Spine-tingling musical moments

[Montauk6]

Of course, I mean this in a good way! Whether it was something you heard at a live performance or on a CD on the radio or on TV or in a movie or WHEREVER!

Off hand...

Joan Osborne - "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Pearl Jam - "Can't Keep"
The Passengers (Bono & Pavarotti) - "Miss Sarajevo"
Cher - "Half Breed"
Angie Reddy - "Angie Baby"
Ray Charles - "America The Beautiful"
The Staple Singers - "Too Close"
PJ Harvey - "Angeline"
Aretha Franklin - "Mary, Don't You Weep"

[NMDemDist2]

1. The Star Spangled Banner-Super Bowl 25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldXjOAMBjV0

[thefool_wa]

2. Ok, time to get my geek on

The crescendo of the Yoda movement from the score for The Empire Strikes Back takes the cake for tingles in both intensity and longevity.

Something about the light peaceful flutes building up to the horns and the whole thing ending Yoda's condemnation of, "That is why you fail." is powerful to me even 25 years later.

When I watch ESB that scene will still choke me up a little and it is all about the music (the movie isn't all that emotionally intense there). In fact the whole Yoda movement is probably my favorite piece of classical music (if you can really call movie scores classical music - modern classical?).

On the popular music side of things:

Bad Religion - "Sorrow" (punk rock gospel)
Elvis Presley - "Peace In the Valley" (original gospel :) )
Green Day - "Wake Me Up When September Ends" (2nd best 9/11 song written)
Disturbed - "Prayer" (best 9/11 song written)
NIN - "Wish" "Closer" and "Something I Can Never Have" (noise never sounded so good)

[Bullwinkle925]

3. Wow - powerful post.

For me it would be much of the music in "Les Miserables". Whenever I play the CD I do get shivers and tingles esp. with the songs: "One Day More", "Red & Black", "On My Own" "Who Am I" and "Drink with Me"..

this music stirs my soul. Such patriotism - such romance - such drama.

[Montauk6]

5. "Bring Him Home" without a doubt

[thefool_wa]

6. Amen brother! Viva La Revolution!

I own the Les Mes soundtrack, that music is AMAZING!

I just wish I could have seen it before they closed up shop. The year after I first heard it (and saw the PBS "concert" that featured the cast and the music performances, but none of the actual play) they stopped touring and two years ago (I believe) they stopped performing it altogether.


:( :cry:

I'm sure reading Hugo's book would be just as powerful, but without the music :( Still, as a student of the revolutionary mind I should probably read it.

[nykiera]

55. Les Miz is back on Broadway

They are doing a limited run (revival).

http://www.lesmis.com/pages/tickets/tickets.htm

http://www.broadway.com/gen/Show.aspx?si=1251

[radwriter0555]

9. Madonna's version of Evita is like that too... that was a role she was indeed

born to play and a song she was meant to sing.

It's an eclipse, Madonna, at that age, in that role, at that time, singing that song.

[tigereye]

11. best singing she's done IMO

[lukasahero]

51. Ack - wrong place.

[Archae]

4. "In The Air Tonight"

Phil Collins. That drum riff in the middle.

Michael Jackson doing the "Moonwalk" live for the first time, to "Billy Jean."

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Waaaayyyy too many to think of at once

But let's see...

•The 1812 Overture

•The choir crescendo near the end of "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

•The crescendo at the end of "WPOD" on the Tubes' live album

•Most of "The Wall"

•"Also Sprach Zarathustra"

•Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor

•A whole lotta Big Band stuff, especially "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)"

•The crescendo we nailed on this song called "Reconcilliation" in Central Coast Section Honor Choir in 1974 (My tonsils almost exploded, but it was hot.) :7

[radwriter0555]

8. Bette Midler, Grammies, singing Wind Beneath My Wings.... she started out

slowly, firmly and just grabbed everyone's attention, we were ALL of us, every single one, holding our collective breath, riveted by her grace and perfection... She is just SUCH a spectacular performer...

we were ALL mesmerized, the entire hall; she was at the top of her game... and suddenly as she hit the chorus, she TWIRLED... just a simple grab of her skirt, and a full sweeping twirl and somehow, it broke the tension and everyone JUMPED to their feet SCREAMING and applauding as she swept into the chorus, full voice. It was just a magical moment from a true, genuine absolute DIVA... she brought it home.

[tigereye]

10. when we saw Anonymous 4 in concert

breath taking

[Xipe Totec]

12. Les Miserables - Finale and do you hear the people sing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvkjLSkGS9g

[Bullwinkle925]

17. Absolutely .....

very stirring music.

[electricmonk]

13. The Clash on SNL

When they played Straight to Hell.

The entire concert the first time I saw Fugazi in 1988 at the 9:30 Club in DC.

[terrya]

14. Barbra Streisand singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the Oscars.

It was the Oscar telecast following 09/11. Understandably, it was subdued that year. But at the end of the telecast, Ms. Stresisand sang this wonderful song...and I literally had goosebumps. A simply amazing moment.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

15. some live performances I've seen

The Tallis Scholars live a cappella --- truly heavenly (And I'll give a hearty second vote to the person who mentioned Anonymous 4)!!!

Also, another fabulous singing group, Chanticleer.


Jacqueline du Pre, the hottest fiddler of the 20th century. When I say "HOT", I don't mean looks; I mean totally on fire, pouring tons of energy and charisma into the music.
She was the subject of the film "Hilary and Jackie". Emily Watson did a fabulous job of recreating that kind of excitement. It's a real tearjerker.

Jacqueline du Pre looked like an angel, played like an angel, and her record label was, guess what: Angel Records.

Note:I use the term "fiddler" to mean violinist, violist, cellist and string bassist. Those are all fiddles of various sizes to me. And it's a lot easier to tell people I'm a fiddler than it is to say violinist, even though I can't stand country fiddling.


Arthur Rubinstein, the great pianist, putting on a solo recital when he was EIGHTY-TWO years old and I was in high school!!! THREE encores, no less!!!

Thomas Hampson, baritone, performing Stephen Foster songs!! No wonder his nickname is "Thomas Handsome". And he ain't just looks.

Any good a capella group, when they're all in tune with each other and you hear overtones that aren't on records -- the barbershop people call it "bustin a chord". I heard the world champion barbershop quartet (at the time 1988 The Interstate Rivals) singing live, non-barbershop stuff that did some serious chord busting. I don't like pure barbershop because it's too restrictive (certain chords only can be used, the lead must be in the 2nd tenor, etc.) but a good acapella group is something else. The Interstate Rivals have a CD with a lovely version of "What a Wonderful World".


Leo Kottke!!!


I've had lots of those "chills" moments at the opera. The singers are not as individualistic as they used to be, but now they teach them to act. They put the words up over the stage in English now, so you can keep up with what's going on. That totally changed and rocked my world. Those love duets have practically turned into the horizontal bop, and I am not kidding.

Beverly Sills in her prime doing "La Traviata".
====
on recording: The Dies Irae in the Berlioz Requiem where the choir is sizzling in hell!

[femmocrat]

16. Elvis' "American Trilogy" live.

Actually anything by Elvis live.

[rug]

18. The last third of "Society's Child".

[Redneck Socialist]

19. Peter Rowan and Tim O'Brien have more than I can count

and Jerry and the Boys have done me in many a time.

[Montauk6]

20. Others I just thought of...

Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Incense & Peppermints" (the "sha-la-la" ending)
Jackie Wilson - "Danny Boy"
Rev. James Cleveland - "Without A Song"
Frank Sinatra - "Wave"
Paul McCartney - "All Things Must Pass" (at the memorial "Concert For George")

[izzybeans]

21. Mark Kozelek performed one of his Red House Painters' songs called Michigan

that brought me to tears. I've never had a good cry set to live music like that.

[Orsino]

22. The Who: "Won't Get Fooled Again"

Daltrey's final scream, on top of the drum and guitar crescendo. It may be the single greatest moment in all of rock.

[DrDan]

23. Amos Garrett's guitar solo

on Maria Muldaur's Midnight at the Oasis

sent chills up my spine

[reyd reid reed]

24. Way too many to list...

mostly at live performances, but a lot of recorded ones, too. And virtually every one of my kids' concerts.

[Bridget Burke]

25. The reprise of "O, Fortuna"

At the end of Carmina Burana.

Parts of The Messiah--from the 1975 recording by Neville Marriner with the orchestra & chorus of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The soloist & chorus in "O Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion." And Emily Ameling's "I Know that my Redeemer Liveth."

Lowell George's solo on "Tripe Face Boogie"--in several shows from the 1970's. No commercially available live recordings caught him at his peak. (Although I've heard of a "bootleg" available on the 'net.)

Edited to add: Sviatoslav Richter reducing the piano to a pile of kindling as he pounds out the last part of "The Great Gate of Kiev." From the solo Pictures at an Exhibition, recorded in Sofia in 1958. An Amazon reviewer: "Some have said that this is the greatest piano recording ever made of anything, period."

[AllegroRondo]

29. Love that Carmina Burana

that reprise hits you like a wall of sound, and knocks you back into your seat.

[Rambis]

26. Grateful Dead

Jerry on looks like rain I swear there was a waterfall in there sometimes at least a mist

Terrapin... Inspiration move me brightly...

China Doll-
Take up your china doll
it's only fractured -
and just a little nervous
from the fall"

We bid you goodnight
Attics
Morning Dew
Drumz-space-Miracle

I will stop now-

[KittyWampus]

60. Graterful Dead doing The Wheel outdoors in Lewiston Maine.

[StaggerLee]

27. The Cure's Letter to Elise

jolts my spinal column

[last_texas_dem]

28. "Like a Hurricane" by Neil Young gets to me

Mostly the guitar work towards the end...

The long live version of "Eight Miles High" by the Byrds, when the vocals begin.

"Bastards of Young" by the Replacements, when it speeds up at the end; also the yell in "The Ledge"- that one always affects me

"Black" by Pearl Jam (especially the lyrics towards the end and the fade-out)

The instrumental break in "Don't Fear the Reaper" by BOC (but maybe that one just creeps me out!)

"Someday Never Comes" by CCR and "A World of Hurt" by the Drive-by Truckers (with these it's more the emotional lyrics than anything, but they really get to me)

The instrumental section on "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells

The "fighting section" and the fade into the bagpipes on "Sky Pilot" by Eric Burdon and the Animals- and when the vocals come back in on the chorus as the song ends

Anyway, I know I could think of more, but I've rambled enough...

[youthere]

30. The soundtrack to the Lewis &Clark IMAX film.

it's almost overwhelming.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. Eugene Ormandy conducting Philadelphia in Beethoven's 9th

at Wolf Trap in the mid 1970s...I wish I could remember what year. I was in tears...

[Rabrrrrrr]

32. The entire 'Aufersteh'n' from Mahler's Symph. No. 2

Breathtaking! And always brings tears.

[Rabrrrrrr]

33. The "Alleluiah" ending to Steve Reich's "Tehillim"

Absolutely spine-tingling!

[ET Awful]

34. Janis Joplin - Ball And Chain n/t

[jobycom]

35. Aaron Neville's "Louisiana" and John Berry live "O' Holy Night" on

some country talk show (I can picture the host, but can't remember the name.) For some reason John Berry, a true tenor, turns in decently average studio performances, but live he hits the highs in a way to make your skin sparkle. I saw live once climbing the ladder at the end of "O Holy Night," and hitting the final high in a way that, literally, brought tears to my eyes. Never would have believed it from him from just hearing his studio songs. And I've never been able to find that exact performance recorded anywhere.

[Scout1071]

43. Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline.

Neville's version breaks my heart. I tivo'd it that night he performed it live and must have watched it 20 times.

[Ariana Celeste]

36. My first time listening to Pink Floyd's DSotM all the way through

Which was playing over Wizard of Oz. ;) Which most certainly added to it.

I was also under the influence. That probably helped. :D

[Strawman]

37. Lou Reed

Street Hassle (the song)
Most of the Berlin album Here Comes the Bride
Magic and Loss (the album)

[mitchum]

40. Is it the "Love has gone away..." verse in particular?

Lou Reed is my all time favorite songwriter and singer. Despite the public perception, when he is good no one is better at expressing vulnerability (either lyrically or vocally) No one. I think that particular verse has the most nakedly human singing I have ever heard.
You have very good taste, my friend

[Strawman]

50. Yeah, when he comes back in after the Springsteen part

That's what I was thinking at first. Also the spoken part where he says:

"Some people got no choice/ and they can never find a voice/ to talk with that they can even call their own/ so the first thing that they see/ that allows them the right to be/ why they follow it/you know it's called/ bad luck."

Lou is my favorite as well. Not so much the more hip, detached Velvets Lou, or the Velvet Goldmine-esque Transformer glam Lou either (although I like them as well). Personally, I feel more of a connection to solo Lou with all his imperfections. Lou the alcoholic. Lou the guy whose friend just died. Lou who ponders the "great adventure" of becoming a dad. Lou who thinks about the Day John Kennedy Died. Sometimes when he attempts ballads he can be too syrupy to listen to, and not all of the risks he takes succeed, but I still appreciate and the emotional effort and identify with the sentiment. And when he does it right, there is not a more emotionally compelling songwriter around, IMHO. That's his appeal. I mean objectively he's a terrible singer and a pretty weak guitarist, yet I love his vocals and his signature guitar tones. It's his song writing and his uncanny sense of how to perfectly execute his songs despite limited singing and playing ability.

I hope he releases something new soon. I honestly didn't care for The Raven that much. I thought Ecstasy was a good album before that as well as Set the Twilight Reeling. I love the song "Adventurer" off of Set the Twilight Reeling. Lyrically, it's just this amazing appreciation of his friend's committment to self-actualization. I mean who else in popular music can write about a subject like that and do it so well? And the guitar on that song is so "Lou." The end of that song when his guitar comes in on one side of the stereo channel is like perfect punctuation to the verse and makes it a very sublime listening experience for me.

[mitchum]

38. Greg Smalley singing "Just My Imagination" a month before he died...

while Greg and everyone in the room knew that he was dying.
"The Living Bubba" lives

[Arkana]

39. The orchestra during the boat chase in "Pirates of the Caribbean".

I get goosebumps when I hear it.

In fact, just typing this, I had to listen to it.

[Bucky]

41. When the music lulls for a second and (in a French accent!) Ken says "C'mon Barbie, let's go party"

Then the throbbing disco beat returns.

[Scout1071]

42. Here is what immediately pops into my head -

Live:

Seeing the Grateful Dead for the first time. Three solid nights at Alpine Valley. At the end of the night, they gathered at the front of the stage together and sang "And We Bid You Goodnight" in a capella. I was stunned. I can still hear it today:

"Lay down my dear brother, lay down and take your rest,
Won't you lay your head upon your savior's chest,
I love you all, but Jesus loves you the best
And we bid you goodnight, goodnight, goodnight."


At those shows, it rained....and rained....and rained. We camped in the parking lot for 3 days with about 50,000 other people. Yet somehow, magically, the rain stopped just before the start each night. But, the last night, they struck up "Looks Like Rain":

"Yes it looks like rain, surely looks like rain
Turnin grey and it looks like rain
Here it come again, here come the rain...
Well it looks like rain and feels like rain
Here come the rain...
All my life I've seen rain and I've seen rain...
Rain, rain, go away, I can't take no more rain today...
I can't stand the rain..."

As they started the song, lightning hit the horizon.....almost on cue. Then, amazingly, just as they hit the last verse of the song (above), it started pouring down warm summer rain. We all succumbed to the rain and the party raged on, but was an amazing moment.

Pink Floyd in 1987 or 88 was also amazing. The Stones around the same time were still amazing.

U2 on the Joshua Tree tour is probably in my top 10 favorite concerts. Prince would probably fall somewhere on that list too.

Finally, any time I see Bonnie Raitt live and she sings "Angel From Montgomery" I absolutely want to cry and smile. Hearing Bonnie sing that song just hits me to the core.

Recorded? Sgt. Pepper and Pink Floyd's The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon. Paul Simon's Graceland is also a classic for me.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

44. 1:30 into Miles Davis' "So What."

When Miles finally comes in.

Also, the piano solo by Jim Gordon in "Layla."

[last_texas_dem]

46. "Layla"- that's a really good one

I love both sections of the song; even though they're actually two differents songs they merged together IIRC, they just go together really well. The transition where it goes from the hard and very emotional first part to that great piano section is really nice as well.

[ironflange]

45. I'll stick to ones I've done myself

It's best when you help out personally!

Verdi Requiem - when the Dies Irae music returns in the final movt.
Carmina Burana - As mentioned above, the O Fortuna reprise, but there are too many more to list eg. "Si Puer Cum Puellula"
The Damnation of Faust - Demons' Chorus, wow, ends with huge waves of sound from the orchestra
Bach B Minor Mass - Cum Sancto Spiritu, Et Resurrexit
Britten War Requiem - Many spots will reduce many of the performers to tears, yours truly included
Faure Requiem - Aaahhhh, that's nice stuff, especially for a tenor, it's like playing with crushed velvet
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms, esp. the finale
Beethoven Ninth - "Steht vor Gott," plus the triple fugue later on
Beethoven Choral Fantasy - entry of full chorus and orchestra, this was the first time the pianist (Jon Kimura Parker) had played this, and he told me later that it nearly knocked him off the bench.

Plus a few others:

Wicked the Musical: Defying Gravity, One Short Day
Candide: Glitter and be Gay, as done by Kristin Chenoweth
Woodstock: performances by Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After
Light My Fire, Doors or Feliciano, doesn't matter
Beatles: A Day in the Life, especially the orchestra crescendos
Beatles: Abbey Road, Side Two, er, from "Here Comes the Sun" for you CD folks
Beatles: the new album "Love" has plenty of electrifying moments, it's awesome
Yeah, so I like the Fab Four. So what? :smoke:

[InvisibleTouch]

47. Many, but I'll just recount one:

Some years ago I was driving east on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, through the tunnels. Those who have been through there know what I mean - those very cool tunnels through the mountains with the lights running along both sides. Off in the distance is the light of day, and the effect is like rising upwards more so than horizontal motion. It's reminiscent of a birth experience, or a death experience.

In the midst of one of these surreal passages, a song comes on the radio - I won't say which one, but it was the "theme song" of a late and dearly-departed lover of mine from many years ago. It was like a message from the great beyond. Spine-tingling, most definitely.

[Arugula Latte]

48. There are many, but the one that popped into my head was

hearing "How Soon Is Now" by the Smiths for the first time.

[Porcupine]

49. O Fortuna passage of Carmina Burana live.

It makes my cry every time. Go figure.

[lukasahero]

52. R.E.M. "Everybody Hurts" at the MTV Music Awards

And the very first time I heard "Kid Fears" by the Indigo Girls.

Just thought of one more: Sting was supposed to do a concert on 9/11/2001. He came on, played "Fragile" and that was it. (He r/s the concert for those who had tix.)

[HCE SuiGeneris]

53. Mercedes Sosa "Gracias a la Vida"

[ForrestGump]

54. Mostly gospel, actually

The two that leap immediately to mind are Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace" and Elvis' "How Great Thou Art" (especially the live versions from the last couple of years of his life, when he hit some amazing notesand just went all out on it). But I've also had the feeling, many times, from live gospel choir singing when I used to now and then attend traditionally-black churches in the South...one mass choir, in particular, had me atingle for the whole three hours of the protracted, sweaty, incredible service.

And I'm not conventionally 'religious' at all -- the actual words, praising Jesus and God, didn't necessarily do anything for me but the sound and the feeling -- and, in the case of the music I experienced live -- the feeling that was bouncing back from and around the audience is what did it for me.

Lots of Elvis songs do the trick, of course, as do those from Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Al Green,and other performers (especially live, whether recorded or in person, the prime example of the latter for me being Paul McCartney when he does some of the Beatles or Wings songs in concert these days), but gospel sure does seem to give me that old time religion. Hallelujah, baby.

[MsKandice01]

59. I feel the same way about gospel music...

And I'm agnostic.

[teriyaki jones]

56. Rufus Wainwright singing Hallelujah

. . . which is a Leonard Cohen song. Heard it recently as the background to some random TV drama and haven't been able to get it out of my head since. Found an incredible YouTube video someone put together using that audio and the video is different clips from "V for Vendetta"--just mind-blowing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j6Xc0nwOtM

tj

[HughBeaumont]

57. Two groups -

Studio -

Hearing Run DMC's "Rock Box" for the first time.

Hearing Husker Du for the first time.

Hearing Slayer's Reign in Blood upon release.

Hearing High on Fire's The Art of Self Defense.

Live -

MOD/Laaz Rockit - 1988, Peabodys. You always remember your first pit.

DBC/Forbidden/Sacred Reich - 1989, Peabodys. Liked all of these bands, but was elated to see Dead Brain Cells.

Godflesh, Napalm Death, 1990, Peabodys. TOO much fun.

Primus at the Babylon A Go Go, 1991, playing "Pudding Time" and then going into Ministry's "Thieves". The whole place, packed wall to wall with people, exploded.

Chris Squire's bass sound at the Richfield Coliseum, 1991 Yes "Union" tour. It was the closest I ever came to "seeing" a sound wave in action.

Seeing Mr. Bungle at the Empire, 1992. Best. Live. Show. Ever.

S.O.D. reunion, 1996, Peabodys. The 11 year wait to see them was MORE than worth it.

Slayer, 1997 tour at the Odeon. First time seeing them, and it's at a club. We were in heaven.

High on Fire's Euclid Tavern show, 2001. Thouroughly loud as fuck, sounded like a jet engine.

Sunn o)))) Wexner Performing Arts center, 2006. A religion of volume that you felt down to your feet.

[MsKandice01]

58. Jennifer Hudson singing Weekend in New England with Barry Manilow...

You just have to watch it to know what I'm talking about...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w_7-pEH1xc