A heavy rock band trying its hand at acoustic, soft, or mellow tracks doesn’t always work. But when it does, it can be a beautiful blending of genres that traditionally lie on opposite sides of the musical spectrum. A little spicy, a little sweet—the perfect combination.
While I would never want to imagine a world in which these bands’ heavier tracks didn’t exist, there’s something to be said about these mellow songs that stray from their usual style. In some instances, I’d go so far as to say they’re among the best in their catalogs.
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“Orchid” by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath often placed one mellow song alongside their heavy metal offerings, and “Orchid” served this purpose on Master Of Reality. The acoustic song is almost Baroque in nature and is a far cry from tracks like “Lord Of This World” and “Children Of The Grave”. Still, that’s part of what makes it so special. Listening to the album all the way through, “Orchid” is like a refreshing palate cleanser.
“Going To California” by Led Zeppelin
Even in their most mellow songs, heavy rock band Led Zeppelin still features a fair share of Robert Plant wailing. But even with Plant’s signature vocal style, “Going To California” is a great example of a heavy band doing something light and airy extraordinarily well. When one considers that Joni Mitchell helped inspire the song, the acoustic guitar takes on a whole new level of sentimentality.
“San Tropez” by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd isn’t necessarily the heaviest band out there, but “San Tropez” has a distinctly mellower vibe than songs like “Young Lust” and “Welcome To The Machine”. In contrast, this Meddle track sounds downright buoyant, almost reminiscent of The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden”. Even “Wish You Were Here” seems heavy, at least emotionally speaking, compared to this sunshiney number.
“Hard Luck Woman” by KISS
I fully expect someone to disagree with me here, given KISS’ divisive acoustic/soft-rock phase. But you know what? I like “Hard Luck Woman”. The song was originally written with Rod Stewart in mind, and it absolutely sounds like it. Nevertheless, there’s something about the way KISS approaches this song that makes me see the men beneath the makeup in a way that’s actually pleasant.
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