Deep Cuts - Rock Albums - Part II

Once again, I'm digging into some legendary albums, locating songs sort of buried in the mix, that didn't quite register on the radar at the time of their release, and remain sort of forgotten or unknown today. 

It's All Too Much - Beatles, Yellow Submarine 1999 Songtrack - this album accompanied the re-release of the 1968 animated movie. Short and sweet, bashy and raw, Harrison adopts a Hendrix-like guitar aggression, licks on fire over the droning keyboard. Definitely a sing-a-long tune, catchy and fun. A lesser Beatles song yet it truly rocks, certainly grittier, if less developed, than album mate Hey Bulldog. 

Sweet Pain - KISS, Destroyer album (1976) - eye-rollingly raunchy lyrics overlay a rollicking hard rock tune that features Gene's thundering bass and one of the best guitar solos on the album (sadly, not by Ace, but a session musician). The album is chocker-blocked with strong and memorable rock classics, and even the non-hits demonstrate a knack for songwriting and headbanging simultaneously. Sweet Pain is an example of how KISS kept the quality from front to back on Destroyer. 

Secret Journey - The Police, Ghost in the Machine album (1981) - atmospheric and lush with guitar riffs and effects washes, hypnotic percussion and bassline, big bright choruses countered by weightier verses, and interesting (maybe even uplifting) spiritual lyrics... probably close to Sting's heart. Ghost in the Machine was a huge album that took the band on a massive world-wide tour, of which I attended the Toronto Police Picnic event. The material is consistently good throughout (Everything She Does Is Magic was the major hit), and though Secret Journey did chart as a single in the U.S., it barely crept into the #29 spot. Still, I think it deserves a closer look.

Hearts - Yes, 90125 album (1983) - The final track on the album, Hearts does not allow this disc to go out with a whimper. Half of the album's songs went top 10 on various charts, and of course, Owner of a Lonely Heart became one of the biggest hits of the 80's. Hard to compete with that, yet Hearts is a strong and attractive tune. The first portion of the song is staccato electronic keyboard, soon joined by bass and drums, vocals locked into the rhythm. Then the song opens up into a soaring chorus, expansive, lush vocals courtesy of Rabin, Anderson and Squire. It changes gears in its final minutes, loping at a mellow pace, guitars jangling and vocal harmonies to the fore. New Yes frontman Trevor Rabin's expressive guitar solo and outro electrify and meld perfectly with the track.