10 Most Underrated Classic Rock Albums
Paul McCartney's RAM was some of his best work outside of The Beatles...
Classic rock was always known as an albums' genre. Whether or not you enjoyed the singles that were released by these acts, it almost seemed irrelevant for the hardcore fans. The singles may have been beneficial to their success, but these artists were all about creating a sequence of songs that made a collective statement. Even though there have been many perfect rock albums that can be enjoyed from front to back, some of the overlooked gems of the genre never got the light of day.
These bands may still be known as classic acts, but none of the songs from these records get the fair shake they deserve. Sometimes it's just being in the wrong place at the wrong time or just a production snafu, but these albums have always been misunderstood for the genius hidden within.
Granted, some of these albums might not measure up to the already classic works these artists have made, but that doesn't mean that they should be destined for obscurity. People have blabbered on about The Dark Side of the Moon and Abbey Road countless times, so it's time to let the underdogs have a shot. Let's take a look on those rock albums that never got their universal acclaim.
10. Hard Promises - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
After slogging it out across Britain and American for nearly half a decade, Tom Petty finally had a bonafied smash hit with Damn the Torpedoes. With nearly half the album on the singles charts, the rise of heartland rock was firmly underway. Though Hard Promises doesn't stand as tall as its predecessor, the songs are the most logical followup to hitting it big.
As opposed to the rebel-hearted mindset of Torpedoes, Hard Promises is a much more emotional experience, with Petty sounding weary from his artistic journey. Coming off of a lawsuit and his mother passing away halfway through the album's production, these songs are a lot darker, from the murder mystery of "Something Big" to the introspective single "A Woman In Love."
That doesn't mean that the artist we've come to know has gone anywhere though. For all of the downtrodden tracks, there are also openhearted tunes like the lovelorn "The Waiting" or "Kings Road," which was written about the band's first trip to England. Even the ballads are some of the most beautiful songs of Petty's career, like the acoustic "Insider" or the lush strings on "You Can Still Change Your Mind." This record shows Petty in a much different spot than Torpedoes, but that spirit of rock and roll hasn't dulled with age.