I'm pretty much in love with the beginning on Autolux's Turnstile Blues, it's a drummer's wet dream.

Another one I have to list is Queens of the Stone Age's If Only; probably the hardest-hitting opening riff they've ever done, followed up by a lyrically sparse SoCal desert rock-out. If you haven't heard their self-titled album and their sophomore release, Rated R, you can't truly appreciate the depth of their work.

Layla by Derek and the Dominos almost made it on here, but I haven't listened to that song in so fucking long and I haven't felt at all compelled to do so, therefore it is not worthy.

I was just listening to Dramamine by Modest Mouse and that is a pretty decent album opener, really sets the mood well I think.


So...umm, GO.

Thunderstruck's chainsaw singing/meedlies is pretty cool

EDIT: Baba O'Riley's intro is pretty cool

Do you mean song openings or album openings?

For song openings probably A Certain Romance by The Arctic Monkeys. For album openers...too many to count, lately I've been listening to "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe" by Okkervil River, I love the drum part in that song.

Song openings...I added an album opener because I rock. Actually, that Autolux song is an album opener, too.

The piano opening to "Joan Crawford" by Blue Oyster Cult is awesome, as are the vocal openings to "Renegade" by Styx and "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas. The old-movie detective style line at the beginning of "Smoke Two Joints" by Sublime is also cool. Pink Floyd has a lot of good song openings, naturally. The acoustic-harmonic part before "Roundabout" by Yes sounds good and sets the mood for the song. The five minute instrumental part before "Close To The Edge" starts is a great instrumental piece. Matt Bellamy did some awesome guitar intros before a lot of Muse songs in their live set last night.

Thanks for indirectly introducing me to Autolux.
Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind
Not a whole lot to explain about this one. It simply rocks.

Sam's Town is a great album opener for Sam's Town.
I love the intro to Sweet Child of Mine.

@ Willy: Hell Yeah! Love Baba O'Reily.

I dunno about openings s'much, but the interim to Muse's Butterflies and Hurricanes is killer

Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind
Not a whole lot to explain about this one. It simply rocks.

That's a really good one, it's one of the only long songs that actually sounds good at the beginning of an album.

the acoustic beginning of crazy on you...

Interlude of Falling Away serves as an intro for Hysteria. Again, killer

I dunno about openings s'much, but the interim to Muse's Butterflies and Hurricanes is killer
That is a good one.

Built to Spill - Goin' Against Your Mind
I really like the guitar at the beginning of Distopian Dream Girl.

The Eagles - Hotel California
I don't really like the Eagles but this intro really gets to me.