motorhead's thread got me thinking

46 comments

• motorhead

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  2 years ago

  You pretty much nailed it with Smoke on the water and Sweet Home Alabama
  
  I might add Layla to the list
  And Limelight by Rush is a personal favorite
• doctorevil

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  2 years ago

  I’ve got quite a few:
  
  Doors, Light My Fire
  Cream, White Room
  David Bowie, Fame
  The Guess Who, American Woman
  Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze
  Lords of Acid, Pussy
  Rolling Stones, Can’t Get No Satisfaction
• EastCoaster

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  2 years ago

  Great thread, and some outstanding choices for memorable opening riffs. Some more that come to mind:
  
  Beatles: Day Tripper
  Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
  Cream: Sunshine of Your Love
  Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Reaper
  Free: All Right Now
  Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane
  Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years
  Sam and Dave: Soul Man
  
  But for sheer numbers in memorable opening riffs, you can hardly beat Creedence Clearwater Revival:
  
  Proud Mary
  Fortunate Son
  Green River
  Down on the Corner
  Bad Moon Rising
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  Another one that gets your motor running
  Born to be Wild
  and just because Coolitas are a thing
  Hotel California
• Cashman1234

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  2 years ago

  The opening riff of Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses is pretty iconic.
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult; You Really Got me - The Kinks; Panic in Detroit - David Bowie; I wanna Be Sedated - Ramones; Wish you were Here - Pink Floyd; Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison; American Woman - The Guess Who; Ripple - The Grateful Dead; Tommy - The Who; Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison; Little Willy - The Sweet; The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy; Hocus Pocus - Focus. Taking Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive. You keep me Hangin On - Vanilla Fudge.
• SirLapdancealot

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  2 years ago

  Thunderstruck & You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
  One - Metallica
  Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
  Be All, End All - Anthrax
  Sweet Dreams - Eurhythmics
  How Soon Is Now - The Smiths
  City Baby's Revenge - G.B.H.
  Thieves - Ministry
  Bust A Move - Young MC
  California Love - Dr. Dre & Tupac Shakur
  
  
• rattdog

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  2 years ago

  jane-jefferson starship
  l.a. woman-doors
  wild nights-van morrison
  bark at the moon-ozzy osbourne
  junior's farm-wings
  cold sweat-thin lizzy
  heartbreaker-rolling stones, led zeppelin, pat benatar
  rock the casbah-clash
  fire it up-black label society
• newmark

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  2 years ago

  Obviously, Sweet Home Alabama is super-recognizable. But Lynyrd Skynyrd had several very memorable opening riffs.Freebird, Gimme Three Steps, Tuesday’s Gone all pop right into my head. A few other bands are the same way. Somebody already pointed out CCR. GnR has several in addition to Sweet Child o’ Mine. Lots of stuff by U2, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Van Halen too. And I’m missing a lot more. I think the point us that memorable riffs and iconic songs seem to be a hallmark of great bands.
• wld4tatas

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  2 years ago

  Green River - Creedence Clearwater Revival
  Venus - Shocking Blue
  The Width of a Circle - David Bowie
  
  
• TheeOSU

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  2 years ago

  Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street
• bang69

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  2 years ago

  Back in Black AC/DC
  Dirty deeds AC/DC
  Shook me all nite long AC/D
  Thunder struck AC/DC
  Girls girls girls Motley Crew
  Kick start my heart Motley crew
  Rattle snake shake Motley vrew
  Heart breaker Pat Banatar
  Detroit Rock City Kiss
  Good vibrations Beach Boys
  And so many others I can't think of.
• whodey

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  2 years ago

  A lot of the greats have already been mentioned but here are a few more.
  
  Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses
  Straight Outta Compton by NWA
  We Will Rock You and We are the Champions by Queen
  Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger
  Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
  What was I thinkin' by Dierks Bentley
  9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
  Final Countdown by Europe
• jaybud999

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  2 years ago

  Funkadelic: Maggot Brain
  
  Black Sabbath: Into the Void
  
  Rage Against the Machine
  
  
• Warrior15

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  2 years ago

  I like Bang69's list.
• Hank Moody

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  2 years ago

  Barracuda - Heart
  Whole Lotta Rosie -AC/DC
  Crazy Train - Ozzy
  
• gammanu95

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  2 years ago

  None of that rap crap?
  
  Lose Yourself - Eminem
• whodey

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  2 years ago

  Just heard Hot Blooded by Foreigner come on the radio and decided it had to be included here.
• TheeOSU

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  2 years ago

  Speaking of Foreigner, 'I Want to Know What Love Is' and 'Waiting for a Girl Like You'
• loper

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  2 years ago

  More than a feeling by Boston
• datinman

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  2 years ago

  China Grove - Doobie Brothers
  Money for Nothing - Dire Straits
  Woodstock - CSN&Y
• Hank Moody

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  2 years ago

  Right after I hit submit I thought shit, I should’ve added Lose Yourself, but my bestie wingman Gamma had my back. To add to the rock genre dominating the riffs I’d also add:
  
  Coolio - Gangsta’s Paradise
  50 Cent - In Da Club
  House of Pain - Jump Around
  
  And a rock song,
  Chili Peppers- Under the Bridge
  
  Opening notes on all of those get me hyped
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  Foreplay/Long time by Boston.
  
  And I know that the Van Halen song Eruption is it’s own song but is even better as a lead in to You Really Got Me.
• Hank Moody

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  2 years ago

  One of the greatest crimes is that Spotify doesn’t allow you to link songs. If your playlist has Eruption, it should always be followed by You Really Got Me. We Will Rock You followed by We Are the Champions. Heartbreaker followed by Living Loving Maid. It should be a law.
• rockie

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  2 years ago

  Ain't Wasting Time No More - The Allman Brothers, Baba O'Riley - The Who, Backstabbers - The O'Jay's, Dancing In The Moonlight - King Harvest, Green Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf, Lowdown - Boz Scaggs, Money - Pink Floyd, Right Place, Wrong Time - Dr. John, Taking Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive, Taking It To The Streets - The Doobie Brothers, These Eyes - The Guess Who, and Young American - David Bowie.
• Muddy

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  2 years ago

  ZZ Top's hits are all awesome riffs: Sharp Dressed Man, Got me under pressure, Legs, La Grange, Give me all your lovin
• londonguy

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  2 years ago

  Some great mentions on here. Nice to see Thin Lizzy get a mention (thanks Skibum). I saw them back in the day in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Easily in the top 5 concerts I have been to, especially as Gary Moore was on lead guitar as well as Scott Gotham.
  
  I’d like to add
  
  Bad Company by Bad Company
  Jane by Jefferson Starship
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  Hey folks I like all the music mentioned, but what I. actually talking about are the opening riffs, play Smoke on the Water, or Sweet Home Alabama, those riffs are not only unique, they are electrifying, not to take away from how great most of what y'all posted is, but aside from maybe The Joker by the Steve Miller Band, or the Jimi Hendrix version of Star Spangled Banner, they don't quite open the same way I/m trying to describe.
  
• misterorange

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  2 years ago

  This is tough to choose because there are so many great opening riffs. This list is actually whittled down by about half from what I had. Tried to take out any repeats...
  
  Stevie Wonder - Superstition
  Black Sabbath - Paranoid
  Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
  AC/DC - Givin the Dog a Bone
  Volbeat - Doc Holliday
  Foghat- Slow Ride
  The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
  Edgar Winter - Frankenstein
  Megadeth - Tornado of Souls
  The Doors - Soul Kitchen
  B-52's - Private Idaho
  Moorhead- Suicide
  Rick James - Superfreak
  Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
  Don Felder - Heavy Metal
  
• misterorange

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  2 years ago

  Ugh... Motorhead, obviously not Moorhead.
• crosscheck

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  2 years ago

  Van Halen - Unchained
• Cashman1234

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  2 years ago

  R Kelly - Thoi Thong
  
  I’m guessing it isn’t getting played much anymore - but it’s a very identifiable start to a song.
• ATACdawg

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  2 years ago

  Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
  Peace Train - Cat Stevens
  
• rockie

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  2 years ago

  25: Funny! While I like "Smoke On The Water", the opening riff is unremarkable to me. From where I sit - Sweet Home Alabama and Brown Sugar do resonate! Perhaps that feeling is an individual thing and you've already fulfilled your list.
  
  I do have another opening riff that has always resonated with me, but the song not as much - "Don't Wanna Fight" - Alabama Shakes
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  ^ Ok I can respect that point.
• mike710

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  2 years ago

  Mississippi Queen by Mountain comes to mind along with a lot that have been mentioned here.
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  ^ I’m a fan of that group i especially like their album Nantucket Sleighride
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  99.9% all good picks!
• Mate27

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  2 years ago

  “What’s the Frequency” by REM. Really sets the tone at the opening. Wasn’t a big fan of them, but I believe this was their best song with rock and roll characteristics.
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  ^Damn I agree, my day is ruined. Add in More than a Feeling and I wanna be sedated.
• DrStab

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  2 years ago

  Gimme Shelter - Stones
  Immigrant Song. - Led Xep
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  Enter the Sandman - Metallica. Wish you were here. Pink Floyd.
• elmer

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  2 years ago

  +1 for Give me Shelter
• Hank Moody

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  a year ago

  Kinda roundabout way to get here but Howard Stern was interviewing Lizzo and they were talking about the flute (she went to college on a flute scholarship). Anyway they talked about Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull. Iconic opening riff:
  
  Aqualung
• azdd

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  a year ago

  Great thread! I was scrolling through and saw a lot of favorites, and Mike710 finally mentioned Mississippi Queen by the amazing Leslie West and Mountain. My contribution is Stay With Me by Faces. Rod Stewart’s best era IMHO.
  
  Finally - wld4tatas - Venus by Shocking Blue??? Are you kidding me? You are really dating yourself with that one bud!
• gammanu95

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  a year ago

  I'll comment where i want