h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A subject picked up by the guardian wobsite today, but it's a goodie for here.

My own pick is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5jaRipA5_M

Phantom of the Opera, Iron Maiden. If that intro don't get you going, you're already dead. Anyone seeing Daley Thompson?

SoRB

I like most of Pantera's intros... That's one of their strongest points. This Love, F***** Hostile, Cowboys from Hell, Domination...


I also love Michael Jackson's intros. His 1980s work, really.

Good call, SoRB. One of my faves is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oobDQ0vdm8M

Sweet Child O'Mine - GnR

AC/DC - 'Hell's Bells' springs to mind. Both a great song intro and, under the circumstances, a superb album intro.

Soundgarden's '4th Of July' is a corker too.

Still stuck on dial-up hence no YouTube linkies.

Another vote for AC/DC, but for me it has to be 'Thunderstruck':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvoeeq-BH4w

I'd also go AC/DC, but it has to be If You Want Blood (You Got It).

Guaranteed air-drumming for me, partly assisted by the film Empire Records, of course.

B

I also like Sweet Child O Mine... Because it's the most satisfying intro on Guitar Hero II (hard, not expert... and when you nail it you grin like an idiot for AGES!)

Enter Sandman - Metallica

Battery - Metallica
Blackened - Metallica
One - Metallica

In fact...

AC/DC - Back in Black (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tXaZmY52gHM)
Eric Clapton - Layla (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EtTBQohdi_0)

Queensryche - Anarchy-X
Offspring - Neocon (the whole song is an intro)
Queen - We Will Rock You
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Bang

Hmm, something of a pattern there - I seem to like drums!

Gif

Oo, and lots by Deep Purple - Speed King, Smoke on the Water, Child in Time.

Gif

Speaking of drums, Mahavishnu Orchestra's 'Vital Transformation' takes some beating.

Tool's 'Parabola' has a great intro. On the album it's split into two songs; Parabol, which is 3 minutes-ish, and Parabola, which is 6. Stick the two together, call it 'Parabola' with the first three minutes as the intro, and it's awesome.

Complete with surreal video and a minute of noise before the 3-minutes intro starts : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiV_ue-PbL4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj5eJnWyKEA

Smoke on the Water

Jumpin Jack Flash. The way all the instrument come together before the first signature riff is superb.

Anarchy in the UK. A statement of intent if ever there was one.

Ooh, Fade to Black by the Rolling Stones.

More drums, I'm afraid.

Gif

If we're going for drums, I'd like to toss a slightly unorthodox candidate into the mix...

'In The Morning' by Razorlight. It opens with about 30 seconds of drum beat - a long time to be playing on your own; not perfect, but deliberately a little rough and ready and a great primer for the guitar coming in.

It makes me feel dirty to admit it, but I quite like Razorlight.

B

Tom Petty - Refugee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ-bhM-xuec

John Mellencamp - Jack & Diane
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltQNe5B9tek

ELO - Roll Over Beethoven
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNr5ou_HsI&feature=related

and the one guaranteed to get everyone Chez Sho dancing and singing
The Eagles - Take it Easy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik2RmsvO99E