What are great bands’ most underrated songs, the songs in their catalogues that even the fans and the die-hards never seem to mention? The one that might even just be a b-side, but it’s in your top-five songs by them? The one the one that just never seems to get any love?
My vote:
Led Zeppelin - “Down by the seaside” - buried in the weird second disc of Physical Graffiti, this is one of my top-five Zep tunes, and on a good day I might even say it’s one of my top three. I love the nautical guitar line, the breezy shuffling rhythm, and the electric piano; the whole thing adds up to a perfectly pastoral, idyllic seaside scene, perhaps even in the 1800’s. And then that haunting rocked out bridge! I just love it, and I’ve literally never met another person who even mentions the song in passing.
On the Pye label B-side of The Kinks’ “Lola” is a phenomenal song called “Berkeley Mews.” Until the CD age arrived with its remastered editions with bonus tracks, the only place you could find this song aside from the 45 was on “The Kinks Kronikles” LP. Now, it’s on quite a few of their compilations.
It has to rank among the best work The Kinks ever did. It’s a great basher. It’s got one of the great, cryptic Davies lyrics about a strange person Ray thought he loved. It has all these fascinating little production elements, like a few bars of mellotron here but not anywhere else, a sax solo on the end, a massive finish, and it’s got Nicky Hopkins playing a stunning honky-tonk piano part throughout. It manages to be both like and unlike anything the group had done before. If I’d been a DJ back then, I would have flipped over “Lola” and played the other side, too.
Other than the people for whom I’ve played the song (and I eventually play it for everyone I know), I’ve never met anyone else who’s heard it. It never seems to rate a mention in published works on the group. If you like The Kinks, I urge you to find this song and give it a listen.
One of my favourite Velvet Underground songs is “After Hours”, the last track on the third album. It’s just such a simple bittersweet song, and I totally love Mo Tucker’s vocal on it. (I’ve heard her singing it live too). But it doesn’t seem to get much love.
It’s one of my absolute favorite VU songs, and I think it has a nice little following among the fanbase.
My actual vote for “VU’s best completely underrated song” is this one called “Countess from Hong Kong” that I think is only available on the “Peel Slowly and See” boxed set. I’m pretty sure it’s a Loaded-era outtake, and it’s just a great little song with this cool, spidery guitar line.
Man, “The Kinks Kronikles” had quite a few great, otherwise-unavailable tracks.
But my vote for the Kinks’ most underrated (or maybe just underheard) song is “Did Ya.” I love this song, and played it over and over when I managed to find the obscure early-90’s EP on which it appeared. Wonderfully sung, wonderfully played, with a classic Ray Davies lyric; it definitely sounds like a Kinks song, though not quite like any of their other songs. Honorable mention goes to “Look Through Any Doorway,” Dave’s contribution to that EP, and one of his best ever.
Tori Amos did a version of “Down by the Seaside” as a duet with Robert Plant. “In the Light” was one of my favorite songs by Zepplin (and I think it was on Physical Graffiti as well) but almost never hear it mentioned either.
Since we mostly seem to be talking about b-sides I’ll vote for “Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam. Great tune and was originally released as an extra track on the Jermey CD single. I was at a Pearl Jam concert in 98 or 99 and they played it. None of my friends had heard it before that.
If you’d like to expand the OP to entire double albums, the 1969 Live set is just awesomely good, and sells few copies. I bought it in the mid eighties on vinyl, and I’m sure it’s been hard to find for much of the time since. It’s rereleased as two seperate discs now for some reason.
Back about 12-13 years ago when Led Zeppelin was my favorite band I didn’t care much one way or another for “Gallow’s Pole”, but it’s recently become my favorite Zep song. I’ve always liked the story but I guess the groove never settled with me until one day when it just clicked.
Really? It got a lot of radio play when it was new and it seems to still get as much as most other PJ songs. You’re right though that it’s pretty good - one of my favorites.
Beatles - their cover of Bobby Scott’s “A Taste Of Honey” is probably the most underrated that I can think of. It’s one of my favorites, but most people have blank looks when I mention it. They broke up long before I was born, how come so few people actually alive then seem to have heard of it?
Pink Floyd’s “Wot’s A Deal” on the album Obscurred by Clouds. I first heard this song when supermarkets used to play elevator music. I loved it then and it still is my favorite Pink Floyd song. The rest of the album I will pass on. I have never heard this song come up when people talk about PF.
I think the whole second disc of Physical Graffiti is underrated. Not only “Down By the Seaside,” but “In the Light” and “Ten Years Gone” are both great songs.
I regard a fairly hefty majority of the Pet Shop Boys’ oeuvre to be either Very Good, Excellent, or Should Be Declared The National Anthem; given that there are approximately three of their tracks that anyone on this continent has ever heard of, that should give you an idea of the extent of the choice. If I had to choose, I’d say “Miracles,” which I’m busily evangelizing to everyone.
Alice Cooper’s Generation Landslide from the Billion Dollar Babies album is the tightest package of inspired lyrics, musicianship, theme, and composition that the band has ever done. Nested in a fantastic album overall, it never sees any love due to the more accessible radio-friendly songs on the album.
I think Moonlight Mile by the Rolling Stones is among the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, yet I never hear it on the radio. I guess it’s too mellow and long. I was also thinking of Time Waits for No One, it’s along the same lines but it got more air play, I think more people have heard of it.
I graduated high school in 1976 and listened to Led Zepplin’s Physical Graffiti almost every day for a year or two, so I don’t have any perspective left on Down By the Seaside and In the Light. The whole album is A side to me.
Okay, I’ll take that for an Original ACG song but how about Six Hours} from Dirty Diamonds, his current album, as a solo gem? It’s got an almost Fifties vibe coupled with a hard rock finish and vocals that could make an icicle sweat! Ohhhh, yeah!