Greatest "epic" song...EVER!!!

[Monster Boy]

I just got a new record player and have been rifling through my old vinyl. Just listened to Alice Cooper's "Halo of Flies" for the first time in some time...that one gets my vote! Takes you on a journey, starting with sinister intertwining half steps and ending with grandiloquent, fateful music, taking you on a ride of mystery and intrigue along the way. Simply brilliant!

[Icy Sun]

I'll have to look that one up on youtube. As for now, my pick goes to Child In Time from Deep Purple.

[Wicked Cricket]

Both great songs, mine is Stairy To Heaven the Mighty Zeppelin! The acoustic intro that draws you in, the continuous build, great lyrics of hope, then the crescendo with the greatest guitar solo of all time!

[Icy Sun]

Just listened to Halo of Flies, really good song. I'm going to have to look more into the Killers album. So far I only have Love It to Death.

[Monster Boy]

I'll have to look that one up on youtube. As for now, my pick goes to Child In Time from Deep Purple.

Child in Time is incredibly awesome. I'll never forget listening to that one time I was driving home from NYC and this monster of a rain storm started just as Gillan kicked it into high gear. Glad you dug Halo of Flies, Killer is a killer of an album (har dee har). The Dead Babies/Killer ending ranks right up there with other great epic songs.

---------- Post added at 08:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 PM ----------

Both great songs, mine is Stairy To Heaven the Mighty Zeppelin! The acoustic intro that draws you in, the continuous build, great lyrics of hope, then the crescendo with the greatest guitar solo of all time!

Hard to beat, I think I've just heard it too much, but there's definitely a reason that song has been played to death.

[Pink Led Rush]

All Rush Epics are awesome
Bytor and the Snowdog
Necromancer
Fountain of Lamneth
2112
Xanadu
Cygnus X-1
Hemispheres
La Villa Strangiato
Natural Science
Jacob's Ladder
The Camera Eye
Weapons

I do believe that's the list of Rush epics

I think my fav would have to be Necromancer, just an awesome flowing tune.

[MH1986]

Bohemian Rhapsody or The Prophet Song by Queen.

I'll throw Spiral Architect into the convo as well.

[IommiRules]

Bohemian Rhapsody or The Prophet Song by Queen.

I'll throw Spiral Architect into the convo as well.

Ok, be worried... be very, VERY worried. You have 2 posts in a row dealing with either song or album choices that are so close to my choices it's ridiculous. Bohemian Rhapsody is the more obvious choice here, BUT The Prophet Song is my all time favorite Queeen song. If you haven't heard this masterpiece, get some good headphones- a dark room, close your eyes and enjoy. Freddie's best song ever.

Spiral Architect is my all time favorite Sabbath song.

I might add to this, Child In Time and/or Achilles Last Stand. It would be pretty easy to throw in Hallowed Be Thy Name as well as L.A. Woman into the discussion as well.

[DISCMAN1969]

Greatest Epic Song, hmmmmmmm I would have to say the LA LA LA LA song
Never heard it? It was my then 4 year old singing that on a road trip of about 2 hours. It is annoying, yet you can't help but smile seeing how happy his song was making him.

I love Achilles Last Stand! One of my favorit Led Zeppelin songs.

[sackster71]

Rainbow-Stargazer

DIO R.I.P.

[MH1986]

Ok, be worried... be very, VERY worried. You have 2 posts in a row dealing with either song or album choices that are so close to my choices it's ridiculous. Bohemian Rhapsody is the more obvious choice here, BUT The Prophet Song is my all time favorite Queeen song.

Great minds think alike

[Ady]

King Crimson ~ Starless

[Daistoh]

Bohemian Rhapsody is the more obvious choice here, BUT The Prophet Song is my all time favorite Queeen song.

one more for the choir.. The Prophet's Song by Queen

in addition to that:

Avantasia: The Seven Angels
Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell
Axel Rudi Pell: The Clown Is Dead
Rainbow: Stargazer
Black Sabbath: Eternal Idol

[Monster Boy]

King Crimson ~ Starless

Muy Bien! Magnificent song that one.

[WheelsOfConfusion]

Both great songs, mine is Stairy To Heaven the Mighty Zeppelin! The acoustic intro that draws you in, the continuous build, great lyrics of hope, then the crescendo with the greatest guitar solo of all time!

I second this. Couldn't have said it any better myself. Stairway is just the perfect song, never will be beaten. I'm also a huge fan of Child in Time as some others have said.

Also, another fave is Iommi's "I Go Insane". Much lesser known is Uriah Heep's "The Magician's Birthday". A sadly underrated track with a superb long guitar solo. As far as Sabbath is concerned, "Megalomania" is my favourite epic track. And another fave is "A light in the Black" from the Rising album. Gosh I love that ending in particular. Dio thought the guitar solos were too long and self indulgent. One of the few times he was wrong!! Haha.

[Sabbathman]

Wow, this is one of the choices that can never be made as definite and final. There are simply too many great songs to begin with, let alone "epic" songs which are some of the most mind-blowing in the lot of great songs.

I just have to bring up "some" * of my favourite songs that I consider "epic"...I can't name the ultimate favourite, but surely with these masterpieces the world of rock and metal is conquered! EPIC HEAVY METAL MAJESTY

Rainbow
- Stargazer
- Gates Of Babylon

Black Sabbath
- Heaven And Hell
- Die Young
- The Sign Of The Southern Cross
- Falling Off The Edge Of The World
- Sphinx (The Guardian) & Seventh Star
- Valhalla I-III
- Bible Black

Symphony X
- The Divine Wings Of Tragedy I-VII
- The Odyssey I-VII

Axel Rudi Pell
- Casbah
- Magic
- The Masquerade Ball

Dio
- Egypt (The Chains Are On)
- Sacred Heart
- All The Fools Sailed Away
- Lord Of The Last Day

Iron Maiden
- Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
- Alexander The Great
- Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Judas Priest
- Victim Of Changes
- Sinner
- Beyond The Realms Of Death
- A Touch Of Evil
- Lochness

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force
- I Am A Viking
- Dark Ages
- Tomorrow's Gone
- Asylum I-III
- Revelation (Drinking With The Devil)
- Priest Of The Unholy

Nile
- In Their Darkened Shrines I-IV
- User-Maat Re
- Annihilation Of The Wicked
- Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten
- Even The Gods Must Die
- Iskander Dhul Kharnon

* the Sabbathman-boosted up overkill version of "some"...

[Paulie 88]

I agree with some of the above. My additions:

Yes - Close To The Edge
KISS - Under The Rose
Bathory - One Rode To Asa Bay
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Syd Barrett - Opel
Voivod - Jack Luminous
Venom - At War With Satan

All the best,
PAULIE

[Wicked Cricket]

I agree with some of the above. My additions:

Yes - Close To The Edge
KISS - Under The Rose
Bathory - One Rode To Asa Bay
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Syd Barrett - Opel
Voivod - Jack Luminous
Venom - At War With Satan

All the best,
PAULIE

KISS has an epic song???!!! I'll take your word for it, but...

I noticed Gordon Lightfoot on your list, how about Don Mclain's "American Pie", that song stayed no.1 for months it seemed like, and talk about people trying to figure out what the cryptic lyrics were about, I remember it being as big a hit song as any I can recall, and it was like 9-10 min long(?) which was a big deal for radio back then.

[Axeman77]

Bob Dylan - Black Diamond Bay / Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands / Brownsville Girl / Desolation Row / Tangled Up In Blue ,,, so many other Bob songs, he the greatest.
Deep Purple - Child In Time
Rainbow - Stargazer and Light in the Black (most Dio era Rainbow songs are epic though!)
Black Sabbath - Sign of the Southern Cross / Heaven and Hell / Air Dance / Megalomania (too many)
Iommi - I Go Insane
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon and the Wall are like one massive song in one!

[nantoofreality]

If we're talking about rock, then absolutely Achilles' Last Stand by Led Zeppelin. I haven't heard a more epic song, in terms of scale and atmosphere. John Bonham's drumming...God, oh God....

[jacksabbath]

Sabbath: when death calls, the writ, heaven and hell, megalomania, wheels of confusion, dirty women, southern cross, eternal idol, anno mundi, too late, computer god


Maiden: rime of the ancient mariner, hallowed be thy name, revelations, powerslave, 7th son, the clansman, for the greater good of god, the talisman, the thin line between love and hate

metallica: fade to black, one, the call of ktulu

preist: victim of changes, beyond the realms of death

ozzy: diary of a madman, killer of giants, no more tears, zombie stomp, tomorrow, time

budgie: zoom club, living on your own

zeppelin: stairway, kashmir, in my time of dying, in the light

some of my favourites

[Icy Sun]

Already posted Child In Time, but I'll post another that to me is the very epitome of epic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQJokbxAuow

As for another, we usually think of epic songs as being long, but Falling Off the Edge of the World is pretty freaking epic for a 5 minute song.

[sn0wb1ind0zzy]

Budgie - Parents

[-E5150 StarWanderer-]

Ah, so many great tracks to choose from, but to me there is only one choice for the accolade of the greatest epic song: Stargazer. To me it's the epitome of epic: massive and majestic sounding, fantastic musicianship and an overall mystical atmosphere.

Other great epics:

• Astral Doors: The Trojan Horse
• Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath, Iron Man, Spiral Architect,Heaven & Hell, Children of the Sea, SOTSC, Falling Off the Edge of the World, Born Again, When Death Calls, Computer God, Bible Black
• Budgie: Napoleon Bona
• Deep Purple: Child in Time, The Battle Rages On, Perfect Strangers
• DIO: Egypt (The Chains Are On), The Last in Line, Holy Diver, Sacred Heart, All the Fools Sailed Away, Throw Away Children
• Helloween: Keeper of the Seven Keys
• Iron Maiden: Hallowed Be Thy Name, Powerslave, Rime of the Ancient Mariner
• JORN: Road of the Cross
• Judas Priest: Victim of Changes, Beyond the Realms of Death
• Ozzy: Diary of a Madman, Mr. Crowley
• Queensrÿche: Roads To Madness
• Rainbow: Gates Of Babylon, Tarot Woman, A Light in the Black
• Thin Lizzy: Vagabond of the Western World, Emerald, Black Rose

[Lord Necros]

I agree with some of the above. My additions:

Yes - Close To The Edge
KISS - Under The Rose
Bathory - One Rode To Asa Bay
Gordon Lightfoot - Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Syd Barrett - Opel
Voivod - Jack Luminous
Venom - At War With Satan

All the best,
PAULIE

I would certainly agree with the last two. I would also like to add the following:

Slayer - Hell Awaits
Autopsy - Sadistic Gratification
Morbid Angel - Angel of Disease
Hell Hammer - The Third of Storms
Triptykon - The Prolonging
Mercyful Fate - The Oath

[Ted Sallis]

I agree with these Rush songs from Pink Led Rush Dio's list being their best epics:

2112
Xanadu
Cygnus X-1
Hemispheres
La Villa Strangiato
Natural Science
Jacob's Ladder

Other songs mentioned above I agree with include Halo of Flies and Child in Time.

Ted

[Ochlocracy]

AC/DC's epics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98I85ceICRM
Angus' amp caught fire in the middle of recording this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKhTk0IynHM

[Paulie 88]

LOL I think we might be losing sight of the definition of "epic" as some modern interpretations creep in... It's not like when Stewie from "Family Guy" farts and calls it "epic..."

[H&H]

There are a lot of good "epic" songs, but when reading the thread title, it was 2 songs that immediatley poped into my head.

Child in Time - Deep Purple

and my all time favorite: The Longest Day - Iron Maiden

a honorable mention to: ...and Justice for All - Metallica

[DISCMAN1969]

If we're talking about rock, then absolutely Achilles' Last Stand by Led Zeppelin. I haven't heard a more epic song, in terms of scale and atmosphere. John Bonham's drumming...God, oh God....

I would agree with this. Plus for some reason I also love Carouselambra. Not typical Zeppelin, but too me it is pretty damn awesome.

[RobotOfDecay]

jacksabbath already said it but I'll reiterate on Kashmir, for me the greatest epic song. Also perhaps worked better live than a lot of other epic songs like Child In Time or Achilles Last Stand, though these are obviously brilliant as well. The Knebworth version is as good as any I reckon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW_WLxseq0o


For most epic Sabbath song though, it'd be Heaven and Hell for me

[Drago]

Diary Of A Madman. The song has everything and the arrangement is just amazing.

[TYR66]

" Stargazer " Rainbow
" Child in Time " Deep Purple "
" Vahalla " Manowar
" Suite Sister Mary " Queensrÿche
" Comfortably Numb " Pink Floyd
" One rode to Asa bay " Bathory

and many others ...

[Billy Underdog]

All i'd name has been named already:
Starless, Stairway To Heaven, Child In Time, Spiral Architect, Kashmir.

One i didn't see mentioned: Pink Floyd's Echoes.

[devstorm]

^^^^
definitely.


Just a few that come to mind:

Black Sabbath-
Black Sabbath
Hand Of Doom
Into The Void
Wheels Of Confusion

Under the Sun
Killing Yourself To Live
Megalomania

The Writ
You Can't Change Me
Heaven And Hell
Lonely Is The Word
Sign of the Southern Cross
Falling Off the Edge of the World
Over & Over

Ozzy-
Revelations Mother Earth/Steal Away The Night
Diary Of A Madman

Metallica -
Call Of Ktulu
Orion
Ride The Lightning
Master Of Puppets
Disposable Heroes

Iron Maiden -
Revelations
To Tame A Land
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Rush -
By Tor & the Snow Dog
Cygnus X1
Cygnus X1 Book 2 Hemispheres

Led Zeppelin -
Achillies Last Stand
Ten Years Gone
No Quarter

Deep Purple -
Child In Time
Space Truckin
Owed to G/This Time Around

Judas Priest -
The Sentinel

Exodus-
Deliver Us To Evil

Emperor-
I Am the Black Wizards
An Elegy Of Icarus

Queensryche -
NM156
Roads To Madness

Neue Regel
I Dream In Infrared
London

Voivod-
Into My Hypercube

Fates Warning-
Prelude To Ruin

Pink Floyd -
Dogs
Atom Heart Mother
Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun

[Thelemech]

When The Music's Over and The End by The Doors are my favorite epics.

[BibleBlack]

To me, quite a few songs come to mind when thinking of something 'epic'...
If I had to cherrypick, it would be...

Rainbow - Stargazer, Rainbow Eyes
Iron Maiden - Phantom of the Opera, Powerslave
Black Sabbath - Spiral Architect, Eternal Idol, Computer God, I
Blind Guardian - Battlefield, Wheel of Time
Dio - The Chains Are On, Eriel

And now for something completely different...
Basil Poledouris - Anvil of Crom, Orphans of Doom/The Awakening.

[led sabbath]

Led zeppelin - in my time of dying
deep purple - child in time
judas priest - beyond the realms of death
rush - 2112, the necromancer
neil young/crazy horse - cowgirl in the sand
the doors - when the music's over
iron maiden - rime of the ancient mariner

[Jaydeeboxster]

My epics playlist contains :

Hotel California
Child In Time
Layla
November Rain
Stairway to Heaven
Freebird
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (I-V)
Wont Get Fooled Again
Bohemain Rhapsody
Stargazer
Sympathy for the Devil
Walk on By (Stranglers)
Rock Bottom
War Pigs

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

^Walk on By by the Stranglers is a fantastic version of that song, I'm not sure I'd calll it an "epic" -- I'll argue my reasoning for that later when I've composed a full posting for here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqfqVDHNW6c