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Best introductions to songs

Started by Pavlov`s Dog`s Dad`s Dead, July 29, 2022, 10:53:05 PM

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Pavlov`s Dog`s Dad`s Dead

Glebe posted this in tribute to Bernard Cribbins:
Quote from: Glebe on July 29, 2022, 12:32:47 AMJust for posterity:

It was a lovely gesture, but it also set me thinking: that's one hell of an introduction. Rhapsody in Blue also has a belter of an opener1, but then again so does Lulu's Shout - which also proves that length isn't important. So here's your starter for ten: what is the best opener to a song?

1 Yeah, yeah, it's not actually a song.

Bennett Brauer

I'm quite fond of 1-2-3-4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There must be hundreds of these but just to name two from songs I've played today - both album openers - In The Stone by Earth Wind & Fire, and What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. The first is just an epic orchestral arrangement by David Foster before the groove kicks in, and the second is a happy party ambience preceding a heartbreaking sax intro and melancholy vocals and lyrics - and the party carries on underneath! Pretty audacious at the time, I guess.



TheMonk

The acapella opening to Road To Nowhere that has no relation to the tune proper.

Dr Rock


dontpaintyourteeth

This isn't really answering the question but a track from a Mayhem live album came up on shuffle yesterday and the song got introduced with the timeless sentence "The next song I dedicate hereby to the Pope- Chainsaw Gutsfuck!"

Marvellous

Jockice

Promises by Buzzcocks or Love Plus One by Haircut 100.

jobotic

Cables by Big Black
Kerosene by Big Black


There's a good Stereolab one with backwards vocals but I've forgotten the name of it. I'll find it later.

Goldentony

love this a lot, electric piano that's like a sad ending to a 70s police procedural show and then your man barges in with a BE QUIET OR BE KIIIIIIIIIILLED


Glebe

Delighted that me Cribbins Wombles post has kicked off this thread... in answer to your question:


buttgammon

Probably a bit obvious but the album version of Giant Steps, also the first song on that album. Down to business in the best possible way.



bushwick

Quote from: Goldentony on July 30, 2022, 02:55:33 PMlove this a lot, electric piano that's like a sad ending to a 70s police procedural show and then your man barges in with a BE QUIET OR BE KIIIIIIIIIILLED


Good shout! Fuckin Screamers man. Yeah, it's the calm before the storm and makes the 'drop' all the more insane.

I like the intros on these great songs:




(In order of appearance: 1. FIGHTING 2. RUSHIN ON E 3. LITERALLY CRYING WITH BEAUTY OVERWHELM)

Glebe


Video Game Fan 2000

I think I'm on the wrong website cos none of you said Cruisers Creek yet
The Damned - New Rose
Stooges - TV Eye
Parliament - P-Funk (Who Wants To Get Funked Up?)
Akiko Yano - Tadama
Kraftwerk - Schauffensterpuppen
Any Beefheart song where he says anything at all before the song starts except Party of Special Things To Do


Also love The Payback for the slow scene setting build up, inspiration for a thousand gangster songs across a dozen genre. But it lasts all of 0:07 because James barges in with a HEY before yelling the theme of the song, a good thirty seconds before the proper groove starts.

the science eel

Obvious, maybe, but they don't come any more exciting


The Mollusk

Basically any song that starts with a scintillating drum fill or beat, or any song that starts with some wild cunt screaming something or just some grinding horrible noise, those songs are guaranteed to be the best songs ever made

Jockice

I'd go for New Rose too. And also Get Over You by The Undertones, the start of which comes into my head practically every time I see someone I fancy. I couldn't do a wolf whistle to save my life though.

The Crumb

Joy Division had the knack of a great intro. Disorder, Shadowplay, Heart and Soul, Atmosphere, Love Will Tear Us Apart immediately spring to mind.

The Mollusk

The frenzied rattling drums and mental VRRMMM VRROOOMMMMMM voices that open up "Buzzbomb" by Dead Kennedys, that's deffo one of my faves.

Those lads really knew how to kick off a song, been listening to them for 20 years now and a lot of their tunes straight out of the gate are still really intimidating and dangerous to my ears. Not just because they're a punk band but because in their early years they were just utterly snarling and ferocious in a way that I've never heard from any other band.

non capisco

The fade up of Topper Headon's galloping drums on I Fought The Law. I presume they were deliberately going for an "approaching gang of horseback marauders" knowing The Clash's aesthetic bent but if not that's certainly what was achieved.

Best Of My Love by The Emotions. Straight down to action with those brass stabs, used to brilliant effect to kick off PTA's 'Boogie Nights'.

dontpaintyourteeth

Walk on By or Theme from Shaft. Both Isaac Hayes

bushwick

"Buzzbomb" is a good call. DKs were a very dramatic band. I would also say the way Jello starts "Kill The Poor" is a killer intro, proper exhilarating stuff. "Efffff-ICIENY and progress is ours once more...". Makes me tingle thinking about it.


non capisco

West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys (sorry, Jockice). Those haunted, haunting synth chords over street sounds kicking into the bass line. One of the best scene setting intros for a song I can think of. (Bonus points for the video opening up with a lingering shot on some truly creepy shop window child mannequins) 


dontpaintyourteeth

lots of Black Sabbath songs but perhaps especially Sweet Leaf


Goldentony

whenever I hear Holiday In Cambodia in the wild 99% of the time its the single version with the bass coming in imediately. Just isn't as good, and the solo is worse.

The Mollusk

Quote from: bushwick on July 30, 2022, 05:07:59 PM"Buzzbomb" is a good call. DKs were a very dramatic band. I would also say the way Jello starts "Kill The Poor" is a killer intro, proper exhilarating stuff. "Efffff-ICIENY and progress is ours once more...". Makes me tingle thinking about it.

Totally. Imagine kicking off your debut album with a song called "Kill The Poor" and the intro sounding like a heroic call to arms. Hi, we're Dead Kennedys! Impoverished people are the perfect fodder for war! Are we taking the piss? Use your fucking melon!

Every song feels like its own mission statement and they know how to get your attention whether they're doing pompous speedy dancehall drumming ("Forward to Death", one of their all time best, I love that song SO MUCH), evil riffs soaked in delay ("Police Truck"), head-spinning psychedelic feedback ("Man With the Dogs") or even slow crawling doomy bass-driven atmospherics like on "Saturday Night Holocaust" or "Bleed For Me."

dontpaintyourteeth

Guts by John Cale blasting straight into "THE BUGGER IN THE SHORT SLEEVES FUCKED MY WIFE"

hard to beat