Finest Moments

[upinkzeppelin2]

This thread is for discussion of the "Finest Moments" of any given band/artist. You could start with your favorite band or bands. For me, since I haven't been to many concerts and tend to enjoy studio music much more than live 9 times out of 10, I can simply name a song for a band's finest moment most of the time. So you can pick a song, a certain performance or even an interview or act by a particular artist or band member (like Bono in his involvement with AIDS in Africa, for instance). I think an album would be a bit too broad of an example of any given artists' "finest moment", but hey, no rules here really. As people throw in more and more artists, I'll tell (and hopefully others will too) what I consider their finest moment to be.

For me,

U2's finest moment is "With Or Without You" in the studio. It's hard to pick anything over any given live version I've seen of "Bad" but it's just too perfect to compete with.

Jimi Hendrix's finest moment to me is when he went into what is now called the "Woodstock Improvisation" after "Purple Haze" when he was playing Woodstock. This includes "Villanova Junction".

Led Zeppelin's finest moment is "Ten Years Gone" in the studio.

I believe I can cheat on what I said earlier with Pink Floyd, since each side of The Dark Side Of the Moon is one giant song with different parts. Side Two of this album is certainly their finest moment, if you ask me.

The Who's finest moment is "Amazing Journey/Sparks" off of Live At Leeds. That is what rock and roll was meant to sound like.

[Ryosuke]

upinkzeppelin2 said:

tend to enjoy studio music much more than live 9 times out of 10,

Blasphemy!

[Ayinger]

.....I've love "Ten Years Gone" and am not quite sure why....always gave me this grand sense of loss.........

And to be totally gay _{not that there's anything wrong with that} but there's a crescendo moment in this Styx song called "Suite Madame Blue" that never fails to give me goosebumps if it's being played at a high volume.

Also always get a sense of freedom when the sax break in Springsteen's "Jungleland" kicks in....like a warm rain coming in to wash away some of the blood and grit that was just foretold.

[wayved]

Ayinger--im gonna check out that Styx song.

I like this! This is cool!

Some of my favorite moments:

To follow what Paul said about Live at Leeds--"Substitute" is the best "feeling like shit about yourself" song EVER. The live at Leeds version absolutely dominates any other.

NEIL YOUNG-MELLOW MY MIND -- when he screams "Lonesome Whistle on a railROAD TRACK AINT GOT NOTHIN of those feelins that I had......" good grief. Grief indeed. SOmetimes I would just like to be mellow. FACK!!!!!!!!! I cannot explain to you how much I connected with that the first time I heard it. Therapy of the best kind, not to sound weak or dramatic.....

The beginning of Deathtrip from Iggy and the Stooges...The first 7 seconds of that song...So discordant....I wish they would have incorporated it into the song as a bridge or something.

Reclamation by Fugazi off of Steady Diet of Nothing.

Cursive-Staying Alive--a friend of mine died and for some reason I played this song at least 15 times in a row--the last couple minutes sounds like an ascension to some better place. My eyes are still pissed at me for letting so much water pass through them.

In a song called "Slick as Snails" by Robert Pollard and Doug Gillard off the SPEAK KINDLY OF YOUR VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT---- the guitar solo in the middle of the song is so simple and basic but it levels me everytime.

Genesis-Chamber of 32 Doors--for some reason when Gabriel wails"that wont Lead me back here again....take me away..." it hits my soul like a freight train.

Theres too many to list. these are the few that came to mind first. More to come!

[maarts]

Listening to Spleen And Ideal by Dead Can Dance for the very first time in the record store in 1985...for me the equivalent to get hit by lightning.

The part in which the brass kicks in at Come Together of Primal Scream....

"Wham bam thank you mam"...also in Carter USM's version on 30Something....

The kicking in of the monster-sequencer riff of the last part of Tangram Part I by Tangerine Dream...

Mike Oldfield's guitar solo on the opening of side 3 of Incantations....

Mark Hollis' breathless vocal in the chorus of Wealth by Talk Talk....


...got too many...

[upinkzeppelin2]

Dinosaur Jr.'s finest moment (or you could rather just say J. Mascis' finest moment) is the guitar solo on "Thumb" off of Green Mind. I can think of no other guitar solo that nearly brings me to tears.

Likewise David Gilmour's finest moment is the guitar solo on "Time" .......hmmmm or "Dogs". Hard to pick on that one.

Jimmy Page's finest moment is the solo on "I'm Gonna Crawl." That, my friend, is passion.

[Ayinger]

Page's little guitar solo in "Tangerine" was always a favorite.....hardly even there but when it dives in off of Plant's last note I just kinda dig it.

I love the false ending on Presley's "Suspicious Minds"

The part in "Unsatisfied" by The Replacements when Westerburg finally cries 'I'm so...UNsatisfied'

[wayved]

The gong at the end of the whole Nights in White Sating thing by The Moody Blues--cos it scared the shit out of me. I brace myself now--i usually click it off before it happens.

the doo-doo wah part in "Candy Says" by the Velvet Undergound

The final 30 seconds of Peter and Gordons "True Love Ways"

Buffalo Toms Walking Wounded "Maybe its something only I can see--maybe only I can see-yeaaahhuh"

Lemonheads - Confetti--last chorus. So effective.

Ayinger-I had that Suspicious Minds 45 as a kid! I did not understand why he did that. I thought it was awesome though.

The ending of "Flotsam and Jetsam" by Peter Gabriel.

Kate Bush's vocal on "Heavy People" --

The chorus of "Head First" by the Babys. Its a drug.

Otis Reddings vocals on "All The Days"--it makes you feel terribly sad that you are mortal. Maybe I should speak for myself. Makes me think about what I have. the good things in life. How Im thankful. I break right down. Not sissylike or anything--but close man. I played it in the car once and It just happened. I wasent alone so I had to change the tape. I had no fucking control over my eyes! That track reminds me.

[wayved]

Im gonna check out those tracks you mentioned maarts. I want to hear th MONSTER SEQUENCER RIFF.

[JACkory]

Genesis-"The Musical Box"...Everything I love about Gabriel-era Genesis is encapsulated in this song. I especially love the end section, where Gabriel sings, "Why don't you touch me...Now, now, now, now, now..."...Glenn's choice of "Chamber of 32 Doors" is a good one, too. Lots of emotion in that last line.

Pink Floyd-"Dogs"...A mammoth, epic track that gets lost in the popularity of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. My favorite section is the "aquatic/drowning" bit that follows the line "Dragged down by the stone"...("stone, stone, stone, stone, stone, stone, stone")

Miles Davis-Bitches Brew...I don't care what the jazz purists might say. This is the bridge between jazz and rock. The groove never lets up throughout the course of 4 album sides (or 2 CDs, whichever you prefer).

Bruce Springsteen-Tunnel of Love...If you've ever loved and lost (or just really loved someone), it's difficult to really listen to this album without feeling overcome with emotion. I'm not ashamed to say that by the time it gets to "Valentine's Day" I've usually got a couple of tears dripping down my cheeks. Springsteen's concept album about the many facets of love, IMO, is his finest moment, surpassing even his seminal early work with the E-Streeters.

The Who-"Won't Get Fooled Again"...When Daltrey lets go of that blood curdling scream, you know you've just heard pure, undistilled rock and roll. Townshend's guitar work ain't too shabby, either!

Led Zeppelin-"When the Levee Breaks"...What can I say? It rocks harder than a hurricane.

Sex Pistols-"Bodies"...Forget "Anarchy in the UK" and "God Save the Queen". Johnny Rotten is at his most vitriolic when he sneers "Fuck this and fuck that, fuck it all and fuck her fucking brat, she don't want a baby who looks like that, I want a baby who looks like that". Thay didn't have Parental Advisory stickers in '77!

Red House Painters-"Grace Cathedral Park"...I first heard this song the weekend that my dad passed away and the melancholy, poetic brilliance assured that I would be a hardcore RHP fan for life. Of all the beatiful lyrics in this song, I most like "Tell me why are you like this? Are you the same with anyone? Save me from my sickness and tell me why are you like this? Why are you like this?" Chills even nnow as I type. "Bubble" is a close runner-up.

Sun Kil Moon-"Salvador Sanchez"...Kinda like he did on "Make Like Paper" (from RHP's Songs For a Blue Guitar, Kozelek seems to channel the spirit and style of Neil Young & Crazy Horse in this tribute to several Mexican boxers who came to America to practice their chosen sport (Kozelek is a huge fan of boxing). A grungy, sloppy mess of a song, it never fails to get me singing along (even though I can only understand about 40% of the lyrics}.

Mark Kozelek-"Ruth Marie"...I was going to say "You Ain't Got a Hold On Me" (the best of his AC/DC reconstructions), but then I remembered the first time I heard this song, how it brought me to tears half-way through. It is a painfully sad song about an elderly woman consigned to a nursing home (or is it a mental hospital?) and her longing to see her daughter again before she dies.

The Clash-"Complete Control"...London Calling notwithstanding, I still think that the Clash's finest moment is Joe Strummer's raving during the end section of this song, followed by Mick Jones' intense 3-note guitar solo. It's not the first time I've praised this song, so it should come as no surprise that I chose it for this list.

The Beatles-"Tomorrow Never Knows"...So many fine moments from these guys, but this one seems to be transitional, the band moving into completely uncharted territory. All those backwards tape loops, the druggy lyrics, the incessant tribal drum pounding...I tell you it sounds as fresh and exciting today as it did in '66 (at least I THINK it was released in '66).

The Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers...And "Sway" in particular. That song floors me every time I hear it. Jagger's vocals are as emotive and expressive as they've ever been and the guitar solo at the end is exquisite. The whole album is full of gems, capped by the magnificent "Moonlight Mile", which also finds Jagger singing at his best.

R.E.M.-"Kahoutek"...I know this is an extremely unconventional choice for R.E.M.'s "finest moment". It took me a long time to "get it" but once I did I fell in love with it. I really should put the whole Fables of the Reconstruction LP on this list but it's weighed down by drivel like "Can't Get There From Here" and "Old Man Kinsey" (although it must be said that those are the ONLY two clunkers on the album, IMO).

Joy Division-"Disorder"...How can you not be spooked when Curtis starts yelling "I've got the spirit, but lose the feeling...feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling" almost as if the mere act of chanting the word could possibly bring the feeling back. Lots of great "fine moments" in the Joy Division catalogue. This one just happens to be the one that moves me the most. Oh yeah, Peter Hook's bass part is incredible!

Black Sabbath-"Black Sabbath"...I remember when I first heard this as a kid. It scared the hell out of me. Genuinely spooky atmosphere (what with the church bell and the sound of falling rain) and Ozzy's pleas, "Oh no! No! Please God help me!" That's CLASSIC!

Alice Cooper-"Halo of Flies"...A lot of the Coop's music had a freak-show carnival quality to it. Not this one. His backing band, the Billion Dollar Babies (although they weren't called that at the time) never sounded tighter as they sink their teeth into this epic track about international spies. If you like killer rock music but have dismissed Alice Cooper for whatever reason, you owe it to yourself to check out "Halo of Flies".

Yes-"And You and I"...Prog rock at it's finest. Everything's just about perfect, from Jon Anderson's otherworldly vocals to Rick Wakeman's swirling keyboard parts to Steve Howe's slithering guitar whirlwind (and the acoustic plucking in the middle section). Bill Bruford and Chris Squire should also be mentioned, as they manage to play complicated parts while still anchoring the song.

Neil Young-"Tired Eyes"...Young's plea to a drug-addled friend is the best cut from a consistantly great album, Tonight's the Night. Drenched in emotion and pathos, one can be forgiven for thinking he's singing the song to himself.

[Ayinger]

I can't believe JAC brought up "Musical Box" as I almost posted the other night how I love the moment off the first live album when the guitar rips in during that song....and he's also so much right on the 'now, now, now' part! NICE pick!

Further on JAC's comments:

The scream in "Won't Get Fooled Again" is indeed classic but as a close second (and that I brought up on another board), I have to also give a nod to Sammy Hagar's shriek into the violin playout on his version of Patti Smith's "Free Money" --- really good yellch!

Sticky Fingers ....yeah, there is just this mood cut on this album,,,,and I am not a psycho Stones fanatic,,,,but by the end of "Moonlight Mile" ya do feel like you've been taken someplace and back. Bewitching it 'tis.

Yes "And You & I" - the version off of Yessongs has ALWAYS been a favorite.....again, a feeling that you've been taken someplace. Perhaps trumped somewhat just by the opening moments falling into place on "Starship Trooper" on the same album....hell, the ending on that too is climatic to say the least. I'm also a sucker for Anderson's vocals during the "Soon" segment of Relayer's "To Be Over".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Others:

Brian Ferry's whistling at the end of "Jealous Guy" - The live High Road/Heart Still Beating version --- just so on.

Jimi Hendrix's take of "All Along The Watchtower" --- this is magic genius from start to finish and IMO reinvents the song to an unthought level.

Gary Moore's single bent-&-held-note-for-eternity during live versions of his blues epic "Parisienne Walkways"

Chrissie Hynde's 'fuck off' in "Precious" from the 1st Pretenders lp

Duke Ellington's saxman Paul Gonsalves just going OFF in the Newport Jazz fest of '56 doing 27 solo chorus takes during "Diminuendo in Blue/Crescendo in Blue" -- the crowd goes nuts and jazz is reborn.

Johnny Cash's take of NIN's "Hurt"

John Lennon yelling 'I've got blisters on my fingers' at the end of "Helter Skelter"

Cheap Guitar Solo Thrills (heavy on the 'old stuff'):

"Magic" - Pilot
"Goodbye To Love" - The Carpenters
"Play That Funky Music" - Wild Cherry
"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man " - Prince
"Black Cat" - Janet Jackson
"Miss Me Blind" - Culture Club
"She Bop" - Cyndi Lauper
"Strange Way" - Firefall
"Rose Of Cimmeron" - Poco
"25 Or 6 To 4" - Chicago
"Funeral For A Friend" - Elton John
"5.7.0.5." - City Boy
"Hold The Line" - Toto
"Driver's Seat" - Sniff 'N The Tears
"ah Leah" - Donnie Iris
"Can't Stop Hurtin' Myself" - Greg Khin _{(I LOVE this one!)}
"Call Me" - Blondie
"Baker Street" - Gerry Rafferty
"Night Owl" - Little River Band
"As The Raven Flies" - Dan Fogleberg


fuck, I'm diggin too far back.......but you understand the drift, right?

[upinkzeppelin2]

Great posts, you guys! Yeah, JAC. "Dogs" is tha shit. I think I mentioned it as one of Gilmour's finest moments earlier. Yep, just looked and I did. I love that part you mentioned though: stone, stone, stone. Classic Floyd.

I think Duke Ellington's finest moment is "Fluerette Africaine". I haven't heard much from him but I still doubt I will ever find a track that touches me more. Seriously doubt it. It isn't only the best Ellington I've ever heard, but also the best jazz I've ever heard, period.

Neil Young's finest moment is my favorite song of all time: "Expecting To Fly" If I start writing what all I think about this song I'll be here all day.

Oh, and yes, JAC, Revolver came out in '66.

[RocDoc]

_{Duke Ellington's saxman Paul Gonsalves just going OFF in the Newport Jazz fest of '56 doing 27 solo chorus takes during "Diminuendo in Blue/Crescendo in Blue" -- the crowd goes nuts and jazz is reborn.}


THIS is the one that everyone's GOT to hear....it's 19fucking56 fergodssakes and the crowd is just buzzing and buzzing, hollering and screaming...and the increasing energy is so palpable when you hear this piece, that there's no way you can miss that there's something seriously grabbing these people...

This is what music is supposed to be all about.

[upinkzeppelin2]

Yeah, my bro told me about that, how they nearly rioted when he tried to end the show.

[maarts]

wayved said:

Im gonna check out those tracks you mentioned maarts. I want to hear th MONSTER SEQUENCER RIFF.

Ah, and what a riff it is. Emanating from a serene short ambient break, the main riff appears as a ship through the mist...within 16 bars it's being supported by a countermelody on an electric piano before they are being anchored into the ground by another sequencer-riff which doubles in intensity and thunders into the skull- covered by an industrial-like set of soundeffects offset by Froese's electric guitar....wow!

Tangram was my first TD-album and always has remained one of my favourite electronic albums.