If you love good ol’ classic rock albums from the 1970s, you probably have more than a few deep cut favorite tracks from many of those very albums. Maybe some of your favorites are criminally underrated classic rock opening tracks. I know there are quite a few famous classic rock albums out there that got a ton of love back in the day, but their openers really didn’t get the love they deserved. Let’s look at a few examples, shall we? You might just agree with me on a few of these.
“Custard Pie” by Led Zeppelin from ‘Physical Graffiti’ (1975)
This opening track from Physical Graffiti often gets overlooked in favor of tunes like “Kashmir” and “Ten Years Gone”. It sucks, and I really wish this killer opener got more love. It’s a really great homage to the blues songs of years past.
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“Down To The Waterline” by Dire Straits from ‘Dire Straits’ (1978)
“Down To The Waterline” opens up Dire Straits beautifully. And yet, the album’s megahit “Sultans Of Swing” seemed to overpower not only that opener but the whole of the album, which is full of similarly good songs.
Fun fact: “Down To The Waterline” was included on the demo tape that Dire Straits released that led to their very first recording contract.
“Burn” by Deep Purple from ‘Burn’ (1974)
The opener and title track of Burn is a fan favorite in retrospect, but I really wish it got more love when this album dropped in 1974. Ritchie Blackmore came up with the riff for this opener in the “spur of the moment” while jamming.
“Rock & Roll Doctor” by Little Feat from ‘Feats Don’t Fail Me Now’ (1974)
This opener for Feats Don’t Fail Me Now is funky, fresh, and fun. Sadly, it’s also criminally underrated. It wasn’t released as a single, and it remains a deep cut that diehard fans love, but casual listeners might have missed.
“Black Cow” by Steely Dan from ‘Aja’ (1977)
The whole of Aja is considered Steely Dan’s magnum opus by many a fan. Sadly, though, the opener “Black Cow” never seems to get as much love as ultra-memorable songs like “Peg” or “Deacon Blues”. That’s a shame, because this is easily one of the most underrated opening tracks of a classic rock album, ever.
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