10 Hidden Details You Never Noticed In Hard Rock Songs
Why learn an instrument when you can... play your cat??
Every rock fan have those songs that you can't get enough of. Whether it's the first time or the 400th time, these songs have not lost their luster and continue to give you goosebumps every time you hear them. At the same time, even the most classic material has its weird moments.
From the early days of hard rock to the contemporary material from the turn of the millennium, plenty of bands have used the studio to their advantage to bring weird sounds to life. While these songs still hold up as something fantastic today, there are a lot of subtle eccentricities at play.
From a rhythm coming off weird or a unique choice of instruments, each of these acts went a little bit further to enhance the listening experience for their fans. Ever since being brought to light, these little sonic departures have either enhanced or made the fans appreciate the song even more.
Even if the band seems like the most technically proficient band to grace a stage, these experiments show that they're equally playful at their craft. You might not be able to catch them on first listen, but once you hear these, you'll never be able to unhear them.
10. Sweet Leaf - Black Sabbath
Master of Reality by Black Sabbath has become known as the unofficial blueprint for stoner rock. Ever since its release in the late '70s, the crunch behind Tony Iommi's riffs on this record was influential on everyone from Van Halen to Metallica to Monster Magnet. There's a lot of history in this record, but that doesn't mean the band was all that serious.
Given the more herbally assisted sounds that permeate the record, it's no secret that "Sweet Leaf" has become one of the greatest pot anthems in all of hard rock.
However, if you weren't completely sold on it, the band starts the entire record off by having a huge cough before the main riff comes in. There has been some debate as to who the culprit was over the years, but all signs seem to point to Iommi himself, who presumably took a massive hit before the tape started rolling.
This could have easily sounded unprofessional, but this little cough ended up fitting the aesthetic of the album perfectly, with songs that were designed to have fans space out in their bedroom with a joint in their hand.
"Sweet Leaf" isn't exactly the most mind-altering song in the world, but starting from that dry heave, you know you're going to be in for one of the greatest odes to ganja.