Favourite musical moments?

[Rog]

Not songs, but bits of songs. Those moments you look torward to when you put a record on.

 

To get the ball rolling:

 

That bit in Bjork's Hyperballad when the four on the floor beat kicks in

 

The end of Radiohead's Karma Police with that wierd ripping sound (how did they get that?)

 

That moments silence in The Stone Roses I am the Ressurection at about 5:22"

 

The opening sitar drone and those wierd backwards things that sound like laughter at the start of Tomorrow Never Knows

[nursers]

One that comes straight to mind: the drum break in the middle of Jack and Diane...

[fantasticsound]

Percussive breaks really seem to stand out... even when they appear courtesey of melodic instruments.

 

I'd put forth the simple, yet powerful, tom roll in the middle of Phil Collins', In The Air Tonight.

 

Of the non-percussion variety I'd have to first mention the break between Turn It On Salvador and Things She Said on Toy Matinee's self titled album. The former ends with a 3 part clarinet harmony and downward bass slide, pauses a fraction of a second, then comes back strong yet reserved with the first bass note and gently strummed acoustic playing a suspended chord. Great break! )

 

The vocal harmonies and string quartet that begin The Beatles', Eleanor Rigby. Then, the timbre of the vocal and strings as the 1st verse begins. Always sucks me completely into the song.

 

One more... (I promise... There certainly are hundreds more to personally choose from, if not thousands. )

 

The middle of Kenny Loggins', Conviction Of The Heart breaks down into a drum groove with only choir-background chant with Kenny improvising a lead over the top. Then Kenny's vocal, in a syncopated lead in, dives into two short band hits followed by a drawn out third hit that morphs back into the main groove.. Very powerful transition in a song whose lyric is so poignant.

 

Anyway... the motormouth from outside Twangtown yields the floor to....

[bassix]

The moment rick wakeman kicks in with the mellotron in "and you and I" ... shivers! (the good kind)

[Philip OKeefe]

The vocal harmonies and string quartet that begin The Beatles', Eleanor Rigby. Then, the timbre of the vocal and strings as the 1st verse begins. Always sucks me completely into the song.

 

I'd add to that the very first time that Paul sings "Eleanor" after coming out of the intro's "aah look at all the lonely people" when it goes - in mid word - from double tracked to single tracked and goes from both speakers to just one on the lead vocal. At least on the stereo mix. And then later in the song when the counterpoint "aaah look at all the lonely people" comes in (via the second lead vocal / doubletrack) aganst the "all the lonely people, where do they all come from"... brilliant.

 

And Sir George's string arrangement on that definitely don't suck either.

 

And my favorite count in of all time - Paul's on I Saw Her Standing There.

[fantasticsound]

Originally posted by Philip O'Keefe:

The vocal harmonies and string quartet that begin The Beatles', Eleanor Rigby. Then, the timbre of the vocal and strings as the 1st verse begins. Always sucks me completely into the song.

 

I'd add to that the very first time that Paul sings "Eleanor" after coming out of the intro's "aah look at all the lonely people" when it goes - in mid word - from double tracked to single tracked and goes from both speakers to just one on the lead vocal. At least on the stereo mix. And then later in the song when the counterpoint "aaah look at all the lonely people" comes in (via the second lead vocal / doubletrack) aganst the "all the lonely people, where do they all come from"... brilliant.

I wasn't sure I was clear about that second part... guess that clinches it. I love the dry timbre of Paul's voice and the somewhat staccato notes of the quartet backing him.

[no_talent_Bum]

That killer part where Tiny Tim stops singing.

[Botch.]

The dive-bombing of the Minimoog on Heart's "Magic Man"

 

The first time the chorus comes in on Level 42's "Something About You"

 

Intro of second guitar solo, Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

 

And of course, every drum fill before every last line of every Barry Manilow hit ever recorded. I live for that.

[phaeton]

Intro of second guitar solo, Floyd's Comfortably Numb.

 

You mean the suspenseful part right after the lyrics end, and Waters thumps on the bass louder and louder, where it surges and surges and almost breaks up a little bit?

 

Yeah... that's pure gold

[Mark Zeger]

Steve Gadd's drum stick "click" during Steely Dan's "Aja"

[Tedster]

The one that comes to mind is the part of "Won't Get Fooled Again" that they use on the (is it Nissan?) commercial, where it breaks, Townshend whams that A chord and Daltrey screams "YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH". I guess, if I had to define rock and roll to an alien who'd never heard it, I'd play 'em that and say "That's what it's about".

 

Oh, there are tons more. That was just the first one that popped into me head.

[Sylver]

THis could turb into Pink Floyd moments for me.

 

The second solo in PF "Dogs" where Gilmore bends that singal note and it evolves through the effect (I think it's a UniVibe).

 

Then end ot "Dogs" "Dragged down by the stone ... stone ... stone ..."

 

"Another Brick in the Wall, Part 3", the intro, the sound of smashing with the last smash starting off the song.

 

The gap between "Look mummy, there's an air-o-plane up in the sky" and the beginning of "Goodbye Blue Sky". That silence gets me every time.

 

"The way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother, fill me with the urge to deficate! (That's right judge, shit on him!)" That whole verse rocks actually. It's so powerful.

 

Ok, I could go on and on with Floyd Let's jump to SRV ...

 

"Riverside Paradise" solo section one (I think) the part where he does very quick clean rakes for about 3 measures.

 

Same song, solo section 2, when he plucks the string above the nut and applies a healthy slab of trem arm.

 

"Texas Flood" solo when he does 4-5 unison bends and pre-bends in a row. You can just FEEL the power in his fingers.

 

SRV, "Little Wing", the excessive vibrato at the end of the first melody phrase, you can hear the string scraping aginst the frets.

 

Sabbath, "Sweetleaf" The intro, three coughs, then POWER!

 

James Taylor, "Steam Roller Blues", live version. The vocal break at the end of the song. "Chicken choking ... etc)

 

NiN, "Piggy" The fade out whispers dissolve into theis wierd keyboard thing.

 

The opening bars to Beethovan's "Moonlight Sonata"

 

The solo that always gets cut off from "Black Magic Woman"

 

Just about any Beatles song.

 

The transition from the verse to the bridge in "The Weight" by The Band.

 

OK, I'm sure everyone stopper reading by now ...

[shniggens]

Opening run on Chopin's Revolutionary Etude.

[Confusionator]

The stereo-ized 16th-note-triplet acoustic guitar riff early on in Yes's Owner of a Lonely Heart.

[jackpine]

Here's an obscure one that popped into mind.

 

The opening power chords on the Robin Trower album "Bridge of Sighs".

 

The song is "Day of the Eagle".

 

That was rock and roll.

[no_talent_Bum]

Originally posted by Tedster:

The one that comes to mind is the part of "Won't Get Fooled Again" that they use on the (is it Nissan?) commercial, where it breaks, Townshend whams that A chord and Daltrey screams "YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH". I guess, if I had to define rock and roll to an alien who'd never heard it, I'd play 'em that and say "That's what it's about".

 

Oh, there are tons more. That was just the first one that popped into me head.

Thank God, somebody with ears and not just a stoner passion for art rock.

[Rog]

I've got another one:

 

When the repeated piano comes in on Hurt by Johnny Cash

[hard truth]

Several of my favorite musical moments use the technique I call 'the drop." (If there is there a more widely used term for this technique, please clue me in)

 

"The drop" as I define it is when the music builds in intensity, getting denser and faster until it reaches a climax, then pauses and returns to the main tempo and a less dense texture. Kind of orgasmic, but you go back to the motion instead of stopping.(perhaps more like a female orgasm)

 

Some examples:

Hendrix-Tax Free

Grateful Dead-Viola Lee Blues

Doors-When the Music's Over

James Brown-several songs

[ibescotty]

A day in the life Beatles

Where the noise builds and drops out to thumping piano dum dum dum dum

Woke up, got out of bed

 

Free Will Rush

Where the bass starts going off and keeps going underneath the guitar solo. Brilliant!!

 

Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd

Can I pick the whole first side as a great musical moment? Money isnt bad either.

 

I dont even know if these are the best for me. They are just whats in my buffer right now.

[KHAN]

Peter Gabriel's voice at the beginning of "Looking For Someone".

 

The intro chord fade in on Rush "Hemispheres"

 

Many more.

[whitefang]

Originally posted by jackpine:

Here's an obscure one that popped into mind.

 

The opening power chords on the Robin Trower album "Bridge of Sighs".

 

The song is "Day of the Eagle".

 

That was rock and roll.

That's one of mine!

 

Also, the guitar intros to Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" and Just Like This Train"

 

That cool Gsus4(or whatever)chord opening The Beatle's "Hard Day's Night"

 

Those chimes building up to Genisis' "Wot Gorilla?"

 

Add the guitar opening to their "Follow You, Follow Me".

 

The synth opening Jan Hammer's "Darkness/Earth In Search of A Sun".

 

That soft violin intro to John McLaughlin's "Hymn To Him".

 

For starters...

 

Whitefang

[offramp]

"The first time the chorus comes in on Level 42's "Something About You" "

 

"Add the guitar opening to their "Follow You, Follow Me"."

 

"Intro of second guitar solo, Floyd's Comfortably Numb."

 

YES, YES, and YES!!!!

 

I've got SO many of these; off the top of my head...

 

"Beautiful Girls". After the solo, and just after Dave sings "I'm top o'the world..." and the bgvox go "TOP O'THE WORLD!!!", there's a...a...an "expression" from Eddie and Michael...Eddie does a half-picksqueal and interval, and Mike does an interval; they sound like they're going "OHYEAH!!"

 

Andy Summers' little noodling lick at the VERY beginning of "Don't Stand..."

 

Genesis' "Turn It On Again", the first chord that Tony hits. Puts the power of the universe at my hands, that one does.

 

Cracker's tune "Low", where they just SIT on the launch of the beginning of the second half of each verse; the drummer hits the floor tom, kick, and snare all at once; the bassist does a little slide.

 

Mr. Mister's last album, there's a guitar solo on "Man Of A Thousand Dances"; Steve Harris lands on the third at the end of it. (I built the device that made his guitar sound like it did on the record.)

 

I haven't got the time to go through all the ones on all the Pat Metheny records that I love. Just know it.

 

"Every Breath You Take" has a point on the last verse, right after the last verse reading of "I'll be watchin' you", where Sting does the McCartney trick of staying on the octave up, then dropping down one octave for emphasis, then back up. In both cases ('Savoy Truffle', is Paul's example), that low note is the lowest note in the fucking world because they've worked above it for so much of the tune, you forget the bass can go lower.

 

God, I could be at this all night....

[offramp]

Yeah, I'm a dork for adding this, but I don't give a shit.

 

About 10 years ago, Peter Cetera (one of my all-time favorite voices) did a duet with Chaka Kahn, called "Feels Like Heaven".

After they did the last, full-blown, climax-y chorus, the whole ensemble drops to what seems like a whisper for the vamp out; during this time, the drummer switches to brushes, and the first moment I hear those brushes, I weep.

[songrytr]

Crowded House - Mitch Froom's B3 solo on "Don't Dream It's Over." Recalls "Whiter Shade of Pale" *just* enough before cascading into Neil's guitar solo.

 

Mmmmmmmmm!

[phaeton]

The one that comes to mind is the part of "Won't Get Fooled Again" that they use on the (is it Nissan?) commercial, where it breaks, Townshend whams that A chord and Daltrey screams "YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHH". I guess, if I had to define rock and roll to an alien who'd never heard it, I'd play 'em that and say "That's what it's about".

 

I'm not a huge WHO fan, but as far as the statement above of "*this* is what rock is all about"....

 

Hell. Fucking. Yes.

 

Along with the intro to Smoke On The Water. I know it's cliched and all, but this one is cliche'd for a reason

 

The way the guitar and B3 just weld together like that... man.... Those chords are so huge that when we were little kids, we could only put one of them on our radio flyer at a time.

 

That's rock n roll like mom used to bake

[Dennyf]

Okay, I'll play. I could come up with a million, I'm sure, but I'll just list a couple.

 

First of all, props to those who mentioned Trower. Those first or three albums were just so ethereal and vibe-y. I still love about every song off the first two.

 

But anyway, back to the subject:

 

1. The Police, "Wrapped Around Your Finger." The breakdown, where Sting's singin' "Devil and the deep blue sea behind me, vanish in the air, you'll never find me." *WHAP*, and Stuart just lays into the backbeat. Nothin' fancy, but MAN it stands out! You can have your Pearts, Bonhams and Portnoys, I think Stewie might be my favorite drummer in rock.

 

2. The Tubes, "Talk To Ya Later," that big vocal chord they hit at the end of the chorus. In fact the whole "Completion Backwards Principle" album is full of "moments." (I think they're called "hooks" in pop-music parlance). I'm thinking this was a Todd Rundgren-produced album, but I'm not sure. There's a man worthy of a few "moments" his own bad self!

[Jode]

You know, a thread like this could very easily be limited to great Tony Banks moments in Genesis songs.

 

The faded-in "police siren" synth lick in fourths in the middle section of "Abacab."

 

The synth solo in "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight," at the point when that glorious Mellotron choir swells up in the background over a pedal note. Makes my hair stand on end every time.

 

The totally badass squarewave descending blues lick in the solo section of "Cinema Show."

 

But to be fair...

 

In Sarah MacLachlan's "Fear," the aching, longing way she avoids the obvious climax note on the phrase, "The never ending hunger."

 

The incredible, uncountable, falling-down-the-stairs drum fill at the end of the first eight bars of Billy Cobham's "Taurian Matador."

 

Jeez, this could go on all night.

[songrytr]

Originally posted by Dennyf:

The Tubes, "Talk To Ya Later," that big vocal chord they hit at the end of the chorus. In fact the whole "Completion Backwards Principle" album is full of "moments." (I think they're called "hooks" in pop-music parlance). I'm thinking this was a Todd Rundgren-produced album, but I'm not sure. There's a man worthy of a few "moments" his own bad self!

I love this Tubes album. It was actually produced by (!) David Foster. They had recorded an entire album before this one that A&M turned down. I think the Foster production was one of those "record with this guy or we won't support it" kind of things.

 

Either way, it turned out to be a great album and it gave the band some legs in the early '80s. Funny thing..."Talk to You Later" wasn't the single that charted - that was the ballad, "Don't Want to Wait Anymore," a co-write with Foster (and a pretty sweet track as well).

 

The TR/Tubes album was "Remote Control" which was another great Tubes record. It was also a concept (TV) album...sorta like Todd did with XTC a few years later.

[eh steve]

peter gabriel/ darkness intro...

[Rog]

Originally posted by songrytr:

Crowded House - Mitch Froom's B3 solo on "Don't Dream It's Over." Recalls "Whiter Shade of Pale" *just* enough before cascading into Neil's guitar solo.

 

Mmmmmmmmm!

 

I love it when the guitar comes in at the start of There Goes God (I think that's the title)