Imagine the reaction when it first came out. Look for Devo's performance on SNL back in the 70's. Devo's best ever. Are we not men?
My pick for Rush is "Superconductor". (7/8) <-intro and verses Also, "Soul Love" by David Bowie. (7/4)
Schism by Tool from Wikipedia BTW A possible analysis of the meter changes is found in the August 2001 issue of Guitar One magazine. As transcribed by Adam Perlmutter, the song starts in 5/4 for one measure followed by 21 measures of 6/4 (or 5/8 and 7/8 alternating), up to the first interlude, which is a bar of 3/8, three bars of 13/8, and a bar of 10/8. (This can be also interpreted as four 13/8 bars, but played with a 3/8 upbeat.) The next verse is eight bars of 6/4 followed by another interlude that fits the same pattern as the first. The next section is four bars of 6/4 followed by one bar of 11/8. Another eight-bar verse in 6/4 follows, with an interlude containing the same as before, except the final 10/8 bar is replaced with an 11/8 bar setting up the middle section, which is four bars of 7/4 before settling into a pattern of alternating 12/8 and 15/8, one bar each, twelve times. Following this, there are three bars of 4/4, a bar of 2/4, and four bars of 4/4 setting up another section, which is two bars of 9/8 followed by a bar of 10/8, that pattern again, a single bar of 9/8 followed by a 13/8 bar. This leads to an alternating set of 9/8 and 5/8, appearing four times before a bar of 9/8 and a bar of 6/8. Near the end, there is a 6/4 meter for eight bars, followed by eight bars of 4/4 to end the song. The band has comically said that the song is in "6.5/8". Or Lateralus Mathematical significance Counting between pauses, the syllables in Maynard James Keenan's vocals during the verses form the first few Fibonacci numbers, ascending and descending:[1] (1) Black, (1) then, (2) white are, (3) all I see, (5) in my infancy, (8) red and yellow then came to be, (5) reaching out to me, (3) lets me see. (2) There is, (1) so, (1) much, (2) more and, (3) beckons me, (5) to look through to these, (8) infinite possibilities. (13) As below so above and beyond I imagine, (8) drawn outside the lines of reason, (5) push the envelope, (3) watch it bend. The Fibonacci sequence shares a relationship with spirals, which are mentioned several times later in the lyrics. The time signatures of the chorus change from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8; as drummer Danny Carey says, "It was originally titled 9-8-7. For the time signatures. Then it turned out that 987 was the 17th step of the Fibonacci sequence (in which each integer is equal to the sum of the preceding two). So that was cool."[2] The value 987 is in fact the 16th step of the Fibonacci sequence, assuming that 0 is the 0th step. Of course I'm a Tool superfan, so I might be a bit biased. But those guys rock the idea of changing time signatures like no band before or since.
Some others: Get to You - The Byrds (5/4 or 5/8) Do What You Like - Blind Faith (5/4 or 5/8) Morning Bell - Radiohead (5/4 or 5/8) Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd (partial 5/4) Down and Out - Genesis (5/4 with choruses in 4/4) Innuendo - Queen (5/4, 6/4, and 3/4) Roundabout - Yes (partial 7/4) Heart of Glass - Blondie (partial 7/4) Limelight - Rush (3/4 + 4/4) Dance on a Volcano - Genesis (7/8) Frame by Frame - King Crimson (partial 7/8) Scatterbrain - Jeff Beck (intro and main riff are 9/8) Touch and Go - The Cars (partial 10/8)
Living in the Past -- Jethro Tull (5/4) 4/4, with creative transcription. Here's the rhythm for the piano riff in everybody's favorite musical notation program, Paint: Is that legal? And what's the difference between 7/4 and alternating 4/4 and 3/4? Is "Hey Ya!" 22/4? Or is it 4/4, with the 4th, 10th, 16th, etc. measure 2/4?
NINE INCH NAILS March of the pigs 29/8 time (three measures of 7/8 and one of 4/4) The Becoming 7/8 time Those are only from the Downward spiral album. There are several others on many other albums from nin.
That could be a very healthy reaction to first listening to the song. Probably the best reaction would be if you heard and just quit working altogether.
What would Phantom of the Opera by Iron Maiden be(the beginning)? I know that song is damn fast at the beginning.
My faves! But actually most Meshuggah songs ARE in 4/4... if you listen to the drums, you'll notice that they keep a steady, standard backbeat groove on 2 and 4. The guitars layer odd-time patterns over the snare, creating over-the-bar rhythms that line up again every four or five measures. They do have numerous songs that are in odd signatures, though, and they're also quite fond of playing patterns that consist of three measures of 4/4 and then a measure of 7/8 and so on. Other extreme rock acts like the Dillinger Escape Plan and Candiria have made use of constantly shifting time signatures inspired by Miles-type jazz and the like. Botch, actually, wrote damn near their entire catalogue in 5/4. A great metal song not in 4/4 is "I'm Broken" by Pantera! The verses are in 7/8.
