Do you know of a song that is opposite of what its band is generally known for? The best example I can think of is “'Til I Die”, by “The Beach Boys”.
Changes-- Black Sabbath
“Beth” by Kiss.
Metallica fans went frothingly insane when “Nothing Else Matters” was released…
That or “After Forever”.
“Aww c’mon, quit shitting me… what band was that, really?”
Pink Floyd —either “Wasting My Time” or “San Tropez”.
Led Zeppelin - “Going to California”
Yes - “Cans and Brahms” or “America” (cover of the Simon & Garfunkel)
Tori Amos (who admittedly is not “a band”) - “I’m not in Love” (just a silly phase I’m goin thru)
Neil Sedaka (who is also not “a band”) - “The Immigrant”
Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Center Field”
The Rolling Stones, “Sing This All Together”
Styx - “Little Fugue in G”
U2 - “The Wanderer”
The Offspring - “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?”
The infectious, peppy synth-pop hit “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode is quite a departure from the dark, mopey music they’re more usually known for.
That was Fogerty, post-CCR.
The Clash - “Train In Vain”
The Cure - Love Cats
I heard THAT song before any of their other stuff; even though they really aren’t as pervasively dark and mopey as they’re reputed to be, it took decades before I believed they were ever seriously considered to be an emo band.
I mean, come on. LOVE CATS!!1
“Talk Talk” by Talk Talk. First you think this song is exactly this band, but then you listen close and you realize they completely reversed it.
For some reason, this reminded me of the Kinks’s “Come Dancing,” which, despite the band’s wide range of styles, still doesn’t sound like the Kinks to me.
Really? I think it fits in pretty comfortably – a nostalgic song from a band that has long traded on nostalgia.
Alice Cooper - I never cry
He does pretty good with a ballad.
Really? In the context of London Calling, I don’t think it really stands out that much.
Good Riddance-- Green Day
I don’t know which is more The Sweet-like, Ballroom Blitz or Little Willie. Those two songs don’t sound like they come from the same decade, much less the same band.
It’s not the nostalgic aspect of it–obviously the Kinks are big on nostalgia–the sound of the music is just so unlike them, at least to me. Every time I hear that song, I have to remind myself its the Kinks.
I think a better example for the Beach Boys is “Wild Honey”—either the song or the album. R&B-flavored music with simple, lo-fi instrumentation and production, and not much in the way of harmony vocals. Not what people were expecting from the Boys (but I really like it anyway).
But his ballads make sense in context on stage when he’s singing them over the corpse of a dead nurse just prior to being dragged to the guillotine.
…also suggest “You and Me” and “Wake Me Gently” as other great Alice ballads.
Motorhead -1916 A ballad (?!) from Lemmy and the boys that includes cellos. The song subject (the carnage of WWI) is pure Motorhead, but the music definitely is not.