Several of my all time favorite songs have a common denominator: a big bang climax. An obvious example is Otis Redding singing "Try a Little Tenderness," when words finally aren't enough and Otis spits out those wonderful sounds and syllables. You know the moment, but just in case, it's at 3:08.
But maybe you don't know "Stand!" by Sly and the Family Stone. I first heard this pretty much the same week that I first heard "Try a Little Tenderness." My brother Paul left both records in my room, and I played them a lot. The payoff comes at 2:17 when the third chorus of "Stand!" turns into a thudding bass riff that dominates the rest of the song.
As I got older I found jazz. Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train" has a beautiful moment when several horns come in one after the other to create a chord. It happens at 2:15.
And then T-Bone Walker, and his instrumental "Goin' to Funky Town." Everything about his guitar on this one blows my mind, but my head pops off at about 4:40.
