Best song intro

This is a very open-ended thread basically about everyone's opinion on the best intro to a song.  Some of my favorites include:

Gentle Giant-Prologue (right after the drum roll..awesome)

Yes-Close to the Edge (Steve Howe's work is amazing)

Genesis-Watcher of the Skies (Tony Banks, all there is to say)

Wev've had this thread before & 'The Revealing Science of God' won hands down!

Zagnut wrote: This is a very open-ended thread basically about everyone's opinion on the best intro to a song.  Some of my favorites include: Gentle Giant-Prologue (right after the drum roll..awesome) Yes-Close to the Edge (Steve Howe's work is amazing) Genesis-Watcher of the Skies (Tony Banks, all there is to say)

Excellent selection but I would also include Genesis Firth of Fith, White Willows Chemical Sunrise, and ELP's Tarkus ( all these  comesecond to your selection ofcourse)

I agree.....the intro of "Watcher..." is amazing, IMO better than the rest of the song itself.

Just to randomly name a few that immediately spring to mind:

Firth of Fifth is great, and Heart of the Sunrise as mentioned.  Also, the into to Breathe and Time from Dark Side ; Xanadu (Rush) ; .3 (Porcupine Tree) ; The Good Don't Last (Spock's Beard) ; Fooling Yourself (Styx) ; Fools Overture (Supertramp) ; To Be Over and Revealing Science (Yes) ; Hogweed (Genesis) ; Locomotive Breath, Cross-Eyed Mary (Jethro Tull) ; Gypsy, July Morning (Uriah Heep) ; Overture, synth intro's of Baba O'Reily, Won't Get Fooled Again (the Who) ; Over the Hills and Far Away, No Quarter (Led Zep)......and so, so many more

I don't beleive that these are all the best, but merely a few notable one's that i've recently heard.

ivan_2068 wrote: Anglagard...Jordrock: Mysterious and dark even when simple with Piano and Mellotron, slowly goes in crescendo until the first explosion. Genesis....Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, the a capella intro by Peter Gabriel is simply perfect and very emotional. Manfred Mann's Earth Band...Blinded by the Light: Great keyboard and vocals at the intro. Styx....Fooling Yourself: Not 100% Prog, but that intro has a really nice keyboard and acustic guitar. Yes....Machine Messiah: Every musician is perfect, even Geoff Downes who never was one of my favorite keyboardists. Uriah Heep....July Morning: Starts soft and grows in strenght as preparing for a fast hard track but suddenly changes into a ballad. Par Lindh Project...The Cathedral: Almost as listening Bach's music, nothing prepares for the rest of the song, brilliant. Strawbs....The Hangman and the Papist: Dramatic intro for adramatic track, Wakeman at his best Renaissance...Song of Sheherezade: Epic, monumental, perfect for thesong, one of the longests and best structured intros. Genesis.....White Mountain: One of the finest moments of Genesis. Iván

These are all also excellent selections

White Mountin is beatifull

King Crimson- The Night Watch

Gets my vote for one of the most beautiful intros.

 

Some other interesting tracks:

   Transatlantic: All Of The Above (Great Explosive Crescendo!)

   Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Tony Banks: genius!)

   Peter Gabriel: Darkness (GREAT!!!!)

   Dream Theater: Hell's Kitchen (Dark...)

   King Crimson: Sleepless (Great Tony Levin's bass line)

and obviously...

   Mike Oldfield: Amarok  !

Watcher Of The Skies (live version)

Roundabout (great with the piano sound which is played backwards and Stevie's guitar)

From The Undertow by Tony Banks (A Curious Feeling)

Firth Of Fifth

Larks' Tongues In Aspic Pt. 2

Red

and... and... and...

 

ENDLESS ENIGMA Part-01

great opening for the song and the album,

 

 

Rick Wakeman - Music Reincarnate

Peter Gabriel - Intruder

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Peter Gunn

Tangerine Dream - Logos

and other I cannot think of right now...