We all know Smells Like Teen Spirit goes a bit quiet in the verse and steps on the distortion pedals for the chorus to create ‘an alternating loud and quiet dynamic’ – thanks Wikipedia. But it’s used by almost everyone at some point. Sigur Ros are pretty much the Mozarts of the loud/soft change – see 1.50 onwards in this one when it changes from angels sprinkling audio pixiedust to trolls with hobnail boots, but let’s have your best loud/soft/loud etc moments please.
Loud/Quiet or Quiet/Loud or generally going from
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Can I have the entire career of Pixies please?
My favourite quiet/loud moment is the progression from the 2nd to 3rd minute on this:
Just for a change loud/quiet:
OK, it was a rip-off interpretation of the whole Pixies / Nirvana Loud Quiet Loud thing. And all to sell a apir of Jeans.
Stiltskin – Inside
Nononononono, sir misunderstands for comic effect. He said your BEST loud/soft/loud moments.
I make no apology for loving Inside by Stiltskin. Ripping off the Pixies or not, I think it is my favourite number one from the 90s.
Wonderful record AFAIAC.
Here’s the record “Inside” really rips off; “Today ” by Smashing Pumpkins…
Allegedly, Levis attempted to license “Today”, were rebuffed and either found or commissioned (my fragile memory suggests the latter) an out and out forgery.
Still entirely worth it for the lyric: “strong words in a ganja sky”. Right on.
Employing the Loud Quiet Loud motif to a lesser obvious extent, but it’s still there
Manic Street Preachers – From Despair To Where
Maybe more of an influence on Kurt (tune-wise) than The Pixies “alternating loud and quiet dynamic”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSR6ZzjDZ94r
The Damned – Smash It Up
A song of two halves – acoustic and wistful, and then crazy batshit punky thrashing
Tori Amos- ‘Pretty Good Year’.
Quiet most of the way then goes batshit at 2 mins 13 for a little while, and I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
A couple of bars on the acoustic, then BAM! A great intro to a great song from a GREAT album – Boston, Peace Of Mind:
Genesis : The Musical Box
quietloudquietloud
I don’t suppose that many people here will appreciate a full nine minutes of Norwegian black metal, but start this one at 1:50ish and give it a minute and a half for the transition from (very) loud to (very) quiet and back again. It’s worth it.
That is extraordinarily good.
It’s a great contrast.
Led Zeppelin excelled when it came to dynamics, making loud seem louder in contrast to mellow moments. What Is And What Should Never is a prime example. Also Ramble On. Both tracks off the second album of course. I can’t help feeling they lost something when they moved on to a more relentless juggernaut sound without let up.
https://youtu.be/uzK0pYJbfKg
… and this too. The moment when Page’s acoustic intro which has been building inexorably, finally gives way to John Bonham’s drums is – still- absolutely thrilling!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bD9t44JUD4
This is a style that McCartney liked as well. Paperback Writer being an early example in rock. And not forgetting Live And Let Die.
First thing that popped into my head and this OGWT was the first I ever knew of King Crimson. To be honest it took me a long time to warm to their older incarnation when I found out it existed…Love this though. When I was a teenager I figured it was about either Rubik’s Cube or wanking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmvA7oWGb40
More KC – Larks Tongues in Aspic Part One. I can’t be the only person to have been fooled by the gentle tinkling of the gamelan, turned the volume up on their stereo and then jumped out of their skin at around 3:40…
Beat me to it.
Gabriel-era Genesis were masters of the old quiet-loud-quiet mularkey, both on record and live.
This is a good example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv9Kuvn5E34
(Fly On A Windshield)
This – which does about 400 different things, but certainly goes quiet-loud-quiet at certain points.
John Miles – Music
One of my favourites from one of my favourites
Slade – Everyday
Another from the Mighty Slade
From the film ‘Slade in Flame – How does it feel?
Quiet bit, shouty bit is how I prefer it, and, for sure, it’s the Chumbas
Quiet loud quiet? It’s been around for centuries – just ask Beethoven.
Oh, sorry – he can’t hear you
The there’s this pleasant little alpine chanson from the Young Gods, which turns into something a bit more Diamanda Galas around the 3 minute mark: