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" soundtrack a lot as well. |
I am hoping to inject new life into this great thread. I'm compiling 1-2 minutes cuts of the beginning of songs to play between innings of my son's high school baseball games. Please, keep 'em coming. |
Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey) from the Deodato 'Prelude' album. |
-Beethoven: Sym #5 (the whole first movement),
-Beethoven: Fur Elise
-Arthur Pryor: "Blue Blues of Scotland" (I love that trombone intro, I've played it countless times on my horn)
-Nine Inch Nails: "Head Like a Hole"
-Metallica: "Enter Sandman" (This was a milestone for me. This was the first pop/rock song that I actually liked. Before that, I primarily listened to classical music exclusively. There was just something about this song that drew me into it. I think it was the less agressive guitar intro that made it paletable)
-Gorefest: "From Ignorance to Oblivion" (the intro in this just explodes). I first heard this as an mp3 called 'gorefest.mp3' on the college campus network back in '97. I just had to find out what band/song/album that was. Man I loved that intro.
-Cannibal Corpse: "Hammer Smashed Face"
-???: "Sweet Home Chicago"
-Simon and Garfunkel: "Mrs. Robinson"
-Guess Who: "American Woman"
-the music of Gloria Estefan, although I can't think of a specific song at the moment. |
Panufnik: "Sinfonia Sacra"
The Who: "Pinball Wizard"
XTC: "River of Orchids"
Guns 'N Roses: "Sweet Child 'O Mine"
The Band: "Up on Cripple Creek"
Robbie Robertson: "Fallen Angel"
Freedy Johnston: "Bad Reputation"
Luna: "How Long Can This Go On?"
Husker Du: "These Important Years"
Kings X: "Everybody Knows a Little Bit" |
"You Really Got Me" The Kinks
"Can't You Hear Me Knocking" The Rolling Stones |
I always thought the coolest song intro was to "The Story in Your Eyes" by the Moody Blues. The intro actually had a title called "Procession". It starts with an "outer space" sound representing the creation of the planet and then proceeds forward through time, playing a theme on different instruments through the ages - starting with "caveman" chanting, then drums, moving to some middle-eastern instrument and then a lute, mandolin, pipe organ, full orchestra and finally ending with an electric guitar which plays the first notes of the main song. VERY COOL!
Matter of fact I may need to get a six pack on the way home and give it a spin:-) |
"Wonderful Tonite" by Eric Clapton. That organ-like guitar is so...sexy. I'm unsure if it's slide guitar, or just skill at bending strings.
deb |
"voodoo chile" Jimi Hendrix |
Joey Kramer's drum intro to "Lord of the thighs"...it is on Aerosmith's "Get your wings"...and quite frankly it simply KILLS !!!!! |
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All Along the Watch Tower - Hendrix
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Rolling Stones, either "Brown Sugar" or "Start Me Up" (since they're roughly inverses of one another). Guess I give the nod to BS, because I heard it first and SMU loses points for being used in a Microsoft ad.
Second the nomination of Yes "Roundabout." Also, "Siberian Khatru" from "Close to the Edge"
Others that come to mind:
Santana, "Europa (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)"
Hendrix, "Little Wing" and "Purple Haze"
Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth"
Jefferson Airplane, "Volunteers"
Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World"
Mountain, "Mississippi Queen" (gotta love The Great Fatsby)
Ten Years After, "I'd Love to Change the World"
Beatles, "Paperback Writer"
Paul Simon, "Late in the Evening"
Eric Clapton, "Layla" (or about half of the other songs on that album...)
And on and on ... isn't music great? Happy listening! |
How can I list so many and still forget to put down Led Zeppelin's "Immigration Song?"
Or Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming"
Like I said, "and on and on..." |
Bob Dylan: Ballad of a Thin Man, Like A Rolling Stone & Positively 4th Street
Schubert: Gretchen Am Spinrade
Mahler: Der Abschied from Das Lied Von Der Erde
Van Morrison: Dylan's It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Miles Davis: All Blues & So What
Beethoven: 6th Symphony, first bars of first movement
Coltrane: A Love Supreme
And ditto with Crazy4Blues: numerous songs by Otis Rush |
Mr. Magic by Grover Washington Jr.
Soul Sacrifice by Santana
Song for my Father by Horace Silver
Ain't No Fun to Me by Graham Central Station
Telephone Song by Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughn |
Most notable one chord (if you wanna call it that) intro! - Hard Day's Night. |
Bruce Springsteen: NYC Serenade and Something in the Night |
Opalchip, great call. A single memorable chord. At the other end of the spectrum, I'd nominate the improvised tenor sax and drum intro to Steely Dan's "Everything Must Go." Glorious playing, and really contributes to the meaning of the song (those guys are brilliant).
On a different note, the intro to Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman." That is _so_ cool. |
