# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/41 "2020-02-03T16:04:25Z")
I hate Neil Diamond. I hate, hate, hate Neil Diamond, except for… Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show. Hard rocking! ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/42 "2020-02-03T16:11:31Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > “Roll with the Changes” is another great rocker by REO. They took a turn toward a poppier sound on **Hi Infidelity** , and it worked - that album sold zillions. Meh. REO’s best rocker was written and sung by the bass player- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQG3vdBcN6g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQG3vdBcN6g) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/43 "2020-02-03T16:28:54Z")
The Osmonds’ “[Traffic in My Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7YXItmuNhA)” rocks even harder than “Crazy Horses”. I wonder how the older four brothers would have ended up, music-wise, if completely left to their own devices? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/44 "2020-02-03T17:29:09Z")
Another Eagles song that rocks out pretty nicely, especially with Don and Joe sharing lead guitar duties: [James Dean](https://youtu.be/sypVq10ovcU?t=37). ---
**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 3, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/45 "2020-02-03T21:27:05Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > “Rebel. rebel” by David Bowie is a pretty rocking song from an artist better known for Space Oddity > > ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-rvsHsi1o&feature=emb\_logo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy-rvsHsi1o&feature=emb_logo)) “The Man Who Sold The World”, the album after “Space Oddity”, was almost completely droning hard rock. An unusual transitional album for Bowie. But of course he also rocked hard later a few times, no wonder if you have Mick Ronson in your band. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/46 "2020-02-03T21:51:20Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Oh, I’d say Nazareth rocks pretty hard on [Razamanaz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpeI5Z4vO-4). > > The first band that I though of is known for being pretty mellow, but the Moody Blues had some pretty up tempo rockers like _Ride My See Saw_, _Higher and Higher_ and _Question_. The Moody Blues hardest rocking song is [The Story In Your Eyes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoDXzvXxUbc) 😃 ---
**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 3, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/47 "2020-02-03T21:58:46Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > “The Man Who Sold The World”, the album after “Space Oddity”, was almost completely droning hard rock. An unusual transitional album for Bowie. But of course he also rocked hard later a few times, no wonder if you have Mick Ronson in your band. I forgot to put in examples from the album: [The Width Of A Circle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnRNAIQAc50) [Black Country Rock](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqwXso5d1vo) ---
**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 3, 2020, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/48 "2020-02-03T23:26:58Z")
…and along with _Suffragette City_, another kick-ass Bowie rocker is [_Look Back in Anger_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eszZfu_1JM0), with its driving, propulsive beat, and searing little guitar peel played in the verses. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/49 "2020-02-03T23:42:43Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Terry Kath was a monster on guitar. That is not nearly the only song that highlights his incredible work. It wasn’t until after he accidentally killed himself that the band turned completely poppy. > > He really should have been as legendary as Duane or Jimi. I believe the only reason why he’s not is because by choice he was in a band where he didn’t have to be the focus of every song. Even the ones he wrote. Very early in Chicago’s career, Jimi Hendrix actually told Terry Kath, “You play better than I do.” 🆒 ---
**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 4, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/50 "2020-02-04T00:12:48Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > …and along with _Suffragette City_, another kick-ass Bowie rocker is [_Look Back in Anger_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eszZfu_1JM0), with its driving, propulsive beat, and searing little guitar peel played in the verses. Not to forget [Queen Bitch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5P63qGTm_g) from “Hunky Dory”, a Velvet underground tribute. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/51 "2020-02-04T01:30:42Z")
> [@journeyman\_southpaw](#): > > Herman’s Hermits - [My Reservation’s Been Confirmed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGTIR2_3x1w) I dunno how much I like the song but goddamn, that’s a great title. “Beat It” by Michael Jackson is a pretty straightforward rock song, and even has a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. ---
**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 4, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/52 "2020-02-04T04:05:26Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Stray Cats Rock This Town was less hillbilly and more hard rock from the rockabilly band. Another example: [Rumble in Brighton (studio)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiq0hKW39rk) [Rumble in Brighton (Concert)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPshffbyYQM) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/53 "2020-02-04T04:18:50Z")
Genesis. This ain’t Invisible Touch The Knife (live with Phil Collins and Steve Hackett) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_YvKoOdP-Wg/hqdefault.jpg "Genesis Live - The Knife (2009 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YvKoOdP-Wg) The Musical Box (around the 4 minute mark Steve Hackett shows he can play the guitar and Phil Collins turns into Keith Moon on the drums) [Musical Box (Live) - YouTube](https://youtu.be/qJHQj-EEqvg) ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/54 "2020-02-04T05:40:39Z")
The mention of Michael Jackson reminded me of this one. “Black Cat” by Janet Jackson. https://www.youtube.com/embed/lmQ1Lrda7As?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDlmQ1Lrda7As&start=29 ---
**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 4, 2020, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/55 "2020-02-04T07:32:07Z")
To (try) to pull a ridiculous coup here - I give you Eric Carmen’s [Hungry Eyes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ssCL292DQA) The most anodyne. Limp. Pedestrian. Ineffectual. El-wimpo-wimpy song ever. NOT hard rocking. Yet, consider: a.) It’s Eric Carmen b.) His previous hit was _All By Myself_ c.) Almost more than likely - in the wake of widespread ridicule and scorn upon reception of aforementioned puddle - the obese, cigar-chomping bigwigs with their tinted shades and goatees were going “Eric…Eric baby - All this, buzz, we’re gettin about you bein a wimp, ya know? They all think you’re some kind of putz or somethin. Weak. Weak’s no good. Ya gotta…s_ex it up a little_, you know? Make yourself all _‘eeeeeehhhhh sexyyyyyyyyyyy’_, you know? Show’em you’re more of a _man_.” And so, in setting out to make himself more of a man, EC puts out this sexy new song with an accompanying video that depicts him as a pining cuckold to some wild sax-playing lady (who, at one point in the video, mysteriously turns into a different, darker-haired actress) (heh - not sure if that was some sort of continuity glitch or budgeting issue or whatever). But there’s drums, and that fiery sax solo, and the way he belts out “makes me feel all, ri-i-i-ight” tells you EC’s not messing around here, and so _in this context_ it’s way more hard rocking than _ABM_. This is my if- **Bricker** -had-posted-in- **CS** post. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/56 "2020-02-04T09:30:15Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Meh. REO’s best rocker was written and sung by the bass player- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQG3vdBcN6g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQG3vdBcN6g) Good choice. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/57 "2020-02-04T13:07:38Z")
En Vogue. Their Wikipedia entry describes them as “R&B/pop vocal group”, and lists their genres as “R&B, dance-pop, pop, funk, hip hop, soul”. But forget all that - and what they look like - and listen to [Free Your Mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7iQbBbMAFE) Many years ago, I was out in a rock club. The DJ was playing all the usual stuff you would expect - AC/DC, Van Halen, Motorhead, Deep Purple and so on - and in the middle of it all he stuck on Free Your Mind, by En Vogue. Nobody batted an eye and kept on rocking out. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/58 "2020-02-04T15:30:40Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > To (try) to pull a ridiculous coup here - I give you Eric Carmen’s [Hungry Eyes.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ssCL292DQA) > The most anodyne. > Limp. > Pedestrian. > Ineffectual. > El-wimpo-wimpy song ever. > NOT hard rocking. > > Yet, consider: > > a.) It’s Eric Carmen > b.) His previous hit was _All By Myself_ > c.) Almost more than likely - in the wake of widespread ridicule and scorn upon reception of aforementioned puddle - the obese, cigar-chomping bigwigs with their tinted shades and goatees were going “Eric…Eric baby - All this, buzz, we’re gettin about you bein a wimp, ya know? They all think you’re some kind of putz or somethin. Weak. Weak’s no good. Ya gotta…s_ex it up a little_, you know? Make yourself all _‘eeeeeehhhhh sexyyyyyyyyyyy’_, you know? Show’em you’re more of a _man_.” > > And so, in setting out to make himself more of a man, EC puts out this sexy new song with an accompanying video that depicts him as a pining cuckold to some wild sax-playing lady (who, at one point in the video, mysteriously turns into a different, darker-haired actress) (heh - not sure if that was some sort of continuity glitch or budgeting issue or whatever). But there’s drums, and that fiery sax solo, and the way he belts out “makes me feel all, ri-i-i-ight” tells you EC’s not messing around here, and so _in this context_ it’s way more hard rocking than _ABM_. > > This is my if- **Bricker** -had-posted-in- **CS** post. The subsequent hit “Make Me Lose Control” didn’t do much for his image either. That said, the hardest rocking EC song is by far “Go All the Way” which he wrote and sang while fronting The Raspberries another bubblegum pop-rock band of the 70s. FTR, my interpretation of the video is that he sees the original girl everywhere he goes, but it’s not her. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/59 "2020-02-04T16:08:07Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > “25 or 6 to 4” - Chicago. Listen to I’m a Man by Chicago. No horns, just one of the best versions of a rock song recorded many times. Southern California Purples from CTA is also a lot different than the usual dreck Chicago put out. ---
**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 4, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349/60 "2020-02-04T21:19:15Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Wasn’t the majority of their material more or less hard hitting, with dashes of glam/art rock? > > Too many to name, really - > [Out of the Blue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltn-kcRAqI4) > [Editons of You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kxfGPWGaJ0) > [Do the Strand](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5X6BifSQ9U) > …quite a few more… Not quite the same. While Bryan Ferry has always been really good at delivering sarcastically derisive broadsides against the subjects of his songs (including himself), Casanova is the only track I can think of where he actually sounds so angry that it’s like he’s trying to crush you with the heaviness of the song. Actually, that song might be about himself, now that I think of it. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-rocking-songs-from-bands-that-surprised-you/847349.md?page=4)