Better guitar intro: "Sweet Child O' Mine" or "How Soon Is Now?"

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Marr's trickery or Slash's fast fingers? Have your say.

― paul cox (paul cox), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 15:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Marr Marr Marr! the HSIN intro touches on impending menace/threat balanced with a sense of security that all is not yet lost and has that marvellous 'revolving' sensation about it...harder to describe the SCOM intro - just Slash having a wank? ;)

funnily enough, both intros were bastardised on 90s dance hits - the former on Pianoman's (might not be correct artist credit) 'Guns n Pianos' and the latter on Soho's 'Hippy Chick'

― blueski, Wednesday, 6 November 2002 15:50 (twenty-three years ago)

throw in 'smells like teen spirit' - the intro of which was also plundered for a dance track (Credit To The Nation's 'call it what you want') - this says a lot about how powerful guitar intros can be in all music

― blueski, Wednesday, 6 November 2002 15:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Credit to B.O.C.'s "Godzilla" you mean.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 16:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Marr's reverby Bo Diddley Beat will *ALWAYS* best Slash's drunken appropriation of the main riff of Rush's "Xanadu." Every. Damn. Time.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 16:09 (twenty-three years ago)

This thread crystallises something that has bothered me forever about G'n'R and now I know what it is. Sure they had attitood and some good playing and 'interesting' singing/lyrics etc., but they couldn't come up with a riff to save their lives, ironic considering how much they liked the Stones, Aerosmith etc

― dave q, Wednesday, 6 November 2002 16:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Marr. He evokes mystery, foreboding, and attitude, while in this particular case Slash evokes Bic flicking and beer waving.

― Lee G (Lee G), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 16:46 (twenty-three years ago)

It is so clearly Sweet Child O' Mine its not even funny you lot pretending that the Smiths riff is better.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 17:09 (twenty-three years ago)

I... can't... decide... love... BOTH!!! Wish I had two heads.

Oh, the fluid beauty of Slash's solo, underpinned perfectly by the rising, ever rising bassline. It's RAWK, yet it is the perfectest of pop. It is the sound of the wind rustling ears of corn in the fields of "childhood memories..."

And yet, the tremoloing, undulating, gorgeous textured shapeshifting of Marr, wave-like tremolo mixing with spooky freight-train-in-distance whistling slide guitar.

I really could not choose between them. Each has had an utterly profound effect on my own aesethetic sensibilities, and indeed, my own guitar playing.

― kate, Wednesday, 6 November 2002 17:11 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose this is as good a place as any to ask if I'm the only person who's always found the intro to "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" Slash-y in a weird way.

dave: Maybe that's what I don't like about them.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 17:20 (twenty-three years ago)

As far as "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" goes, I can sort of hear what you're implying. The quick pans between left and right, the more distorted than usual guitar tone, fast fingering without showing off -- all qualities at which Slash excelled.

― paul cox (paul cox), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 17:24 (twenty-three years ago)

The reverby guitar intro (it's not a riff) for "How Soon Is Now?", like Lee says, exudes so much *PROMISE*....the promise of atmosphere and the promise of subtle, understated dread. The sound itself just eminates such *DEPTH*, as if being swallowed by a vast, murky wave. When the crying second guitar brings in the rest of the band, it's as if that wave finally crests, crashes and floods the surroundings in its gorgeously atmospheric gloom.

"Sweet Child o' Mine"'s intro, meanwhile, just aspires to winky-wanky guitar-as-exaggerated-phallus masturbation and demonstrates that Slash's mop of hair prevents him from seeing the fretboard that he might add that missing ninth note that separates "Xanadu" from "Sweet Child..."

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 18:44 (twenty-three years ago)

"Sweet Child o' Mine" never fails to conjure up images of Axl Rose doing that stupid little dance.

"How Soon is Now" conjures up images of a car commercial.

Which image will I erase from memory first? That song will be the winner.

― dave225 (Dave225), Wednesday, 6 November 2002 18:54 (twenty-three years ago)

I gotta go with "Sweet Child O' Mine". The intro to that makes me go "YES! YES! YES!" and the intro to "How Soon Is Now?" makes me go "coool..." Both great, but the thrill is higher with G'N'R. I mean, unless you're AGAINST happiness or something.

― Anthony Miccio, Thursday, 7 November 2002 02:22 (twenty-three years ago)

I mean, unless you're AGAINST happiness or something.

We're always against happiness! It clouds the brain.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 7 November 2002 03:43 (twenty-three years ago)

I think the thing that strikes me the most is that "How Soon is Now?" sounds so positively alien and unique. As good as "Sweet Child..." is (and yes, it is), it's not exactly unique.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 7 November 2002 04:18 (twenty-three years ago)

The intro to "How Soon Is Now?" is the best part of that song, unlike "Sweet Child O Mine" (pick your solo), so it wins.

― James Blount (James Blount), Thursday, 7 November 2002 05:21 (twenty-three years ago)

that's a great thread as ILM's continued 'project' (to actually say that the smiths american cousins were g n'r rather than bloody REM).

''but they couldn't come up with a riff to save their lives, ironic considering how much they liked the Stones, Aerosmith etc''

it's a tie actually for the intro. plenty of really awful bands come up with great riffs and g n'r did come up with a few. riffs are easy because they are basic variations and g n'r came up with a few good ones.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 7 November 2002 16:37 (twenty-three years ago)

Dear God, Guns n' Roses by a mile. Nothing against the Smiths at all, but I really don't see how there's any comparison at all.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Thursday, 7 November 2002 16:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Saying "riffs are easy" is like saying "tunes are easy" - ie wrong.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 7 November 2002 16:58 (twenty-three years ago)

The intro to "How Soon is Now" surely is the best part. I too visualize Axl's little dance... man was he sexy back then.

― Sean (Sean), Thursday, 7 November 2002 17:15 (twenty-three years ago)

the white leather was a big mistake tho

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 7 November 2002 18:30 (twenty-three years ago)

There's an image -- Picture Axl doing his swivel-hipped I'm-a-mean-Mofo dance to the intro to "How Soon Is Now?"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 7 November 2002 19:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Matt DC = OTM. Out of any random number of note/chord combinations, maybe 1% will achieve that tricky balance (simple enough for memorability/complicated enough for more rarefied versh of same) for 'decent riff' status (see also 'hook'), and I can only think of one G'n'R riff of 'classic' calibre and that's the one in "You Could Be Mine" which is unfortunately wasted, as Matt Sorum is the worst drummer in the universe (for G'n'R anyway, he's OK with plodders like the Cult or Status Quo or someone)

― dave q, Friday, 8 November 2002 07:55 (twenty-three years ago)

S'truth -- Sorum, though probably a perfectly nice gent, is a crap drummer.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 8 November 2002 08:03 (twenty-three years ago)

''Saying "riffs are easy" is like saying "tunes are easy" - ie wrong.''

''Out of any random number of note/chord combinations, maybe 1% will achieve that tricky balance''

that's enough me''meatl'' bands in the world though.

no. most bands can come up with at leats one good riff or one good song. i used to hear good things all the time. that's why i got bored of ''songs''.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Friday, 8 November 2002 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

Umm, I think it may be against the law to compare shit to greatness. Sweet Child O' Mine being the greatness. And I'm not saying How Soon Is Now? is shit, but compared to Sweet Child O' Mine it is by a mile. How is that shaky, distorted guitar in How Soon Is It Now? even a riff? I'll take the REAL guitar riff here, thank you very much.

― Jane2919, Saturday, 8 October 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

you can have it and you're welcome.

― when something smacks of something (dave225.3), Saturday, 8 October 2005 22:48 (twenty years ago)

Hey, wow. I didn't realize I'd been starting stupid threads on ILM for that long.

― f/k/a paul cox (johnny fever), Saturday, 8 October 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

An interesting comparison ... somebody should make a 15-minute tape loop/phasing track using the first two bars of "How Soon Is Now". That would be mesmerizing and brilliant. You can't say that about the first two bars of "Sweet Child O Mine".

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 8 October 2005 23:22 (twenty years ago)

somebody should make a 15-minute tape loop/phasing track using the first two bars of "How Soon Is Now"

I've often thought about this too!

― Sundar (sundar), Sunday, 9 October 2005 00:50 (twenty years ago)

"How Soon is Now" intro >> "Sweet Child O Mine" intro

"How Soon is Now" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Sweet Child O'Mine"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Sunday, 9 October 2005 01:22 (twenty years ago)

God, I hate "Sweet Child O' Mine". What a horrible, horrible song.

― Gogi Ormsby-Gore (Arthur), Sunday, 9 October 2005 02:48 (twenty years ago)

I'll take the REAL guitar riff here, thank you very much.

Even by Slash's admission, the riff of "Sweet Child..." is a joke.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 October 2005 11:31 (twenty years ago)

How is that shaky, distorted guitar in How Soon Is It Now? even a riff?

You owe a huge apology to Bo Diddley, by the way.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 9 October 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

I'll take the REAL guitar riff here, thank you very much.

This sentence just makes me chuckle. So manly.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 9 October 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Not quite fifteen minutes, but it's a start.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 10 October 2005 18:08 (twenty years ago)

somebody should make a 15-minute tape loop/phasing track using the first two bars of "How Soon Is Now"

There was this early-90s baggy band called Soho that I'd like to introduce you to.

― The Ghost of Hip-Hip-Hip Hip-Hip (Dan Perry), Monday, 10 October 2005 18:12 (twenty years ago)

Would you call Soho a baggy band?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 10 October 2005 19:27 (twenty years ago)

I would call Soho one of my favorite cassingles artists.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 10 October 2005 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Seeing as I only really know "Hippychick"... yes.

― The Ghost of Putting Myself Out There (Dan Perry), Monday, 10 October 2005 19:28 (twenty years ago)

I don't remember the beat, just the twins' sickly harmonies ruining Marr's riffage.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 10 October 2005 19:30 (twenty years ago)

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