12 Most Hated Classic Rock Songs (On Great Albums)
The Sore Thumbs of Rock Classics.
They don't call the genre classic rock just because of its time stamp. The records that came out throughout rock's heyday from the 60's to the 80's have yielded fantastic records that will have withstood the test of time. The classics of this genre aren't just great music by rock standards, but just great sonic relics from the past whose influence can still be heard today.
That's not to say that any of these albums have a stellar track record though. Out all the most classic albums to come from rock circles, there is always that one song that just doesn't seem to fit. The running order of an album can be great with each track flowing into the next, but these are the tracks that wake you up and take you out of the entire experience.
These tracks aren't necessarily the worst thing these bands have ever done, but they do put a bit of a tamper on what is already a fantastic collection of songs. The bands in question never had trouble getting you to pay attention, but these songs may have conjured up attention for all the wrong reasons. These albums may be set in stone, but it's always intriguing what could have been if these songs were omitted.
12. Elvis Presley And America - U2
When the mid-80's rolled around, U2 seemed to be on the cusp of something unprecedented. After bursting onto the scene with a post punk foundation and rock ethos, the band quickly built a sound that signaled the future, with cascading guitar effects and Bono's impassioned vocal performances.
Looking back now, The Unforgettable Fire is the moment where most fans realized that this group was more than just a few good songs, with tracks like "Bad" and "Pride" becoming cornerstones in the rock genre. However, "Elvis Presley and America" shows up at the tail end of the record and brings everything to a sudden stop.
This track is barely even a legitimate song, with most of the track being a production experiment conducted by the band and producer Daniel Lanois. The basis was to take one of the backing tracks for the opener "A Sort Of Homecoming" and recontextualize it for the back half of the record.
When Bono was laying down his vocals, he even thought he was making a rough cut of the song, but the final version ended up being that first take. These classic albums are meant to be listened to as a whole, but songs like these feel more like they're wasting time rather than breaking new ground.