Great opening song riffs | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Great opening song riffs

Ewekon said:
Maybe the most obvious of all inspired this mid summer post. Just heard it on WPLR. (Wish they would freshen the playlist but that is for a different rant.)

What are your songs where the first 8 or ten seconds grab you? Signature opening riffs?
I will just mention a couple and see who else plays along and adds.



3) You Really Got Me - Kinks
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:cool:
 
August_West said:
55 years later and musicians are still fighting about that damn chord.

Bottom line is it can’t be played.

It’s not a single instrument it’s 4!
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What is it about that chord, Augie? My guess is that it's two Ricks (or more) played simultaneously.

Edit from Wiki: Looks like everyone played on that chord!
 
.-.
I love me some power chords, so I lean toward the obvious power pop classics:
Go All The Way - Raspberries
Baby Blue - Badfinger
Alex Chilton - Replacements

And then there's this which blew me away first time I heard the opening:


(but my fave opening riff of all time: the late, great Roddy Lorimer's trumpet opening on Don't Bang the Drum, Waterboys, which still opens their live shows to this day 40 years on)
 
Bezzz said:
What is it about that chord, Augie? My guess is that it's two Ricks (or more) played simultaneously.

Edit from Wiki: Looks like everyone played on that chord!
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Best guess these days is Harrison 12 string Ric F add 9 , Lennon 6 string acoustic the same, Mac playing D on bass and George Martin playing a G on piano .

All on one track of a 4 track
Amazing.
 
Bezzz said:
What is it about that chord, Augie? My guess is that it's two Ricks (or more) played simultaneously.

Edit from Wiki: Looks like everyone played on that chord!
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The best description ive heard is:

Paul plays D on Hoff bass
John plays D sus4 on Rickkenbacker 325
George plays F with added g note on both E strings on Rickenbacker 360/12 C63
George Martin played a chord of some D variation on piano
 
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Most of the good already mentioned.

In not particular order after #1.

1. Can't You Hear Me Knockin'. Stones were so good during the Mick Taylor years. Keith's opening riffs and then Taylor and Bobby Keys at the end. You could make this a double dip for songs with best ending codas.

2. Sweet Child O Mine
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit
4. Eruption/You Really Got Me
5. Black Dog
6. Layla
7. Purple Haze
8. Rebel Rebel
9. Whole Lotta Love
10. Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)


 
Gotta give a shout out to my opening riff to the song "Junk" (Shameless self promotion mode:cool:)
Soundcloud
 
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Chin Diesel said:
Most of the good already mentioned.

In not particular order after #1.

1. Can't You Hear Me Knockin'. Stones were so good during the Mick Taylor years. Keith's opening riffs and then Taylor and Bobby Keys at the end. You could make this a double dip for songs with best ending codas.

2. Sweet Child O Mine
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit
4. Eruption/You Really Got Me
5. Black Dog
6. Layla
7. Purple Haze
8. Rebel Rebel
9. Whole Lotta Love
10. Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)


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Great song. Brown sugar is also an instant recognition if it hasn't been mentioned yet. Honky Talk Women, they have a ton of these.
 
TRest said:
Great song. Brown sugar is also an instant recognition if it hasn't been mentioned yet. Honky Talk Women, they have a ton of these.
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Talking opening riffs, you can put the Stones up against the field and compete for the win.


It's like trying to compete against Motley Crue for strip club songs. Their bench strength wears you down.
 
Tough to compete with all the great classic rock openers. For those of us still in our 20s, I'd say Mr. Brightside by The Killers is ultra recognizable (and guaranteed to make everyone go crazy at the bar) and a pretty iconic opening riff.

 
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Guapo said:
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Great example of why music in the 60s blew away every succeeding decade - most everything was new, and most of what wasn't actually new was repackaged brilliantly to make it seem new.

With all the talk about the opening chord to Hard Day's Night, this was the earlier Beatles tune that made everyone step back and go, "Whoa. Did they actually use feedback as the opening note?" I was 8 and at the time that note was the coolest thing I'd ever heard on the radio (a distant 2nd was Del Shannon's organ on "Runaway").

Game changer right up there with Dave Davies taking a screwdriver blade to his little green amp.
 
Chin Diesel said:
Talking opening riffs, you can put the Stones up against the field and compete for the win.
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Can't speak to Motley Crue, but the decade from 64-73 for Stones is a top 3 decade for any band ever. All the mentions so far and tbomk nobody has even thrown out their best song opening all time: Gimme Shelter. That is the "Pulse uncut version of Comfortably Numb solo" of song openings, IMO - Taylor and Richards could've played that opening for 10 minutes and you'd still want more.
 
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