Turn it up to eleven and lean the guitar against it...

December 5, 2007 5:32 PM

I'm looking for songs which contain guitar feedback.

Easy huh? Nope, I need songs that have sections of guitar feedback where there are no other instruments playing. Of course there's Metal Machine Music, also the beginning of Bauhaus' Dark Entries has a great example but more? They escape me.

Extra points for ear-hurty-ness!

posted by merocet to media & arts (37 comments total)

Jimi Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner from Woodstock.
posted by not_on_display at 5:38 PM on December 5, 2007

Just beat me to it. Here.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:40 PM on December 5, 2007

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music
Boris - Feedbacker
SUNN O)))
posted by Mach5 at 5:42 PM on December 5, 2007

oh whoops, didn't see MMM in your MI
posted by Mach5 at 5:42 PM on December 5, 2007

also, growing
posted by Mach5 at 5:43 PM on December 5, 2007

The end of Drown by Smashing Pumpkins is pretty good for this, but get the version from the 'Singles' soundtrack.
posted by pupdog at 5:46 PM on December 5, 2007

The opening of 100% by Sonic Youth is pure feedback.

Streetmasse by Jefferson Airplane begins with gorgeous feedback (first track on After Bathing at Baxter's). That feedback alone is enough to cleanse your mind of all the horrible music that came after that album.
posted by The World Famous at 5:49 PM on December 5, 2007

Stupid fingers, I wasn't through yet. The end of that Pumpkins track is nothing but feedback and e-bow. The cut that made 'Rotten Apples' is only 4 and a half minutes, it's over 8 on the soundtrack...
posted by pupdog at 5:55 PM on December 5, 2007

Arc
posted by mkultra at 5:56 PM on December 5, 2007

Feedback (yes, that's it's name), by the Grateful Dead.
posted by alms at 6:05 PM on December 5, 2007

Sonic Youth - Scooter & Jinx (video mildly NSFW)

Non-guitar feedback: Steven Reich's Pendulum Music, in which four mics swing over their amps.
posted by hydrophonic at 6:24 PM on December 5, 2007

Silver Session for Jason Knuth is a 1998 EP by Sonic Youth. Its eight tracks consist entirely of guitar feedback with occasional drum machine. Jason Knuth — of the album's title — was a Sonic Youth fan who committed suicide, and proceeds from the record's sales were donated to San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline.
posted by micayetoca at 6:27 PM on December 5, 2007

There's a great extended feedback outro on the last track of Meshuggah's Chaosphere. God I love that album.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:31 PM on December 5, 2007

Oh and that track definitely qualifies for ear-hurty-ness, especially if you accidently fall asleep listening to that album with headphones.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:33 PM on December 5, 2007

Excellent suggestions all! Keep 'em coming!
posted by merocet at 7:00 PM on December 5, 2007

The unlisted track on Course of Empire's "Initiation".
posted by neckro23 at 7:05 PM on December 5, 2007

The unlisted track on Course of Empire's "Initiation".
posted by neckro23 at 9:05 PM on December 5 [+] [!]

I haven't thought of CoE in a while, reminds me of good times at Trees.

Anyway, Smashing Pumpkins' Pisces Iscariot has a couple of nuggets, though I'm not sure these would meet any minimum length you might be looking for (and none of these touch the aforementioned Drown):

8) Obscured, 4:45 - 5:15
10) Starla, 10:15 - 10:40
12) Girl Named Sandoz, 3:15 - 3:30
posted by erikgrande at 7:29 PM on December 5, 2007

The first and last couple seconds of essentially any song by Scholastic Deth. Unfortunately someone has clipped a lot of the feedback of the tracks on this myspace fan page. On all their albums, the gap between every song is filled with feedback.
posted by The Wig at 7:30 PM on December 5, 2007

Crawl Away by Tool has a nice feedback intro.
posted by The World Famous at 7:50 PM on December 5, 2007

Not quite what you are asking for, but Van Halen's "Poundcake" uses a sound created by running a power drill right next to the guitar pickups.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 7:56 PM on December 5, 2007

Also, "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles has some sort of screwy sound at the very beginning.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 7:57 PM on December 5, 2007

I'm not sure if this counts, because I'm not sure if it's really feedback or just an effect on top of a repeated note: Tool's Lost Keys.
posted by knave at 8:39 PM on December 5, 2007

There is a sudden, startling screech (that I think is feedback) at the beginning of Nirvana's cover of Turnaround (on Incesticide).
posted by peep at 8:51 PM on December 5, 2007

"Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" by Nirvana has several instances of feedback throughout the song.
posted by momzilla at 9:04 PM on December 5, 2007

There's a bit of bass guitar and the last track has some drums on it, but Earth 2 is along the lines of what you're looking for. Twenty minutes of feedback straight through.
posted by dhammond at 9:13 PM on December 5, 2007

Beatles - "I Feel Fine" - rather classic feedback opening.
posted by magwich at 9:14 PM on December 5, 2007

The Breeders - Happiness is a warm gun, has some
posted by edgeways at 12:12 AM on December 6, 2007

Velvet Underground - European Son
posted by edgeways at 12:16 AM on December 6, 2007

At the end of Jimmy Eat World's old song "What Would I Say To You Now" has a good 29: of wonderful squealing feedback.

Tool's "Lost Keys" is a sustained note with heavy effects.
And it's a fucking overwhelming, bathing sound when heard live.
posted by blastrid at 12:49 AM on December 6, 2007

Juliana Hatfield's Down On Me has a few seconds of controlled feedback for its intro.

Thanks for the opportunity to redeclare my love for her
posted by handybitesize at 4:45 AM on December 6, 2007

The Strokes - New York City Cops. Try the first few seconds and the last few seconds.
posted by alona at 5:19 AM on December 6, 2007

The guitar part for the chorus of Uncle Tupelo's "Wait Up," is just feedback (provided by Peter Buck).

The Beatles' "It's All Too Much" opens with a nice wall of feedback.
posted by COBRA! at 7:02 AM on December 6, 2007

Anthrax by Gang of Four.
There is a good 1:40 of pure guitar noise before the drums kick in.
posted by hybridvigor at 10:00 AM on December 6, 2007

The middle part of Better Living Through Chemistry by Queens of the Stone Age is a drawn out guitar feedback part with no other instruments.

It starts at about 2:30 in this live video, but it's on the album version on Rated R, too.
posted by The World Famous at 10:52 AM on December 6, 2007

Beatles "I Feel Fine" is a plucked A harmonic.
posted by artdrectr at 11:11 AM on December 6, 2007

Oh, where to begin?

"We Invent You," the opening track from Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound has a beautiful 2+ minute feedback opening.

"Drowning" off the album of the same name by the band Cavity (although, pretty much every song fits the criteria). This is painful, overmodded feedback. Along these lines really any of the 90's sludge movement is just Black Sabbath put through absurd amounts of distortion, which led to lots of guitar feedback. See also: Eyehategod, Buzzov-en, Grief.
posted by hominid211 at 11:57 AM on December 6, 2007

You've just given me a great excuse to listen through "Band of Gypsies" from Jimi Hendrix. Feedback all over the album, but I'll keep an ear open for *just* feedback.

Heck any Hendrix album will probably have something you're looking for.
posted by GPF at 12:13 PM on December 6, 2007