# Your Favourite {But Lesser-Known} Riffs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810 "2015-12-18T23:21:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/1 "2015-12-18T23:21:31Z")
[Flamin’ Groovies, Teenage Head.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14MkbmML4YY) Scowling snarling strutting horny menace from a criminally under-rated band. The perfect rock riff. Followed closely by [The Stranglers’ Peaches](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuT5KUA7iaY), and that filthy filthy bass riff. What are your favourite lesser-known riffs? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/2 "2015-12-18T23:50:37Z")
Love that Stranglers riff. First one that came to mind: **Chris Isaak** , _Wrong to Love You_: [Wrong to Love You - Chris Issak - YouTube](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mGoohR2bQUE) Lord I love this riff. Sultry rockabilly twang. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/3 "2015-12-18T23:52:10Z")
Jack Casady’s bassline in Funky #7. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Zgpg2k4uCd8/maxresdefault.jpg "Hot Tuna - Funky #7 12-13-14 Beacon Theater, NYC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgpg2k4uCd8) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/4 "2015-12-19T07:55:35Z")
Two recent ones: [“Moth Wings” by Pond…](https://vimeo.com/106361632) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/5 "2015-12-19T08:00:49Z")
…[and “Skulldiggin” by Black Joe Lewis](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufLdyZxPFBo). Both are simple, effective, hard, and bluesy. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/6 "2015-12-19T08:25:26Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Two recent ones: [“Moth Wings” by Pond…](https://vimeo.com/106361632) OK, now that is a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/7 "2015-12-19T09:14:40Z")
I’ve always found the guitarwork in **Axel Bauer** ’s _Cargo de Nuit_ extremely sexy, notably the dirty, obsessive riff heard first [between 1:20 and 1:26.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js67MmvR9Pg) The solo (2:38-3:19) is one of my all-time favourites. A very natural, flowing use of some exotic scales. Original video, definitely NSFW and poor sound but it may still be of interest because it fits the theme of the song. > **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. /watch?v=gO96CaLFRBw ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/8 "2015-12-19T12:37:24Z")
Here are two lesser-known songs from very well known bands. Each has a great riff. (The Beatles one is by George Harrison. Jimi Hendrix like it enough that he played the riff a few times in concerts.) [Stones, “Citadel”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHOL5M0dfiw) [Beatles, “I Want to Tell You”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRkTQimeKHw) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/9 "2015-12-19T12:41:19Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > OK, now that is a good one. What am I, chopped liver?! 😉 You want more heavy riffs? What about - **Godsmack, Keep Away** : [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1uvwGmRf5M8](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1uvwGmRf5M8) (I recently posted this in a thread looking for songs a stripper could work with because the groove is so good). Or, the ultimate relentless riff, **Ministry, Just One Fix** - never stops. Known to anyone interested in heavy riffs and metal, but not well known these days I suspect: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MYsBvZRXF7A](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MYsBvZRXF7A) Amazing to drive long stretches of highway with this blaring hard. ETA: A last heavy riff that is known to fans of 70’s metal and was hugely influential: **UFO, Rock Bottom** , featuring Michael Schenker on lead guitar. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n0OatiI5XcE](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n0OatiI5XcE) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/10 "2015-12-19T12:45:59Z")
Here are two more well-known acts but lesser-known songs: [Jethro Tull, “To Cry You a Song”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNCEIGgyIS4) [R.E.M., “Boxcars”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv4nuD7q2uQ) (riff starts at 0:20) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/11 "2015-12-19T12:53:24Z")
WordMan, I love both that Chris Isaak riff AND the heavier stuff you cited. I’ll offer just three more – these might not quite qualify as “lesser known,” but maybe they do: [Simon and Garfunkel, “Fakin’ It”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkFBOd4YN60) [Rush, “A Farewell to Kings”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpsyrfoX8zw) (riff starts at 1:08) [Band of Gypsys (_sic_) feat. Jimi Hendrix, “Who Knows?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nciWR7rSb1Y) The last one might have you boppin’ for the rest of the day. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/12 "2015-12-19T15:38:58Z")
The bass groove here: [Air - La femme d’argent](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls9aiN4QEDw) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/13 "2015-12-19T17:13:55Z")
Redd Kross - [What They Say](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BZbbVMmuy0). I’ve trashed more than one set of car speakers with that bass riff. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/14 "2015-12-19T18:02:54Z")
I’ve always loved the bass riff that drives through Radiohead’s The National Anthem, while everything else goes mental around it: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YLQ9S5D_mxw/hqdefault.jpg "Radiohead The national Anthem") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLQ9S5D_mxw) ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/15 "2015-12-19T18:28:49Z")
I love the bass intro to The Electric Confectionaires’ [Late Night Shopping Spree](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwdDkkGXgDE), and the way it’s picked up by the guitar is wonderful. The Scavenger’s [Mysterex](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwdDkkGXgDE) has the perfect punk riff {as well as Brendan Perry from Dead Can Dance}. And Howard Devoto liked his riff for The Buzzcocks’ Lipstick so much he used it again with Magazine for [Shot By Both Sides](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ul_vTkwgs4): this time round he had John McGeoch for guitar firepower, and Barry Adamson for prowling bass menace. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/16 "2015-12-19T19:13:28Z")
Another song driven by a bass riff: The 77s’ [God Sends Quails](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Wcx2R87eQ) ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/17 "2015-12-19T20:49:06Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Another song driven by a bass riff: The 77s’ [God Sends Quails](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Wcx2R87eQ) OK, I love this. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/18 "2015-12-19T22:02:31Z")
_Used to be a Cop_- **Drive-By Truckers** This version has the bottom kinda washed out, but you should hear this live. Unreal! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kvJ-lWOZMYg/hqdefault.jpg "Used to Be a Cop - Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJ-lWOZMYg) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/19 "2015-12-19T22:17:04Z")
[Lighten Up McGraw](https://youtu.be/SMFBnNsbato) by Crack The Sky ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810/20 "2015-12-20T00:31:36Z")
So many to choose from. I’ll put [On a Rope](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=777kGx7-qLw) by Rocket From the Crypt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-but-lesser-known-riffs/740810.md?page=2)