One of the things music fans love about classic rock is that it’s familiar. Who hasn’t heard “Stairway to Heaven” or “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” a bajillion times? Who hasn’t sung along to the Who or Prince at the top of your lungs? It’s the best.
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But what about those numbers that are a bit lesser known? Those B-sides and later album cuts that only true fans of the band know well? Shouldn’t those songs also get their time in the proverbial sun? Yes, they should. We’ve culled a list of six of the genre’s best deep cuts.
[RELATED: Classic Rock Classics: Exploring 5 Songs That Never Get Old]
1. “Hey Hey What Can I Do,” Led Zeppelin
This acoustic-driven song from the British-born band Led Zeppelin was released in 1970 as a B-side in the U.S. along with the more popular “Immigrant Song.” While the A-side is more popular, the song is one that’s in the blood of many rock fans. With a few phrases, the chorus, and hearing the 12-string acoustic—it all floods back.
Want to tell you about the girl I love
My she looks so fine
She’s the only one that I been dreamin’ of
Maybe someday she will be all mine
I want to tell her that I love her so
I thrill with her every touch
I need to tell her she’s the only one I really love
2. “Who Knows,” Jimi Hendrix
“Who Knows” was released on Jimi Hendrix’s 1970 live album, Band of Gypsys. Recorded at the Fillmore East Auditorium on New Year’s Day in 1970, just months before Hendrix died (on September 18, 1970), the song includes Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums and backing vocals. Of course, it also features Hendrix, the guitar great, shredding, playing buzzing rhythms, and singing like an ol’ blues man well before his years. It may not be the first Hendrix song when you think of the rock god, but it’s a great one to cozy up to.
They don’t know
They don’t know
Like I know
Like I know
Do you know
They don’t know
I don’t know
I don’t know
What my baby
What my baby
Put on down
Put on down
3. “Shine On Your Crazy Diamond,” Pink Floyd
For those who like to search YouTube, there are some excellent live versions of this song out in the world. Either way, this multi-part composition was written by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright. It was released on the 1975 album, Wish You Were Here, which is known for its title track as much as anything. But this song features beautiful harmonies and incredible musicianship. It’s also about the band’s co-founder Syd Barrett, who left the group in the late ’60s, dealing with mental health issues.
Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
4. “Powerman,” the Kinks
From the British-born band’s 1970 LP, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, an album known for its song “Lola,” the “Powerman” track opens with psychedelic guitar tones and it blossoms into an eloquent offering from the often-forgotten classic rock band. The song from the Kinks is also something of a foil for the “Lola” hit.
I know a man, he’s a powerful man
He’s got the people in his power
In the palm of his hand.
He started at the bottom and he worked his way up
Now he’s never going to stop
Until he reaches the top.
It’s the same old story, it’s the same old dream,
It’s power man, power man, and all that it can bring.
5. “Flavor Crystals,” Suburban Lawns
Do you want deep cuts? Well, you got a deep cut here. From the Los Angeles-born post-punk rock band’s 1983 record, Baby, which was the group’s final offering, the strange, even psychedelic song is a bit of a stream-of-consciousness work. The lyrics from singer Sue “Su Tissue” McLane are odd and delightful.
Under the umbrella
Under the umbrella
Make my chances
Making leather shoes for children
Found a chewed up plastic toy
Further steps, found another
Of the same species
Different color, look distances
I can see the skyline
Then I will not remember
It won’t bother me
6. “Fazon,” Sopwith Camel
The San Francisco-born imaginative psychedelic rock band formed in 1965. The song, “Fazon,” which was released as a single in 1973 is a dreamy, gang-vocal, blissful offering. Perfect for the end of a long day and a glass (or bottle) of fine. Fans will recognize the chorus, which is bolstered by a lovely saxophone.
Who’s going to live
In all those cities underground?
If they move there
Will they ever come out, of the ground?
Are they going to raise the children
In tiny caverns in the ground?
Send the children out to play
In the sound they have found?
Fa fa fa fa fa fazon fazon fazon
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
