Sometimes it is the meaning behind a song that can help its popularity. A tribute to the band’s deceased singer, Bon Scott, ‘Hells Bells’ begins with a sinister riff and was the first song of the Back in Black album. Interestingly the song was American baseball player Trevor Hoffmann’s entrance music for over a decade!
Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.
This iconic song by Australian Hard Rockers AC/DC is immortalised for its arresting stop-start opening riff composed by lead guitarist Angus Young. Ahead of his time, Angus was acclaimed for his use of the palm-muting technique when performing the riff on his faithful Gibson SG. Reportedly inspired by the trials and tedium of life on a tour bus, the lyrics for this tune have secured it as an all time classic rock hit.
Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.
The opening riff to ‘Back in Black’ is pure genius – it’s a riff that everyone recognises and is instantly energised by. This applies to many of the riffs later in the song too: it’s a veritable cornucopia of catchiness distilled into a rock staple. The whole mid-section of the song, a clash of spiralling, duelling guitars, is solid evidence that whatever else AC/DC were, they were advanced musicians!
Buy this song at iTunes or Amazon. The official band site is here.
The Ultimate Rock Riffs