From The Big Sandbar, Some Deep Cuts

Yeah, I see that every morning when I walk my dog on the beach. I'm just sayin' . . .

You know, we all have personal favorites of a particular artist or band, songs that may have never been a hit or played on the radio. Songs that weren’t critically acclaimed but just struck a chord with you. Struck a chord, get it? Musical reference. That, my friends, is writing. Take notes. Anyway, it’s something that can’t be explained, that chord, that something that can bring tears to your eyes or make you want to listen to the song over and over again. Sometimes the song can be something you’re afraid to admit you like. Full disclosure: If Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson comes on the radio, I always sing along. Feel free to admit your own guilty pleasures in the comments section. Guilty Pleasures . . . now there’s a blog idea for somebody. Hey, it’s OK to like Clay Aiken, Vesey. Admit it. Get that weight off your chest.

So here we go. These are songs that aren’t guilty pleasures, but rather tunes that I’ve always loved but have never been recognized as their artists’ best work.

Enjoy . . .

Alice Cooper – Guilty

Sure, Alice is better known for songs like School’s Out or Eighteen, but my favorite has always been Guilty. It has a great guitar riff to open, then Alice growls out these lines:

Just tried to have fun,
Raised Hell and then some,
I'm a dirt talking , beer drinking, woman chasing minister's son.

When I was a high school AD I used to include this song in my pre-game song mix. I still don’t know how I got away with it. Highly recommended. Note: I couldn't find a video of Guilty, so here's a bonus vid of Alice singing No More Mr. Nice Guy. You're welcome.

The Band – Acadian Driftwood

The Band has a ton of good songs, including The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, but I love Acadian Driftwood, in particular the live version on The Last Waltz. Originally recorded in 1975, it describes the forcible displacement of the Acadian people after the war between the French and the English over what is now Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and part of Maine. Robbie Robertson's lyrics were influenced by Longfellow's poem Evangeline, which describes the deportation of the Acadians. Just a beautiful, haunting, intelligently written song. Here's a link.

Beach Boys – ‘Til I Die

Quite simply one of the most beautiful, sad, and heartwrenching songs ever recorded. I feel it’s one of the rock eras most underappreciated songs. It was released off the legendary Pet Sounds album and is all about Brian Wilson and his slow descent into mental illness. How can you not be touched by these lyrics?

I'm a cork on the ocean
Floating over the raging sea
How deep is the ocean?
How deep is the ocean?
I lost my way.
I'm a rock in a landslide
Rolling over the mountainside
How deep is the valley?
How deep is the valley?
It kills my soul.
I'm a leaf on a windy day
Pretty soon I'll be blown away
How long will the wind blow?
How long will the wind blow?

These things I'll be until I die.

Talk about a cry for help. In 43-years I have never grown tired of this song, and I’m always touched by the lyrics. Here's the original mix. Be sure and listen all the way through.

Brian Wilson – Lay Down Burden

Another Brian Wilson tune, this is a song from his great Imagination comeback album in 1999. It’s another sad one about the death of his brother Carl, and again he lets us in on his innermost feelings:

So many years spent running away
How many times I wished I could stay
Too much emotion a hole in my heart
Feeling alone since we've been apart
And if I had the chance
I'd never let you go
Just want you to know.

Lay, lay me down, lay me down
Lay down burden.

Gorgeous melody and classic Wilson harmonies as well. Sigh. Here 'tis.

Bruce Springsteen – One Step Up

Like Hanif I’m a big Springsteen guy. If you ever see him live you’ll never forget it. Born to Run, Jungleland, Thunder Road, he has so many great songs. Still, One Step Up hits me the hardest:

Bird on a wire outside my motel room
But he ain't singin'.
Girl in white outside a church in June
But the church bells they ain't ringing.
I'm sittin' here in this bar tonight
But all I'm thinkin' is . . .
I'm the same old story, same old act
One step up and two steps back.

Who can't relate to that? Here's the video.

The Eagles – Ol’ 55

I know this may seem like an odd choice, what with all the classic Eagles songs out there. But, if I had one Eagles song to listen to on a deserted island, this Tom Waits written release from 1973 would be my pick. It was on The Eagles 1974 album entitled On the Border, and although it isn’t an original Eagles song I still think it’s one of their best songs. It also happens to be the song that first introduced me to The Eagles. Check out this vintage clip.

Paul McCartney & Wings– Junior’s Farm

This song is NEVER mentioned among Sir Paul’s greatest, but in my opinion it ranks right up there with Band On the Run, Live and Let Die, and Maybe I’m Amazed. It’s a rocker and features a searing guitar solo by Jimmy McCullough. Recorded on a farm in none other than Nashville, TN, I dare you to listen to this song without tapping your foot.

Pearl Jam – Nothingman

From 1994’s Vitology, Nothingman is one of Eddie Vedder's best songs. Here’s his take on the lyrics. “The idea is about if you love someone and they love you, don't fuck up...'cause you are left with less than nothing.”

Amen to that brother. Of all Pearl Jam’s tunes, this is my favorite. Close second? Alive.

Pink Floyd – Paranoid Eyes

Big Pink Floyd fan here, and I think the album this song came from, The Final Cut, is one of their most underappreciated and underrated albums ever. It was Floyd’s last album before Roger Waters vamoosed, and it’s basically all Waters all the time, which is fine by me. Check out these lyrics:

Button your lip don't let the shield slip
Take a fresh grip on your bullet proof mask
And if they try to break down your disguise with their questions
You can hide hide hide
Behind paranoid eyes.

You put on your brave face and slip over the road for a jar
Fixing your grin as you casually lean on the bar
Laughing too loud at the rest of the world
With the boys in the crowd
You hide hide hide
Behind petrified eyes.

You believed in their stories of fame fortune and glory
Now you're lost in a haze of alchohol soft middle age
The pie in the sky turned out to be miles too high
And you hide hide hide
Behind brown and mild eyes.

True dat, no? Trust me, when you’re 50 you’ll get it. Here 'tis.

I’m out. I’m in the middle of my annual OBX getaway, and we’re off to The Black Pelican for some fun and frivolity. Tomorrow? Tuna Steaks on the grill here at the cottage, along with some spiced steamed shrimp. Tough, I know, but somehow I’ll struggle through. Now excuse me while I throw on some Marley and relax with a toddy on the front porch before we depart.

Later on down the road, Jack.

PS - By the by, my beard is nearing Billy Gibbons' spectacular proportions. Again, just sayin'.