What's the most exciting intro evah?

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I luv River Deep Mountain High and Transmission

― Paul Evans, Friday, 12 September 2003 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

"I Wanna Be Adored" does it for me.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Public Enemy - Rebel Without a Pause
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuttin T'F*** Wit
Emperor - I am the Black Wizards

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and Slayer - Raining Blood

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Gimme Shelter"
"Teenage Riot"

― southern lights (southern lights), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"La Femme D'Argent"

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Gza "Shadowboxing"
Outkast "Bombs Over Baghdad"
Fishbone "Party at Ground Zero"

(x-post Mr. Snrub wins)

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

"Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox" - GBV! GBV! GBV!

― BrianB, Friday, 12 September 2003 12:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Subtle intros that fill me with excitement -- "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC and "Crazy Train" by Ozzy.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

'I Fought The Law'

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"Schizophrenia"

― willem (willem), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Breaking the Law by the PRIEST

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Felix Da Housecat-Silver Screen Shower Scene (LRD Remix)

(every great dance song ever, when played in a good dj set and a drum or bleep lets you know it's coming in)

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Although 'Good Luck' by Basement Jaxx has already to be a contender - I've never heard a song take off *quite* like that before.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 12 September 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

The Mekons' "Dan Dare"--huge crescendo, little drop-off, then BOOM it's in your face.

― Douglas (Douglas), Friday, 12 September 2003 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Good Luck is such a smart record, those soul type strings get swept along by the almost drum and bass backing track, it's such a clever marriage of sounds.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 12 September 2003 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Refused - New Noise
Clipse - When the Last Time

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Friday, 12 September 2003 13:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Bowie 'Let's Dance'
Guns n' Roses 'Welcome To The Jungle'
LCD Soundsystem 'Losing My Edge'
Prince 'When Doves Cry'
The Damned 'New Rose'
808 State 'Cubik'
Public Enemy 'Fight The Power'
Prodigy 'Firestarter'
Basement Jaxx 'Where's Your Head At'
Beyonce ft Jay-Z 'Crazy In Love (Pojmasta mix)'

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 12 September 2003 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"London Calling"
"Sex Machine"
"Brooklyn Zoo"
"Baba O'Reilly" (or is it "Riley"? I can never remember)

― Ess, Friday, 12 September 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

A few more:

"White Lines (Don't Do It)"
"Going Underground"
"Magic Stick"
"I Don't Wanna Hear It"
"Gimme Shelter"

― Ess, Friday, 12 September 2003 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Op Ivy "Room Without a Window"
Phish "You Enjoy Myself"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 13:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Gong - "Master Builder"

― James Larcombe, Friday, 12 September 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Stooges - TV Eye - "Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd!"

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

The Only Ones - 'Another Girl, Another Planet'

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

The opening to the live version of Sweet Jane from Rock n Roll Animal, although overplayed, is still pretty awesome.

― Moss Feaster (Moss Feaster), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Killing Joke "Requiem"
Cee-Lo's live intro to "Crooked Booty" on the Dungeon Family CD
And also, for some strange reason the goofy satire at the beginning of Dead Kennedys' "MTV Get Off The Air" gets me adrenaline pumping; maybe it's the anticipation.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The MC5 at the start of KLF - What Time Is Love?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

How Soon Is Now?

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Halcyon+on+on

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"Jump Around" - "Baaaaaah . . . Bah bah baaaaaaaaah"

Mind you, you can't go far wrong with Johnney Rotton laughing like an evil dictator at the start of "Anarchy in the UK

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 12 September 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Beethoven's 9th

― phil jones (interstar), Friday, 12 September 2003 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

'Rock'n'Roll' by Led Zeppein. Next question.

― laticsmon, Friday, 12 September 2003 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

The beats that function as the intro to Blue Monday did a pretty good job at this party I was at last Wednesday...

― JoB (JoB), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

The Skids "into the valley" has thee most exciting intro ever! The rest of the song isn't so great i think, but that intro! wow! r0x0r!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

The classical guitar/spoken word intro to "Demon In Here" by Fishbone.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Also the organ/guitar epic buildup of their "Black Flowers" ain't nuthin' to shake a stick at neither.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

plainsong by the cure

― will g. (will g.), Friday, 12 September 2003 17:15 (twenty-two years ago)

(hey nickalicious: don't forget the horns at the start of question of life!)

(especially live)

― will g. (will g.), Friday, 12 September 2003 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

public enemy - prophets of rage
PiL - Public Image
ditto "transmission"

― ghte, Friday, 12 September 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Will, totally OTM on both counts (Plainsong and Question of Life).

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

rolling stones - get off my cloud
smiths - the queen is dead

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 12 September 2003 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

corny high school one:
madness, "one step beyond" got
those parties started

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

The Smashing Pumpkins - "Starla"

I totally second "Crazy Train."

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 12 September 2003 18:18 (twenty-two years ago)

i second "Blue Monday"

also "Debaser"

"Cannonball" has a great intro - it sounds like a whole album distilled into thirty seconds.

― Neil FC, Friday, 12 September 2003 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

"blank generation"

― monkeyman (monkey man), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Elastica, "Connection"

― Sam J. (samjeff), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I always forget about "Starla", which fucks with me cuz that was my favorite Punkins song for like 4 years straight. I always thought the intro to that sounded like currents of wack energy beaming down from space and then slowly manifesting into physical form/guitar riffery.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

JSBX "Bellbottoms"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

beethoven's 5th is also pretty good.

the first track of fushitsusha's double live alb: Its an incredible riff.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 12 September 2003 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Diana Ross, "Love Hangover"... I've played out the rest of what was once my second or third favorite song, pretty much, but that electric-piano-and-strings, descending-chords opening (that ten or so seconds before she starts moaning) captures the sleek, urban ennui side of disco as good as anything ever, in my book.

Prince, "Pop Life"... the bending-saw effect, up the scale instead of down (sense the pattern?), with a piano string shooting-star, with a snare announcing a most ephemeral, varispeed riff. I like the whole song, but the opening really makes it all work.

Gap Band, "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"... drops Taz on the dance floor. Actually, since they're in complimentary keys it would awesome to have the first ten seconds of "Love Hangover" lull everyone into the full-on shock of "You Dropped a Bomb." That would be sweet.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 12 September 2003 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

The Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock"

Pixies' "Bone Machine"

Breeders' "New Year"

Jane's' "Ain't No Right"

and seconding Stone Roses' "I Wanna Be Adored"

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Friday, 12 September 2003 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow - Funkadelic

― Battle Scarred Galactica, Friday, 12 September 2003 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

JP, something divine must've caused the pumpkins to start off siamese dream with a pair of drumrolls, because that intro always both baffles and excites me to no end.

― Felcher (Felcher), Friday, 12 September 2003 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

The ominous buzzing of "Requiem" by Killing Joke
The frantic opening strumming of "Kennedy" by the Wedding Present
The frenzied bass noodling of "No More Heroes" by the Strangers
The thick, echoey plucking of Geordie Walker's guitar on "Eighties" by Killing Joke
The somnambulistic fade-in of "To All the Girls" that welcomes in the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique.
The spartan, staccato tapping of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus.
The sequenced, thumping beats of "Blue Monday" by New Order
Mick Jones' screaming siren guitars issueing in "Police on My Back" by the Clash
Stewart Copeland's buckshot snaredrumming that kickstarts "Driven to Tears" by the Police
Billy Duffy's serenely Sitaresque plucking before kicking the riff of "She Sells Sanctuary" by the Cult into gear.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 12 September 2003 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

And, how could I forget.....

"WHOA TO YOU O EARTH AND SEA, FOR THE DEVIL SENDS THE BEAST WITH WRATH, BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE TIME IS SHORT....."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 12 September 2003 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, as schmaltzey and histrionic as it is, I quite like the intro to Elton John's "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 12 September 2003 20:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Despite hearing it done numerous times at Karoake, the opening notes of "Sweet Child O' Mine" still inspire me to say Fuck...YEAH! in total glee.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 12 September 2003 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Velocity Girl's "Copacetic" - always makes me air drum when they come crashing in with feedback

Pixies - "Bone Machine" - this came on when I was browsing around a used CD store, and it was one of the happiest moments of my day.

MBV - "Only Shallow" - drums, pretty pretty drums

Elvis Costello - "Radio, Radio"

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 12 September 2003 21:11 (twenty-two years ago)

The Delgados - The Light Before We Land
The Source ft. Candi Staton - You Got The Love
Erasure - Sometimes

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Friday, 12 September 2003 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Pere Ubu's "Non-Alignment Pact"

― Lee G (Lee G), Saturday, 13 September 2003 00:47 (twenty-two years ago)

the album version of Big Country's "In a Big Country"

― Evan (Evan), Saturday, 13 September 2003 00:48 (twenty-two years ago)

"Cannonball" has a great intro - it sounds like a whole album distilled into thirty seconds.
Cannonball's brilliance resides in how it's intro is actually 3 or 4 different intros glommed together.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Saturday, 13 September 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

drive like jehu - o pencil sharp

― Famous Athlete, Saturday, 13 September 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm going with raekwon's "criminology"

― vahid (vahid), Saturday, 13 September 2003 03:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Judas Priest "The Hellion" trumps all!

After that one, I 3rd Gimme Shelter.

My personal favorite is Swamp Thing by the Chameleons. The coiling guitar chord leads in seductively- the tight snares begin to patter like the first drops of a rain storm- when the synth starts droning, you hear layers of sound combine in a way that's kind of like realizing you're in a place in the forest no human has ever set foot in before- then the sense of ephiphany from the music carries on perfectly, through the first lines of the lyrics:

I can already hear your tune
Calling me across the room
When the world and his wife
Are on my back again
Not enough pleasure
Too much pain

When the world is too much with me
Please leave, just go away
Before I lose my mind completely
Please leave, just go now
In the sidestreet something's moving
Look around, look around
All around you
Walls are tumbling down
Stop staring at the ground

― sucka (sucka), Saturday, 13 September 2003 06:11 (twenty-two years ago)

"Cherub Rock"
"When Doves Cry"
"Party Hard"
"The Beautiful People"
"Smack My Bitch Up"
"Freebird"
"Shimmy Shimmy Ya"
"Teen-Aged Riot"
"Baba O'Reilly"
Rush's "Necromancer"

― Chris O., Saturday, 13 September 2003 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"METHOD Man" from 36 Chambers..."I fuckin', I fuckin'...I fuckin' sew ya asshole closed and keep feedin' you and feedin' you and feedin' you..."

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Saturday, 13 September 2003 09:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Mannish Boy- Muddy Waters

― Speedy Gonzalas (Speedy Gonzalas), Saturday, 13 September 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Chuck Berry - "Johnny B Goode"

― Nick H, Saturday, 13 September 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

House of love "Christine"

― Bruno- (Bruno-), Saturday, 13 September 2003 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

"Fight the Power" Public Enemy

(The Bomb Squad were the masters of the drama intros)

― yellow, Saturday, 13 September 2003 21:05 (twenty-two years ago)

The opening bass notes of "Salad Days" by Minor Threat

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 13 September 2003 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

inxs "don't change"
altered images "i could be happy"

― the surface noise (electricsound), Sunday, 14 September 2003 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

michael jackson - thriller

― minna (minna), Sunday, 14 September 2003 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I gotta say, I always get really excited when I hear "From the ashes of this golden age of confusion, the denim recruits, came to be known as...

THE APOCALYPSE DUDES"

― Helltime Producto (Pavlik), Sunday, 14 September 2003 06:36 (twenty-two years ago)

'Sex Machine'-James Brown
'Freddy's Dead'-Curtis Mayfield
'You (Better Let Me Love You x4) Tonight'-Richard X feat. Tiga
'Flight Tonight'/'Live At Dominos'-The Avalanches
'House of Jealous Lovers'-The Rapture
'Early Riser'-Plus-Tech Squeeze Box
'The Microdisneycal World Tour'/'Rock/96'-Cornelius
'Don't You Want Me Baby?'-The Human League
'Where's Your Head At'-Basement Jaxx
'Can You Feel It'-The Jacksons (esp. the live version where one of them shouts the acid house sample staple "CAN YOU FEEEEEELL ITTTTTT?")
'Into The Groove'-Madonna
'Car Thief'-The Beastie Boys
The track by LL that starts with "This beat is my recital"

― Barima (Barima), Sunday, 14 September 2003 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Husker Du - Eight Miles High

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Sunday, 14 September 2003 09:57 (twenty-two years ago)

"I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS! WITH MY VAST FINANCIAL HOLDINGS...I COULD BE BASKING IN THE SUN IN FLORIDA! THIS IS *NOTHING* TO ME...A HOBBY, YA HEAR?!"

― duane, Sunday, 14 September 2003 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

The Specials - Stupid Marriage

― LAMF, Sunday, 14 September 2003 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

This has been said before but "Love Action" = greatest intro ever.

― Venga, Sunday, 14 September 2003 12:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Curtis Mayfield's "Right on for the Darkness"
Stone Roses' "One Love"
Marvin Gaye's "Right on"
De la Soul's "Keepin' the faith"
DJ Shadow's "Midnight in a perfect world"

― Keith Watson (kmw), Sunday, 14 September 2003 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Barima, are you sure the LL track you're referring to isn't "It's Tricky" by Run DMC? LL could have a track like that as well for all I know though.

― Nick H, Sunday, 14 September 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

You're probably right and 'It's Tricky' is worth a mention-good looking. I'll throw in 'Going Back To Cali' so LL don't feel left out and 'Straight Outta Compton' for its brick-subtlety.

― Barima (Barima), Sunday, 14 September 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought of another one:

King Crimson - "In the Court of the Crimson King" - the drum fill bap bap bu-bum, then this awesome wall of mellotron, piano, guitar etc

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Sunday, 14 September 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

the air-raid sirens of Sloan, 'Money City Maniacs'
the railroad crossing clang of April Wine, 'Oowatanite'
and both turning into super-70's riffing.

we needed some CanCon

― derrick (derrick), Sunday, 14 September 2003 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

no, king crimson's "the Devil and all his works" is a great setup for, what ? the end of the album (actually it's a good seque for several songs)

i like the way both bowie and floyd gave us live documents of how their gigs started with "astronome domine" and "station to station" on their live albums, both of which have that sense of absurd event (and magazine do a pretty good job of freaking the audience out too with "give me everything" on their live "play" album, which reminds that i think roger waters ripped off some of that fascist faux politico thing at the beginning and third side of "the wall" from devoto & magazine, in this documented case, playing to australians)

but i think the best songs always have great intos, so today for instance, i listened to bowie's "blackout" and "V2-Schneider" which both have incredibly good intros

"radioactivity" by kraftwerk
"feed the enemy" by magazine
"new gold dream" by simple minds
the overture to "escalator over the hill" by carla bley
& that thing at the beginning of side 2 of " " " " " "
all off the top of my head

but the sometimes drummy intros to the songs on the stooges epynomous debut would be my favourite rock music kick offs

― george gosset (gegoss), Monday, 15 September 2003 06:49 (twenty-two years ago)

meatloaf - took the words right out of my mouth
the cramps - the crusher
heaven 17 - geisha boys and temple girls
guided by voices - demons are real
murdering monsters - pretty picture

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Monday, 15 September 2003 07:02 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah di, the music industry involved at that time apparently regarded the demos of 'took the words right out of my mouth' as "[the best song wind-up they'd ever heard eveh"] (and haven't tried yet but you have 71 etc..

― george gosset (gegoss), Monday, 15 September 2003 07:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"rise up, children of the beast...be strong, and SHOUT AT THE DEVIL..."

― dave q, Monday, 15 September 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Plasmatics' "Concrete Shoes" has got to be one of the worst, or maybe the funniest

― dave q, Monday, 15 September 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

abba - dancing queen, waterloo.

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:06 (twenty-two years ago)

i refuse to believe that no-one has said 'smells like teen spirit' yet. so i guess i'll have to:

DANG-DANG-DA-DA-DA-DANG-DANG
DA-DANG-DANG-DA-DA-DA-DANG-DANG!
DANG-DANG-DA-DA-DA-DANG-DANG
DA-DANG-DANG-DA-DA-DA-DANG-DANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Monday, 15 September 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Whatever magic I might have felt at the beginning of SLTS has been displaced by uncontrollable laughter from that transcription

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 15 September 2003 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

"Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard
obligatory Electric Six mention- "Danger! High Voltage!"

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 04:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Opening notes of.....

"Pretty Vacant" by the Sex Pistols
"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath
"Complete Control" by the Clash
"Cretin Hop" by the Ramones
"Pay to Cum" by the Bad Brains
"Cruiser's Creek" by the Fall

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 11:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Some great prog intros:

In the Flesh? / Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Roundabout / Yours is no Disgrace / On the Silent Wings of Freedom - Yes
The Return of Giant Hogweed / Watcher of the Skies - Genesis
Baker St. Muse - Jethro Tull

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

way out, Orbital (I've said this before - or it might have been Ronan)

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

In the Flesh on sides one and renewed on side four -- yeah you can only do that with vinyl -- i like that "song must go on" stuff on side four a lot, but the surprise volume change old trick thing's good too
and wish you were here .. they just don't make that synth anymore, so it's a hard sound to hear, anywhere
but pink floyds musique concrete windup to Dark Side of the Moon culminating in that synth flange/phase/pan start of the first song, that is just beautiful on a decent stereo (just as v2-schenider is i suppose)

i even like "prog" like peter gabriels third epynomous lp, that whole intruder/no self control/ start/ can't remember .. another lp with a variety of theoretical startups with the first two songs supposedly "intruding", but even if intruder is great, it's the whistling and waiting for, what ? the album to officially start ? that's superb -- that whole sequence is a cunning series of windups,

and let's face it, playing on that album gave "intruder" phil collins his whole creepy song modus operandi

― george gosset (gegoss), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

That's one of the reasons why I still think that, besides all the crap he released after that, Phil Collins' "Hello! I Must Be Going" is a great album.

By the way, "Like China" has a great intro.

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Seconding "Age of Pamparius" and "Baba O'Reilly"...

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Flying Saucers Rock 'n' Roll"
"Smells Like Booty"

― Burr (Burr), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Sweet "Ballroom Blitz" (Are you ready, Steve? Aha. Andy? Yeah! Mick? OK. Alright, fellas, let's gooooooooooooooo!)

Herbie Hancock "Chameleon". When Paul Jackson Jr starts bubbling his bassline against Herbie's riff, the syncopation is exquisite.

Uh, the intro to Roxy Music's "Love Is The Drug" is far superior to the rest of the song.

― doug watson (solid air), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

"Nasty Girl" by Vanity 6

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The slow-as-molasses volume-build-up of Parliament's "Mr. Wiggles" and the 'Mother Earth is pregnant for the third time..." speech from Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" are struggling for dominance right now in my mind.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

wannabe by the spice girls, for that big raucous laugh

― The Lady Ms Lurex (lucylurex), Tuesday, 16 September 2003 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

the intro to Stranded and its first song are a much better Roxy Music album start-up all round -- but then i think "love is the drug" would be my least of Roxy Music preferences anyway, so that's me, i would say that

most people undervalue Roxy Music primarily on the merits of their one big single, which is a big mistake

― george gosset (gegoss), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 15:46 (twenty-two years ago)

yet again, i have to plug the most exciting band ever, only because of the lack of props they're getting on the "exciting threads":
"DEUTSCHLAND... HAS GOTTA...DIEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"
"it's time to live and it's time to die, It's time to live and it's Time to Die, It's Time To Live And It's Time To Die, IT's TIME TO LIVE, REVOLUTION ACTION!!!!!!!" among countless (or maybe countable) others.

― Felcher (Felcher), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 16:01 (twenty-two years ago)

"Motown Junk" by the Manics--the sample, the sound of the amp plugging in, the riff. Awesome.

― Ally (mlescaut), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

takeover by jay-z and girls of p*rn by mr. bungle and this charming man too.

but soul craft by bad brains is the most exciting intro i've ever heard. i'm pretty sure.

― will g. (will g.), Wednesday, 17 September 2003 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

three years pass...

Hmm...I LOVE the intro to Kerosene by Big Black

― Aja, Monday, 20 August 2007 02:31 (eighteen years ago)

"LET ME TELL YOU 'BOUT THE FUCKIN' BITCH, DEAN-O!!"

― Mr. Snrub, Monday, 20 August 2007 02:49 (eighteen years ago)

Gotta be "Moscow Nights" by the Feelies. That intro is almost too good. The singer of Interpol sounds more like the Feelies on this song than on any Joy Division song, ever.

― Z S, Monday, 20 August 2007 03:17 (eighteen years ago)

grant hart's opening drum salvo on husker du's "new day rising" (i'm confused as to how i could have neglected to nominate this one the first time around)

― fact checking cuz, Monday, 20 August 2007 04:50 (eighteen years ago)

daft punk - one more time

― groovemaaan, Monday, 20 August 2007 08:38 (eighteen years ago)

Theres another thread like this one where I say "Lust for Life" Iggy. Possibly too ubiqititous for nowadays, but I remember how Alice reacted when I played it for her in the car, back when she was two.

― Mark G, Monday, 20 August 2007 08:41 (eighteen years ago)

Flirtations - Nothing But A Heartache
ABC - All Of My Heart
Mekons - Where Were You
James Brown - It's a Man's Man's Mans' World
Dinosaur Jnr - Out There
Len Barry 1-2-3

― Dr.C, Monday, 20 August 2007 09:50 (eighteen years ago)

Flaming Lips - Race for the Prize

― nate woolls, Monday, 20 August 2007 11:33 (eighteen years ago)

Metallica - Blackened

Love Will Tear Us Apart

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Monday, 20 August 2007 12:30 (eighteen years ago)

Metallica - Creeping Death

― StanM, Monday, 20 August 2007 12:31 (eighteen years ago)

David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

― Brad C., Monday, 20 August 2007 12:40 (eighteen years ago)

Wow, how did we get this far without invoking Vanilla Fudge, the masters of the bombastic, thrilling intro? 'You Keep Me Hanging On' and 'Some Velvet Morning' at the very least have ludicrous but awesome intros that have little to do with the songs other than to get the adrenaline flowing.

― myopic_void, Monday, 20 August 2007 14:04 (eighteen years ago)

MC5 - "Ramblin' Rose"

(the whole JC Crawford "brothers and sisters, 5 seconds, problem or solution, testimonial" thing)...

― henry s, Monday, 20 August 2007 14:12 (eighteen years ago)

For my money, "Jock Jams"-type songs rule this question. I'll go with "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited, but "What Is Love?" by Haddaway is a close second. It helps to hear these things pumped at a sold-out Spurs game etc.

― Euler, Monday, 20 August 2007 14:37 (eighteen years ago)

The track by LL that starts with "This beat is my recital"

-- Barima (Barima), Sunday, September 14, 2003 9:53 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Link

― and what, Monday, 20 August 2007 14:56 (eighteen years ago)

Napalm Death "You Suffer"

― rockapads, Monday, 20 August 2007 15:29 (eighteen years ago)

but why?

― Mark G, Monday, 20 August 2007 15:34 (eighteen years ago)

the cure - fascination street
jimi hendrix - voodoo chile
jane's addiction - three days
the cult - she sells sanctuary
kent - bianca
radiohead - planet telex
radiohead - everything in its right place
megadeth - holy wars... the punishment due
fugazi - cashout
isis - the beginning and the end
helmet - i know
in flames - biosphere
the doors - i can't see your face in my mind
daft punk - harder, better, faster, stronger

some of those tracks have me enthralled from the very first note, while others are more about the calculated build-up.

also, 'new noise' seconded.

― Charlie Howard, Monday, 20 August 2007 16:30 (eighteen years ago)

i look forward to your future posts

― and what, Monday, 20 August 2007 16:34 (eighteen years ago)

what the fuck?

― Charlie Howard, Monday, 20 August 2007 16:35 (eighteen years ago)

Disorder - Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division ... that opening track shakes me to my core ...

― BlackIronPrison, Monday, 20 August 2007 16:50 (eighteen years ago)

Even after all these years, "I Feel Love" and "She Sells Sanctuary" can still thrill me: Drones that fade in from utter nothingness, build for 10 seconds or so, then explode.

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 20 August 2007 16:57 (eighteen years ago)

for real, though:

GZA - 4th Chamber
M83 "Birds" into "Unrecorded" as an intro to the whole album.
Van Halen "Hot for Teacher"

Agree with many others on this thread, too..

― rockapads, Monday, 20 August 2007 17:10 (eighteen years ago)

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Be My Baby", surely the most influential intro ever!

― daavid, Monday, 20 August 2007 17:48 (eighteen years ago)

Can't forget 2 from Motorhead:

Ace Of Spades
No Voices In The Sky

― kornrulez6969, Monday, 20 August 2007 17:50 (eighteen years ago)

Disorder - Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division ... that opening track shakes me to my core ...
-- BlackIronPrison, Monday, August 20, 2007 4:50 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Link

Soon as I saw the thread, this was my immediate thought.

― stephen, Monday, 20 August 2007 19:04 (eighteen years ago)

Not to mention the cymbals in Shadowplay.

― Ismael Klata, Monday, 20 August 2007 20:47 (eighteen years ago)

To give a rather more contemporary example, 65DOS' "The Distant And Mechanised Glow of European Dance Parties" has an intro so exciting, so utterly energising, that it doesn't need to last for more than 5 seconds. Alone it stands as a quite brilliant piece of rapid build-up. In context of its album (after one of the better, if slower songs), it's like watching the sun rising in fast-motion to reveal everyone fucking each other.

― Just got offed, Monday, 20 August 2007 20:53 (eighteen years ago)

Queen: "One Vision". The album track in particular.

Also, "Tightrope", the opening track on ELO's "A New World Record".

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 August 2007 21:54 (eighteen years ago)

queen - 'death on 2 legs'

― 6335, Monday, 20 August 2007 22:15 (eighteen years ago)

has anyone mentioned sonic youth - teenage riot?

the damned - smash it up parts 1 and 2
prince - let's go crazy
le tigre - deceptacon (this song always packs a dance floor)
dj shadow - building steam with a grain of salt
three dog night - one
devo - gut feeling

― Emily Bjurnhjam, Monday, 20 August 2007 22:25 (eighteen years ago)

'sweet emotion'

― mookieproof, Monday, 20 August 2007 23:12 (eighteen years ago)

Wax: Bridge To Your Heart
OMD: Souvenir

― Geir Hongro, Monday, 20 August 2007 23:28 (eighteen years ago)

i really like those initial, ominous opening seconds of 'hey joni' too, i might add

also 'stay don't go' by spoon!

― Charlie Howard, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 03:54 (eighteen years ago)

Swamp Thing

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 04:18 (eighteen years ago)

also I second "How Soon Is Now?"

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 04:19 (eighteen years ago)

Prior to discovering FruityLoops, I freaked out at (Ludacris/Pharrell's) Moneymaker's introduction. Then the song started, and CHRIST, WHAT A LETDOWN!

― Tape Store, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 04:28 (eighteen years ago)

do you wear socks on your hands and gloves on your feet in backwards world???

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 04:36 (eighteen years ago)

I love the intro to "Paranoia" by Apoptygma Bezerk, the way it slowly winds up in speed/pitch like someone's turned on the turntable with the record on it, then it goes BLAM into the first verse.

― Trayce, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 04:39 (eighteen years ago)

"It's a Sin" as well. Great intro on that one too.

― Geir Hongro, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 07:46 (eighteen years ago)

The beginning of Iron Maiden's Killers, when "Ides of March" segues into "Wrathchild"

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 21 August 2007 14:22 (eighteen years ago)

fourteen years pass...

Gap Mangione - boys with toys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVJ_oXfQibQ

― meisenfek, Monday, 23 August 2021 08:13 (four years ago)

I just had to mention this one: Shuki Levy & Haim Saban's theme song to the 1980's M.A.S.K. cartoon has a mightily impressive intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K7WYAC4H8g

And on that note, Thundercats, obviously:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcGNqrAtsgg

― Valentijn, Monday, 23 August 2021 09:29 (four years ago)

Heart - crazy on you

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 23 August 2021 13:57 (four years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_RCNItPguA

― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Monday, 23 August 2021 14:10 (four years ago)

MONEY FOR NOTHING

― brimstead, Monday, 23 August 2021 17:49 (four years ago)

Where the Streets Have No Name

― Lavator Shemmelpennick, Monday, 23 August 2021 19:19 (four years ago)

might be a cliche to say "helter skelter," but that's a good one

― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Monday, 23 August 2021 19:29 (four years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlaw5C_4O4E

― xzanfar, Monday, 23 August 2021 19:39 (four years ago)

the opening to patti smith’s “horses” gives me chills every time: “the boy looked at johnny…”

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Monday, 23 August 2021 19:51 (four years ago)

Horses is a great call, one of my faves.

I'll also rep for the air-horn guitars at the beginning of "I'm the Man that Loves You" by Wilco. Has a real "call to arms" feel, especially in a live setting.

― henry s, Monday, 23 August 2021 20:11 (four years ago)

Boredoms - ◌ (Circle)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6f9BV-8yAw

― Linda and Jodie Rocco (map), Monday, 23 August 2021 20:17 (four years ago)

"It's Time to Party" and "Party Hard" rip it pretty fuckin hard in the first few seconds

― frogbs, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 01:07 (four years ago)

"Turn It On Again"

― jmm, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 01:58 (four years ago)

julie christie — the rumors are true!

― mookieproof, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 02:00 (four years ago)

Birthday Party Sonnys Burning

― Stevolende, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 02:06 (four years ago)

I always forget how long the intro to "Delirious" by Susanne Sundfør is but it's quite effective

― Vinnie, Tuesday, 24 August 2021 04:59 (four years ago)

Gang of Four - "Damaged Goods" !

― keen reverberations of twee (collardio gelatinous), Wednesday, 25 August 2021 02:01 (four years ago)

I mean c'mon

― keen reverberations of twee (collardio gelatinous), Wednesday, 25 August 2021 02:02 (four years ago)

I often think this about Hawkwind - Assault And Battery tbh

― he ain't perfect but fuck me he's a rheillee (imago), Wednesday, 25 August 2021 19:19 (four years ago)

...because you expect them to go into "Out of the Blue" by Roxy Music!

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, 25 August 2021 19:54 (four years ago)

Slayer's "Hell Awaits" (live version)

at the time, I had maybe 15 metal albums, and I had just put on Decade of Aggression, which I'd just bought (I didn't have the Hell Awaits album yet). seemed like such a sinister recorded intro, and then when the live instruments joined in, such an evil, pounding introduction, more sinister than anything I"d ever heard. then the final notes of the intro finished up and the crowd audibly and loudly roars as the main riff kicks in, and I remember being 16 and having a rush like no other. without that intro that song easily goes down to a B+.

― Duke Detain (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 25 August 2021 20:09 (four years ago)

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