Defining Moments

[RosaFloydGuy]

Every band or genre has moments that make it special. I'd like to know what you consider defining moments of a band or just a genre as a whole. Here's some of mine...

Pink Floyd-
The "Celestial Voices" section and Roger Waters's gong playing from "A Saucerful of Secrets" in Pompeii
Echoes. All of it.
"Funky Dung" from Atom Heart Mother
The talk box solo from "Pigs (3 Different Ones)"
Part VIII from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
The scream from "Careful With That Axe, Eugene"
The opening from "Sorrow"
The spoken opening from "Great Gig In The Sky"
The two solos in "Comfortably Numb"
"Marooned"
Breathe (Reprise) from "Time"
The hammer sequence from "The Wall" film
The helicopter sound at the beginning of "The Happiest Days of Our Lives"
"Dogs"

[Cubecubed]

I'll do this for my favorite band, Coheed and Cambria:

The Intro to "Time Consumer" (0:00- 1:16)
The Buildup and Release in "Delirium Trigger" (3:45- 4:10)
The Intro of "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth:3" (0:00- 1:08)
The Breakdown in "The Crowing" (2:30-3:30)
The "Pray for us all" solo in "The Light and the Glass" (6:35- 7:55)
The Intro to "Welcome Home" (0:00-1:02)
The Solos in "The Final Cut"(2:40-5:15)
Pretty much the Whole song of "No World for Tomorrow"
Everything After the "Hail!" part in "On the Brink". Important because its the end of the story Coheed's songs tell. (3:45-7:09)
The Soaring Chorus of "Here we are Juggernaut"

[Runesmith]

For goth and post-punk:

The dubby bass breakdown in Bauhaus' "She's In Parties."

The trumpet solos at the end of The Cure's "Close To Me." (the single version, not album one)

The guitar squalls in Sisters of Mercy's "This Corrosion."

Dave Allen's bass playing in Gang of Four's "Damaged Goods."

The marine life in B-52s' "Rock Lobster."

[clashcityrocker10]

Looking at the history of Western music as a whole (and the thread topic from a slightly different angle), there is no one moment more defining than the liberation of dissonance that occurred at the turn of the 20th century. I'd still argue that it's the most important development in musical history.

[Lameboy19]

that bass line on waiting room.

that bass line is the answer to everything

[clashcityrocker10]

that bass line on waiting room.

that bass line is the answer to everything

Actually, yeah, this supersedes what I said.

[RosaFloydGuy]

So I'm gonna bump this.

Dream Theater-
The last 5 minutes of "The Count of Tuscany"
The bass solo from "Metropolis, Part 1"
James LaBrie's high notes in "Learning To Live" and "Octavarium"
"Sacrificed Sons"
The harmonies of "The Spirit Carries On"
The sludgy riff at the end of "The Dark Eternal Night"
"The Glass Prison"
John Petrucci's solo in "Lines in the Sand"
The thunderous bassline in "Trial of Tears"
Kevin Moore's emotional piano in "Space Dye Vest"
Mike Portnoy's bass blasts from the intro of "A Nightmare to Remember"
The intro riff to "Bridges in the Sky"
Jordan Rudess's piano solo in "On the Backs of Angels"
"Lifting Shadows Off A Dream"

[Runesmith]

For 80s pop music:

That moment when the drums kick in during Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight." DADUM-DADUM-DADUM-DUH-DUN.

[Ultimatum]

Looking at the history of Western music as a whole (and the thread topic from a slightly different angle), there is no one moment more defining than the liberation of dissonance that occurred at the turn of the 20th century. I'd still argue that it's the most important development in musical history.

I really can't agree more.

[sonicnerd23]

For Led Zeppelin:

The pounding intro that opens up "Good Times, Bad Times"
2:06 - 5:02 of "Dazed and Confused"
The riff of "Whole Lotta Love"
"The Lemon Song". Just, "The Lemon Song".
"Moby Dick" and "Heartbreaker", serving as a testament to John Bonham and Jimmy Page's instrumental prowess repectively.
That moment at 1:44 in "Bring it On Home" where it transitions from the blues portion to raw, hard rock.
0:02 to 0:18 in "Immigrant Song".
Jimmy Page's solo from 3:38 to 4:52 in "Since I've Been Loving You" as well as Robert Plant's performance during that entire song.
The entire first side of Led Zeppelin IV.
John Bonham's drum beat in "When the Levee Breaks"
The climax of "The Rain Song" at 5:02
1:27 to the end of "Over the Hills and Far Away"
John Paul Jones haunting keyboards parts in "No Quarter"
The main riff of "The Ocean"
"In My Time of Dying". All of it.
The first minute or so of "Kashmir"
3:30 to 5:15 in "Achilles Last Stand"
The into and the harmonica and guitar solos in "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
Jimmy Page's solo in "In the Evening" from 3:43 to 4:57
The heartfelt chorus and instrumental sections in "All My Love"
Robert Plant's vocal delivery, John Paul Jones' synth layerings, and Jimmy Page's emotional guitar solo in "I'm Gonna Crawl"