# "Undiscovered" Masterpieces on Classic Albums **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887 "2020-01-03T16:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/1 "2020-01-03T16:38:45Z")
A friend and I have been listening to the classic albums that are always on the critics’ lists as the best of all time. Or albums that other musicians have described as hugely influential and game changing. Stuff like Exile on Main Street, Pet Sounds, Highway 61 Revisited…you get the idea. We noticed something. It seems like there are usually four or five songs on each album that have become classics and are therefore already familiar to us from constant radio airplay. We realized that it was these songs that made the albums masterpieces (no question) but the rest of the tunes - while not exactly ‘filler’ - kind of make the experience of listening to the album in full for the first time kind of a letdown. Take Sgt. Pepper for example. Today, someone listening to it for the first time has without doubt already heard the title track, With a Little Help from My Friends, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, A Day in the Life, and When I’m 64. (A Beatles album is probably not a great example but I’m making a point). Hearing it called the greatest album ever, would the rest of the tracks live up to expectations? I don’t know. Maybe Fixing a Hole? But the rest might leave you feeling underwhelmed. Anyway, so here’s the question: ARE there any ‘classic albums’ that you think contain a masterpiece track that has flown under the radar all these years? ETA: I meant to put a question mark in the thread title. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/2 "2020-01-03T16:56:11Z")
“Bargain” from _Who’s Next_ “When the Levee Breaks” from Led Zeppelin IV “Summer of '68” from Pink Floyd’s _Atom Heart Mother_ “I Will” from the White Album “Dear Doctor” from _Let It Bleed_ “The Milk of Human Kindness” from _A Salty Dog_ “Apeman” from Lola vs. Powerman and the Money Machine ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/3 "2020-01-03T17:02:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Bargain” from _Who’s Next_ > > “When the Levee Breaks” from Led Zeppelin IV > > “Summer of '68” from Pink Floyd’s _Atom Heart Mother_ > > “I Will” from the White Album > > “Dear Doctor” from _Let It Bleed_ > > “The Milk of Human Kindness” from _A Salty Dog_ > > “Apeman” from Lola vs. Powerman and the Money Machine Well, “Bargain” and “Apeman” and “Levee” get played a lot on classic rock stations. I know “I Will” because I’m a huge Beatles fan. The others, though, I am not familiar with. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/4 "2020-01-03T17:02:33Z")
Not sure if this is a “classic” album or how “under the radar” this track is, but: Queen II – “Procession/Father to Son/White Queen” Kind of a mini-“Night at the Opera” and highly indicative of what Queen was evolving into. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/5 "2020-01-03T17:18:00Z")
I suppose most of us have heard “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35”, “I Want You”, and “Just Like a Woman” from _Blonde on Blonde_. I don’t recall hearing “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)” from the same album very much, if ever, but I think it’s the one of the best songs on the album. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/6 "2020-01-03T17:31:29Z")
RealityChuck, I like your list, but note that “Dear Doctor”’ is from _Beggars Banquet_. I’d nominate “Monkey Man” as maybe the less-well-known good track from _Let it Bleed_. As for the OP… how about “Mother Goose” from Jethro Tull’s _Aqualung_? Or “The Rover” from Led Zeppelin’s _Physical Graffitti_? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/7 "2020-01-03T17:36:23Z")
Beatles - Tomorrow never knows - from Revolver ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/8 "2020-01-03T18:26:27Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Not sure if this is a “classic” album or how “under the radar” this track is, but: > > Queen II – “Procession/Father to Son/White Queen” Kind of a mini-“Night at the Opera” and highly indicative of what Queen was evolving into. Speaking of “A Night At The Opera”, I would pick “The Prophet’s Song” over “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the masterpiece on that album. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/9 "2020-01-03T18:35:16Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Beatles - Tomorrow never knows - from Revolver Great suggestion. It’s the main reason the album resides in our household. 4+20 from CSNY’s, _Deja Vu_. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/10 "2020-01-03T18:43:49Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Well, “Bargain” and “Apeman” and “Levee” get played a lot on classic rock stations. I know “I Will” because I’m a huge Beatles fan. The others, though, I am not familiar with. Thanks. I guess it depends on which stations you’re listening to. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/11 "2020-01-03T18:46:18Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Speaking of “A Night At The Opera”, I would pick “The Prophet’s Song” over “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the masterpiece on that album. No argument here. To this day, I still can’t believe “BH” was considered “radio-friendly.” ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/12 "2020-01-03T19:14:37Z")
Is _The Great Gig in the Sky_ from _Dark Side of the Moon_ obscure enough to be considered “undiscovered”? Probably not. But I wanted to mention it because Clare Torry’s vocals are some of the greatest ever, yet nobody’s ever heard of her. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/13 "2020-01-03T19:16:54Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Speaking of “A Night At The Opera”, I would pick “The Prophet’s Song” over “Bohemian Rhapsody” as the masterpiece on that album. I popped in to post exactly that. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/14 "2020-01-03T19:31:27Z")
Boz Scaggs’ 1976 album _Silk Degrees_ is loaded with Top 40 hits, but it also features two “slow” songs that are among his best work ever: _We’re All Alone_ and _Harbor Lights_. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/15 "2020-01-03T19:51:53Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Apeman” from Lola vs. Powerman and the Money Machine Nitpick: “Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One.” I nominate “Long Long Long” from the White Album. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/16 "2020-01-03T19:52:14Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Beatles - Tomorrow never knows - from Revolver Good example. I don’t think Revolver would have topped all those Best Albums of all Time lists without that song. It wasn’t a single, so it could never qualify as a “greatest hit” and it’s importance (arguably, the most important song in the Beatles discography) is only apparent after the release of Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane and Sgt. Pepper’s. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/17 "2020-01-03T20:10:55Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Good example. I don’t think Revolver would have topped all those Best Albums of all Time lists without that song. It wasn’t a single, so it could never qualify as a “greatest hit” and it’s importance (arguably, the most important song in the Beatles discography) is only apparent after the release of Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane and Sgt. Pepper’s. Yes. Worth every (undisclosed) penny the producers of _Mad Men_ paid to show it blowing Don Draper’s mind. Amazing that it was the _first_ song recorded for _Revolver_, just as surprising as how “A Day in the Life” was the first song recorded for _Sgt. Pepper_. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/18 "2020-01-04T16:38:45Z")
“The Tourist” on Radiohead’s _OK Computer_. “Moonlight Mile” on the Stones’ _Sticky Fingers_. Each closes a classic album with a similar vibe, sonically and even lyrically. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/19 "2020-01-04T17:25:47Z")
Ooh, _Moonlight Mile_. Good one. I rediscovered this due to its use in a [movie](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000000000179098/) by the same name. (They didn’t get the rights to a Beatles tune so they switched to this.) Now it’s one of my RS favs. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/20 "2020-01-04T18:56:57Z")
Do we consider A Trick Of The Tail by Genesis a classic album? The first one with Phil Collins on vocals. If so, I’ll submit Mad Man Moon. Never done live and certainly doesn’t get radio play on commercial radio, but I think it’s up there with their absolute best. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887.md?page=2)