This is the end........
 

What are the songs that end the best, in your opinion? The ones where you say "that's perfect"!

For me, I tend to dislike fadeouts, except where it's cool and fits. The guitar at the end of Rush's "Take A Friend" off the first record is an example of this exception. That fadeout is cool.

I particularly dislike the fadeout where there's a repeated chorus or a lead going on. Again Rush with the end of "Different Strings". Drives me bananas (insert monkey sound of your choice).

I have three that stick out:

1) Starless (King Crimson) - after the hypnotic Fripp guitar, the Neil-Young like one note lead:D and the rabid Mel Collins lead where the Wetton and Bruford just go to town, the last 30-60 seconds with the mellotron and the Wetton thundering bass line are just earth-shattering!

2) Natural Science (Rush) - after the third section...right after the Gedster sings "Sensitive, Open, Strong" there's that dum dum dum da da da dum...then they go into the famous "Rush jam"....ending in the last few power notes and the waves...it makes we want to run through a wall! Xanadu's close, that's a great one too.

3) Miracles Out of Nowhere (Kansas) - just an incredibly constructed song. Right after everyone sings "Out of Nowhere".....the band comes in for a jam, then stops abruptly, with the organ playing down the scale, finally ending with the gong crashhhhhhhh. Good to see a gong used elsewhere besides a heavy-metal drummer's kit.

Different Strings
 

I was going to say that the Different String ending is perfect. I also dislike fade-out endings but mainly the repetitious ones. What I like about the ending in Different strings is that the lead is so-understated because it smokes but they fade it out as if saying "well, this is really nothing. Just something that we are jamming with to end the song" but it is my favourite lead from Alex. That whole cat love-growl has my ears straining for every single note until I can only hear the echoes in my head.

Endings..........
 

I love the endings of all GY!BE, Don Cab, The Letter E, Turing Machine and Tarentel tracks................it means that they're over!!

:D :p :D

Re: Endings..........
 

What a dork.

Seriously, the ends of Close to the Edge, Awaken, and Endless Dream by Yes are about the most perfect climax/denoument you'll find.

For short songs... hmmm.
Yes - Tempus Fugit, And You And I, New Languages
Floyd - the long fadeout of Pigs.

Hmm... this is a tough one...

Ok, I love the end of Sigur Ros' "Njosnavelin." It's a nice, pretty, complex progression that ends with all the instruments dropping out one by one very quickly leaving Jonsi's vocal alone for a two note finish. It's terse, pretty, and startling. Request "Njosnavelin" and see what I mean.

"Daudalagid" has a similar ending, but not as perfect as "Njosnavelin."

Peter Gabriel ending Biko at the "Fabulous Forum" in LA back in the late 80's. After getting the crowd on their feet singing the "oh-oh-ohhhh-oh", Peter Gabriel named a few martyred people, the crowd responding to each one. "For Stephen Biko" - crowd response. "The rest is up to you" as Peter walked off the stage. After each crowd response one more musician stopped and exited, the drummer last. The crowd stayed on its feet chanting the "oh-oh-ohs" for a solid minute or two afterwards. Still brings a chill to my spine every time I think of it.

Re: Re: Endings..........
 

OK pal.........you and me in the car park NOW!!! Handbags at dawn. :D

The song ending that that I have always considered to be my favorite is: The Party by Max Webster from Mutiny Up My Sleeve. It sounds best to me when the volume is set to 11 ala Spinal Tap.

Why discuss great endings?

I hate when great songs are over - it leaves a vacuum - a sense of loss.

This is magnified for me listening to the end of Camel's For Today from A nod and a wink with the beautiful sound of a steam engine dying out after a saddish song. A tearjerker if any. :confused:

1) Because it beats talking about GYBE (Goodness You're Boring Everyone)

2) An ending is merely the start of something new (I don't usually wax poetic but that seems appropriately mushy enough:p )

and

3) Just put on another tune!

or if you're our overrequester, request it again!:D

I'm sorry, but I hate to say this: This is now IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! GAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!

*ahem*

Anyway, great endings. I'm not a fan of long fade endings. Let me know when the song is over. End it with a period. Hell, end it with a ! if you want. I prefer that my musical statements not end with a question mark.

My earlier post on the Firebird Suite is a perfect example of this.

As for Peter Gabriel, he's one that I haven't seen live yet that I'd LOVE to see live. He's done some wonderful work during his career. I'm not usually one to listen to artists that tend to push a message, but with PG, I will DEFINITELY make an exception.

Roger -Dot- Lee

Right on about the fade endings. I like to be told also.

Seen Gabriel three times...but I wasn't about to lay down big money this time.

I have always said a fade is no ending...

the exception that proves the rule.....
 

I think the ending to Angel Earth's "Circle of love.." is just right for what's gone before and that's a fade out.

If that song had had an abrupt ending it would spoil the whole ambience that has been so lovingly created throughout the previous 15 minutes.

I think this is the crux of it. The ending to a track needs to fit in with the rest of it (obviously) and some just don't lend themselves to "in your face" endings.

Re: the exception that proves the rule.....
 

This is very true....the last song off the Acuity record where it slowly fades for three minutes...and the man is supposedly falling from space...it's perfect.

Re: Re: the exception that proves the rule.....
 

well, I always wonder how a song that has a fade ending on the record is performed live. if you fade "live", by making dynamic and instrumentation changes, then it's a fade, but, not like just turning down the faders in the mix.

Right. I've seen a few live groups that have changed the ending entirely during a live performance, simply because a fade ending isn't as easy to pull off live as it is in the studio. The people don't know when to start clapping, I guess.

Roger -Dot- Lee, one of those that don't know for sure.

Rush again
 

"Red Barchetta" is a tune where they tack on a neat litle 20-second ending. Most bands will do that...I guess if they dudn't they'd still be playing:D