# "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:** 5
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/81 "2020-01-06T23:49:23Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > My pick would be “Ripples”. One of my favorite of Hackett’s guitar solos, even when Tony Banks decides to jump in and stomp all over it with his keyboards. (Kind of a musical version of Kanye with his “I’mma let you finish, but…”) It’s a great song but it made its way into live performances on several tours and occasionally got a spin on classic rock radio. I think Mad Man Moon might have been too difficult to do live with the technology at that time. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/82 "2020-01-06T23:55:44Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > More Genesis. I was going to suggest _For Absent Friends_, which is a tiny little song (less than two minutes) lost on Nursery Cryme between _The Musical Box_ and _The Return of the Giant Hogweed_. (Lead vocal by Phil Collins - the first one?) > > However, I see it has been posted to youtube seven or eight times - so maybe not as undiscovered as I thought (!) [Here it is anyway](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHWJ-7BUCNg). > > j For Absent Friends is a wonderful song that can bring tears to my eyes. It is Phil’s first vocal and wasn’t credited like More Fool Me. Does it meet the masterpiece category? Hmmm. But definitely an underrated and important song that is virtually unknown except for Genesis fans. It would have been nice to see Phil sing it on the last tour. Similar to how Paul McCartney sings In Spite of All the Danger on his tours, the very first Beatles recording with Paul. ---
**Author:** ![DrForrester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@DrForrester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrForrester)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/83 "2020-01-07T01:54:37Z")
Since nobody has mentioned The Who’s song **Boris The Spider** , man, that’s one you just can’t miss. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvFuUaCe8eY) Apparently it was not uncommon to hear it played live, but I only got to one Who show & got kicked out of that one. (That’s what friends are for.) So, it was … very strange … hearing it for the first time, with no warning at all. I still play it from time to time… One of those things that I was amazed actually came out on CD. (ie: They apparently didn’t think better of it in the meantime.) ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/84 "2020-01-07T03:53:37Z")
From U2’s _The Joshua Tree_, “Bullet the Blue Sky” is an outstanding song that’s got little attention. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/85 "2020-01-07T05:02:22Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > From U2’s _The Joshua Tree_, “Bullet the Blue Sky” is an outstanding song that’s got little attention. Man, this must really vary by location – that’s not an obscure song here (Chicago.) I don’t own a single U2 album, and I know that song by heart from the radio. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/86 "2020-01-07T07:14:25Z")
_Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of a New Day)_ is not exactly undiscovered, as such, since it gets played with fair frequency at concerts, but for some dumbass reason, _Bungle in the Jungle_ seems to be the song from _Warchild_ that gets airplay. ---
**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 7, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/87 "2020-01-07T14:08:01Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of a New Day)_ is not exactly undiscovered, as such, since it gets played with fair frequency at concerts, but for some dumbass reason, _Bungle in the Jungle_ seems to be the song from _Warchild_ that gets airplay. So true! I’m a big Tull fan, and I despise “Bungle.” ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/88 "2020-01-07T14:37:38Z")
Depends on what you mean as classic. The Whalers Due’s off Jethro Tull’s Rock Island will always be a classic to me. Hell, every song off Broadsword and the Beast too. Talking of that, niche, atypical albums of complete quality: Drama from Yes, with the new incarnation of Yes at the time without most of the usual members, was so much better than the crap Yes had been producing for about ten years at that point. Long Way Home from Supertramp’s Breakfast in America is a classic too. Not sure how well known it is though. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2020, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/89 "2020-01-07T15:30:58Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > _Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of a New Day)_ is not exactly undiscovered, as such, since it gets played with fair frequency at concerts, but for some dumbass reason, _Bungle in the Jungle_ seems to be the song from _Warchild_ that gets airplay. I got a new pair of headphones yesterday and that’s the song I picked to test them out! That song is a delight, full of little audio treats, like the way it “opens up” after the first verse, with additional instruments doing fills on the far right and left. Had me giggling with joy. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2020, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/90 "2020-01-07T16:28:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Man, this must really vary by location – that’s not an obscure song here (Chicago.) I don’t own a single U2 album, and I know that song by heart from the radio. It does vary by location, I think. I’ve never once heard “Bullet the Blue Sky” on terrestial radio, even back when _The Joshua Tree_ was new, a sales juggernaut that was spinning off hit singles and videos. Was there even a video made for “Bullet”? I know it was not released as a single. … As an aside, local radio never, ever played Elvis Costello songs until MTV broke “Every Day I Write the Book”. The guy had absolutely no profile in this area during his heyday. ---
**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 7, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/91 "2020-01-07T17:41:41Z")
> [@Philliam](#): > > Jaycat hit it for six with LLL - one of the best Beatles songs ever. Ian MacDonald observed that George was likely inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” when he composed “Long Long Long.” Not that this is a slight; it’s one of his favorite _White Album_ tracks (I like it, too). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/92 "2020-01-08T00:01:36Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Depends on what you mean as classic. The Whalers Due’s off Jethro Tull’s Rock Island will always be a classic to me. Hell, every song off Broadsword and the Beast too. The best thing about appreciating Tull is that they were so niche. Most of their material gets sporadic attention, and so it has not been _Stairway to Freebird_ed into the swirling dust in the streets of Yawnsville. Its obscurity helps keep it fresh, like Eno’s stuff. On the rare occasions when they play _Hunting Girl_ in concert, it can take your breath away because of how beautifully elaborate the music is. > [@](#): > > Talking of that, niche, atypical albums of complete quality: Drama from Yes, with the new incarnation of Yes at the time without most of the usual members, was so much better than the crap Yes had been producing for about ten years at that point. _Drama_ had a big edge: everyone else was listening to Asia (and somehow not barfing), so it slid under the radar. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/93 "2020-01-08T00:02:11Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Steely Dan’s album _Aja_ had a few hits such as _Josie_ and _Peg_, but the cuts _Aja_ and _Black Cow_ are lesser-known jewels. The two drum solos on _Aja_ are masterpieces. There isn’t a dud on that album, I’ve been listening to it for over 40 years and it’s still transcendent. ---
**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 8, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/94 "2020-01-08T02:01:59Z")
“Rael” off The Who Sell Out (1967) is my candidate. It barely ever gets mentioned in any discussion about the evolution of the Rock Opera although it is the direct link between “A Quick One (While he’s Away)” (1966) and Tommy (1969). ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/95 "2020-01-08T02:58:54Z")
Been thinking about this for a while. My favorite Stones album is “Beggars Banquet,” and after long thought I have to go with “Factory Girl.” It’s not as campy as “Dear Doctor.” “Jigsaw Puzzle” might make the cut, but it’s too Dylan derivative, repeating the same chord structure over and over like “Desolation Row,” but it’s no “Desolation Row.” That song need a bridge, like “Salt of the Earth” has. In the end it’s Rick Grech’s fiddle that makes it work. Close second is “Prodigal Son.” ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/96 "2020-01-08T06:08:05Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Everyone knows _Roundabout_ and most people know _Long Distance Runaround._ But I think the real star of _Fragile_ is [South Side of the Sky.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBAauFYod80) That song is just fucking epic, it’s medieval battles and Vikings and dwarves and wizards and sorcery epic. It could have been on a Sabbath album. Well, until the piano bridge and vocal breakdown, but that part is intriguing in its own right. Oh man. There was a period of several months during which, when I got into work and no one else was in yet, I would listen to that at as loud a volume as I dared. What a monster song. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/97 "2020-01-08T07:42:49Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > 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. The first three you named were the _Blonde_ tracks included on the album _Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits_, so no wonder. I agree, “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)” is a standout, climaxing with that pianist playing his heart out in appassionata octave runs. Also from the same album, I think “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” is one of Dylan’s most beautiful songs—sometimes I wonder if it’s referenced more often as a novelty track as the first ever to take up the whole side of a record—but it isn’t a novelty song, it’s a work of art for Sara. There’s also, if I may add modestly, my theme song, but that one is critically acclaimed, therefore hardly undiscovered. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/98 "2020-01-08T07:45:27Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > 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. I’ll vouch for _A Trick of the Tail_ being a classic, and I love “Entangled” better than anything. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/99 "2020-01-08T08:22:55Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > 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_. 40+ years ago, when I was still in college, my GF at the time loved Rita Coolidge, and kept playing her version of _We’re All Alone_. I always thought Coolidge was robotic – pitch perfect but little emotion – and I told my GF that she should play Boz’s version if she wanted to hear it the way it should be sung. We broke up shortly after that, and partly because of stuff like that. ---
**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 8, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887/100 "2020-01-08T14:52:50Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Also from the same album, I think “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” is one of Dylan’s most beautiful songs—sometimes I wonder if it’s referenced more often as a novelty track as the first ever to take up the whole side of a record—but it isn’t a novelty song, it’s a work of art for Sara. Check out post #91. Perhaps you’ll enjoy the affinity with the Beatles’ “Long Long Long.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undiscovered-masterpieces-on-classic-albums/845887.md?page=6)