Inspired by FiGs mention of the intro to When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge in the earworm thread. I got to thinking have we ever had a thread on truly great intros? I don't remember but if not we should have. After all the pop intro is probably the genre's money shot. If you don't make it in thirty seconds you probably ain't going to make it all. (OK that's the totally wrong comparison, but you know what I mean.) So I'm going to get many of the classics in first, though not in any order, as that's unnecessarily hierarchical.
Heat Wave — Martha and the Vandellas.
Piano takes up first 30 secs of a track that runs to 2:40, outrageous at the time. But Berry Gordy had already done almost the same thing on...
Money — Barrett Strong
This time the piano is joined by a farty sax, drums, and someone slapping their thigh (or that's what it sounds like.) Then a guitar emerages from the soup to introduce the vocal.
Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Doug Clifford wasn't the most dextrous or flamboyant drummer, no Moon or Ginger for sure. But he could keep time, in as sharp and crisp a manner as this song warrants. Add in John Fogerty's two note guitar riff and you've got built in urgency for the whole trip.
Jumpin' Jack Flash — The Rolling Stones
For me the definitive Stones song. Keef starts on guitar, Charlie has to extricate his rhythm from Keefs melody, it's very hard to do (apparently) then the bass follows Charlie. This was how it usually went with the Stones and it undoubtedly adds tension to the sound.
Be My Baby — The Ronettes
Not my favourite Spector production (nor my favourite Ronettes track for that matter) but my lord does it ever work. Three drumbeats repeated twice, with handclaps before Ronnie and The Wrecking Crew move in. Instantly recognisable and just as effective after sixty years.
Louie Louie — The Kingsmen
Don Gallucci had only just joined The Kingsmen and could never have anticipated he was about to play some of the most famous few notes in pop history. They're famous because they're they're just about the only coherent few seconds of a record that would launch a thousand and one groups around the world.
Right, can't finish without Chuck and Bo
Johnny B Goode — Chuck Berry
They do differ but frequently it's hard to tell one Chuck intro from another. They all definitely do the job but sometimes seem almost interchangeable. Johnny B. Goode is one of the earliest, and one of the longest, so it gets the nod
Pretty Thing — Bo Diddley
One of the more organised of Bo's intros, it's kind of a call and response beween guitar and drums, male and female if you like. The harmonica arbitrates along the way, but essentially the song is a 3:50 intro with no end in sight. More than likely he's still playing it somwhere.
Heat Wave — Martha and the Vandellas.
Piano takes up first 30 secs of a track that runs to 2:40, outrageous at the time. But Berry Gordy had already done almost the same thing on...
Money — Barrett Strong
This time the piano is joined by a farty sax, drums, and someone slapping their thigh (or that's what it sounds like.) Then a guitar emerages from the soup to introduce the vocal.
Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Doug Clifford wasn't the most dextrous or flamboyant drummer, no Moon or Ginger for sure. But he could keep time, in as sharp and crisp a manner as this song warrants. Add in John Fogerty's two note guitar riff and you've got built in urgency for the whole trip.
Jumpin' Jack Flash — The Rolling Stones
For me the definitive Stones song. Keef starts on guitar, Charlie has to extricate his rhythm from Keefs melody, it's very hard to do (apparently) then the bass follows Charlie. This was how it usually went with the Stones and it undoubtedly adds tension to the sound.
Be My Baby — The Ronettes
Not my favourite Spector production (nor my favourite Ronettes track for that matter) but my lord does it ever work. Three drumbeats repeated twice, with handclaps before Ronnie and The Wrecking Crew move in. Instantly recognisable and just as effective after sixty years.
Louie Louie — The Kingsmen
Don Gallucci had only just joined The Kingsmen and could never have anticipated he was about to play some of the most famous few notes in pop history. They're famous because they're they're just about the only coherent few seconds of a record that would launch a thousand and one groups around the world.
Right, can't finish without Chuck and Bo
Johnny B Goode — Chuck Berry
They do differ but frequently it's hard to tell one Chuck intro from another. They all definitely do the job but sometimes seem almost interchangeable. Johnny B. Goode is one of the earliest, and one of the longest, so it gets the nod
Pretty Thing — Bo Diddley
One of the more organised of Bo's intros, it's kind of a call and response beween guitar and drums, male and female if you like. The harmonica arbitrates along the way, but essentially the song is a 3:50 intro with no end in sight. More than likely he's still playing it somwhere.
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