Great Hooks & Hot Licks

aka eraser · Sep 11, 2007

Satisfaction came on the car radio this morning and I cranked it up (of course). I got to thinking about other memorable tunes that are instantly recognizable by their hooks.

There's Free's All Right Now, Zep's Whole Lotta Love, almost any of George Thorogood's stuff, Bo Diddley's Bo Diddley, Dire Straits' Money For Nothing and a whole load of others that aren't jumping into my brain at the moment.

I hunted for a couple of my favourite but lesser-known tunes that feature great, snakey guitar riffs. One is Chris Rea's Let's Dance* (cheesey vid but great song) and the other is Ben Harper's Burn To Shine* (cool, Andy Warhol-ish vid). Both guys are terrific guitarists.

What are some of your faves? Any I might not have heard?

* God bless YouTube.

C.bronco · Sep 11, 2007

Gimme Shelter, Freebird, Slow Ride, Dazed and Confused, Voodoo Child

I was standing next to a mountain,
Chop it down with the edge of my hand

appendix: The Ace of Spades,Master of Puppets, Best of You (Foo), Coming Down the Mountain (Juana's Addicion)

C.bronco · Sep 12, 2007

So there.

ChunkyC · Sep 12, 2007

Mississippi Queen by Mountain. First time I heard it, I was a rabid Leslie West fan before the song was over.

Of course there's Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. Got played way too much, but before I got sick of it, I loved it. There are a lot of Deep Purple tunes with wicked guitar chops. Ritchie Blackmore is a god.

Roundabout by Yes. Steve Howe is also a god.

And one of the best guitar riffs of all time: Crossroads by Cream. Eric Clapton is god.

III · Sep 12, 2007

C.bronco said:
Gimme Shelter, Freebird, Slow Ride, Dazed and Confused, Voodoo Child

I was standing next to a mountain,
Chop it down with the edge of my hand

appendix: The Ace of Spades,Master of Puppets, Best of You (Foo), Coming Down the Mountain (Juana's Addicion)

Who had the audacity to call you a dinosaur!? Heck, you're stretching all the way into the 1980's! You're a regular Judy Jetson! :tongue

ETA: Girl Like You by the Smithereens (since we're in the 80's)

ChunkyC · Sep 12, 2007

Ooo, just thought of another one: Reeling in the Years, by Steely Dan. Fantastic into riff, and the guitar solos are awesome.

Devil Ledbetter · Sep 12, 2007

James Gang, Funk 49.

Infectious opening hook, cowbells, everything. Happenin' little bass line there, too.

Magdalen · Sep 12, 2007

Telegraph Road by Dire Straits. ChunkyC please add Mark Knopfler to your list of guitar gods. Also, Radar Love by Golden Earring, although the drums dominate. 2nd that Gimmie Shelter et al Cbronco. But recently, say the past 5 years, I'm stumped. U2's Edge? Nothing really (blockbuster, everybody wants to hear it again type riff) memorable is coming to mind.!!!

What's gonna happen when all the guitar gods are gone? Who'll be there to lift my spirits with a jagged riff? Will my soul thrumm to a computer-generated guitar or will it all sound ho-hum?

Who will my son air-guitar? (Don't worry, I'll never truly get the Led out of my (CD) deck.

RG570 · Sep 12, 2007

Mother, by Danzig.

poetinahat · Sep 12, 2007

Ziggy Stardust, by David Bowie
How Soon is Now?, by the Smiths
Superstition, by Stevie Wonder (the SRV version is great too)
Love Will Tear Us Apart, by Joy Division
Anything by James Brown
Chocolate City, by Parliament
Sultans of Swing, by Dire Straits
Truckin', by the Grateful Dead
Ramblin' Man, by the Allman Brothers

Grrrr. I'm feeling very Rain Man right now. Thanks a LOT, Frankie.

Oh, that reminds me:

Relax, by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Ziljon · Sep 12, 2007

Frankenstein by Edgar Winter

ChunkyC · Sep 13, 2007

This is one many of you may not be familiar with, but it only takes the first few notes for me to be lost in the tune: Firth of Fifth, by Genesis from Selling England by the Pound.

RG570 · Sep 13, 2007

ChunkyC said:
This is one many of you may not be familiar with, but it only takes the first few notes for me to be lost in the tune: Firth of Fifth, by Genesis from Selling England by the Pound.

Yep, I love that one. Although I don't notice a hook in it, really. I guess Hackett's solo is quite memorable though. I listened to it just the other day and can't remember how most of the song goes, but I remember the solo.

ChunkyC · Sep 13, 2007

It's Tony Banks' piano intro that draws me in immediately. I tried to find a sample on Youtube, but there's nothing that great there, they mostly start after the intro, or are clips of a clone band. Ah, Amazon has a sample here, though still not from the beginning.

Yeah, Hackett's solo is wicked too.

RG570 · Sep 13, 2007

Speaking of Banks, That's All is one of the catchiest songs I've heard.

ChunkyC · Sep 13, 2007

Isn't it tho? Banks wrote my all time favourite Genesis tune: Undertow, from And Then There Were Three. The chorus is just magnificent.

III · Sep 13, 2007

poetinahat said:
Grrrr. I'm feeling very Rain Man right now. Thanks a LOT, Frankie.

Let me help you out, Rob...

97X
Baaaaam
The future of rock and roll

TrainofThought · Sep 13, 2007

Physical by Olivia Newton John
Born to Be Wild by Steppenwolf
Money by The Flying Lizards
Here Comes the Rain Again by Eurythmics
Like Dust by Passion Puppets
Strip by Adam Ant
White Lines by Grandmaster Flash
Joey by Concrete Blonde
Girl in Trouble by Romeo Void
What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes
Upstairs at Eric’s by Yaz
Don’t Stand So Close To Me by The Police
Walk Like an Egyption by The Bangles
Saturday Night by Bay City Rollers

Magdalen · Sep 14, 2007

III said:
Let me help you out, Rob...

97X
Baaaaam
The future of rock and roll

Definitly!!

Magdalen · Sep 14, 2007

III said:
Let me help you out, Rob...

97X
Baaaaam
The future of rock and roll

definitely

Magdalen · Sep 14, 2007

And who can forget Clarence jamming it up in Jungle Land ???

Mr. Fix · Sep 14, 2007

In England, any boy can grow up to be the Queen...

'Bohemian Rhapsody.'

'We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions.'

"I'm a singer because I knew I'd never make a good housewife darling."
Freddie Mercury - Queen. :e2crown:

C.bronco · Sep 14, 2007

Sweet Home Alabama (turn it up)
Who said Danzig? RG570, Mother was the best one. School's Out. Space Truckin'. Surrender.
Meatloaf: Bat Out of Hell.
Gold Dust Woman. Tusk (it's just cool).
You gotta respect the classics, man.

Mr. Fix · Sep 14, 2007

My favorite Karaoke song!

C.bronco said:
Sweet Home Alabama (turn it up)
You gotta respect the classics, man.

How could I have forgotten this one! I must now make sacrifice to the 'Van Zant' alter. :Hail:

C.bronco · Sep 14, 2007

The only karaoke I ever did was The Immigrant Song. Bless the poor souls who had to hear it.

Great Hooks & Hot Licks

Fish Whisperer

I have plans...

I have plans...

It's hard being green

rockin the suburbs

It's hard being green

Come on you stranger, you legend,

Petulantly Penitent

Numbers are beautiful

Tortilla di Patate

It's hard being green

It's hard being green

It's hard being green

rockin the suburbs

A flowering bud of bitchiness

Petulantly Penitent

Petulantly Penitent

Petulantly Penitent

Fixed on the future...

I have plans...

Fixed on the future...

I have plans...