# your favourite opening guitar lick/riff/whatevs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521 "2018-05-20T20:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/101 "2018-05-24T02:04:49Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > Thank you. This helps my understanding significantly. Without diverting resources from the original intent of the thread-- would a fairly competent, journeyman guitarist playing Eddie’s signature rig tuned to Eddie specs sound more, or less like the iconic recording we all know than Eddie on nylon string acoustic? > > (For that matter, would a steel sting acoustic [being played by the same person who plays the other instruments] sound more like the nylon stringed acoustic-- or an electric with no external effects devices? If this will dis-rail the discussion please disregard!) > > [Over explanation deleted] The journeyman with Eddie’s rig would sound _close_ in terms of the overall guitar _sound_ (the guitar, the amp, the effects, etc), it would likely be a really close approximation. But due to the way Eddie plays with his hands, his fretting of notes, his pick attack, his hammer-ons, fingertapping, etc he’d still sound less like Eddie and more like himself, but the reverse wouldn’t be true. If Eddie played on the journeyman’s rig, set to the journeyman’s specs, Eddie would sound more like Eddie than the journeyman. And yes, a steel acoustic will tend to sound much more like an electric played though and amp on it’s cleanest channel/setting, ie, no distortion at all, than a nylon string. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2018, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/102 "2018-05-24T02:15:54Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > A lot of nice picks but the intro to 20th Century Boy has always been a favorite of mine. So simple, yet so powerful. And yeah, you need the right amp tone to get those E’s to bark. Indeed, that riff is dead simple, and really a test of how good the amp sounds on the lowest note of concert tuning. > [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Ed Hall’s guitarist Gary Chester always comes up with tasty riffs: Absolutely! I’ve seen him countless times. I had a friend of a friend exclaim that he’s better than SRV after a show. The longer time goes on, the more I think he may be right. To that list, I’ll add: [Gilbert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVszrz2Codk). Detune the E and A extremely for an intro, then play them as if they’re a whammy bar for the rest of the song. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Black Sabbath: “War Pigs” I like most of yours, but this is just on a different level. A monster intro for a monster song. > [@Sparky812](#): > > I > Iron Maiden - 2 Minutes to Midnight Hell yes, when [that song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qbRHY1l0vc) gets stuck in my head, it’s the opening riff that sparks it. And to break the rawk love: [Buckaroo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2VLIO14dns) by Buck Owens! 'Course, the intro riff is the main part of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/103 "2018-05-24T14:58:06Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I don’t know if they had the best OOT, but the Monkees were a machine for these things. > > Last Train to Clarksville > She Told Me > Pleasant Valley Sunday > Little Bit Me I am probably being whooshed here, but most likely all these songs were played by — and arranged by the players themselves (sometimes writing their whole part themselves). I would imagine Danny Tedesco played guitar on all of those cuts. [http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/](http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/) I saw this post yesterday and meant to make the comment above, but then I didn’t see it again until just now. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/104 "2018-05-24T15:02:40Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > The journeyman with Eddie’s rig would sound _close_ in terms of the overall guitar _sound_ (the guitar, the amp, the effects, etc), it would likely be a really close approximation. But due to the way Eddie plays with his hands, his fretting of notes, his pick attack, his hammer-ons, fingertapping, etc he’d still sound less like Eddie and more like himself, but the reverse wouldn’t be true. If Eddie played on the journeyman’s rig, set to the journeyman’s specs, Eddie would sound more like Eddie than the journeyman. > > And yes, a steel acoustic will tend to sound much more like an electric played though and amp on it’s cleanest channel/setting, ie, no distortion at all, than a nylon string. Thank you, this helps a great deal. Knowing this will have an effect on the emotion the music will inspire in the future. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/105 "2018-05-24T15:12:28Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > I am probably being whooshed here, but most likely all these songs were played by — and arranged by the players themselves (sometimes writing their whole part themselves). I would imagine Danny Tedesco played guitar on all of those cuts. > > [http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/](http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/) > > I saw this post yesterday and meant to make the comment above, but then I didn’t see it again until just now. Tommy Tedesco. Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith can both play but yes I think they used the Wrecking Crew until they started demanding more control. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/106 "2018-05-24T15:59:55Z")
Another one that lets you know exactly what you are about to receive. [Teenage Angst](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx5bfLI5slU) - Placebo ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/107 "2018-05-24T17:24:50Z")
[Foghat - Slow Ride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIjZE4kcg_Q) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/108 "2018-05-24T17:43:12Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > No idea about the the technical aspects, but from an emotional level: both, or rather how one builds into the other. Your burning fuse analogy hits it spot on. It’s 20 seconds of … aww yeah… here it comes… get ready… annnnd… BAM! Fireworks. (And I don’t even regret how dirty that sounds, looking back after I typed it.) I also appreciate [Today](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmUZ6nCFNoU) on a primal level. That tone is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/109 "2018-05-24T18:11:10Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Tommy Tedesco. > > Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith can both play but yes I think they used the Wrecking Crew until they started demanding more control. Right, sorry. D **e** nny is the son and Tommy is the father, and I didn’t get either one right. I do know that Tork and Nesmith could play even before the TV show, and that Micky Dolens learned to play drums later, even that Davy was a Broadway star as a child. I even know that Steven Stills auditioned but was not considered attractive enough to be cast and recommended Peter Tork. But in the movie Peter Tork makes a point of saying the instrumental tracks were already recorded and the guys just came in to lay down vocals over them – and how pissed he was standing there outside the recording studio with his guitar case in hand. The actual cast did eventually record and tour their own songs, but I don’t believe they were ever given the go ahead to perform the music the producers owned (and they wanted to do their own music anyway). I may be wrong, but my understanding is that there are two “Monkees!” catalogs owned by different groups and they did not ever cross over. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/110 "2018-05-24T18:18:31Z")
The start of Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” is great and unique. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/111 "2018-05-24T21:58:20Z")
Wow, this is a tough one and a whole lot have been already mentioned…as a Deadhead, there are a lot, but my favorites are the opening to “Morning Dew” and “St. Stephen”…but if I had to name one, it’d be the Dick Wagner/Steve Hunter “Intro” for “Sweet Jane” on Lou Reed’s “Rock and Roll Animal” album…those two tore it up for a bunch of Alice Cooper songs as well… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KqpWTC-rvhQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Intro / Sweet Jane (Live [1973 Version])") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpWTC-rvhQ) ---
**Author:** ![FeRDNYC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferdnyc/32/14000_2.png) [@FeRDNYC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeRDNYC)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/112 "2018-05-25T00:15:34Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Also: Adrian Belew’s guitar synthesizer “horns” opening Paul Simon’s **You Can Call Me Al**. Is _that_ how they did that? Huh! Awesome. The **bass** guitar line on that song is also funky enough to qualify on its own merits. I thought I’d be breaking the rules a bit here, because the first thing that popped to my mind was a _counter_-example, but I’m glad to see I wouldn’t be the first. So along the lines of: > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > One of the first things I thought of was the opening guitar riff to Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing”—except that when I checked the song, I realized it doesn’t actually kick things off. In fact, it doesn’t even start until at least 0:30 into the song. I have to throw in Eric Johnson’s “[Cliffs Of Dover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpAC1vr_pcg)”. It’s a great piece and one of my favorite guitar compositions because it’s not excessively “brilliant” or “masterful”, but it’s simply _joyous_ throughout — I’ve described it as “a Snoopy dance in guitar form” — which is why IMHO it isn’t well-served by that bit of fuckery in the intro, and doesn’t really find its way until the drumroll. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/113 "2018-05-25T02:48:26Z")
> [@FeRDNYC](#): > > I have to throw in Eric Johnson’s “[Cliffs Of Dover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpAC1vr_pcg)”. It’s a great piece and one of my favorite guitar compositions because it’s not excessively “brilliant” or “masterful”, but it’s simply _joyous_ throughout — I’ve described it as “a Snoopy dance in guitar form” — which is why IMHO it isn’t well-served by that bit of fuckery in the intro, and doesn’t really find its way until the drumroll. Wow, I JUST listened to this, like an hour ago. For the first time in decades. The thing is, I was waiting for the Cool Hook… and it took forever to show up. Guitar noodling, long intro, drums, oh, is this the hook? No, it’s a cool progression, but it’s not The Hook… oh, THERE it is! But it was worth waiting for. Joyous Snoopy dance, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/114 "2018-05-25T03:17:20Z")
Did no one suggest Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter’s intro to Lou Reed’s [Sweet Jane](https://youtu.be/7FdWPeHFAMk)? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/115 "2018-05-25T03:38:31Z")
> [@Temporary\_Name](#): > > I am probably being whooshed here, but most likely all these songs were played by — and arranged by the players themselves (sometimes writing their whole part themselves). I would imagine Danny Tedesco played guitar on all of those cuts. > > [http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/](http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/) > > I saw this post yesterday and meant to make the comment above, but then I didn’t see it again until just now. I know they didn’t always play. But on research the intro for You Told Me is by Mike on 12 string and peter on banjo. One of my favorites of all time. Last Train to Clarksville was played by Louie Shelton IIRC. I’m not making big claims but the only electric guitar on the credits of Pleasant Valley Sunday was Mike. There was an acoustic. ---
**Author:** ![Temporary\_Name](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Temporary\_Name](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Temporary_Name)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/116 "2018-05-25T06:53:50Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I know they didn’t always play. But on research the intro for You Told Me is by Mike on 12 string and peter on banjo. One of my favorites of all time. > > Last Train to Clarksville was played by Louie Shelton IIRC. > > I’m not making big claims but the only electric guitar on the credits of Pleasant Valley Sunday was Mike. There was an acoustic. Sorry if I provided any misinformation, I seem to stand corrected. (However…) Near the beginning of the movie, they mention that the session players were never credited and most were fine with that as long as they got paid. Plas Johnson was bitter (and you could tell he still was all those years later); his view was that he wrote and played signature riffs on number one records and didn’t get a credit on the jacket. Carol Kaye and Tommy Tedesco were both raking in tons of jing and couldn’t care less about their name on an album jacket. Hal Blaine seemed to only want the recognition of the other musicians (he holds some unbelievable record for playing on consecutive number one hits – or possibly for playing on 100 number one hits in a single year), he didn’t care what the public thought or knew. As far as I know, every Beach Boys album listed the Beach Boys as the musicians and while they did tour and play the songs — they never played a single note on the later albums, and that is well documented. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/117 "2018-05-26T04:22:11Z")
There’s a sterling beauty in these ugliest of chords [here](https://youtu.be/jIzAf6SZe9E?t=2) Oh those subsonic frequencies! I’d monitor the volume, especially if you’re wearing headphones. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/118 "2018-05-26T05:29:04Z")
A couple off Mastodon’s first album: [Ol’e Nessie](https://youtu.be/EMG-IIs-hI8?t=784) (at first I thought of KC’s “Frame by Frame”, but then realised, naw, quite different.) [Mother Puncher](https://youtu.be/EMG-IIs-hI8?t=2318) (heh - bet this took a while to learn) ---
**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:** [May 26, 2018, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/119 "2018-05-26T07:17:08Z")
[“Holiday in Cambodia”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrm2B0lhvYc) is another one that comes to mind, but may be a little bit of cheating, as I’m including the bass guitar parts of the intro as part of the opening “guitar” riff. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521/120 "2018-05-26T16:51:23Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNiCRzduz_s) Rolling Stones “Mercy Mercy” has the greatest lick (by Brian Jones?) for a few seconds, somehow very emotional, and then it’s gone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-opening-guitar-lick-riff-whatevs/814521.md?page=7)