Favorite musical epics?

[mad rhetorik]

While there have been many bands who have tried to create an "epic" song (every prog outfit worth its salt), in my mind only a few have succeeded in creating something I enjoy listening to over and over again without getting bored silly. This is especially true of songs that approach the 20-minute mark. Any band can noodle for a half-hour; it takes a great and talented band to write a composition of that length that can carry its weight and stay interesting throughout.

What are your favorite "epic" (10+ minute) cuts? Here are mine:

Pink Floyd: "Dogs" (Animals)
For me, this is the 'Floyd-defining song (and album). Of course, "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is also worthy, and has an ending guitar solo that I would trade a kidney for; but what makes "Dogs" great is its superb pacing, perfect buildup, Gilmour's brilliant vocal performance in the first half, Waters' poetic and dark lyrics, and a great Gilmour solo midway in, all topped by the haunting sound of the howling dogs. The final couple of verses, toward the very end, with Waters taking the vocal lead accompanied by Gilmour and Wright on their respective instruments, is absolutely wrenching in its finality:

"Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

Dragged down by the stone"

King Crimson: "Starless" (Red)
This 12-minute song could not have been a more perfect conclusion to the Wetton/Bruford/Cross era of the Krim. The first 5 minutes are sublime in their mellotron-drenched beauty, with Wetton putting in one of his best vocal performances. After that, Wetton stops singing, leaving just an ominous bassline, and the song really begins. The rest of the band comes in, slowly, with Fripp playing that single note on his guitar, progressively rising with intensity as the song continues. Then when it all seems about to blow through the top, Mel Collins comes in quickly with a sax solo to save us, if only briefly. Then his sax solo comes to an end with a flourish from Bruford's drums and all freaking hell breaks loose as Fripp unleashes his screaming guitar. Finally, the song comes to a beautiful close with the return of the opening theme. Sublime.

Opeth: "The Night And The Silent Water" (Morningrise)
Although all five songs on Morningrise are worthy of the "epic" tag at 10+ minutes each, this is the best one out of the bunch. The song contains all the elements the band is known for: seamlessly executed hard-to-soft transitions, complex metal passages, Mikael Akerfeldt's combination of growling and clean singing, and great touches of acoustic folk. The chiming acoustic guitars that come in somewhere around the 2-minute mark are achingly beautiful. The real highlight, however, is the buildup from the 8-minute mark to the end, slowly going from acoustic dreamland to electricity and pounding double-bass drums, culminating in the riff to end all all riffs, with Akerfeldt reciting the last verse over it all in a hoarse whisper. The song finally drifts off to its end with a few pained, dying acoustic chords.

Allman Brothers: "Whipping Post" (Live At The Filmore East)
This 23-minute jam succeeds mostly due to its strong written framework. This particular version of the song doesn't deviate much from the 5-minute version found on their first album. I love the original-length version, and this is just as good. Berry Oakley's opening bass intro, followed by Duane and Dickey Betts' stinging guitars and Gregg's weary vocals, is a pure adrenaline rush--sometimes I will start the song over a few times, just to hear the intro. Gregg's vocals (listen to him on the choruses; truly a better white blues singer you will not find) and the guitars, duetting with Gregg's organ lines, really define this song. Easily one of the greatest blues jams I've ever treated my ears to.

Jimi Hendrix: "Machine Gun" (Band Of Gypsys)
Listening to this jam, I can understand why Miles Davis took an interest in Jimi. His guitar playing was downright unbeatable. I've listened to a lot of metal, which as a genre generally strives to sound brutal and war-like; however, when it comes to evoking images of a battlefield in my mind, Jimi, Buddy, and Billy beat them all to the punch way back on New Years Eve, 1969. That funky, M16-like guitar lick in the opening sets the stage, and is followed by Buddy's rifleshot snare. I have to be sitting down when Jimi launches into that solo at the 4-minute mark, holding that one note and turning it into an air-raid siren that just dives straight into you and leaves your ears ringing (I annoy my neighbors ; P). Jimi's vocals are quite laidback through the song; he doesn't sound like he's trying. But that's unimportant, for his guitar expresses much more than any mere words could.

EDIT: In my sleep-deprived state, I almost forgot to include Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row" (Hwy. 61 Revisited). I won't bother with the verbose description for that--Dylan rules, end of story.

Oh yeah, and also the VU classic "Sister Ray" deserves a mention.