When your favorite rock band blows up, it’s either a delight or a bit of a disappointment. On one hand, that band will have resources to make more music with their newfound fame. On the other hand, you won’t be able to gatekeep them anymore. No judgment here. That being said, some famous rock bands out there got famous for a few hit songs, but their deep cuts are where the real gold is. Let’s look at a few examples of rock outfits that I think have better deep cuts compared to their biggest chart-topping hits!
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is the first band that comes to mind when I think of rock bands with deep cuts that are better than their hit songs. I’m glad that this grunge outfit got their just dues and popularity from songs like “Black Hole Sun”. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a killer track. But, I do think a lot of alt-rock fans have missed out on what I believe is a much more impressive body of work from this band. “Room A Thousand Years Wide” is just one example.
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Incubus
Remember Incubus? This alternative rock band is best known for the turn-of-the-century tune “Drive”. They are also known for their first two albums from the 90s, Fungus Amongus and S.C.I.E.N.C.E. It’s great that they made it big with those releases, but this band has not gotten enough love for the song “Aqueous Transmission” from 2001.
Outside of that underrated tune, Incubus also boasted other deep cuts that rival their biggest hits, such as “Privilege” and “Still Not A Player” with Big Punisher.
Queens Of The Stone Age
This example of rock bands with superior deep cuts got big for tunes like “No One Knows”, “Little Sister”, and “The Way You Used To Do”. However, I’m still obsessed with “Mosquito Song” from 2002. This hidden track is a little gem from the band’s super-popular album Songs For The Deaf.
There are even more deep cuts from this stoner rock outfit that I think could rival their top hits. “Never Say Never” is a popular one, as are “Skin On Skin” and “Droids”.
Photo by Lester Cohen via Getty Images
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