1988 Madison Scouts. Let me put it like this: a mellophone pulls off trumpet range (Well, the "equivalent" of a mello and trumpet at the time).
Their performance of "Malaguena" will still peel your face off. And they won the DCI Championship that year, beating even the previously undefeated Blue Devils.
ANY of their songs qualify, really. I haven't seen a band with so much emotion and poetry in their music in a long, long time. Just listen to White Blank Page. You can hear the grit in his voice!
Not to mention their performance at the 2011 Grammys alongside the Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan. Look at their faces. That's joy, right there.
The Judgement. This song is...Wow. Gives me CHILLS every time this troper and her father hears it. The powerful singing, the sweeping, uplifting music, and the power in the sheer feeling of it! YES!
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave
Our God is marching on
How could you possibly miss 'How great thou art'!?!?!?
The First Noel, a truly magnificent composition. It probably says something that this troper is awestruck upon hearing it, every time...despite being an atheist.
O Holy Night! does it for this troper, an agnostic.
This Jewish girl is a lot fonder of Christmas carols than is appropriate. Her favorites include 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' especially as done by Trans-Siberian-Orchestra and 'Do You Hear What I Hear?'.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra in general, but especially their Carol of the Bells, Sarajevo 12 24
The hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" tells the story of a climactic battle between the forces of Good on earth and all the devils in Hell. Just as things are looking bad, the music reaches its final verse, where the organ kicks it into high gear as Jesus comes onto the battlefield and utterly routs Satan. Gets this troper every time.
This troper finds the Lutheran lyrics particularly awesome.
This troper once sang John Rutter's arrangement, with an 80-voice choir, organ, and orchestra. The third verse is just the men singing, in a minor key, and sounds as dark as hell itself. The fourth verse builds back up to full power in triumph and joy, and it just about took the roof off that cathedral.
Pick an Evensong hymn, any Evensong hymn. They can be so incredibly peaceful when sung correctly — to the point that it's almost impossible to go away from Evensong feeling angry for any reason. Abide With Me and The Day Thou Gavest are particularly favoured, the latter because of the imagery of the world rolling onward "into light" while we sleep, while elsewhere, others are waking, and those already awake keep watch. It reminds this troper a lot of her friends in other countries, and even the TV Tropes community.
MercyMe's I Can Only Imagine asks God what happen when we finally meet Him.
"Were You There?" is the sweetest, simplest, most plaintive Easter song in existence. Find a simple arrangement, and let it break your heart.
There's a style of gospel hymn from the old revivals that are meant to be sung by a lot of people with a lot of enthusiasm, and some of them are pure Crowning Moments. In particular:
"To God be the Glory"
"When the Roll is Called Up Yonder"
"Wonderful Grace of Jesus", with a chorus that splits into two melodies, the men singing a deep, rumbling ostinato, and the women joining in with a descant, building in volume, until the two voices meet at the end in three triumphant chords. Pure win.
This troper's not keen on repetitive "praise choruses", but I melt on the spot anytime anybody pulls out "Agnus Dei" by Michael W. Smith. The text is a scant two quotes from John's Revelation and a simple tune, but with the right voice and the right backup it's got this ethereal quality that sounds like heaven.
This Troper absolutely LOVES The Doxology... short, sweet, to the point and it gives her goosebumps every time.
The Navy Hymn, a/k/a "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is probably one of the most comforting ones out there.
"Faith of our Fathers," especially if you're Roman Catholic.
This troper adores anything by the late Moses Hogan, who arranges spirituals for full choirs completely a capella. Particularly awesome pieces include:
Battle of Jericho
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?
Elijah Rock
Kedushah is an immensely powerful prayer, building to a crescendo of "ANI ADONAI ELOHEICHEM!" (I AM THE LORD YOUR G-D!)
Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah. It's downright goosebump-inducing when there's a strong bass singer to back up the congregation singing it.
"Yehei Yehei" by The Chevra. It's just five words, "yehei shlama rabba min shemayah" (May there be abundant peace from heaven), repeated through the entire song, but DAMN if it isn't catchy! Also makes awesome dance music.
Grunge
Everything ever done by Nirvana, period, especially their hits "Lithium", "Heart Shaped Box", and the ironically popular "In Bloom", as well as the underrated "Drain You" and "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle".
Ahem. "Smells Like Teen Spirit", anyone?'
"Come As You Are." I honestly can't decide if I like the original or the unplugged version better, they're both so amazing.
Speaking of, "All Apologies" on the unplugged album is absolutely beautiful, especially when they harmonize at the very end.
"You Know You're Right," the last song Kurt & Co. recorded, finally released to the world 8 years after his death and sounded better than anything that had been on the radio in years.
"Call my name/through the cream/and I'll hear you scream/again... BLLLLLLAAAAACK HOLE SUN, WON'T YOU COME-" sorry, couldn't resist.
This Troper wishes that one day Chris Cornell ditches the pop music crap he's doing and just gets Soundgarden back together. Also, Spoonman is the best song off of Superunknown.
Hole's Celebrity Skin album is amazing, especially the title track and "Reasons To Be Beautiful." Live Through This is also a worthy addition to a music collection. Say what you will about Courtney Love, but Hole is awesome.
Jazz
Duke Ellington. Period. He's the one who first showed that Jazz could be taken seriously aprt from Pop music and he was the guy Gershwin listened to for inspiration not to mention he may have the record for compositions by any American composer...and that's not even enough to be condidered a short intro!
As if Pharaoh Sanders and John Hicks weren't amazing enough already, they came together and made ''You Got To Have Freedom'', which is just too amazing for words. The intro alone is a minute straight of John Hicks working wonders, and that's before the vocals kick in.
Since we're talking Gershwin... Cuban Overture is ten minutes of pure fiesta. And the ending WILL make you want to get up and dance.
Yes, this troper KNOWS that this song is in the Anime category, but its still a big band style of jazz. Plus its actually the full version...
Most songs by the Puppini Sisters. Not even related in real life, these three ladies are putting the swing sound of 1940s pop music into songs like "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Heart Of Glass", and "Crazy In Love".
Bobby Darin's version of "Mack the Knife". The ending is so badass it hurts.
Listening to Charles Mingus's "Haitian Fight Song" turns panty-waisted poindexters into switchblade-flicking badasses, and makes plain women gain a cup size and a bad (but sultry) smoking habit.
Same with "Better Get it In Your Soul."
How has nobody mentioned anything by John Coltrane yet? First, he wrote "Giant Steps," which is universally recognized as one of the most difficult songs in jazz to preform, and there's also "A Love Supreme," an over 40 minute proto-free jazz jam in dedication to higher power that is often called one of the most passionate preformances in jazz history.
Charlie Parker's "Charlie Parker with Strings." While some purists hate it for being too "pop" for bebop, you have to admit there is something incredible about his virtuoso bebop improvs being played over a full orchestra.
Almost anything by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, but "Pedal Up" is probably his most ridiculous tune, especially his live preformance of it on "Bright Moments." It's a 12-minute piece which includes circular breathing (he holds out several notes for minutes on end without stopping to take a breath), 3 saxophones (all played by Kirk simultaneously), and the last 3.5 minutes of it are an elaborate solo played just by Kirk without the backing band involving him droning on one sax, setting up a beat and chord progression with another, and soloing on the third (the end solo even has classical-influence harmonization with two of the saxes at once).
Perfect blend of guitar, sax and rhythm: Lily Was Here doesn't need lyrics to be awesome.
If I told you that in 2011 a female jazz singer who plays the bass could win the Grammy for best new artist...over probably the most popular pop singer of the day you would say I was full of shit right? Be prepared to eat your words
Art Tatum. Full stop. Blind in both eyes, he taught himself how to play and improvise jazz piano by ear, and became so technically proficient that other pianists regard him with awe to this day; one famous story recalls Fats Waller remarking of him, "God is in the house." Listen to Art Tatum playing Tiger Rag. Now remind yourself that that's only one person playing all those complicated chords and superhumanly fast runs... and he's improvising it.
Summertime. Written by George and Ira Gershwin. Performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Sheer perfection.
Miles Davis. Listening to album after album of his is like taking the finest walk through an evolution in jazz. I choose to make a special mention to the haunting introduction to the title track of Bitches Brew.
There was a thing in jazz during the '50s and '60s were a band would perform at small parties set up by producers, and it would all be recorded as a live album. People showed up and were offered booze to help them enjoy themselves. Two of my favourite albums of this particular variety are Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and Why am I Treated so Bad!, both by Cannonball Adderley and his quintet, with special mention to the title track of the former (their most recognisable hit).
Other
Beethoven's Last Night is concept album by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, telling the story of Beethoven selling his soul to the devil, (it's a long story) and is generally full of awesome (only to be expected from an album based on Beethoven). The best song in this troper's opinion however, is What is Eternal. All through the song there's this pervading sense of melancholy - that he doesn't think he's good enough, that his work will never be remembered, that his life's worth "ended with his birth". Then about two minutes in, the music fades into a short burst of Ode To Joy. It's quite the Tear Jerker. Beethoven might never fully know his own genius, but we sure as hell will.
From the same album, there is the magnificent piece A Last Illusion. Starts off with a short ditty on a classical guitar (The first few phrases of Sonata facile by Mozart) and quickly segues into a very strong rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee on electric guitars, backed by the full orchestra. The last two and a half minutes or so of the song is simply the most amazing, emotionally charged rendition of Ode to Joy that can be summed up in the aforementioned two and a half minutes. Not only does the orchestra come back at full blast, there are at least three guitars, plus two pianists, and a full choir. If Beethoven were alive today, he would be able to hear this. It's that moving.
A little single name: David Garrett [1]. it's difficult to see in which category he fits.
Seeing as that link is gone, how about a look at this: [2]
Not to be confused with Gyorgi Ligeti's Lux Aeterna, which played during the trip to the moon in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The long, orchestrated version seen here and in movie theatres everywhere is actually called Requiem for a Tower. The original version is still awesome, but in a quieter, Nightmare Fuel kind of way.
A great deal of the CMOA that gets our blood pumping in those movie trailers is produced by groups such as Immediate Music, X-Ray Dog, and E.S Posthumus, and licensed out to film distributors for use in their trailers. Hats off to 'em!
Their music would be peak CMOA if it weren't for the tiny little fault that... their music cannot be legitimately obtained!
Immediate recently released an album on iTunes, including their "Lacrimosa." Big Yes!
Immediate also sets lyrics to their music, released under the band name Globus. Standouts are "Preliator", "Orchard of Mines", and "Sarabande Suite (Aeternas)". One can definitely not forget Europa, a truly epic song about the bloody history of Europe.
E.S. Posthumus have also released three albums, Unearthed, Cartographer and Makara. The epitome of their epic songs is ''Pompeii."
When you ask the question of who the greatest pianists of the 20th century were, Fats Waller's name is definitely at the top of the list, and his rendition of "Carolina Shout" does more that show you why. Flawless multitasking isn't just something computers can do, and working it all into something that swings rather than stands stiff is something that the best do with ease.
Of course, when it comes to great pianists "all roads lead to Art Tatum," as they say, for his amazing style that somehow took influence from every style that came before it and took them all to the next level. Unfortunately, as occurs in most such cases, pinning down an absolute moment is difficult, but here's a start.
This performance of "The Bonny Swans" by Loreena McKennitt and her band. Even if you don't care for the story the lyrics tell, it's got a a violin, and piano and an electric guitar sounding awesome together. And Loreena's voice. Can't forget that.
More awesomeness by McKennitt: "The Mummer's Dance," "All Soul's Night," and her brilliant adaptation of Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman."
Anything by Beirut. Elephant Gun brings the level of ukelele awesomeness up about four million points, and then when the strings and the accordion and the trumpet kick in- live, it creates hordes of swaying, dancing onlookers.
"The Gulag Orkestrar" is similarly INCREDIBLE. "They called it mine," indeed.
For all its faults, the Soviet Union had a particularly stirring anthem, especially when sung by a large chorus. Regrettably, the actual lyrics had all the poetry of the section on tractor production from the last Five-Year Plan, making it a rare case where not understanding the language actually added to the experience. (It makes the hair on the neck of This Troper stand up every time.) Post-Soviet Russia has recently brought it back, with lyrics that are somewhat less lame. The Soviet Union also produced an excellent song known as "The Holy War" during ww2. Despite what the regime at the time did, they can sure make a damn good war song.
The music was awesome enough to be repurposed in the Russian National Anthem. Special mention has to go to the Rock Version of said anthem. Holy damnation...
How the hell did "Bittersweet Symphony" not make this list? The best song on the freaking planet!
Of course, "Message To My Girl" by Split Enz runs it close.
"Acid" by Ray Barretto. Oh, so brilliant.
Oh, and "Just Dance" by Lady Ga Ga. Seriously, it's freaking legend.
Lemon Demon's "Ask For Nothing" is one of those songs that seems uninteresting the first time, but gets better every time you listen to it. Even though on first listen it sounds like the time signature is screwed up, it's actually in 4/4. It's just disguised as what appears to be 17/8. That takes skill.
Kristoph Klover's rendition of Jordin Kare's Fire in the Sky made Buzz Aldrin cry on live television. 'Nuff said.
"Weird Al" Yankovic, Jim West, Steve Jay, Rubén Valtierra, and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz. They have taken any and most genres released in the past thirty years and parodied and homaged it, while playing it, flawlessly.
"Genius in France"—Al's nine minute tribute to the late Frank Zappa, with none other than Frank's son Dweezil himself on guitar. Because it's as ridiculously complex and awesome as you'd expect it to be, calling this song a parody is immediately out of the question.
Of all the musical tributes to Michael Jackson after his death, this medley of his songs by Sam Tsui is the most astoundingly awesome and Tear Jerker worthy of them all. And while we're on the subject of Mr Tsui, also check out his amazing cover versions of "Don't Stop Believin" by Journey, "Run" by Snow Patrol, and a High School Musical song.
All this talk about awesome music and not one mention of The Doug Anthony All Stars? Rude,crude,hilarious and incredibly NSFW one moment,and the next they blew audiences away with stufflikethis.If Paul Mc Dermott's voice doesn't move you,I don't know what will.
Oingo Boingo. It's Danny Elfman, for crying out loud! For starters, "Dead Man's Party" anyone? Or "Insaniy" perhaps? Hell, "Little Girls" and the Farewell version of "Water" are instant win, period. (In all honesty, whenever Danny Elfman plays a rock song, it's going to be awesome.)
Considered psychobilly for whatever reason is The Quakes' cover of The Killing Moon, originally by awesome 80's group Echo and the Bunnymen.
The Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch". It's just... not only so Intercourse with You that it's a legend, but it's sheer greatness.
This troper isn't quite sure if this goes here, but this remix/medley of Wind Waker tunes by Fredde Gredde HAS to be recognized. Not only is it astoundingly beautiful, it was all played and synchronized by ONE GUY. Crowning awesome, indeed.
Yes. This definitely belongs here. Thank you for showing this troper that link (no pun intended.) And I am not being sarcastic, either. I was sincerely moved by this. This definitely belongs here.
Immediate Music and Globus have albums that are FULL of Awesome Music. Look at any of them, you'll probably enjoy it immensely.
The Cossack Patrol. The link won't get you to the best version this troper has heard, however, which was sung by the Red Russian Army Choir and was powerful enough to make you want to join communism. Even if you're called Mc Carthy.
Moscow 1941 Here's a variation for the school band. I played it, it's even better!
The Cossack Patrol sounds exactly like Polyushke Polye by Lev Knipper, another kickass Soviet piece.
There's a reason Amazing Freaking Grace has it's own trope. It's not just the public domain thing. Almost all hymns are public domain, but none of them have ever earned such a hallowed spot in our culture as Amazing Grace. The song is simply wonderful and can still sneak up on me and make me cry even after several thousand iterations in my life.
Why on earth has William Joseph not been mentioned?! The two most notable examples, in my opinion, are Piano Fantasy and Within (the orchestra versions).
Rodrigo y Gabriela has an interesting story. They are a mexican duo, that after searching for success in the metal scene decided to move to Europe and eventually changed to flamenco. Weird move don't you think? Listen to their rendition of "Stairway to Heaven". Now listen someof their original songs. Now remember that every single thing you hear is two fucking guitars. If that isn't awesome i donot want to know what is.
YoungBlood Brass Band. Somehow manages to fuse a brass band sound with rap. Sound crazy but it works and works well. Oh, and the sousaphones are powerful enough that your car windows will rattle.
"Trains and Winter Rains" by Enya. Made even more awesome by the fact that the entire thing was performed by exactly one person. It's also really catchy.
Florence Welch and Dizzee Rascal's live mashup, You've Got The Dirtee Love. The performance was so popular that it was then released as a charity single and shot to # 2 on the charts.
Jack Conte from the San Francisco Bay Area is definitely one of the most talented and edgy indie musicians on the Internet, whether he is working alone or with his girlfriend.
New Radicals, especially this song. Just try not to dance along. Even if you're not a dancer, try to listen to it without getting it stuck in your head. Why were they a one-hit wonder?!
Don't forget You Get What You Give. It speaks volumes when Keith Richards says that's the song he wished he wrote above all others.
How has P!nk not been mentioned yet? She has a crap-load of songs that are awesome, but "Raise Your Glass" is her most recent one. We will never be, never be/Anything but loud and nitty-gritty/Dirty little freaks.
http://www.8bitchristmas.com/ Who can't resist Christmas done in 8-bit music. This troper instantly got flashbacks of the old school games like Super Mario Bros.
The song Coolangubra by the band of the same name, featuring percussion, rhythm guitar, and truly epic electric violin. (Note that the *ding!* at the beginning of the video isn't part of the actual song.)
Everything by Imogen Heap. The best way I can describe her music, its like its filling a hole in me I didnt know existed. Her voice, her lyrics, everything about her is perfect.
The Voyage, Part 1 and Part 2, by Timeless Miracle. How a 14-minute song manages to be this catchy is beyond this editor. All of their other music is similarly epic.
Pretty much all of Amanda Palmer's first solo album, but especially Ampersand. It's just so defiant and powerful and, well awesome.
This Troper sees your Ampersand and raises you a Leeds United. Oh, and by the way, Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman are a Crowning Couple of Awesome, if that even exists.
This troper sees your Ampersand and Leeds United and raises you a Runs in the Family... but agrees that Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman are pretty much one of the most awesome couples ever.
Really? No "The Point of it All"? Best track on the album, hands down.
ImogenHeap's "Hide And Seek". There's something about it that makes it legendary.
"My Sacrifice" by Creed. Narmy, maybe, but damnit, it's Narm that you HAVE to love.
Dave Hole's "My Bird Won't Sing." A breakup song that's blues to the point that you want to drink yourself catatonic is just great.
Mirah's "Archipelago". The only bad thing is that every time she sings, "Goodbye my love," her speech sounds really slurred. Otherwise, it's a very beautiful piece of music. For a breakup song.
The Frames' "Dream Awake". It's This Troper's favorite song, and I really thank whoever wrote it and composed the music. And the Frames, of course, for singing it.
This Troper has heard many a piece of trailer music, but none ever really came close to Lux Aterna. Then...he heard this.
When thinking of Awesome Music, Disco isn't the first thing that comes to mind, is it? Well, that may be due to not ever hearing The Whispers play "One For The Money."
savage genius generally shows up in the anime section, but one of their best, Still I Love You, is an album only, and deserves a nod here.
Ronald Jenkees is an amiable Kentuckian who likes to have a little "disorganized fun" on his keyboard for "YouTubes." When he's feeling a bit more organized, he comes up with stuff like "Throwing Fire."
Andy Hunter proved that christian music can be awesome, by making a disc of Christian Techno. and it is incredible. Two noeworthy tracks include Sandstorm Calling, which managed to make it onto the mobile edition of [[Lumines]], and Amazing, which is just plain epic.
Dulcissimia by Corvus Corax. That, my friends, if folk. First, you can't believe how over the top it is...and then they bring out the chariot.
The chorus of The Bagman's Gambit by The Decemberists is this so hard.
Any march by John Philip Sousa. Of course, the Crowning Music of his catalog is "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
The swedish Diablo Swing Orchestra does also belong here. Not only do they state that the origin of their music dates back to the 16th century, when the original Orchestra was killed by the church for being too awesome, when you heyr the music you're inclined to believe them. Ballrog Boogie!
Hybrid's Finished Symphony would damn near be a stock piece of music as a climactic song of triumph, were it not for the 9.5 minute length.
Really guys, the live version of Whipping Post isn't on here yet? The "At Fillmore East" live album version is 23 minutes long and manages to be gorgeous and heartbreaking every step of the way. Plus EPIC GUITAR.
This Troper seconds. When my 8th grade band class was asked to submit song suggestions, this was one of the first I picked. I also picked the Ghostbusters theme and Frank Zappa's "The Bus."
Rajaton's Butterfly deserves a place on here for sure, but the 3:45 mark of Dobbin's Flowery Vale will bring you to your knees.
From L'Arleseinne, Farandole. Seriously as epic to play as it is to hear.
Estradasphere deserves mention here; specifically, the songs Smuggled Mutation and Colossal Risk.
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra opened their 2001 season with Barber's Adagio with Strings three days after 9/11. Excuse me, something caught in my eye...
'Now You're Gone' by The Secret Machines. Truly awesome.
Anything by the great Elvis Presley from rockabilly hits like Hound Dog and Blue Suede Shoes to soft gentle love songs like Love Me Tender. For the ultimate in awesome, listen to If I Can Dream from the 68 Comeback Special.
The wailing vocals and incredible medley of space rock makes M4 Part II is the CMoA for a band all about epic space rock.
The track Live and Learn by a somewhat obscure band called House of Fools is a somewhat depressing but very awesome track.
Barra Barra by Rachid Taha is not only awesome for its fusion of hard rock and traditional Algerian music, but its lyrics, though pretty depressing, sound so angry and powerful in Arabic.
How about Dragon's Heartbeat from the soundtrack of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, by Randy Edelman? This seems to get used all over the place, though I remember it most from Elvis Stojko's figure skating routine in the 1994 Olympics. Timestamp 1:00 in the link is when it gets memorable, and 1:35 is when it gets epic.
The Pixies' Gigantic. Incredibly breathtaking, especially at the moment when the guitars kick in after the second chorus.
A similar moment of awesome came when Los Colorados, a Ukrainian polka band, remade ''Hot & Cold''.
No, this is. It is the most awesome piece of music that ever was or ever will be produced by humankind. Listen through once, then listen again when you've found a translation for the lyrics. The music is awesome, and the message is awesome. Tikvah wins. Also, it's the Crowning Music of Awesome for Subliminal & The Shadow themselves, along with the entire TACT Family.
You wish, this is, no wonder it was covered as an Easily Forgettable song by Dj Sammy
Aimee Ann Duffy has got some good ones so far, but by far her best is "Rain on Your Parade". If this woman is not doing a James Bond theme at some point in her career, it will be a great injustice.
I am appalled at the absence of Labi Siffre's Something Inside So Strong. This troper has no qualms with admitting that his eyes well up very early in the song, and remain that way for a good while after it ends.
Gregorio Allegri's Miserere. When the Pope heard it, he immediately declared that it could only be performed in the Sistine Chapel, and no sheet music ever sold, so that people would pay to hear it. They did. That's right, this song was a tourist attraction. (At least until a young miscreant named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart listened to it once and then transcribed it, almost perfectly, from memory. Does that make bootlegging concert recordings Older Than Steam?)
With many people consider music was an important weapon against South Africa's system of apartheid, the protest song "Sun City" by Artists against Apartheid is a powerful moment when a good portion of American and European pop stars musically declared their refusal to play at one of that nation's largest resorts while that tyranny prevailed. Imagine of this line in The Eighties were money was supposed to run supreme while about principles about justice were sneered at: "You can't buy me/I don't care what care what you pay!/So don't ask me, Sun City/Cause I ain't going to play!"
Not only that, but they also made a piece of music that in its own right is TOTALLY. KICK. ASS. It's a grand all-inclusive alternate universe where Miles Davis is rubbing elbows with Grandmaster Flash, Jefferson Browne jammed with Joan Baez, and Lou Reed and Joey Ramone cavorted with the Fat Boys and Bono and the P-Funk Allstars.
This Troper personally thought the message of Own Little World dealt more with keeping true to one's self and never allowing their mind to be clouded by outside influence, and adored it for it. He was overjoyed to find an entire CD of nothing but remixes of the song. In particular The Remorse Code Remix stood out as pure awesome.
Cliffs of Dover. Very impressive to see played, and played well at that.
PhantomoftheOpera, done in a Techno style. The video is a nice bonus.
It's a crying shame that Classical Gas hasn't been mentioned yet. Epic moment at the 0:45 second mark.
The entire album New Again by Taking Back Sunday. From the title track ("I am/ready to be new again/I'm ready to hear you say/who I am/is quite enough") to Capital ME about their former guitarist who left in a huff ("he taught me how to hold my tongue/and wait to strike 'til their backs were turned/and you slither away like the snake that you are") to closer Everything Must Go about lead singer Adam Lazzara's broken engagement ("You quote the Good Book when it's convenient/But you don't have the sense/No, you don't have the sense to tie your tangled tongue"). The entire album is practically constructed to show how much better off they are with their current line-up, not to mention how far they've come from "you could slit my throat/and with my one last gasping breath/I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt". Kudos.
The two demo tracks for the Impulse Tracker program, t=0m33s Drifting Onwards and Blue Flame. So beautiful that words alone can't describe them...
Mr E's Beautiful Blues. Doesn't matter how many things go wrong, it's a beautiful day...
'Sukiyaki' by Kyu Sakamoto. (Its actual title is "Ue o muite arukou", but the American distributor changed it for whatever reason.)
Most songs by The Police, and everything by Sting. The band reformed in 1986 to release a new version of Don't Stand So Close To Me. By this point, Sting was venturing into jazz and experimental albums, and had expanded his vocal range; Andy Summers had been playing guitar forever; and Stewart Copeland had scored movie themes. It. Was. AWESOME.
"Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MGs, which can really only be described with the word "cool." Just try to come up with another adjective, why don't you?
Every song by The Birthday Massacre is awesome, but this troper considers To Die For to be one of the best songs ever made.
This Troper has no idea where it came from, but this remix of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" combined with "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'" by the Wu-Tang Clan and "Quiet Storm" by Mobb Deep.
John Marnie's "Water on the Moon". Yes, it's about the LCROSS mission, but darned if it doesn't give you chills. "We're on our way, we're on our waaaahaaaaaay!"
You REALLY have to be kidding. How, for the love of everything in this planet, Queen is NOT in this list? If you say "epic", in one way or another, you're subliminally saying "Queen". They have around 200 songs without bootlegs and such. I've heard all of them and I only found ONE I didn't like. Go ahead, listen to all 200 and find out that song. I say "most probably" just to be accurate, but I am sure you'll love the other 199. Need I really say more?
"A warning to the people/the good and the evil/this is war"
"To the right/ to the left/ we will fight to the death/ To the edge/ of the earth/ it's a brave new world from the last to the first."
Attack: "I won't suffer/ be broken/ get tired/ or wasted/ surrender to nothing/ and give up what I started/ and stopped it/ from end to beginning/ a new day is coming/ and I am finally free!" It ends in a scream.
The Kill in itself was basically a Crowning Music of Awesome, edging out Linkin Park's In the End and Evanecense's Bring me to Life (according to AOL here) as top alternative song of the decade and spent 94 weeks on the charts.
"Come, break me down/ Marry me, bury me/ I am finished with you."
This Chinese song, &# 26126;&# 22825;&# 20250;&# 26356;&# 22909;, is a long-standing favourite of this Troper.
Starblood by Cranes. How is this not a Crowning Music of Awesome? A creepy broken little girl voice against epic, tribal drumming, and then when it reaches the chorus? Epic wall of guitars, and even more epic drumming. Just, wow.
Falling Up by Collide. If you can't stand waiting, skip to 3:27. It gets epic from there...
ALL of Relationship of Command by At The Drive-In. One minute it's serene and melodic, the next it's chaotic and noisy. But the raw emotion WILL give you goosebumps and make you want to sing/scream along with Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Best examples include One Armed Scissor,Arcarsenal,Invalid Litter Dept., and the two tracks featuring Iggy Pop, Enfilade and Rolodex Propaganda.
This Troper is appalled that nothing by Matthew Good's been mentioned. This and this are two in a massive flock of awesome songs that are, well. Awesome.
This tropette would like to nominate practically everything she's ever heard by The Smashing Pumpkins. Mostly for "Tonight, Tonight", "Landslide", "Zero", "To Forgive" and "Jellybelly". [/fanaticism]
What could be more epic than almost every freaking No. 1 Hit artist in America singing one of the most epic songs in Earth's epic history? No. Freaking. Thing.
"The '59 Sound" by The Gaslight Anthem, which is a goodbye to a friend of theirs who'd passed away. Ever since the early 90s, many have wondered who if anyone would be the rightful heir to Bruce Springsteen. We now have a definite answer.
There's this lovely song out there called "Save Our City" It's about a zombie apocalypse.
That song is actually part of a rock opera by a band called "Ludo" and is from the CD Broken Bride. They have increadibly hilarious songs like "Girls on Trampolines" and this tropers favorite, "Good Will Hunting by Myself."
This troper has to nominate Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water." Pure dynamite. Possibly the only song that this troper love more than this is, appropriately enough, Gilbert and Sullivan's "For he is an Englishman."
Not exactly sure what it's classified as, but Godzilla Eats Las Vegas is an utterly epic, 10 minute long song that this troper played in his High School Wind Ensemble. It's a musical rendition of Godzilla terrorizing Las Vegas, with the French Horns providing his roar, the bass drum (me) as the cannon blasts aiming to kill him, the musicians screaming "GODZILLA", music teachers tangoing across the stage, a mambo, xylophone hits representing morse code over a telegram (again, me) and a blood curling scream. It is absolute epic, find it on youtube.
The Devil Went Down To Georgia. Nuff said
The final battle between Neo and Mr. Smith in Matrix Revolutions while the song, Neodammerung plays in the background. Although to the untrained ear the lyrics sound like random ominous chanting, it's really a Hindu Vedic hymn about enlightenment spoken in Sanskrit.
Undoubtedly the most EPIC foreign pop song ever (it's in Swedish), this troper first heard the mindblowing Hall Om Mig attached to a quite well-known and equally incredible Princess Tutu vid. Now I find I am practically unable to listen to it straight through without my mind overloading from its sheer, heartpounding, ELECTRIC CELLO awesome.
More Tetris, but with a twist: It's the complete history of the Soviet Union, sung to the theme. It's impossible to stop listening.
"O Magnum Mysterium" by Tomas Luis de Victoria, especially as sung by the Boston Camerata. 2:32 of pure harmony. There are some pieces of music that make you stand up and cheer, and there are some that make you just lie down and listen. This is one of the latter.
Muppet.Bohemian.Rhapsody. The faithfulness to the original video is just astounding (though it did cut out the famous guitar solo right before the equally famous 'Opera' section.) Someone even made a video in which the two videos played in perfect simultation. It will astound you. (Starts around 0:15.)
Bucket Head is so great he can make a Funk and Blue grass hybrid and make you enjoy it.
What happens when someone blends the lyrics of the Nat King Cole classic "Nature Boy" with the Mad Men theme? Well, an actual band was assembled to give us this treat, with the icing on this cake courtesy of the vocals of Allison Williams (daughter of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams).
This live collaberation between Japanese turntablist DJ Kentaro and shamisen player Kinoshita Shinichi. Who would have thought that traditional Japanese music could be fused with hip-hop and drum n' bass is such an awesome way?
The absolutely beautiful Buried Alive By Love (Deliverance version) by HIM. One of the most gorgeous songs I've heard in a long time.
The Evolution of Video Games Epic Medley is a nine-minute long Crowning Music Of Awesome multiplied by 22—it features 22 classic Nintendo and arcade video game theme songs packed in a single medley with transitions and will stun you from beginning to end. And it's made in Mario Paint Composer, with 16-bit limitations.
Not to mention his cover of Adele's Someone Like You
Gabriel Kahane's song cycle Craigslistlieder. The piano forms a hilarious counterpoint to the lyrics, taken almost verbatim from particularly pathetic Craigslist posts. An example: Neurotic and Lonely
I nominate Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine. With powerful, ethereal lyrics, a pounding instrumental, and truly fantastic singing, it becomes a small opera, evoking more than one kind of emotion with every verse.
Sucker Punch soundtrack, is actually life changing. Covering everything, like, rock, metal, industrial, pop, rap and alternative. All made all the more theatrical and over the top, cuz it is possible. Army Of Me is industrial and rock screaming for power and taking no crap, Tomorrow Never Knows is trippy, but healing, I Want It All/We Will Rock You's rap is funny but true, Where Is My Mind and it's fellow track Asleep both touch you in a emotional level and Sweet Dreams is one of the few geniunely life changing addictive songs ever which really never gets old. They kept both the dramatic moments of the movie in the soundtrack and kept the songs intact for casual listening purposes and to relive the movie without watching it. How often does a various artists soundtrack do that right?, how many times has that happened ever!
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