The piano glissando in rock, etc: is it ever not cheesy?

You know, when the pianist drags his fingers down the white keys of the keyboard right before they take it home! I am guessing except Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis (or Nicky Hopkins if he ever did it) it's usually hackneyed

I sort of like some Billy Joel, but to me he is like the walking glissando--just tacky (slightly off topic sorry)

two great glissandos in rock intros:

"The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism," New Pornographers
"Come On Eileen," Dexys

surely neither can be called cheesy

very true. i'm thinkin' i should've let this one marinate overnight before I posted it.

Shit, I'm listening to other music, but isn't there a great one in "Personality Crisis"? I guess maybe the good ones are either ironic like that one or somehow transformed as in New Pornos one which sounds all sparkly and heightened

"Personality Crisis" is a good example of not cheesy. As is "All The Way From Memphis" by Mott The Hoople.

Also don't mind it in The Beatles version of "Rock And Roll Music."

Agreed on Beatles. Don't know any MtH except ATYD, guess I better check it out! Thanks...

Sure.

That sound basically denotes 50s rock and roll, so it is more likely to appeal if the song is sufficiently different from that style and the sound is used in an interesting way or if the song actually, um, rocks. It's likely to just annoy if it is part of a "hey, let's make an oldie soundalike and see if we can get a feelgood hit on it" approach.

The glissando at the end of the instrumental bridge in Pink Floyd's Syd-era masterpiece "See Emily Play" definitely not cheezy.

intro to "i want you back", y'all

Oh yeah

Speaking of intros:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s

^^ first thing I thought of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_It_On_%28T._Rex_song%29

During one Top of the Pops performance, Elton John played piano on the song. This has created confusion amongst many listeners of the song, causing them to believe that John was a member of the group (although he did play on the studio versions of other songs as a guest musician.) The piano glissando on the record was performed by Rick Wakeman. Wakeman who was desperate for work at the time to pay his rent had bumped into Bolan in Oxford Street who offered him the session. Wakeman pointed out to Tony Visconti that the record didn't actually need a piano player. Visconti suggested that he could add a gliss, Wakeman said that Visconti could do that to which Bolan replied "you want your rent, don't you?" Wakeman did and earned £9 for his efforts.[3]

Furthermore, Peterson ends “Joy Spring” with a showy cabaret glissando down the whole piano. Why in the world would anyone want to do this to a Clifford Brown composition? Hey, if you are playing the striptease number "Night Train" (the title song of a famous Peterson album) so be it: gliss away. But on a Clifford Brown composition? A glissando down the length of the keyboard is easiest effect to produce at the instrument; it's the staple of any Las Vegas floor show that has a piano. This effect surely is kitsch, and therefore helps back-announce the rest of the performance as kitschy too.

From http://dothemath.typepad.com/dtm/oscar-peterson-and-miles-davis.html - great article by Bad Plus guy about Oscar Peterson, differing approaches to jazz, etc.

'Banging On My Drum', Lou Reed

not rock, but i will use any excuse to listen to this song again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEAKE3_5j0

xtc - radios in motion

not sure if it's ironic like

'I Don't Like Mondays', The Boomtown Rats

Thanks for all the responses especially the great anecdotes about Bolan and Oscar Peterson

It surely wasn't cheesy in the mid-50s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IjgZGhHrYY

intro to "i want you back", y'all

Hey Geir, I made a proviso for Jerry Lee and Little Richard in my introductory post!

I love Bryan Ferry's bit in "Ladytron."

Closing glissando in the Beatles' "Lovely Rita" is the tits.

Does the upward synth glissando at the beginning of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" count"? Because that one is great!

Hey Geir, I made a proviso for Jerry Lee and Little Richard in my introductory post!

idk if yr new, but Geir never reads the first post in a thread

He only reads messages onwards from his own.

Gier Trekin' across the universe
Only scrolling forwards
'cause he can't find reverse

There's... Tuomas on the starboard bow,
starboard bow,
starboard bow

And Stop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAwDzYzrEI4