# hard rocking songs from bands that surprised you **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349 "2020-02-01T23:36:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/1 "2020-02-01T23:36:29Z")
Following up on my “profound lyrics you didn’t expect” post, what bands not known for hard rock recorded a great rocking song? Victim of Love, and it’s the Eagles again. Just a coincidence I assure you, I was listening to a party playlist and it came up. But I will say, in this one instance, Fuck the Big Lewbowski, I like the fucking Eagles. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/2 "2020-02-01T23:45:42Z")
The chorus for that number doesn’t exactly scream hard rocking to me, so I’ll go with “Life In the Fast Lane” and “Dirty Laundry”, the second one somewhat neutered, admittedly, by the new wavy keyboard line. “25 or 6 to 4” - Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/3 "2020-02-02T00:21:53Z")
Emerson Lake and Palmer are known for some bombastic progressive music, but really rocked on on “[Are You Ready, Eddie?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GktwcJAh96c),” with Emerson in full Jerry Lee Lewis mode. They also rocked out on “[Nutrocker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y30jjHw0ecw).” ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/4 "2020-02-02T00:37:17Z")
Pat Boone slays with [Smoke on the Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFDIrwOUdrw) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/5 "2020-02-02T00:55:06Z")
Many, many years ago when I first heard “Helter Skelter,” I was surprised that the Beatles could sound that heavy. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/6 "2020-02-02T01:03:25Z")
…and still one of the heaviest and nastiest (good nasty) tunes I’ve ever heard. I like to think of HS as one of Paul’s finest accomplishments - totally showing Mr. Townshend a thing or two on what heavy and noisy actually means. (no - NOT _I Can See For Miles_, as PT once touted in a BBC i-view, prompting PM to come up with something that ended up _trouncing_ ICSFM.) Hey Steelers fans - does Styx’s _Renegade_ - with the fiery, multiple guitar solos - qualify here? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/7 "2020-02-02T01:20:23Z")
[The Osmonds - Crazy Horses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQVSTfhoRo) is usually in the discussion on this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/8 "2020-02-02T02:06:57Z")
[Casanova](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g4G_oX-JMc) - probably the hardest-hitting song Roxy Music ever recorded. It has sort of a heavy-funk groove. Sick bass part. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/9 "2020-02-02T02:15:29Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > )Hey Steelers fans - does Styx’s _Renegade_ - with the fiery, multiple guitar solos - qualify here? You should hear some of the obscure, proggy stuff on their early albums. Here’s a longtime favorite of mine. The length (13 minutes plus) is not a typo. Most of R.E.M.'s "Monster" album, from 1994, was quite hard-rocking, and one of my all-time favorites, "Departure", came along a couple years later. And "Animal" a few years after that. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1OGgtLkgcoU/hqdefault.jpg "R.E.M. Animal \*\*HQ\*\* Official Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OGgtLkgcoU) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/10 "2020-02-02T03:49:46Z")
[quote=“nearwildheaven, post:9, topic:847349”] You should hear some of the obscure, proggy stuff on their early albums. Here’s a longtime favorite of mine. The length (13 minutes plus) is not a typo. Most of R.E.M.'s "Monster" album, from 1994, was quite hard-rocking, and one of my all-time favorites, "Departure", came along a couple years later. And "Animal" a few years after that. [/QUOTE] R.E.M. could really rock hard! My favorite rocker is [Bittersweet Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUb1lYeaC4Q). ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/11 "2020-02-02T04:16:43Z")
Herman’s Hermits - [My Reservation’s Been Confirmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGTIR2_3x1w) ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/12 "2020-02-02T04:35:41Z")
How about “Ridin’ the Storm Out” from REO Speedwagon? At least the live version they usually play on the radio - the original recorded version is certainly tamer. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/13 "2020-02-02T04:45:54Z")
_Long Cool Woman_ by The Hollies. Before that, they were pretty much bubble gum pop singers. I was almost shocked the first time I heard it. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/14 "2020-02-02T04:51:12Z")
Monkees, “Circle Sky” from the film and soundtrack of 'Head" - the Monkees try proto-punk (the video clip features Vietnam War footage and executions and mannequins dismembered in an early mosh pit…a far cry from cereal promos). Depeche Mode, “I Feel You,” driven by a distorted guitar riff, not a techno/synth sound. Beck, “Minus” - basically a straight rock song, unlike most of his material. While Helter Skelter is the noisiest Beatle’s song, I always thought “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” was also a “metal-like” song - with its length and meter changes. Elton John “Saturday’s All Right For Fighting” - some of his album tracks are hard rock too, but that song stands out in comparison to his other well-known songs. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/15 "2020-02-02T06:31:02Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Herman’s Hermits - [My Reservation’s Been Confirmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGTIR2_3x1w) My entry as well. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/16 "2020-02-02T12:40:58Z")
The biggest difference in styles that I can think of come from the the Lemon Pipers, best known for their bubblegum singles Green Tambourine and Rice is Nice. But on their albums they really displayed their hard rock side on tracks like the 8 minute Through With You and the 12 minutes Dead End Street/Half Light. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/17 "2020-02-02T14:58:10Z")
Cheating juust a little bit, Marvin Gaye ([“I Heard It Round And Round The Grapevine”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57SNPbxi0r0&frags=pl%2Cwn)). For a highly uncharacteristic low-down rocker, I like Buddy Holly’s “Midnight Shift” (especially the Los Lobos version). ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/18 "2020-02-02T15:00:14Z")
> [@TheBoltEater](#): > > How about “Ridin’ the Storm Out” from REO Speedwagon? At least the live version they usually play on the radio - the original recorded version is certainly tamer. > > Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk I like, [“Don’t Let Him Go.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIuJ-OoKlAE) Love the intro, the heavy drums, and the guitars are pretty kick-ass. The synths undercut it a bit, but even Van Halen went there eventually. /I’ve long favored the studio version of [“Ridin’ the Storm Out”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZdcUqz9y4A&list=PLz6cAheObZcgqyX-Z2LUZvnUrItTKQKaN), but I know I’m in the minority on that one. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/19 "2020-02-02T15:10:41Z")
> [@](#): > > I like, [“Don’t Let Him Go.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIuJ-OoKlAE) Love the intro, the heavy drums, and the guitars are pretty kick-ass. The synths undercut it a bit, but even Van Halen went there eventually. [Here’s a live version that, as most live versions do, turns up the energy.](https://youtu.be/tgYxJ-LKsb8) /I love Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/20 "2020-02-02T15:13:46Z")
Elton John’s live album, _11/17/70_, rocks hard from start to finish. He actually did a lot of hard rock in his early albums; he once complained that too many people got the wrong impression of him as a balladeer because of “Your Song.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349.md?page=2)