Yeah, probably a lot of these are not technically intros…but:
Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the UK (Right…now,hahahah)
Iggy Pop- Lust for life. If they put it in a thousand lousy comercials they still couldn’t completely ruin those drums.
Meat is Murder–The Smiths (I eat meat, but this intro with the cows mooing and the chainsaw sounds is pretty cool)
The River–Bruce Springsteen (That harmonica gets me too–I almost get goosebumps)
Radar Love–Golden Earring, Pink Cadillac–Bruce Springsteen (The thumping beats make me want to drive really fast)
Begin the Beginning–REM (The little riff at the beginning is so cute)
Wipeout–The Surfaris
Almost any song by Too Much Joy on the album Son of Sam I Am (all of these have little snippets of some weird voice saying something)
And so many more…
betenoir said:
Damnit. I shoulda had that one!
Awesome idea for your first original thread, Rock and Rolga. You did a heck of a lot better than I did on my first try. But we won’t go into that.
–What about Red Hot Chili Peppers?
-Scar Tissue (With the birds I’ll share this lonely view…)
-Otherside (How long, how long will I slide??)
-and many more
-“Brick,” Ben Folds Five… real purdy.
–Counting Crows have some nifty baselines…
-Long December
-Mr. Jones
-Anna Begins
-Walkaways
–Everclear??
-Father of Mine
-Santa Monica
-the list could go on…
I’m a sucker for a pretty baseline. I like a good piano intro once in a while… instead of a guitar. It mixes things up a bit.
This is my humble opinion. Once again, Rock and Rolga, I must congratulate you on your awesome thread idea.
Europe, “The Final Countdown.” That bit with the trumpet sounds…majestic, I guess. The right-wing Orthodox Jewish world is so conservative that it’ll be rare to find rock songs in common usage there, but that intro has become a standard at weddings in that community (including my own).
And how could no one have mentioned the intro to “Angry Young Man” by Billy Joel? That’s got to be one of the most skillful pieces of piano-playing in the rock era.
Oh, BTW, Semisonic rocks.
Secret Smile… great song, great intro.
Closing Time is a dumb song in my opinion… 
But what a baseline!
A couple of folks have already cited the Kinks, but…“Victoria” has their best opening, and one of the best and happiest-sounding openings of any rock song.
What about some U2
Pride
New Years Day
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Desire
When Love Comes to Town
The one that springs to mind most prevalently is the South-Boston-White-Boy rap by Peter Wolf at the beginning of the live version of “Musta Got Lost” on the J. Geil’s Blow Your Face Out live album.
“… What’s the name of that chick with the long hair? …”
“… Hey Reputa, hey Reputa the beauta, slip me down your hair and let me climb up the ladder of your love, cuz this is Wooba-Gooba sayin’ to ya …”
“… Love comes once, and when it comes you gotta grab it fast, cuz sometimes a lucky grab ain’t gonna last, and I believe I musta, you know baby I think I musta, …”
Whole Lotta Love, Led Zeppelin
Hell’s Bells, AC/DC
Sealemon88 haws already mentioned Hemispheres, by Rush
Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution by AC/DC - If you listen closely, you will hear them light up a tater.
On the NYC Speedcore album by Disciples of Annihilation:
[ul]
[li]Ya Mutha - Funny intro of some guy bragging about his sexual exploits[/li][li]Brooklyn Mob - Has a clip of Joe Pesci getting ticked off during a welcome back party in the movie “Goodfellas”[/li][li]The Hill - Clip from “Full Metal Jacket” where the drill sergeant is mouthing off at the new recruits[/li][/ul]
Not true!!
My vote goes to Anthrax with A.D.I.-Horror of it all, from Among the Living.
Anthrax has done a lot of really good contrasted-style intros to their songs. Too bad that ended when Joey and Dan left the band. The new stuff is good too, but it’s just not Anthrax anymore.
My 3 favorites (at least the ones I can think of right now):
Rock Me - Great White
The Last in Line - Dio
Come Out and Play - Twisted Sister
My two:
“Riders on the Storm” by The Doors
“New Year’s Day” by U2
I’ve always wanted to have them on my answering machine outgoing message, with my creepy, sombre voice giving a long message informing callers that "I can’t come to the phone.
I’d second a few already mentioned, like the Dead Kennedy’s Holiday in Cambodia. For a hardcore punk song, it has a surprisingly involved musical intro.
Someone also beat me to the live version of “Musta Got Lost” by J. Geils Band. I LOVE Peter Wolfe’s “Rap” before the song. “this is Ooba-gooba with the green teeth… open up the door bitch!”
Another great intro is the “Jersey-boy Beatnik Routine” opening of The Dead Milkmen’s “Bitchin’ Camaro”
“Hey Jack, what’s hap’nin’”
“Oh, I don’t know”
“I heard you might be thinking about going down to the shore”
“Yeah, I’m thinking about going down to the shore.”
The best part about the bit is that the first guy has to keep reminding the second guy what his lines are:
“Ok, the important part here is that you ask me how I’m getting down to the shore.”
“Oh, um, yeah, how you getting down to the shore?”
“Funny you should ask that… I got a car now”
A few great musical intros not yet mentioned:
The opening riff to Cream’s Sunshine of your Love
The opening “suite” to Elton John’s “Funeral For A Friend”
The opening “suite” to John Mellencamp’s “I Need A Lover”
“Can I say something here… This is American Music, Take 1. Ok… onetwothreefour”
I’m suprised no one has mentioned “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones “Hey, ho, let’s go”
The clarinet trill on the start of "Rapsody in Blue"by Gershwin
The drum solo intro to “Sing Sing Sing”
Robert Johnson’s guitar intro to “Love in Vain”.
The "Drive and guitar chord in the Intro to “Brand New Cadillac” by The Clash
“Born to Run” by the Boss
"Baba O’Reilly"by the Who
and I alway smile when I hear the Opening to “I think I Lost it” by Lucinda Williams
Is that eclectic enough for you 
Keith
Geez, no one’s mentioned Piano Man by Billy Joel, with the doodling on the piano before turning into song?
I’d also like to submit BNL’s Light Up, with an opening classical guitar melody that just defines the word ‘graceful’.
My Top 10 song intros/openings (not limiting myself to rock, and in no particular order except for #1):
- Life in the Fast Lane, the Eagles
- Symphony #40 in G Minor, Mozart
- Jet Airliner, Steve Miller Band
- Also Sprach Zarathustra, Strauss
- Layla, Derek and the Dominoes
- Wendy, the Beach Boys
- Overture from the Nutcracker Suite, Tchaikovsky
- Won’t Get Fooled Again, the Who
- Just What I Needed, the Cars
. . . and the Number One, There-Is-None-Better rock song opening:
She Loves You, the Beatles
I love the orchestral intro to “One Night in Bangkok”. The beginning of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (BOC) is excellent.