Hannah Jane Parkinson ....
It's one of the most important elements of a piece of music; it can raise a good track to a great one, and a great one to a sublime one. If you hear the intro to a much-loved track in a club it'll raise heartbeats and hands; if you're drinking coffee in some corner of France and the opening chords of a song you heard years ago start drifting from a jukebox, they'll act as a Proust's madeleine; and the tinkle of a piano can send chills up your spine if it was the first dance at your wedding.
OK, there are hundreds of intros that grab my attention during the first few seconds. But were I to list, say, the top 50 (though I don’t intend to do this), I would hazard a guess that the band with the most entries in this top 50 would be….(Great British Bakeoff/Masterchef/Pop Idol pregnant pause)…AC/DC.
Highway to Hell, Back in Black, Hells Bells, Problem Child, Whole Lotta Rosie, Shot Down in Flames, Shoot to Thrill, If You Want Blood, It’s a Long Way to the Top, Walk All Over You, You Shook Me All Night Long…..and many more, all courtesy Angus and/or Malcolm Young, Glaswegian-born brothers who emigrated down under at a very early age.
Does anyone else have a contender with as many memorable intros? (I appreciate I’m biased towards the guitar riff !)
Certainly do! The two notes introducing ‘Good Times Bad Times’ by Led Zeppelin, The astonishing ARP 2600 intro to Baba O’Reilly by The Who and Sweet Child ‘O Mine by, of course, Guns N’ Roses. Incidentally, Guns N’ Moses don’t take themselves too seriously! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbYNHm39XSs
Agree all three, Howard….all exceptional intros. However, what I was really after was the name of bands with multiple exceptional intros. Having said that, I guess Led Zep, The Who, and G’n’R will all be up there (‘I Can’t Explain’?)…..yeah, too many to contemplate. There is a covers band comprising men of a certain age called ‘Gums and Noses’. My favourite band name will always be ‘Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead’ however!
Nice one Tony; thank you. Your next post will be live here on THURSDAY this week!
How about “Smoke on the water” Deep purple and “Money for nothing’ Dire Straits