Kurt Cobain vs bouncer.
I always loved listening to Bowies “Station to Station” with a pair of headphones. You can really appreciate all the layers and intricacies coming out of it. Some of his best work and funny enough, according to interviews, he was so fucked up on drugs at the time he barely remembers recording this. http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY77zDzNmYw
Also, I’ve always loved the intro to The Stones “Happy”. I can’t resist doing an air guitar to it. http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53ZWIIn67ek
Let’s see, we’re talking arm-hair raising goosebump awesomeness, yes?
The guitar solo merging back into the refrain on Floyd’s Comfortably Numb…
The opening riff/scream on “Revolution”…
The guitar solo on “Whole Lotta Love”…
“Ziggy played…guitaaaaaarrrrr…snow white tan and screwed down hairdo…like some cat from Japan…”
Speaking of Bowie, the self harmonies on “Space Oddity” and his enunciation on “floating in a most peculiar way”…
Also a shot out to to Chrissy Hynde on “Chain Gang” where her self harmonies blend into awesomeness at the end of the bridge “…for making us paaaaarrrrt”
Bjork’s wailing on “Human Behavior” right after “the compass wouldn’t help at all” line…
Skunk Anansie’s chorus to “Selling Jesus”…“they want your soul, and your money, blood, and your bones…”
Pretty much all the lyrical content of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”…
Free.
Alright now.
The beginning bit.
The middle bit.
The end bit.
THAT IS ALL.
OK, as the only black metal fan on the SDMB I realize I’m probably not going to convince anybody here, but guys and gals, lemme tell ya: Of all the crowning moments of awesome in music, the crowningest of them all takes place around 04:09 on the title track of Mayhem’s 1993 masterpiece, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.
Now, to really catch the full awesomeness of this magical, just magical moment, we’re going to have to dial back, waaaay back, aaaaaall the way back… To the 03:00 mark of the same song.
Because this is when the song suddenly, abruptly, dramatically “dies” – the drums stop, even signing off with one final burst of energy, perhaps a madrigalism symbolizing a cadaveric spasm. Ah, the powers have all been spent, the spirit at long last lost its will to live – ah, yes, so here we are… Blackness, darkness, the void beyond; death, the end of all things, etc., etc…!
And yet, and yet…!
Despite the “death” of the drums, the guitars keep buzzing on, restless and impatient, rising and falling, not quite ready to pack it in just yet… Hovering above the corpse… Working its magic… Calling and beckoning… And then – ah yes! yes! What magic! A miracle! The corpse… It lives! It lives!
At 03:13, as through a miracle, finally a sign of life! The corpse twitches, trembles, shudders…! And at 03:26, the heart pounds anew as the double bass drums kick in again…! The tension rises and rises, as does the tempo: At 03:37, we go from double bass drums to “blastbeats,” hammering away with deathless fury, the tension just building and building, until at 04:00 you’re fucking clenching your fists, leaning in towards the speakers, grinding your teeth to bloody stumps, just begging for the song to fucking explode at any second, and for the corpse to rise from its grave, to tear the entire goddamn cosmos to shreds…
… And oh! Those six eternal seconds between 04:00 – when you think the song will explode – and 04:06 – when it finally does explode… What tension! What unbearable, unspeakable tension! All of creation hangs in the balance!
And oh!
When the song finally does explode – how it explodes! How gloriously, magically it explodes! The drums triumphantly declare their full return – and at 04:09, finally, the song returns at last, and the dead return to life – and for the first time in what feels, truly, like an eternity, hoooooly shit, to top it all of, the singer’s voice kicks in, with a morbid-operatic, mock-Gregorian chant in gloriously filthy pig Latin: “Reeeeeeeex sacriticuluuuuuus mortifeeeeer-eeeee…”, before bringing it all down to the dirt again, with a low, grim, snarling voice: “… in a circle of stone coffins!”
It’s just the most groin-grabblingly, mind-blowingly, spine-tinglingly, Christ-rapingly, church-burningly, virgin-sacrificingly awesome moment in all of music.
OK, that’s all.
Don’t know if I’m convinced, but you get bonus points for “Christ-rapingly”! Bravo!!!
I love the DUH DUHHHH! that comes after “you neeeed”. 
Blitzkreig Bop, the Ramones. Right after the “Hey Ho! Let’s Go!” lines leading into “They’re forming in a straight line.”
Rock the Casbah, the Clash. After Joe’s scream.
This is Radio Clash, beginning, Joe’s maniacal laugh, followed by the beat. Awesome.
Leon Russell’s cover of Jumpin’ Jack Flash
I don’t care for the actual JJF sections, but Youngblood is to die for. The only part of Concert For Bangla Desh that I still listen to. Quite often.
.
Guns of Brixton by the Clash is awesome from start to finish.
Technically punk but it still rocks.
I don’t know if anyone on this board listens to indie rock (this “crowning moments” business seems a little 60’s/70’s-centric, so I can already tell anything I add isn’t gonna fit in here), but when I think of music-induced adrenaline rushes I think of these.
The first measure of “Only Shallow” by My Bloody Valentine.
In the middle of “Trigger Cut” by Pavement, when Malkmus starts doing the “sha la la…” Little hard to explain why, but it’s the best moment on that album.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned this yet - after the already incredibly climactic guitar solo in “Marquee Moon” by Television, that massive come-down break with the bird calls. Holy shit.
At the end of “Web In Front” by Archers of Loaf, when the guys are singing “All I ever wanted was to be your spine” in the background and then Eric Bachmann comes back in with the bass and does his last chorus - never fails to make my eyes well up.
There are more, but the last one I’ll mention is the opening chords to “It Was There That I Saw You” by …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. There’s just that quiet, simple little riff for four bars and then… suddenly the guitars send you skittering across the floor. It’s a religious experience.
Jimmy Page is credited with inventing the “Reverse Echo” made famous in that line.
I LOVE Dick Dale. I really do. But for Misirlou, I have to tell you, it’s Bobby Fuller’s versionthat rules. Cannot be equaled.
I was at the grocery store yesterday and they were playing Rock Lobster on the PA. I couldn’t believe it. I was looking around at all the other shoppers and they were totally oblivious.
Nominated: The little drum spot in Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On. It’s only about a second and a half, but it pays off.
Don’t hate us 'cuz we’re geezers. I love that intro - and what Billy Corgan did with it on Cherub Rock, too…
I love all the stuff folks have mentioned, and will add the song I used to get pumped up before various things in school:
AC/DC - If You Want Blood
Jeez, just checking the intro of the clip made me want to go confront or compete with…something.
Smith’s 1969 cover of “Baby It’s You” – Gayle McCormick hits a level of sheer soul-tearing, desperate need that has rarely been equaled. Especially in the final recapitulation around 2:50.
Speaking of Badfinger – “No Matter What” has two CMAs in my opinion… first is when the chorus guitar comes in at around 1:15, then the slide guitar solo at 1:30.
I would also like to mention the Move’s original version of “Do Ya”; the only problem is that it has so many CMAs in it that I can’t pick one or even two.
Not sure if anyone’s yet mentioned the Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout”…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
…Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
…Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
…Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
…WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
“I don’t believe you.”
“You’re a liar.”
“Play fucking loud!”
Bob Dylan and the Hawks at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. May 17, 1966.
Boston Don’t Look Back starting about 2:04 up until about 4:00 with the instrumental buildup.
Goin’ down to shoot my old lady, You know i caught her messin’ 'round with another man…