Topic: Riff-In-A-Jiff
Calling all "long-haired freaky people". 
Today's riff is from Ottawa's Five Man Electrical Band. "Signs" is, of course, the band's best-known song. It's from the 1971 album Good-byes & Butterflies (groovy, man 
). According to the liner notes of Absolutely Right (Five Man's greatest hits CD), the inspiration for the song sprang from vocalist/guitarist Les Emmerson's experience of driving Route 66 to California, and noticing along the way the many billboards that cluttered up, and blocked the view of, the scenery.
"Signs" was originally a B-side to "Hello Melinda, Good-bye", a single which failed to achieve much success. After a change in management, the band was encouraged to release "Signs" as a single in its own right. The advice proved to be golden, as the single sold 1.5 million copies, reached #3 on the Billboard chart, and became a classic anti-establishment anthem. Tabbed here is the Intro.
FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND - "Signs" (L. Emmerson)
https://www.angelfire.com/planet/zerofret/annesblog/canriffs.txt
Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiJk6MeBx54
Updated: Friday, November 28, 2008 1:05 AM EST
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One from the request file today, Loverboy's "Hot Girls In Love". The song is from the band's third album Keep It Up, released in 1983. The record went double platinum in the US, with "Hot Girls In Love" becoming their most successful single up to that point. It peaked at #11 on the Billboard chart, aided by heavy rotation on video stations like MuchMusic and MTV. This degree of success garnered the band its first headlining tour. The one time I saw Loverboy live was the year before this (summer of 1982). They opened for April Wine at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, although with the kind of success both bands were enjoying at the time, it was more like a great double bill. 
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