Buried in Plain Sight
One of the harder things to do is find songs by very popular artists that we haven’t heard before. I like to dig in back catalogs and limited edition albums to see if there are any gems there.
To find an undiscovered song in the Beatles or Rolling Stone’s catalog is next to impossible. Sure, there are songs on albums in the ‘60’s that you may not recognize but I am pretty sure a lot of those songs were filler. They didn’t get airplay because they just didn’t meet the standards set by other songs on the album.
Take for example The Beatles Revolver album. Considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of all time and yet, in my opinion, it has a couple of “filler” songs. “Dr. Robert” and “And Your Bird Can Sing”. While both songs would do well on a different album, Revolver literally has 12 classic songs and these two. No one’s perfect, not even the Beatles.
My point here is, For a group like The Beatles, it is next to impossible to find a song or two that undiscovered. If I had to choose though, I would say “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver. Mystical, other worldly and just totally unique for the band at that time. It was a sign of what was to come.
The Rolling Stones might be an easier group to find undiscovered gems but again, the amount of airplay this band has gotten over the years has kept Mick and Keith in diamonds and furs for sure. Yet, I can pull probably 20 songs that have gotten little airplay and are actually great. I am going to go with “Slave” from Tattoo You. No, this song is not on the level of “Sympathy For The Devil” (The greatest Rock and Roll song ever) but it is still a really good song and shows the band at it’s funkiest, have fun and to Hell with convention best.
Speaking of the greatest of all time, Led Zeppelin has plenty to choose from as well. The band experimented with soo many different genres you could probably pick one song from each genre and make an incredible album. I will also have to say that picking one song from Zeppelin was next to impossible. I would say that “Friends” from Led Zeppelin III has to be my deep dive. However, I seriously could have picked 15 or 20 other songs for this list so don’t shoot me, I had to pick one.
Now we will go into that next level. The Byrds were one of the first supergroups, even though they weren’t considered that back then, but let’s be honest here, any band that has Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke has to be considered a supergroup. The song I picked was from the Untitled album is the psychedelic “Hungry Planet”. It’s a quick little song with some great acoustic guitar playing by Clarence White. The following song on the album, “Welcome Back Home” should also be included on this list.
Boz Scaggs has had a great career, having played with The Steve Miller Band for years and a fairly successful solo career as well. Over overlooked, he is well respected in the industry and his collaboration with Duane Allman on “Someone Loan Me a Dime” is worthy of inclusion to this list. The song and the album “Boz Scaggs” where recorded at The Muscles Shoals Sound Studio with all session musicians and of course, Allman. This was before the Allman Brothers caught fire and you can here Duane Allman’s greatness in the middle of this twelve and half minute masterpiece.
Speaking of masterpieces The Temptations’ “Runaway Child, Running Wild” is one of that legendary groups best songs. The Temptations should stand alone in the Motown world because of their willingness to buck convention and go against Bery Gordy’s wishes. No one who listens to Motown wants to hear a nine minute song about the ghetto and the destruction it causes on the young. However, it was the Temptations and they were a band unlike any other. No Jackson Five here. I have listened to this song 130 times and I still feel it. Never gets old.
A former Motown star recorded maybe one of the greatest albums of all time. Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life contains so many great songs it is impossible to pick that one buried treasure but I will give it a shot. “As” is the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Period. The power of this song and it’s message won’t be forgotten after listening to it.
I know I don’t mention Southern Rock all that often but don’t be fooled, I love Southern Rock and I could do a dozen columns on the artists, the albums, the songs but for this article I will pick a song by Lynryd Skynryd that is pretty well known and has been done by several artists over the years but Skynryd still does it best, “Simple Man” to me is the epitome of all great Southern Rock songs.
For a little change of pace, how about Leonard Cohen? Granted he is not everyones cup of tea and I am not sure if you could say he is Rock and Roll but lets move past that argument and listen to “Dance Me To The End of Love”. Sounds like some Greek song you would hear on Mykonos after three bottle of Ouzo. So what? It’s an unusual song that is catchy and in it’s own way, very beautiful. Like I said Cohen isn’t for everybody.
Normally I try to keep live performances off my lists. They should be a separate category. However, I am going to make an exception. Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Keep on Chooglin’” from their live album, The Concert, is better than the original (not by much) and the song itself is a John Fogarty tour de farce. Playing a solid lead, vocals and kick ass harmonica. I can listen to any version of this song and was even mesmerized by the version in the CCR concert movie, Proud Mary, that was released last year.
My last choice is from Pink Floyd. This band has had some forays into weird in the past but they always come back. “Fearless” from Meddle is one of those songs that you can listen to and love it but not really understand what it is about. Thats my fault because I love the guitar riff and the music, lyrics are secondary here. The ending is pretty cool as well. I say it’s chanting from a soccer match. Listen and tell me what you think.