By Mark Pukalo
I spent a lot of time listening to the radio when I was a teenager, and as time went on my hand started to turn the dial toward rock stations.
Sometimes WPLR from New Haven was on, but most days and nights it was WAAF out of Boston - "The Rock and Roll Air Force."
WAAF was apparently sold in 2020 after 50 years of rocking New England. It's been a long time since then, but I can remember the station's album countdowns where you would hear many of the non singles.
Before then, I would listen to the pop surveys on local radio or Casey Kasem's "American Top 40." Oh, those long distance dedications often made me tear up.
Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" was probably the first rock album I owned before my collection grew in those wooden crates. Over the years, I have appreciated the albums from the 70s and 80s even more. I wish I kept them.
Nothing against some of today's popular music, but I don't really pay attention to the singles charts anymore. When I listen to my multiple mixed tapes, there are so many great songs that were not released as singles. For years, I have thought about putting together a list of the best "deep tracks."
It's not an easy project. There are several songs that were never singles, but are iconic just the same. Jungleland from Bruce Springsteen is a perfect example. I tried to keep those types of songs off this list while going a little deeper and off the board.
No doubt, you have heard many of these songs. I just find them under-appreciated in some ways. I will probably dip in here and add more to the honorable mention list. However, this is what I have now along with 3-30. The top 2 will be added soon.
Put the needle down.
Honorable mentions
Such a Good Girl - Cheap Trick (EP Found All the Parts); After the Thrill is Gone (One of These Nights), Saturday Night (Desperado) and Pretty Maids (Hotel California) - The Eagles; My Thanksgiving - Don Henley (Inside Job); Disco Apocalypse - Jackson Browne (Hold Out); Cologne and Kylie from Connecticut - Ben Folds (Way to Normal); Goodnight California - Kathleen Edwards (Asking for Flowers); Black Cow - Steely Dan (Aja), Little Paradise - Pat Benatar (Crimes of Passion); How It Is - Rush (Vapor Trails), Driven to Tears - The Police (Zenyatta Mondatta); Let Me Roll It - Paul McCartney & Wings (Band on the Run); Transformer Man - Neil Young (Trans); Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville (Garden State soundtrack), Edge of Desire - John Mayer (Battle Studies), 4th of July - Aimee Mann (Whatever), Silent House - Crowded House (Time on Earth) and Dixie Chicks (Taking the Long Way), She's Electric - Oasis (What's the Story, Morning Glory), Critical Times - Quarterflash (Quarterflash), Under the Gun - The Killers (Hot Fuss), Man-Sized Wreath - REM (Accelerate), She Moves On - Paul Simon (Rhythm of the Saints), Crawling Back to You - Tom Petty (Wildflowers), Little Darlin - Poco (Legend), Target - Joe Jackson (Night and Day).
30. Let Me Take You Home Tonight - Boston (Boston) ... This different kind of song from the wall of sound band ends their debut album with a little softer edge. The "pickup" tune was written by the original Boston lead vocalist Bradley Delp.
"You must understand this, I've watched you for so long
That I feel I've known you, I know it can't be wrong
If we just get together, I wanna make you see
I'm dreaming of your sweet love tonight, so mama let it be
Let me take you home tonight."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6inZCMnpVo
29. Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC (Back in Black) ... This one got some good album-rock station play while others like the title track, Hell's Bells and You Shook Me All Night Long reached the singles charts. It is about a local drug pusher for bored housewives.
"All you women who want a man of the street
But don't know which way you wanna turn
Just keep a-comin', and put your hand out to me
'Cause I'm the one who's gonna make you burn."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRQnJyP77tY
28. Slit Skirts - Pete Townshend (All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes) ... Pete didn't have any hit singles on this second solo album like he did on the debut (Empty Glass), but this song about a painful breakup and the perils of middle age is the best and last on the LP.
"Slit Skirts
Jeanie never wears those slit skirts.
I don't ever wear no ripped shirts
Can't pretend that growing older never hurts
Knee pants. Jeanie never wears no knee pants
Have to be so drunk to try a new dance
So afraid of every new romance."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAL7RYHKrlA
27. Spaced - Aerosmith (Get Your Wings) ... Terrific tune on my favorite album from Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and the band. It has a science fiction edge and rocks when it needs to.
"Spaced in time, child of nine, Doin' twenty years on the way
Fire and steel earth unreal, find another planet to stay
Papa died, Ma survived, tellin' me about her ordeal
And the Soul she could not feel.
'Cause they made her so unreal."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w-pF_LJx3o
26. Child of Vision - Supertramp (Breakfast in America) ... Roger Hodgson wrote this to be critical of materialism and it ends one of the greatest albums of all time. It was made for rock radio at 7 1/2 minutes long with some beautiful piano/organ/synthesizer sections. The leadoff song on the album "Gone Hollywood" would be another option here, but we like the latter.
"I've heard it all before, you're saying nothing new
I thought I saw a rainbow, but I guess it wasn't true
You cannot make me listen, and I cannot make you hear
So you'll find your way to heaven and I'll meet you when you're there."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wohgwABTpa8
25. Another Horsedreamer’s Blues - Counting Crows (Recovering the Satellites) ... Haunting song about a woman going through depression and addiction while trying to keep her head above water in life and please the people she needs to please.
"So she takes her pills, careful and round.
One of these days she’s gonna throw the whole bottle down.
But she’s trying to be a good girl and give’em what they want
Margery's dreaming of horses."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU3tWL79bgE
24. She Can't Let Go - Glen Frey (No Fun Aloud) ... A beautiful melodic tune co-written by Jack Tempchin and Frey for his debut solo LP. It's an old-style song about a man waiting for his girlfriend to forget her previous lost love.
"I've tried everything, but know there's only waiting
For the last dying embers to fade
Oh, she wants to be free, but when she's holding me
That's when I know, she can't let go.
I love her so
But she can't let go."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjm3lFPvCLY&list=RDkjm3lFPvCLY&start_radio=1
23. Help Me Mary - Liz Phair (Exile in Guyville) ... There are many other songs that come up first when talking about the New Haven-born, Chicago girl's edgy and brilliant debut album. However, this one has some really neat lyrics about young woman whose house is taken over by some thieving dudes.
"I'm asking you, Mary, please
Temper my hatred with peace
Weave my disgust into fame
And watch how fast they run to the flame."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHRvYsXvS8M&list=RDxHRvYsXvS8M&start_radio=1
22. Shed a Little Light - James Taylor (New Moon Shine) ... Tough choice between this one and the slower "Another Day" on Hourglass. This song is a bit more moving, though, as a tribute to Martin Luther King and a push for racial equality.
"There is a feeling like the clenching of a fist
There is a hunger in the center of the chest
There is a passage through the darkness and the mist
And though the body sleeps the heart will never rest."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBetQvXS4a4
21. Even the Losers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Damn the Torpedoes) ... The epic album that I bought in a NYC record store in 1980 started with hits "Refugee" and "Here Comes my Girl," but this under-rated piece of music does not let the LP lose its momentum.
"Two cars parked on the overpass
Rocks hit the water like broken glass
I shoulda known right then it was too good to last
God, it's such a drag when you live in the past
Baby, even the losers get lucky sometimes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0el_8ZKw7w
20. When Will I See You? -- The Pretenders. (Packed!) .... From an under-rated 1990 album comes a beautiful song with Chrissie Hynde's voice shining through. This love song was co-written by Hynde and Johnny Marr, a former guitarist for The Smiths. They write "Demand the Impossible. Everyone will be free."
"When the days are getting longer
And the people come out on the streets at night
I'll be among the starry eyes
I'll be among the wishful sighs
I'll be among the fools forever fantasizing."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9T0_MZEVCE
19. Sunshine - World Party (Bang!) - I've always said this British band was sort of a cross between the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, with the genius of the late Karl Wallinger stirring the drink. They had several great songs on Goodbye Jumbo in 1990 and, for my money, this simple tune is the best on their next LP in 1993.
"I keep getting caught in the rain
Fooled again and again
I start acting like there's no tomorrow
Drowning in a sea of pain and sorrow."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcpDLiyJTrc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBHd9glUJXY
18. Open Your Eyes – Doobie Brothers (Minute by Minute) ... Michael McDonald’s voice soars in this little-known tune that leads off side two of the iconic album. Hey Yacht Rock? Add this one to your playlist.
"We were lost in a whirling dance
Never slowing down
Long enough to give truth a chance
To come out. ...
So that the light could shine in.
Open your eyes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBVB7a94O_4
17. Honey Hi – Fleetwood Mac (Tusk) ... Nifty little piece of music from an inventive album that tends to get forgotten. The late Christine McVie wrote and sings this sweet 2 minute, 43-second song basically about good times.
"Lord it's good to talk to you.
Even sweeter than wine
Don't take the love light away
'Cause I'm far away from home."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz4ixHvXl5g
16. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths (Hatful of Hollow) ... The final song on the 1984 compilation album runs for just 1:50, but is pure Smiths. It was the B-side of the single "William, It was Really Nothing," but I probably heard it first in the movie "Pretty in Pink." Wish they had done one more verse.
"Haven't had a dream in a long time
See, the life I've had can make a good man. ... bad
So for once in my life, let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qPMe_cCJk
15. Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel (52nd Street) … Wonderful Latin-flavored song from the 1978 album that spawned hit singles "Honesty" and "Big Shot." The song was apparently inspired by Billy's mom Rosalind Nyman Joel.
"Crazy Latin dancing solo down in Herald Square
Oh Havana, I've been searching for you everywhere
And although I'll never be there, I know what I would see there
I can always find my Cuban skies
In Rosalinda's eyes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB-tkHD4uXU
14. All I Want to Be is (By Your Side) – Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive) ... Simple love song that graces the greatest live album of all time and appears on the Brit's debut LP "Wind of Change."
"Run me over. Or pick a four-leaf clover
Now they cut the lights down, this record's going slower.
Can't you see what it's doing to me
All I wanna be be is by your side
I don't care if they cut my hair
All I wanna be is by your side."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ShsVwIAOfo
13. Do What You Like - Foreigner (Head Games) ... Always liked this simple breakup song better than the singles (Head Games, Dirty White Boy, Women) on the album. Lou Gramm's tremendous voice is on full display with a song he co-wrote with band mate Ian McDonald.
"I'll do anything to make you stay
I'd be a fool to let you get away
They say true love never runs smooth
When it's gone, what can you do?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0M6CeFrAPs
12. Man in the Wilderness - Styx (The Grand Illusion) ... The great Tommy Shaw wrote and sings this beautiful 5 minute, 50-second song on the group's best album. It is about the loneliness of sudden fame. He has done great versions of this with the Children's Orchestra. This is not the best, but it is one.
"Sometimes I feel like a man in the wilderness
I'm a lonely sailor out to sea
Drifting with the tide
Never quite knowing why.
Sometimes it makes no sense at all."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WBX4WK49Js
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-3taHByPU&t=9s
11. The Other End of the Telescope - Til Tuesday (Everything's Different Now) … Aimee Mann performed this song at a concert in a Providence club I attended and stopped after a few lines to start over. “There’s too many damn words in this song,” she joked, shaking her head. She co-wrote it with Elvis Costello. Lots of words. But so good.
"I know it don't make a difference to you
But oh, it sure made a difference to me
When you find me here at the end of my rope
When the head and heart of it finally elope
You can see us off in the distance ... I hope
At the other end
At the other end of the telescope."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYsCI6zGDpk
10. I’ll Be On My Way – The Beatles (Live at the BBC) ... You wonder why it was not on a studio album or a single. But the song, primarily written by Paul McCartney, was covered by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, who took it to No. 2 in the UK.
“Just one kiss and I'll go. Don't hide the tears that don't show.
As the June light turns to moonlight, I’ll be on my way.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ZVRT90R8Y
9. Fantastic Planet of Love - Marshall Crenshaw (Life's Too Short) ..."Better Back Off" was the lone single of Marshall's under-rated final studio album, but I think this catchy song would have had a chance on the charts with air play. It's about how love can get you through daily struggles.
"What new battle will this day bring
Just this morning I felt like trouble's plaything
Believe me darling this is true
It's only when I'm next to you that I ever dream of
A fantastic planet of love."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkBKIzJcugs
8. Love Will Come to You - The Indigo Girls (Rites of Passage) ... Amy Gray and Emily Sailers have a bundle of great songs, especially on this 1992 album. I'm surprised this hopeful love song was not released as a single.
"The wide world spins and spits turmoil
And the nations toil for peace
The paws of fear upon your chest
Only love can soothe that beast."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ypv2huXWa8
7. All Mixed Up – The Cars (The Cars). … The last two songs that close out the Boston group's debut album are kind of linked. Everyone knows "Moving in Stereo," but that iconic song (for many reasons) leads naturally into this under-rated album closer that was later beautifully covered by The Red House Painters.
"She tricks me into thinkin'
I can't believe my eyes
I wait for her forever
But she never does arrive.
... It's all mixed up."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZhfFXEMMI4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQSUIRDs6VE
6. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters – Elton John (Honkey Chateau) ... From the masterful album, which spawned some big hits. It was used wonderfully in my favorite movie "Almost Famous," and works as an album rock staple. It was also a B side to the single "Harmony" in the UK.
"While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, sons of bankers, sons of lawyers
Turn around and say 'Good morning to the night,'
For unless they see the sky, but they can't, and that is why
They know not if it's dark outside or light."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDhTLl8_Ynk
5. Janey Don’t You Lose Heart – Bruce Springsteen (Tracks) … Never was a single. Never made a studio album. You can catch it on the box set compilation album only. Just love the smoothness of this song, "na na na na na." It was a B-side to "I'm Goin Down" from Born in the USA.
"Well, you say you got no new dreams to touch
Oh, you feel like a stranger, babe, who knows too much
When you come home late and get undressed
You lie in bed and feel this emptiness
Well, listen to me
Janey don't you lose heart. ..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKIPdOVWTjU
4. Bait & Switch - The Shins (Port of Morrow) .... The pounding anthem "Simple Song" was the single on The Shins' brilliant album. But this one is my favorite, about a man set on being single for a while before being lured out of peace and quiet by a beautiful woman who drives him nuts. The Shins are under appreciated and this is an under appreciated, stylishly-written song.
"I'm just a simple man, cursed by an honest heart
Why'd she go and tear it all apart."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po0NF2HssIk
3. Your Number or Your Name – The Knack (Get the Knack) … Wild music take? I don't put the iconic "My Sharona" in the top five songs on this smash debut album. No doubt, "Good Girls Don't" is the catchiest (and crudest) song, but I love this Beatles-style non single almost as much.
"It's hard to do, it's such a shame
I can't get through without your number or your name."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF8dv9NjXIk
2. Any Major Dudes - Steely Dan (Pretzel Logic). ... Beautifully melodic tune from their 1974 classic
album, which was a B side for hit single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number." It's one of my favorite 30 songs of all time.
"I can tell you all I know, the 'where to go,' the 'what to do'
You can try to run, but you can't hide from what's inside of you."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzzdlpISFg
No comments:
Post a Comment