Audiophile Central: 4 Bizarre Sound Effects From Popular Classic Rock Songs

Sometimes, all a song needs to really become recognizable is the use of a few bizarre sound effects. That’s obviously not all a classic rock song needs to be good. But, sometimes, a little bit of audio engineering magic can take an excellent song and turn it into something more unique. That was the case for the following four classic rock songs that used bizarre sound effects to their advantage. Let’s take a look!

The Anvil Drop in “For Whom The Bell Tolls” by Metallica

That anvil drop in Metallica’s 1985 heavy metal hit “For Whom The Bell Tolls” might be the most legendary part of the whole song. At the beginning of the track, the sound of a “bell” tolling ushers in the start of the song. It’s a legendary sound, and it’s actually not really a bell tolling at all. Rather, Lars Ulrich smacked an anvil with a metal hammer in combination with a stock bell sound from an old-school sound effects reel. Ah, musical magic!

The Radio Sounds in “I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles

“I Am The Walrus” by The Beatles is a truly legendary song from the golden era of psychedelic rock. And the tune, like many songs from Fab Four albums like Revolver and Magical Mystery Tour, features some unique little recording tricks. On “I Am The Walrus”, the sound of a radio broadcast can be heard. That broadcast was a radio adaptation of King Lear by William Shakespeare, particularly the end portion of the play. It’s chaotic but well-suited for the song all at once.

All of the Guitar Abuse in “Mean Street” by Van Halen

Let’s be real. Eddie Van Halen put his guitars through a lot. But he was an absolute beast at the electric guitar, taking on long-winded solos both in the studio and live like it was easy. On “Mean Street”, Van Halen takes things a step further and quite literally beats a guitar.

In this song from Fair Warning, Van Halen creates a fascinating soundscape by tapping his guitar. This is not dissimilar from techniques that funk bassists or even blues guitarists would employ. However, there’s no real organization of musical theory here. Van Halen basically just chaotically slaps the guitar, eventually segueing into structured chords. It’s kind of genius, actually.

The Kitchen Utensils in “Metal Gods” by Judas Priest

This isn’t the first time a band has used kitchen utensils or cutlery to create bizarre sound effects in their music. But, Judas Priest’s use of the effect in “Metal Gods” is actually quite brilliant. In this heavy metal song, the band tells the story of giant metallic robots taking over the world. To create the sound effect of those robots moving their massive robotic arms, Rob Halford simply shook a drawer full of metal kitchen cutlery.

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