How original is LJ’s opening riff? Options

[Costakoui]

Since the discussion here is about producing a new Live album that reminds of SS or songs like LJ I am wondering how original LJ was at the time it was released.

Lakini’s Juice is considered an outstanding song by Live fans and I think that particular attention is paid to its opening riff. But how original that riff is? I have recently noticed a very similar (I think the same) riff in one of Megadeth’s songs, which was released a few year sbefore SS. Check album Countdown to Extinction, song Captive Honour, at 1.15 minutes.

[PillarOfDavidson]

Since the discussion here is about producing a new Live album that reminds of SS or songs like LJ I am wondering how original LJ was at the time it was released.

Lakini’s Juice is considered an outstanding song by Live fans and I think that particular attention is paid to its opening riff. But how original that riff is? I have recently noticed a very similar (I think the same) riff in one of Megadeth’s songs, which was released a few year sbefore SS. Check album Countdown to Extinction, song Captive Honour, at 1.15 minutes.

I remember reading CT talk about how he was working around his technical limitations on the guitar and that they were all coming around to the idea around that time that less is more. That was a philosophy that I think really influenced the writing of that whole album.

It's not that the riff itself is all that original. After all, how "original" can a two chord riff really be? It's how the song unfolds/flows from it that gives it the unique feel that it has. I've never heard another rock song do so much with so little. The riff is just two chords repeated back and forth, with a note bend at the end of the measure. The chorus is also only three chords. But the way the bass and drums fill up the space around it is magical. The string section during the song just puts it over the top.

It's the quintessential Live song.

[+Ed+]

All I can say is that I have never heard a riff similar to LJ in any other song.