All the Stones songs, of course.
I mentioned this on a list done on the Dope years ago–the guitar intro to the Kingsmen’s Money is really good.
Alice Cooper’s Halo of Flies has a nice (if rather unsettling) guitar and bass opening salvo.
Halo of Flies reminded me of Cave In, which reminded me of the opening bars of Brain Candle Cave In - Brain Candle - YouTube
Yes! Great call!
“White Rabbit” - Jefferson Airplane
“Train in Vain” - The Clash
I like the ‘snoopy dance’ bit. Good one.
Now, Eric Johnson can play like a madman. God knows that’s true. But it’s his phrasing in ‘Cliffs of Dover’ that really takes his playing to the next level.
Yeah, as someone said of a jazz player “He knows what notes to play, but he also knows which ones to leave out”.
I’m so tired of my students saying “Man, you gotta hear Joe Shlebotnik – he just shreds!” So we all listen to some incredibly fast ‘n’ fuzzy guitar work, and the guys in the class who are wearing 80s hair metal t-shirts are soooper stoked, dooood!
But I’m bored. So then I play them some Mark Knopfler and John MacLaughlin and Frank Zappa and Eric Johnson. “Whoa, who ARE these guys, dooood? Lemme write these down. Oh, guess I don’t have a pencil…”
Peter Green - Oh Well.
I’ve been on a Paul Kelly kick for the last few years. My favorite is this one, beacuase it starts slow and builds to an Edge-like guitar crescendo:
Another good Clash opener:
For me, Eric Johnson also just has an incredible guitar sound. His tone is unreal and ethereal, with juice boxes full of reverb and lush sounding note and chord progressions. His song “Zap” is just as good if not better than “Cliffs”.
The Replacements - Answering Machine
Pretty much one electric guitar and one voice.
One that I love is the opening to “Died” by Alice in Chains. Gerry Cantrell pumps out a vicious-sounding riff.
As soon as I read the thread title, this is the FIRST thing that popped into my head. I still remember my sophomore year listening to my dormmate’s CD of Eric Johnson and Cliffs of Dover quickly got my attention. Amazing!
If we’re using Jerry Cantrell and Alice in Chains, I prefer “Man In the Box” by a smidge.
Post #30.
IANAGuitar guru, or even a student, so I make no claims to quality, only memorability.
The first song that came to mind is not a favorite: Life in the Fast Lane by the Eagles.
Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum also popped into my head. That one is a favorite.
Johnny Winter - Birds Can’t Row Boats
Opening of David Bowie’s Station to Station, after the guitar kicks in, ~ 1min, 4 sec (Studio / Live). Chaotic pulse-pounding locomotive motif (lead: session guitarist Earl Slick as I recall). Was cocaine involved? Probably, it was the 70’s after all. Brilliant!
It reminds me of the unbridled chaos of Franz Liszt’s (the previous century’s thin white duke) Mazeppa (Transendental Etude #4), substituting Victor Hugo’s wild galloping horse motif for Bowie’s driving locomotive. Brilliant!
I had the pleasure of meeting/conversing with Bowie when I was a stage hand on his '75 Diamond Dogs tour. Great guy, super talent, died much too soon. A loss to us all.
I’d totally agree, but I personally prefer the version off Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. East Bay Ray is a fantastic amalgamation of my favorite guitar styles up to that point.
And, I’d be amiss if I didn’t also mention Steve Albini’s opening to the live version of Cables. Nuttin sounds like that man when he’s on, and no-one uses that tone.
ETA:And as long as we’re considering a bass guitar a guitar (I play both, so I do), I absolutely love the intro to Redd Kross’ What They Say. Just the tastiest bass intro ever.
Tell Mama–Savoy Brown
Space Station #5 – Montrose