Just listening to Iain Lee on BBC Three Counties & next week they are looking for the songs with the best endings.
A Day In the Life would be the most obvious to me but what else that hit the Top 40?
Always loved the ending to Heart’s – Crazy On You.
‘Best endings’ always makes me think of this.
Straight in at no. 76 sadly but I love the ending to this…the repeated ‘self, self, self…’ to a stop.
Qualifies for both great beginning and ending – good choice.
it’s the last line at the end of Martha, by Tom Waits, no?
Steely Dan’s Brooklyn Owes the Charmer. Very possibly my favourite Dan song. Just before it fades out there’s a lovely bit of guitar and I want it to go on forever, but it fades out, leaving me wanting more.
Another great Dan ending, I wish the horns could go on longer:
I seem to come back to this song. This ends with a full blown orchestral Jerusalem and a plaintive scraaak of a crow.
http://youtu.be/0Ftw7Qb8mYU
Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick.
It’s possible someone may have tripped over the power lead for the tape machine or something.
Beat me to it, that’s the one I thought of straight away. Along with Virginia Plain.
Beck – Jack-Ass. Has a wonderful woozy intro and ends after some loft scrunching with the sound of a donkey braying. Fantastic song!
That was meant to say lo-fi skronking and not loft scrunching
I always loved the sharp stop at the end of Buzzcocks Love you More (presented here in truly appalling quality ToTP-vision)
BTW, is it too soon to say Layla?
Best/Worst?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQRQtbA3bzo
Kenny Jones’ slibbidy-slobbidy drums at the end of Tin Soldier
Pete Townshend’s yelled “I saw ya!” at the end of Happy Jack.
50 years on I still wait for it every time.
Similarly “That’s the one” at the end of Traffic’s Paper Sun.
This one always gets me singing along at the end:
The warmth of the final chord progression of Waterfront that resolves all the musical progressions and changes in the song that have preceded it and which accompanies David Sylvian’s final tentative words that form the question “Is our love strong enough?”
3 for ya’, all different styles:
What’s her name?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDULlMa8Hxc
The promise of the guitar solo, fading as it starts
(I’ve got the long version, and it isn’t as good)
The instrumental coda is perhaps my favourite Junkies moment
The unexpected change of pace and mood of the fading instrumental coda to Scritti Politti’s Brushed With Oil, Dusted With Powder. Simply beautiful
Sex Pistols – John Lydon’s raspberry at the end of EMI (even if it is a nick from Capt Beefheart (I think? I can’t remebr the track though?)
Siouxsie & Banshees “Jigsaw Feeling” – love the way the drums change rhythm and back again in the space of a few seconds
Virgin Prunes “Pagan Lovesong” comes to a literally screeching halt
Funny you should mention Siouxsie – earlier I was thinking of a song of theirs that has the sound of children playing and laughing as the song ends. And then in the very last second, they scream in terror. It’s either Mother or Playground Twist.
@paulwright “is it to soon to say Layla?”
No, because the full version does it for me:
Freebird
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0solnL1XY
2 from The Beatles:
Helter Skelter – “I got blisters on my fingers!”
The End – “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make” (that’s philosophy that is)
Best intro AND best Outtro
The Who – Baba O’Riley
The Gerry Rafferty of threads? 😉
Mountain Nantucket Sleighride wins by a country mile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqWqCuHR0Og
That’ll be Playground Twist I think
(Above comment meant to be a reply to @black-celebration – the “reply” function doesn’t work, on my iPad anyway?
Thanks @douglas
Great choice, love that track. In a similar vein, the plaintive outro to Third World Man is another favourite. Or the fade out/fade in at the end of the Feat’s Day or Night.
I’ve always loved the version of Little Wing on Hendrix In The West which has a suitably tender added bit at the end.
That was a response to Bisto’s Scritti post
Listeners to Radcliffe and Maconie will know of their love for this, the best “Lads look at the time, the pubs open!” ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXUFRcikngE
As usual…
‘Aladdin Sane’
‘Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyGl-roHdos
‘Can You Hear Me’
And not forgetting…
”Its No Game Pt 1′
Perfect, both musically and lyrically…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NskZaSJk1Q
Beautiful South – I’ll Sail This Ship Alone
Such a great tune, allow me KDH.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NskZaSJk1Q
Yes’s- Owner of a Lonely Heart has an exhilarating key change at the very end. Stole the trick off Ravel’s Bolero (just as great, natch) but that’s okay.
https://youtu.be/9O6e7cgkeqw
Alex the Seal. Fab harmonization-aragua.