Good intros

Rocker

A good intro sets up a song.  And by 'good' I mean recognisable by everyone and not just guitarists.

Examples of what I think are good intros:

Black is Black, Los Bravos.  Brilliant at weddings, when the bass riff starts, everyone is on the dance floor.

I don't like Mondays, Boomtown Rats.  Sensational intro and instantly recognisable.

Satisfaction, Rolling Stones.  Simple but memorable.

Anyone care to suggest others.  And why?

MikeB

Jump by Van Halen. Can’t help but smile when that synth hits. 

stratman3142

By a strange coincidence, one of my favourite intros (and riff) is The Rocker  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsD7VWZxjbk

JerkMoans

Was listening to this in the car earlier, and thought to myself 'well there's a stirring intro to a song'

Alive and Amplified - The Mooney Suzuki

Rocker

JerkMoans said:

Was listening to this in the car earlier, and thought to myself 'well there's a stirring intro to a song'

Alive and Amplified - The Mooney Suzuki

The intro is certainly striking but it falls way short of the mark as very few* ever heard it and thus won't know what song is about to be played.

* I listen to a lot of music and I never heard of a band called The Mooney Suzuki or any of their songs.

RandallFlagg

Pretty Vacant, A clarion call to the music industry and young people up and down the land in the miserable mid-70s.

Like a church bell ringing across the land..."HEAR THIS"



I remember hearing this on TOTP in 1996 as the Sex Pistols reunited, it was amazing to hear that intro again live. Sounds more menacing in Ab

hollywoodrox

Wanted dead or alive 
  Hotel California 
  747 strangers in the night
  hallowed be thy name 
  On with the show (crüe) 

theres loads 

RandallFlagg

Also, The Jam's Going Underground is quite a startling, unique and very recognisable intro:

springhead

There are loads but I think this takes some beating

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpILIIo9ek 

Redlester

Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. Nothing else comes close. 

EricTheWeary

https://youtu.be/hchOYs_d_Bw

I suspect this song has quietly slipped from air play but I thought it was great at the time. 

ICBM

Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water

Greatest intro riff of all time.

Redlester

ICBM said:

Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water

Greatest intro riff of all time.

No, that’s Whole Lotta Love

munckee

I wanna be adored. 

scrumhalf

Please Don't Touch - Headgirl (Motorhead + Girlschool)
Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones 
God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols 

hollywoodrox

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/hchOYs_d_Bw

I suspect this song has quietly slipped from air play but I thought it was great at the time. 

I remember this, it was spelled out in look in magazine with an explanation 

SRich

Ohio CSNY....written by Y.

Kebabkid

Won't get fooled again and Baba O' reily

Gimme Gimme Gimme by Abba

Ain't talking bout love - VH

EricTheWeary

hollywoodrox said:

EricTheWeary said:

https://youtu.be/hchOYs_d_Bw

I suspect this song has quietly slipped from air play but I thought it was great at the time. 

I remember this, it was spelled out in look in magazine with an explanation 

There’s an episode of Modern Life is Goodish where Dave Gorman talks about the word ( name of a place in New Zealand?) for some reason and I’m shouting at the telly ‘like in the song Lone Ranger!’ but Dave never references it. Made me sad. 

I kinda think most songs have good intros, a lot of effort goes in there. Anyway, here’s one for the mod and ska nights:

https://youtu.be/XhAec0h4lds

Redlester

Actually forget Whole Lotta Love. 

The most recognisable and musically influential riff in die ganze geschichte der musik ist Beethoven’s fifth symphony. 

Redlester

Mahler’s fifth

Schumann’s piano concerto

The Blue Mask by Lou Reed

So What accredited to Miles Davis but really some true Bill Evans/ Paul Chambers Magic