BEST ROCK INTROS EDITION 

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Or, as my Mom used to tell me, "making your bed sets the tone for the day" (and when your bed is made with a Speed Racer sheet set, that tone is fast living!).  There is perhaps no greater medium for grand first impressions than distorted electric guitars and bass (especially when paired with righteous pyrotechnics!).  To rank them would be a fool's errand - which of course would make it an errand square in my wheelhouse. Around the Grill & Tap we call these half-brewed ideas.

Another Half-brewed Idea: Ranking the greatest rock intros of all time

The criteria: Is it kick-ass? Does is sound even more kick-ass at the beginning of a road trip or when your closer is jogging to the mound?  And, most importantly, can you write three or four entertaining sentences about it?

Won't Get Fooled Again - THE WHO:  This is a song that has been used primarily to sell Japanese SUVs for the past decade and yet still has enough juice to give me goose bumps in a 15 second spot for CSI: Miami. Actually, the most sampled portion is Daltrey's primal scream at the end, but the introductory fluctuating synth coupled with Townsend's distorted guitar explosion is unparalleled. The chopped version usually heard on the radio is the single most persuasive argument against the four minute format in the history of music.

Sweet Emotion - AEROSMITH:  An overture that is so well produced that the transition to the body of the song is actually jarring and anti-climactic.  One of the smoothest baselines ever, and a rare example of the Vibra-slap used to good effect. What is a Vibra-slap, you say?  It's a bent metal rod with what looks like a wooden cowbell on one end and a wooden ball on the other. When slapped together it makes a rattle sound.  If any of your teachers ever described you as a 'slow learner' than you probably handled one of these bad boys sometime around middle school - it was in the bin with the tambourine and maracas, and it's most likely what Will Ferrell would hammer in the "More Cowbell" sequel.

Money for Nothing - DIRE STRAITS:  Okay, the ethereal lead in is a bit wispy. After all it is Sting singing falsetto in 1985, but the game is over once the pick hits string. You may not love it (perhaps you're more partial to German sedans), but this is the Cadillac of opening guitar hooks  - classic, legendary, and instantly recognizable.  All of that on top of an era-defining song, a genius notion of fascinating origin (entirely comprised of notes Knopfler took while eavesdropping on a delivery man at an NYC appliance store), and produced by what must be the least likely names in all of rock: Mark Knopfler & Neil Dorfsman.

Baba O'Riley - THE WHO:  Yes, I am wearing a Quadrophenia t-shirt right now, but how can you argue with this selection?  We all know it as the official song of teen angst (and bad titles); the music version of Catcher in the Rye. Did you ever wonder what this song is really about and why they didn't just call it Teenage Wasteland?  You don't want to know, trust me.  It's kind of like seeing how hot dogs are made - just turn a blind eye and enjoy your delicious snack. 

Welcome to the Jungle - GUNS N' ROSES:  The royalties this tune earned from NFL opening kick-offs alone has paid for enough Jack Daniels and heroin to anesthetize a medium sized nation and about eight too many years of studio time to record Chinese Democracy.

Honorable mentions: Where the Streets Have No Name - U2, Crazy Train - OZZIE OSBOURNE, Thunderstruck - AC/DC, Gimme Some Lovin - SPENCER DAVIS BAND, Foreplay - BOSTON.

If you're still weighing your options for Super Bowl Sunday, take a good hard look at the Grill & Tap! You'll be able to enjoy Super Sunday menu specials and the newly released Double Knot too - perhaps I'll even take a side wager with you on the over/under for first G'N'R play @ the stadium (the over is after the half-time kick-off).  By the way, guess Who's playing the halftime show?