Classic rock radio has kept some of the biggest rock bands\u2019 biggest hits at the forefront of everyone\u2019s mind for decades. And while this kind of musical recycling is great for revisiting old favorites, it also means that these bands\u2019 deeper cuts are getting pushed further and further into the bottom of the rock \u2018n\u2019 roll zeitgeist.<\/p>\n
And frankly, these underrated songs by some of the world\u2019s biggest, most influential rock bands are simply too good not to revisit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBallad Of John And Yoko\u201d by The Beatles<\/p>\n
When we think of late-era Beatles tunes, tracks like \u201cGet Back\u201d and \u201cCome Together\u201d are often the first to come to mind. But this writer would argue that \u201cBallad Of John And Yoko\u201d<\/a> is often underrated and overlooked. (Thanks in no small part to the fact that some radio stations banned the song over the lines \u201cChrist, you know it ain\u2019t easy\u201d and \u201cthey\u2019re gonna crucify me,\u201d yet another instance of Lennon ruffling Christians\u2019 feathers.)<\/p>\n With an easygoing rock vibe reminiscent of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival, the autobiographical song follows John Lennon and Yoko Ono\u2019s tumultuous relationship with each other and the public.<\/p>\n \u201cSaving Grace\u201d by Tom Petty<\/p>\n Tom Petty just eked into the Billboard Hot 100 with their 2006 single, \u201cSaving Grace\u201d, peaking at the last spot, No. 100. The Highway Companion track isn\u2019t nearly as ubiquitous as cuts like \u201cMary Jane\u2019s Last Dance\u201d and \u201cAmerican Girl\u201d. It\u2019s a true gem hidden in Petty\u2019s late-career album and one that sounds like it could have just as easily been put out on the band\u2019s eponymous 1976 debut.<\/p>\n Petty named his third and final solo studio album Highway Companion because he wanted to make a collection of songs that were good to drive to, and this writer can attest that he did an excellent job<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ghost Song\u201d by The Doors<\/p>\n This particular track by The Doors deserves an asterisk, as the lineup looked much different than it did when the Los Angeles rock band was releasing songs like \u201cLight My Fire\u201d and \u201cL.A. Woman\u201d. Most glaringly, Jim Morrison wasn\u2019t there, having died in his bathtub in Paris in the summer of 1971. After his death, his surviving bandmates took recordings of Morrison reciting poetry<\/a> and set them to music.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ghost Song\u201d was one of these tracks, which The Doors released on their ninth and final studio album, An American Prayer. The song takes the listener through a psychedelic journey, from moonlit grooves to trance-like recollections of a formative car accident Morrison witnessed in his youth.<\/p>\n \u201cLife\u2019s A Gas\u201d by T. Rex<\/p>\n When most people think of T. Rex\u2014and, more specifically, the band\u2019s second studio album, Electric Warrior\u2014their minds likely settle on the track \u201cBang A Gong (Get It On)\u201d<\/a>. And rightfully so, seeing as this song was one of T. Rex\u2019s biggest hits. The track topped the charts in the band\u2019s native United Kingdom and peaked in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, leaving a more sentimental B-side in its shadow.<\/p>\n \u201cLife\u2019s A Gas\u201d is undoubtedly a different vibe from the rest of T. Rex\u2019s better-known tracks. But different doesn\u2019t always mean bad, and there\u2019s something infectiously catchy about this sardonic heartbreak tune.<\/p>\n \u201cPlanet Caravan\u201d by Black Sabbath<\/p>\n