The best songs you never hear.
I have moved most of my music thoughts to my music
blog, check it
out!
These are
songs from mainstream artists that are, for whatever
reason, either never or hardly ever get played on the
radio. I'm going to ignore groups like the Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Frank Sinatra. They have
made so much great music that this page would be endless if
I included them. This list is bound to get pretty long as
one song after another pops into my head...
The Breakup
song by Greg Khin. This came out in 1979 and got a little
bit of airplay but has essentially vanished since then.
It's best remembered for the catchy "Unh huh huh huh huh
huh", usually this is all that people remember about the
song, the title isn't included in the lyrics. It's a catchy
pop song dealing with breaking up, it doesn't get any more
iconic than that.
Up the
Ladder to the Roof by the Supremes. No, not Diana Ross and
the Supremes, she had left the group. This was sung by a
gospel singer named Jean Terrell and it shows. She has much
more power to her voice and really lets loose as much as
Motown would allow her to. It's the only Supremes hit that
I know of that has real feeling to it as opposed to gloss.
Trivia note, this song beat out Diana Ross' first solo
single, the only time the Supremes would do that.
Pulling
Mussels (From the Shell) by Squeeze. This one comes and
goes on so called "modern rock" or the gag inducing
"Alternative" radio stations. It's a cute, clever song that
is much better than their more often played "Black Coffee
in Bed" or "Tempted". Almost everyone has heard it, but
it's one of "those songs" that no one can remember the
group.
James Brown
Deserves his own page, You don't know soul music unless you
know James Brown, more to come later...
Because the
Night by Patti Smith. Bruce may have written it, but Patti
"made" it. I'm not sure I've ever heard this on the radio.
And yes, I don't count the lifeless (by comparison)
rendition by Natalie Merchant. I think I've even heard Beki
Bondage's version, so why not the original? There's no
question that it's a great song, and there's no question
that Ms. Smith performs it with much more, well,
everything. I understand why a lot of her stuff isn't
played on the radio, but surely this should get SOME
airplay...
He's a
Rebel by the Blossoms. No it isn't the crystals, even
though they were credited with it. There was some sort of
underhanded royalties thing going on with Phil Specter and
his partners. This single was part of the scheme to buy out
his partners... In any case, it's a classic girls group
song with that unmistakable "Wall of Sound" that Phil
Specter was known for. It also features one of the more
"heroic" lead vocals, she really seems to believe it and
you believe that she's actually pledging her love early
60's style. For a number one hit, this gets very little
airplay on the oldies stations.
The Look of
Love by Dusty Springfield. There are actually two versions
of this out there. The original (and superior) version was
recorded under the auspices of Bert Bacharach for the film
Casino Royale. Hal David said that he thought of the lyrics
after seeing Ursula Andress float across the screen. Dusty
later rerecorded the song back in London and that is the
version that always gets played. The second version suffers
in comparison, the original is closer, breathier, more
languid, and was recored much better. The original
soundtrack to Casino Royal on LP has become a valuable
collectors piece because of all the audiophiles looking for
it. Harry Pearson, editor of The Absolute Sound used this
recording as a reference for years. In his words, on a good
system, this song has a palpable sense to it, an emotional
realism that has rarely been equaled.
Freedom of
Choice by Devo. The ONLY song you will ever hear by them is
"Whip it". "Freedom..." was actually used in a beer
commercial a few years ago, I nearly fell out of my chair
when I heard it. A better song encapsulating the Reagan
years was never penned in my opinion. It is summed up
perfectly with one of the last lines in the song, "Freedom
of choice is what you've got, freedom from choice is what
you want..."
Grey Cell
Green by Ned's Atomic Dustbin. This got some playing time
on MTV, I don't think I have ever heard it played on the
radio unless John B. snook it on WICB in the early 90's. To
my mind, this is a perfect example of the early 90's sound
that was about to change rock and roll. Ned's wasn't the
band to do it of course, but the song is great
Surrender
and Dream Police by Cheap Trick. How often have you heard
the live version of "I Want You to Want Me?" (This is the
first song on our new album...) Granted, that's a great
song, but it pales in comparison to "Surrender". Alice
Cooper called it "... one of the top 5 rock and roll songs
ever made.: Nuff said... "Dream Police" is a really catchy
ode to paranoia and I think it's as good as "I want you..."
The quality of their songs drops off pretty fast from
there, don't get me started on "The Flame."
Anything by
The Velvet Underground. This was one of the most
influential bands of all time and not only have I never
heard them on the radio, I've never known anyone that has.
Granted, not all of the songs are FM friendly, but the list
of great songs that are is pretty long. "Sweet Jane",
"Heroin", "Femme Fatale", "Who Loves the Sun", etc. It
pains me to no end that the Cowboy Junkies cover (if you
can call it that, they only use a small part of the song)
of Sweet Jane and Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" get
regular airplay but the better stuff languishes.
UPDATE! Before leaving for Yemen I actually heard "Sweet
Jane" on a so called classic rock station. It made me very
happy.
Freedom 90
by George Michael. If I hear his cover of "Don't Let the
Sun Go Down On Me" one more time I'm going to puke. "Father
Figure", "I Want Your Sex", and "Faith" complete everything
you'll ever from him on radio or TV. Freedom 90 is his best
song, and was quite a milestone for him. I remember the
first time I saw this video I said to myself, "Holy shit,
he's gay!" It's too long for FM, but it's definitely worth
seeking out.
Watch That
Man by David Bowie. Yes, I know that Bowie gets played
quite a bit, but this is one that gets left behind. I think
that it is partly due to the fact that it was on "Aladdin
Sane." Bowie didn't really have any success here in the
states until "Ziggy Stardust..." came out. "Watch That Man"
is a swaggering, cocky ode. I know that Bowie was playing
characters in this part of his performing career, but you
know deep down he was singing about himself. The only time
I have ever heard this song in the media was for a Tommy
ad.
I Want to
Break Free by Queen. Judging by airplay, you'd think that
all Queen ever did was Bohemian Rhapsody, We will Rock You,
and We are the Champions. What I like about "I want..." is
that it's a fairly straightforward pop song. Most of
Queen's output was as affected and grandiose as their front
man Freddie Mercury. The song is certainly better than most
of the dreck out there and would fit in perfectly with many
stations playlists, so why not?
Poison
Arrow by ABC. This is, in my mind, the epitome of 80's pop.
It's polished, stylish, and catchy. That whole album (The
Lexicon of Love) was a perfect pop record and had two hits,
Poison Arrow and The Look of Love (unrelated to the older
hit of the same name). I'd love to hear this a little more
often.
Magic
Number by De La Soul. Is there a more neglected genre of
music than "classic" hip hop? At the time it was released,
"rap" (as it was called then) was threatening enough that
only the so called urban radio stations would ever play it.
Nowadays hip hop is so mainstream, there really isn't any
reason to shy away from it any longer. Sure, NWA won't get
much airplay, but what about De La Soul? This is one of the
catchier songs they did, and it samples a childhood
favorite school house rock (Three is the Magic Number).
More hip hop to come.
Peter Piper
by Run D.M.C. You can say what you want about their rhyming
abilities, but this song is a jam. A great great sample of
Tubular Bells (which has subsequently be resampled by other
performers) sets this song off. An homage to Jam master J,
I think it's a better song than the actual hits on the
album (Raising Hell).
Don't Leave
Me This Way by Thelma Houston. Disco is starting to get a
little more airplay now that the stigma is finally starting
to wear off but all you ever hear are the Bee Gee's hits
and I Will Survive. Thelma Houston really put herself into
this one, it was a big hit. It's one of the few disco songs
I enjoy hearing.
Here's some thoughts from my friend John Bowie:
I echo Mr. Crawford's thoughts regarding Devo. Some of
the finest singles of the New Wave era, and all anyone
plays is Whip It. I would argue the same is true of
Adam Ant, from whom we hear Goody Two Shoes ad
nauseam. There's also Friend Or Foe, Stand and Deliver
and the always inappropriate Beat My Guest.
You never hear Sugar -- who had some modest alt radio
success with the Copper Blue record in 1992 (which Bob
Mould himself refers to as the "K-Tel record" because
it's wall-to-wall hits). Helpless? If I Can't Change
Your Mind? Come ON!!!
As far as De La goes, we have a station here in LA
called KDAY which is all hip hop "from today AND back
in the day." and while I have yet to hear Magic
Number, they threw a bunch of old Tribe Called Quest
at me the other day. Delicious. Most hip-hop radio is
extremely short sighted, KDAY breaks the mold. 93.5 FM
in Los Angeles and on the web at
http://www.935kday.com/. Good
Eatin'!!!
Yeah, Adam Ant was pretty good, I'll add "Desperate but not
Serious" from the "Friend or Foe" album as one that got
airplay back in the day but is never heard today. I loved
"Helpless" by Sugar, a great great song that all of you
should go out and buy!
Here's some more:
She Bop by Cindy Lauper. This got some significant playing
time as a follow up to her first hit single. By the time
parents and the powers that be caught on to what the song
was about, it was too late. As it stands, it's one of the
best (if not the best) masturbation song ever. Sure does
put a new spin on her first hit "Girls Just Want to Have
Fun."
Well Respected Man by the Kinks. I suppose the Kinks could
fall into the same category as the Beach Boys, Beatles,
Dylan, etc. as bands that have so many great songs that
there's no hope in hearing them all on the radio. Well
Respected Man is, to me, the epitome of Ray Davies' look at
the status quo. A wonderful song that I have heard once on
the radio.
Donna the Prima Donna by Dion. One of my favorite scores
from the thrift store in Owego is a near mint copy of "For
Lovers that Wander" by Dion. Unfortunately the cover was
missing, but the record sounds great. In addition to the
title track, Donna is on there as well. He really swings on
this one and has that unmistakable Dion phrasing. I have
heard this on the radio, the only reason I remember that is
because of how shocked I was... If you're in the mood for
some swinging doo wop flavored pop, check it out.
Here Comes the Night by Them. Who's Them? That was Van
Morrison's first band. Here comes the Night was the "A"
side of their first single. "Gloria", the "B" side, ended
up being much more popular, but "Here Comes..." was a minor
hit. I love this song, it's a great pop song with a bit of
a twist. I also think that it was one of Van Morrison's
better vocal efforts. If you're lucky you'll hear it on an
oldies station in the middle of the night.
More to come as it occurs to me....