I think Nuno had ditched all the rack stuff by that point & was plugging right into a cranked up Fender...at least that's what I recall from his interviews at the time. Whatever, his tone was WAY better on that record...more orgainc & 'real' you can hear things like the springs in the guitars trem & him hitting the pickup selector switch in various spots.

IMO Joe's Garage is pretty memorable.

'Black Dog' on Zep IV left a huge mark on me too...what is that? Sounds like an Echoplex cycling around or something...it's cool whatever it is.

'Welcome to The Jungle' has gotta' be up there too...

'Gone' from the Black Crowes "Amorica" is killer too, sounds like I'm standing right there next to the guitar cab.

my vote for most SHOCKING intro is the peter gabriel "up" album intro.


i fell for that intro quite a few times when i first bought the cd,

especially, when the cd was in rotation with lots of other cds.


(it's SOOO quiet at the beginning, so you keep turning it up

and up and up an UP,


and then BAM -----------------------sucka)





now, whenever i hear it, i go DIVING for the volume control.



heh thanks, PG, for probably causing me permanant hearing damage heh



heh heh (i should re-draw that intro in my daw, so the volume is more even) heh heh

When I think of great album openers, "Where the Streets Have No Name" from the Joshua Tree by U2 is the defining moment for me. I have yet to hear an album start with such anticipation and then deliver until the last note. A masterpiece!

I often run at night and this is the first song I use to start my run. It completely sets the mood and then when you take in that night air with the city lights, its hard not to feel like Rocky.

heh

Ohhhh yeahhhhh...

I was just talking about that one the other day...

heh

Yeah.

That's gotta be the winner in terms of dynamic range usage!

can't believe no one has mentioned Mojo Pin from Grace.....there is so much 12K on that vocal, feels like he's floating from outer space - LOVE the verbs too

I like the way Led Zeppelin 4 kicks it off; Black Dog with that cool vocal intro.


Back In Black - Hells Bells (Classic with the Bell.... boooong....boooong.....)

Here is a couple for all you drummers out there;

Artist: Ozzy Ozbourne, Album: Diary of a Madman, Song: Over the Mountain, Drummmer: Tommy Aldridge

Artist: The Pretenders, Album: Learning to Crawl, Song: Middle of the Road, Drummer: Martin Chambers

For a little different genre:
Sergio Mendes - Fanfarra from the album Brasileiro.

100 piece samba group recorded in a Rio parking lot. Turn that up and be blown away.

Nice one! That one IS amazing!


Jon

"Whole Lotta Love"

"Selling England By The Pound"

"Satellite" - The Hooters

Damned-Machine Gun Etiquette.

Thought of some more...

Tom Waits- Nighthawks at the Diner.
King Crimson - Vrooom.

Toy Matinee - "Last Plane Out"

The album "Love", by the Cult. I really dig the simple clicking drum sticks intro on the first tune, Nirvanna.

Sympathy for the Devil - just classic.

Owner of a Lonely Heart - how distant it starts and then comes in real close, very London.

Pantera-'Cowboys From Hell'

"I Wanna be Adored" at the beginning of the Stone Roses first album is another great intro on a debut album.

Metallica - Master of puppets - Battery. C'mon!

Yes - Close to the edge

That whole acid crescendo sounds amazing on the LP version

King Crimson - Discipline

The chapman stick intro to "elephant talk" is a classic

Beatles - Revolver

"one...two.. three..." (intro to taxman)

don caballero - american don - fire back about your new baby's sex

and the intro track to hella's "hold your horse is"

right there with your ELO...

"The Dreamer... the unwoken fool..."

(cue the most badass sounding EMS vocoder EVER....)
"Just on the border of your waking mind... there is ... another time...)

The Who - Who's Next - "Baba O'Riley"

Pink Floyd - The Wall - "In the Flesh?"

The Offspring - Ixnay on the Hombre - "Disclaimer"

Rage Against the Machine - Self Titled - "Bombtrack"

Any pre-Black Album Metallica album...

Could go on and on...

"Love is the Drug" leading off the Roxy Music album Siren.

Someone walking out (into what is presumably night) opening a car door, the bass comes in, the car door closes, and the car zooms off...

Have to 2nd Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' - gives me chills just thinking about it

Parliment - Mothership Connection

-The Police, "Zenyatta Mondatta": "Don't Stand So Close To Me".
-Peter Gabriel "So": "Red Rain".
-The Police, "Synchronicity": "Synchronicity 1".
-PJ Harvey, "Rid of Me".
-Talking Heads, "Stop Making Sense": "Psycho Killer"

David

lamb lies down on broadway - genesis

verve - northern soul
roots manuva - run come save me

bulley

Yeah, there is some kind of magic there, Its fantastic

KK

-and also Sgt.pepper,

and "Breathe" with Pink Floydthumbsup

and "crazy" with Seal, when the music hits you after the opening verse, (its a great intro, but its not the album opener, just had to mention it:-)
KK

very trippy opening to Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland

SYL is absolutely amazing! Although I like their later stuff at least as much as City. Like the track "Aftermath" from the untitled 2003 CD. Wow. And check out their DVD of some live performances in a small venue. It's called "For Those ABOOT to Rock". heehee.

DP