{"id":517408,"date":"2026-03-11T16:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/517408\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:56:11","slug":"classic-rock-songs-that-were-never-released-as-singles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/517408\/","title":{"rendered":"Classic Rock Songs That Were Never Released as Singles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Before albums became the benchmark for\u00a0those wishing to make big statements, singles were the best representation of an artist&#8217;s merit. If something couldn&#8217;t be said in a three and a half minute song, then it probably wasn&#8217;t worth saying.<\/p>\n<p>As albums gained popularity and significance, singles lost some of their value. But music is still carried by songs, slices of life distilled into immediately memorable, radio-friendly moments of joy, sadness, anger, nostalgia\u00a0and all the other emotions. And that&#8217;s where singles still matter. The\u00a0formats have changed over the past century \u2014 from shellac to vinyl to CDs to digital and to vinyl again \u2014 but their purpose has remained relatively the same for\u00a0more than a century: to sell the song.<\/p>\n<p>The following list of\u00a040 Classic Rock Songs Never Released as Singles includes dozens of tracks that fit the criteria for singles, from constant airplay to near-immediate familiarity. But they\u00a0are all album tracks. For clarification,\u00a0these songs weren&#8217;t singles at the time of their original release in the U.S.\u00a0or\u00a0the U.K.; however, several were released as singles in non-English-speaking regions such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands, sometimes years after they were first issued. Also, the list features songs that weren&#8217;t single\u00a0A-sides, even though they may have been tucked away on the flip.<\/p>\n<p>Jethro Tull, &#8220;Aqualung&#8221; (From Aqualung, 1971)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/jethro-tull\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jethro Tull<\/a>&#8216;s breakthrough 1971 album\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/jethro-tull-aqualung\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aqualung<\/a> contained two singles, but its familiar title track, a longtime popular radio and live favorite, wasn&#8217;t one of them. The band&#8217;s fourth LP was their first U.S. Top 10, thanks to songs such as &#8220;Cross-Eyed Mary,&#8221; &#8220;Hymn 43&#8221; and &#8220;Locomotive Breath.&#8221; But much of its success can be attributed to the six-and-a-half-minute opening &#8220;Aqualung&#8221; and its defining riff and invigorating flute solo.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Who, &#8220;Baba O&#8217;Riley&#8221; (From Who&#8217;s Next, 1971)<\/p>\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t the unconventional length that kept <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/who\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Who<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;Baba O&#8217;Riley&#8221; from being released as a\u00a0single from <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/the-who-whos-next\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Who&#8217;s Next<\/a>; the longer-running &#8220;Won&#8217;t Get Fooled Again&#8221; was the album&#8217;s first single after being trimmed for AM radio. The extended synthesizer passages probably weren&#8217;t\u00a0a hurdle either (again, see &#8220;Won&#8217;t Get Fooled Again&#8221;). But outside of select European countries, this classic never saw a proper single release.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Pearl Jam, &#8220;Black&#8221; (From Ten, 1991)<\/p>\n<p>Technically, <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/pearl-jam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pearl Jam<\/a>&#8216;s early single releases are sketchy, initially relegated to album tracks that received\u00a0plenty of\u00a0radio airplay. &#8220;Black,&#8221; one of the most popular songs from their debut album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/pearl-jam-ten\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Ten<\/a>, which slowly gained an audience in the year following its August 1991 release. The band&#8217;s label urged them to release &#8220;Black&#8221; as a single, but they refused. The song still reached No. 3 on Billboard&#8217;s Mainstream Rock Tracks.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/title-tracks-not-on-albums\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">40 Songs That Weren&#8217;t on the Albums They Were Named After<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Creedence Clearwater Revival, &#8220;Born on the Bayou&#8221; (From Bayou Country, 1969)<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Proud Mary&#8221;&#8216;s\u00a0B-side\u00a0is almost as famous as <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/creedence-clearwater-revival\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Creedence Clearwater Revival<\/a>&#8216;s first Top 10 hit. According to Doug Clifford, &#8220;Born in the Bayou&#8221; was supposed to be the A-side but was exiled to the flip, even though it was a favorite among the band members. California-born <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/john-fogerty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">John Fogerty<\/a> set the song in the South, a place he&#8217;d rarely visited, and practically defined swamp rock in the process. It remains a\u00a0favorite among CCR fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Joni Mitchell, &#8220;Both Sides Now&#8221; (From Clouds, 1970)<\/p>\n<p>Folk singer Dave Von Ronk released the first version of <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/joni-mitchell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Joni Mitchell<\/a>&#8216;s classic &#8220;Both Sides Now&#8221; in 1967; <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/judy-collins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Judy Collins <\/a>had a No. 8 hit with her version the next year. Mitchell&#8217;s version was released in 1969, on her second album, Clouds. Partly because of Collins&#8217; well-known version, Mitchell&#8217;s acoustic rendition remained an LP track, while another frequently covered Mitchell song, &#8220;Chelsea Morning,&#8221; was released as a single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Grateful Dead, &#8220;Casey Jones&#8221; (From Workingman&#8217;s Dead, 1970)<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-grateful-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Grateful Dead<\/a> wasn&#8217;t known as a singles band and rarely put much effort into making or marketing them. (Their first Top 40 song, &#8220;Touch of Grey,&#8221; arrived in 1987, more than 20 years after their debut.) Their popularity and growing live reputation in 1970 led to some airplay. The single taken from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/grateful-dead-workingmans-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Workingman&#8217;s Dead<\/a>, however, was &#8220;Uncle John&#8217;s Band,&#8221; their first charting song, and not the fan favorite &#8220;Casey Jones.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Fleetwood Mac, &#8220;The Chain&#8221; (From Rumours, 1977)<\/p>\n<p>Almost any of <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/rumours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Rumours<\/a>&#8216; 11 songs could have been singles; four of them actually were. Side 2 opener, fan favorite and the only track on the album written by all five <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/fleetwood-mac\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Fleetwood Mac <\/a>members, &#8220;The Chain,&#8221; was designated as an LP-only cut and stands out not only for its\u00a0interconnecting musicality\u00a0but also as a statement of purpose for the splintering group. For years, the band opened its concerts with the unifying &#8220;The Chain.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Beatles, &#8220;A Day in the Life&#8221; (From Sgt. Pepper&#8217;s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)<\/p>\n<p>From the start,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/beatles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Beatles<\/a>\u00a0envisioned<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/sgt-pepper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0Sgt. Pepper&#8217;s Lonely Hearts Club Band\u00a0<\/a>as an album statement, with none of its 13 songs released as singles (though two songs recorded at the start of the sessions, &#8220;Penny Lane&#8221; and &#8220;Strawberry Fields Forever,&#8221; were issued four months before the LP). The album&#8217;s closing masterwork, &#8220;A Day in the Life,&#8221; was pieced together from separate songs by <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/john-lennon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">John Lennon <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/paul-mccartney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Paul McCartney<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Led Zeppelin, &#8220;Dazed and Confused&#8221; (From Led Zeppelin, 1969)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/led-zeppelin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Led Zeppelin<\/a> was against singles from the day they formed, citing a desire for their LPs\u00a0to be taken as complete works; their record company pushed back. &#8220;Good Times Bad Times,&#8221; clocking in at 2:43, was the only single from their <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/led-zeppelin-first-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">1969 debut<\/a>, reaching\u00a0No. 80 in the U.S. Most of Led Zeppelin&#8217;s other songs weren&#8217;t as lean, including concert showpiece &#8220;Dazed and Confused,&#8221; a holdover from <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/jimmy-page\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jimmy Page<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-yardbirds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Yardbirds<\/a> days.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Traffic, &#8220;Dear Mr. Fantasy&#8221; (From Mr. Fantasy, 1967)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/traffic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Traffic <\/a>had placed three singles in the U.K. Top 10 before their debut album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/traffic-mr-fantasy-released\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mr. Fantasy<\/a>, was released in December 1967. One track from the LP was released as a single, but <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/steve-winwood\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Steve Winwood<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;No Face, No Name and No Number&#8221; only skimmed the Top 40 and is barely remembered today. Better known and one of the band&#8217;s best songs, &#8220;Dear Mr. Fantasy,&#8221; closed Side 1 but was oddly never\u00a0chosen as a single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Eagles, &#8220;Desperado&#8221; (From Desperado, 1973)<\/p>\n<p>Despite its appearance on the <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/eagles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Eagles<\/a>&#8216; best-selling\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/eagles-greatest-hits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Their Greatest Hits (1971\u20131975)<\/a>\u00a0compilation album, &#8220;Desperado&#8221; was neither a hit nor a single. The soft-rock ballad served as the title track of their second LP, a concept record about the Old West and its outlaws, drawing parallels with contemporary rock artists. Its popularity was instantaneous, with <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/linda-ronstadt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Linda Ronstadt<\/a>&#8216;s cover version released just 10 months later.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/best-title-tracks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The 50 Best Title Tracks From Classic Albums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Rolling Stones, &#8220;Gimme Shelter&#8221; (From Let It Bleed, 1969)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/rolling-stones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Rolling Stones<\/a>&#8216; foreboding\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/rolling-stones-let-it-bleed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Let It Bleed<\/a>\u00a0opening song sounded like both a warning and the death knell of the &#8217;60s. Altamont was only 10 days away; the literal end of the decade was just weeks away. &#8220;Gimme Shelter&#8221; begins as a dark storm moves in; four-plus minutes later, the wreckage surfaces in the aftermath among worn gospel voices and frayed souls. It&#8217;s not too surprising that the dark song was never a\u00a0single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Beatles, &#8220;Here Comes the Sun&#8221; (From Abbey Road, 1969)<\/p>\n<p>Only one <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/george-harrison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">George Harrison<\/a> song was issued as a Beatles A-side, and it wasn&#8217;t &#8220;Here Comes the Sun.&#8221; The honor goes to Harrison&#8217;s other <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/beatles-abbey-road\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Abbey Road<\/a> contribution, &#8220;Something&#8221; (which reached No. 1 and shared its single status with John Lennon&#8217;s &#8220;Come Together&#8221;). &#8220;Here Comes the Sun,&#8221; though, has become\u00a0more popular over the years, the most-played Beatles song on Spotify, and their first to reach a billion plays.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Velvet Underground, &#8220;Heroin&#8221; (From The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico, 1967)<\/p>\n<p>A seven-minute song that may be glorifying hard drug use, bathed in distortion and feedback? No wonder <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-velvet-underground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Velvet Underground<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;Heroin&#8221; wasn&#8217;t released as a single. Then again, the New York City band was far from singles material ever. Their debut album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/velvet-underground-and-nico\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Velvet Underground &amp; Nico<\/a>, famously pulled away from Summer of Love conventions as so many others cozied up to them. &#8220;Heroin&#8221; is a harrowing centerpiece.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Doors, &#8220;The End&#8221; (From The Doors, 1967)<\/p>\n<p>Really, it&#8217;s not so surprising that <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/doors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Doors<\/a>&#8216; <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/the-doors-the-doors-debut-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">debut album<\/a>-closing epic &#8220;The End&#8221; was never a single: It runs more than 11 and a half minutes, and its themes of Oedipal lust and death aren&#8217;t exactly radio-friendly. Indeed, despite its popularity and legacy as one of the band&#8217;s greatest songs, &#8220;The End&#8221; wasn&#8217;t a great presence at FM radio either until later. Poetic, artsy and a mix of Summer of Love idealism and fear,\u00a0it still resonates.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Van Morrison, &#8220;Into the Mystic&#8221; (From Moondance, 1970)<\/p>\n<p>One of <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/van-morrison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Van Morrison<\/a>&#8216;s most popular songs\u00a0is the spiritual core of his great 1974 live album\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/van-morrison-its-too-late-to-stop-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">It&#8217;s Too Late to Stop Now<\/a>, the title of which comes from a line in &#8220;Into the Mystic.&#8221; But the Moondance album track was never released as a single, despite its popularity among fans and FM radio programmers in the &#8217;70s. &#8220;Into the Mystic&#8221; has become a signature song for Morrison and his decade-spanning quest for\u00a0divine enlightenment.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Led Zeppelin, &#8220;Kashmir&#8221; (From Physical Graffiti, 1975)<\/p>\n<p>By 1975, Led Zeppelin had their own record company and\u00a0limitless creative freedom. While they were still against\u00a0issuing singles, they reluctantly continued\u00a0to do so throughout their career. The double-LP\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/led-zeppelin-physical-graffiti-track-by-track\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Physical Graffiti<\/a>\u00a0was assembled from a mix of new songs and leftover tracks going back to their\u00a0third album. The eight-and-a-half-minute, Morocco-inspired &#8220;Kashmir&#8221; was an immediate favorite, but never a single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fleetwood Mac, &#8220;Landslide&#8221; (From Fleetwood Mac, 1975)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/stevie-nicks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stevie Nicks<\/a>&#8216; heartfelt ode to fading youth became a favorite over the years, but in 1975, when she and <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/lindsey-buckingham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Lindsey Buckingham<\/a> made their Fleetwood Mac debuts, no one considered releasing\u00a0&#8220;Landslide&#8221; as a single. The song has been played live on almost every Fleetwood Mac tour since 1975, as well as in Nicks&#8217; solo shows.\u00a0A\u00a0live version from the 1997 reunion LP\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/fleetwood-macs-reunion-album-the-dance-turns-15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Dance<\/a>\u00a0was eventually issued as a belated single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jackson Browne, &#8220;Late for the Sky&#8221; (From Late for the Sky, 1974)<\/p>\n<p>Like many of his singer-songwriter peers in the first half of the &#8217;70s, <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/jackson-browne\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jackson Browne<\/a> wasn&#8217;t all that concerned with being a singles artist as\u00a0much as a musician committed to making album-length expressions. His third LP, 1974&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/jackson-browne-late-for-the-sky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Late for the Sky<\/a>, was the first to fully commit to the concept, with many of its songs exceeding the period&#8217;s\u00a0usual radio airplay run time. The album&#8217;s title song was later memorably used in the film Taxi Driver.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Jimi Hendrix Experience, &#8220;Little Wing&#8221; (From Axis: Bold as Love, 1967)<\/p>\n<p>For all his guitar-playing showmanship and ambassador-to-psychedelic-music legend, <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/jimi-hendrix\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jimi Hendrix<\/a> was an expert songwriter whose undervalued talent in composing straightforward melodies is rarely mentioned with the same lauded breath.\u00a0Exhibit A can be found in &#8220;Little Wing,&#8221;\u00a0a two-and-a-half-minute ballad found near the end of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/jimi-hendrix-experience-axis-bold-as-love-album-released\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Axis: Bold as Love<\/a>&#8216;s first side \u2014 an influential number covered by <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/derek-and-the-dominos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Derek and the Dominos<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Bob Marley &amp; the Wailers, &#8220;Lively Up Yourself&#8221; (From Natty Dread, 1974)<\/p>\n<p>Reggae was\u00a0a few years from becoming a dorm-room staple in the mid-&#8217;70s, so\u00a0record companies\u00a0pushed albums to FM radio audiences and gave secondary attention to U.S. singles.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bob-marley-the-wailers-catch-a-fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Catch a Fire<\/a> introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/bob-marley\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bob Marley<\/a> &amp; the Wailers to the mainstream in 1973;\u00a0Burnin&#8217; and Natty Dread\u00a0inched closer to the Top 40. &#8220;Lively Up Yourself&#8221; was first recorded in 1971, but it&#8217;s\u00a0the 1974 remake\u00a0as\u00a0Dread&#8217;s\u00a0opener that everyone knows.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yes, &#8220;Long Distance Runaround&#8221; (From Fragile, 1971)<\/p>\n<p>Progressive music was never really\u00a0suited for the singles market. Radio-unfriendly song lengths, mystical themes and a\u00a0distaste for pop&#8217;s\u00a0uncomplicated\u00a0framework tend to deter most groups. Yes was one of the\u00a0few\u00a0bands to have hit singles without compromising their prog integrity. The catchy &#8220;Long Distance Runaround&#8221; runs for a pop-friendly three and a half minutes but, surprisingly, was never released as a single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Paul McCartney, &#8220;Maybe I&#8217;m Amazed&#8221; (From McCartney, 1970)<\/p>\n<p>Paul McCartney&#8217;s\u00a0love letter &#8220;Maybe I&#8217;m Amazed&#8221; is the highlight of his debut solo album from 1970, released three weeks before the Beatles&#8217; final album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/beatles-let-it-be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Let It Be<\/a>, arrived.\u00a0Although he made a point\u00a0of not issuing any singles from<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/paul-mccartney-solo-debut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0McCartney<\/a>, the song was an early solo favorite as the four Beatles prepared to go their separate ways. A live version with <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/wings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wings<\/a> was included on 1976&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/paul-mccartney-wings-over-america-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wings Over America\u00a0<\/a>and hit the Top 10.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bob Dylan, &#8220;Mr. Tambourine Man&#8221; (From Bringing It All Back Home, 1965)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-byrds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Byrds<\/a> released their electric folk-rock version of\u00a0&#8220;Mr. Tambourine Man,&#8221; a No.1\u00a0 hit, a month after <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/bob-dylan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bob Dylan <\/a>included his original acoustic take on his\u00a0fifth album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bob-dylan-bringing-it-all-back-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bringing It All Back Home<\/a>. That likely had little to do with Dylan&#8217;s decision to forgo the singles\u00a0route with his version in 1965. More likely: the song&#8217;s five-and-a-half-minute run time and winding, wordy verses, which\u00a0were incongruous with much of pop music at the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Billy Joel, &#8220;New York State of Mind&#8221; (From Turnstiles, 1976)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/billy-joel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Billy Joel <\/a>was a\u00a0year away from becoming one of\u00a0the biggest artists of the next decade when he released his fourth album in 1976. The title song from 1973&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/billy-joel-piano-man\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Piano Man<\/a>\u00a0gave Joel his first Top 40 hit, but follow-ups mostly struggled until 1977&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/billy-joel-the-stranger-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Stranger<\/a>\u00a0scaled the charts. He had been playing &#8220;New York State of Mind,&#8221; always a local favorite, before the song closed <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/billy-joel-turnstiles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Turnstiles<\/a>&#8216; first side. Its stature has grown over the decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Band, &#8220;The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down&#8221; (From The Band, 1969)<\/p>\n<p>While<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-band\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> the Band<\/a> rarely broke into the Top 40 \u2014 their biggest hit, &#8220;Up on Cripple Creek,&#8221; reached No. 25 \u2014 they received unanimous praise from their contemporaries. The Dylan connection certainly helped, but <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/robbie-robertson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Robbie Robertson<\/a>&#8216;s detailed songs were also a huge\u00a0part of their popularity. &#8220;The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,&#8221; from their <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/band-self-titled-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">second album<\/a>, was the B-side of &#8220;Creek.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/joan-baez\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Joan Baez<\/a> took\u00a0a 1971 cover into the Top 10.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Bruce Springsteen, &#8220;Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)&#8221; (From The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, 1973)<\/p>\n<p>At seven filler-free minutes, <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/bruce-springsteen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bruce Springsteen<\/a>&#8216;s &#8220;Rosalita (Come Out Tonight&#8221; never would have made it onto AM radio playlists in 1973. The song has been included on several Springsteen compilations over the years, including 2009&#8217;s Greatest Hits and 2024&#8217;s Best of Bruce Springsteen, despite never appearing as a single. A concert showstopper for Springsteen and the <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/e-street-band\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">E Street Band<\/a>, &#8220;Rosalita&#8221; never fails to excite.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Billy Joel, &#8220;Scenes From an Italian Restaurant&#8221; (From The Stranger, 1977)<\/p>\n<p>Billy Joel\u00a0said his longest song, the centerpiece of his breakout 1977\u00a0LP\u00a0The Stranger, was inspired by the second side of the Beatles&#8217; Abbey Road. Stitched together from five distinct pieces and unfurled over seven and a half minutes, &#8220;Scenes From an Italian Restaurant&#8221; has been a staple\u00a0of Joel compilations over the years, even though it was never released as a single. Four other\u00a0songs from the album\u00a0did reach the Top 25.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Led Zeppelin, &#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221; (From Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)<\/p>\n<p>Probably the most famous song never released as a single, Led Zeppelin&#8217;s &#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221; dismantles so many pop radio rules that it&#8217;s little wonder the song only found its footing on FM. (The group&#8217;s aversion to singles also stalled its release as a single.) At eight minutes and divided into three sections, including an acoustic opening and a cappella ending, &#8220;Stairway to Heaven&#8221; helped set the template for later power ballads.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Rolling Stones, &#8220;Sympathy for the Devil&#8221; (From Beggars Banquet, 1968)<\/p>\n<p>After their fling with psychedelic music on 1967&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/rolling-stones-their-satanic-majesties-request-50th-anniversary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Their Satanic Majesties Request<\/a>, the Rolling Stones returned to a darker shade of their blues roots on the next year&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/rolling-stones-beggars-banquet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Beggars Banquet<\/a>. The opening song, &#8220;Sympathy for the Devil,&#8221; laid out their intentions and launched a creative new era for the group. The murky, disorienting percussion that introduces the track gives way to six-plus minutes of morbid, terrifying uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Monkees, &#8220;(Theme From) The Monkees&#8221; (From The Monkees, 1966)<\/p>\n<p>The theme song from The Monkees TV show was released as a single in several countries, including Australia, Japan, Norway and Italy, which had its own\u00a0native rendition. The full version of\u00a0&#8220;(Theme From) The Monkees,&#8221; running nearly two and a half minutes, was featured\u00a0as the opening track on the <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/the-monkees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">group<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/monkees-debut-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">self-titled debut album<\/a>. Despite reaching No. 1 in many countries,\u00a0it wasn&#8217;t a single in\u00a0their\u00a0U.S. homeland.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bruce Springsteen, &#8220;Thunder Road&#8221; (From Born to Run, 1975)<\/p>\n<p>Bruce Springsteen&#8217;s third album arrived in late August 1975 with burning industry and mainstream buzz. <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bruce-springsteen-born-to-run\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Born to Run <\/a>was greeted by fans and peers with\u00a0enough enthusiasm\u00a0to crown him rock&#8217;s Next Big Thing. The album&#8217;s title track became his first Top 40 single, finishing just outside the Top 20, but the opening cut, &#8220;Thunder Road,&#8221; set the LP&#8217;s tone from its opening lines. It became an immediate concert favorite.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>READ MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bob-dylan-albums-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bob Dylan Albums Ranked<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> Bob Dylan, &#8220;The Times They Are A-Changin'&#8221; (From The Times They Are A-Changin&#8217;, 1964)<\/p>\n<p>Never released as a single in the U.S., but\u00a0pulled for release as a single in the U.K. more than a year after its initial appearance on Bob Dylan&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/bob-dylan-times-they-are-a-changin-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">third album<\/a>,\u00a0&#8220;The Times They Are A-Changin'&#8221; seemed like an\u00a0obvious fit in 1964. The folk movement&#8217;s mainstream influence was never stronger, and Dylan was quickly becoming a household\u00a0name. Yet, the song remained an album track and one of his most popular.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Rolling Stones, &#8220;Under My Thumb&#8221; (From Aftermath, 1966)<\/p>\n<p>A repeating presence on\u00a0Rolling Stones compilations (appearances on Hot Rocks, Forty Licks and <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/the-rolling-stones-grrr-album-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">GRRR!<\/a>, among others) deceives many to\u00a0assume &#8220;Under My Thumb&#8221; was\u00a0issued as a single upon its release in 1966. Yet it&#8217;s an album track from <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/rolling-stones-aftermath\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aftermath<\/a> that evolved on its own from the band&#8217;s first LP-length masterwork.\u00a0Despite its unconventional structure, &#8220;Thumb&#8221; was a popular concert choice for decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Jimi Hendrix Experience, &#8220;Voodoo Child (Slight Return)&#8221; (From Electric Ladyland, 1968)<\/p>\n<p>Bypassed in favor of his celebrated cover of Bob Dylan&#8217;s &#8220;All Along the Watchtower&#8221; and his own &#8220;Crosstown Traffic&#8221; as singles from the Jimi Hendrix Experience&#8217;s third album,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/jimi-hendrix-experience-electric-ladyland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Electric Ladyland<\/a>, the double LP&#8217;s closing &#8220;Voodoo Child (Slight Return)&#8221; developed in the studio the day after the album&#8217;s nearly 15-minute jam &#8220;Voodoo Chile&#8221; was recorded. This shorter version is definitive and one of Hendrix&#8217;s\u00a0greatest pieces.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Beatles, &#8220;While My Guitar Gently Weeps&#8221; (From The Beatles, 1968)<\/p>\n<p>The Beatles famously released no singles from Sgt. Pepper&#8217;s Lonely Hearts Club Band; when they returned a year later with an <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/the-beatles-white-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">eponymously named LP<\/a> in a plain white sleeve, they issued no singles from it either. But that didn&#8217;t stop fans and adventurous radio stations from playing their favorite cuts. George Harrison&#8217;s sublime &#8220;While My Guitar Gently Weeps&#8221; is one of the album&#8217;s greatest songs. But it was never a single.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> The Allman Brothers Band, &#8220;Whipping Post&#8221; (From The Allman Brothers Band, 1969)<\/p>\n<p>The studio version of &#8220;Whipping Post&#8221; from <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/allman-brothers-band\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the Allman Brothers Band<\/a>&#8216;s self-titled 1969 <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/allman-brothers-debut-album\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">debut<\/a> runs at an economical five-plus minutes; it&#8217;s the live take found on 1971&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/allman-brothers-band-play-fillmore-east\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">At Fillmore East<\/a> that made its reputation at nearly 23 minutes. Unsurprisingly, the epic concert take was never issued as a single; more surprisingly, the\u00a0sturdy studio version was passed over for the more conventional blues of &#8220;Black Hearted Woman.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pink Floyd, &#8220;Wish You Were Here&#8221; (From Wish You Were Here, 1975)<\/p>\n<p>By 1975,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/pink-floyd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Pink Floyd<\/a>, renewed by the success of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/pink-floyd-dark-side-of-the-moon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Dark Side of the Moon<\/a>, wasn&#8217;t very interested in turning their impeccably crafted albums into singles, especially since FM radio was now eager to\u00a0play their albums in full. Even though their label\u00a0wanted\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/pink-floyd-wish-you-were-here\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wish You Were Here<\/a>&#8216;s title song to become a single, the group resisted. No matter \u2014 &#8220;Wish You Were Here&#8221;\u00a0became a\u00a0much-played classic\u00a0anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Carole King, &#8220;You&#8217;ve Got a Friend&#8221; (From Tapestry, 1971)<\/p>\n<p>Many of <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/carole-king\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Carole King<\/a>&#8216;s\u00a0best songs were\u00a0covers by others, starting in\u00a01960 with the Shirelles&#8217; No. 1 &#8220;Will You Love Me Tomorrow&#8221; and continuing through the decade with &#8220;The Loco-Motion&#8221; (Little Eva) and &#8220;(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/aretha-franklin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Aretha Franklin<\/a>). While King first\u00a0included &#8220;You&#8217;ve Got a Friend&#8221; on 1971&#8217;s era-defining <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/carole-king-tapestry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tapestry<\/a>, it was friend <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/james-taylor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">James Taylor<\/a> who had a hit with the song a few months later.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>David Bowie, &#8220;Ziggy Stardust&#8221; (From The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, 1972)<\/p>\n<p>The key song on <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/tags\/david-bowie\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">David Bowie<\/a>&#8216;s landmark 1972 album\u00a0\u2014 it sums up the protagonist&#8217;s\u00a0story in a little more than three minutes\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 wasn&#8217;t a single at the time, but a live version of\u00a0&#8220;Ziggy Stardust&#8221; was released as\u00a0a single\u00a0from the Santa Monica &#8217;72 album\u00a0in 1994. Though a concept record,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimateclassicrock.com\/david-bowie-ziggy-stardust-track-by-track\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars<\/a>&#8216; 11\u00a0tracks stand on their own; &#8220;Ziggy Stardust&#8221; is one of its best.<\/p>\n<p>From The Beatles to Led Zeppelin and More: The Top 35 Double Albums<\/p>\n<p>When twice the amount of music really matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"photogallery-credit\">Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before albums became the benchmark for\u00a0those wishing to make big statements, singles were the best representation of an&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,14230,216,10340],"class_list":["post-517408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-lists","tag-music","tag-original-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}