In the early 1960s, pop artists began to take control of their recording experience and started creating collections of new songs that could be released as an album. Before this period, albums were often collections of singles, older songs, and other odds and ends that were released to promote an artist and make money for the music labels. Artists often had no say over the product being released. The exact moment the modern album was invented is impossible to determine, but albums like Rubber Soul by the Beatles and the early ABC Records recordings by Ray Charles were integral in advancing the album to an art form. In addition, new recording technologies that made studio work a creative experience for the artists led to an explosion of artistically driven albums in the late ‘60s. The obvious impact of this new vision of albums was that musicians were able to present themselves as artists and not simply creators of musical product. British artists like The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks became immediate masters of album recording. They invented the concept album, and their songwriting evolved at an amazing rate. Workhorses like John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival were able to produce a lifetime’s collection of material in only a few years by recording several albums a year that presented the artists’ constantly evolving sound and style. By the 1970s, building on the creative energy of artists such as Frank Zappa and The Beatles, art rock and progressive rock were invented due to the ability of an artist to take over complete control of their product. Just about any artist you can name from the 1960s and 70s is famous now because they were able to produce albums to showcase their vision and songwriting.
Even though artists were suddenly given the freedom to control their releases, they still had an obligation to create hits that could garner radio play and induce album sales. Every album of this period contained singles. Sometimes they were front-loaded at the start of sides 1 and 2. If the singles didn’t fit the rest of the albums concept, they were often dropped at the end of the record. Some albums were loaded with singles, and some struggled to produce even one. No matter the placement, almost all albums you know had singles. In fact, in most cases, the songs you know are the singles. Unless you are a fan of a band, you probably only know the singles. This fact is the driver behind this new Faux Show series. If you are a fan of a band and know all their albums inside and out, then you know that your favorite songs are often not the singles. A fan’s favorite songs are often the other songs that can show up at any point on an album. They are not well-known and are often not the same for different fans. These songs have become affectionately known as deep cuts. They are the songs that make fans the happiest when played during a live concert. They are the songs that people like me stick on playlists. They are the songs that make the greatest albums the greatest albums.
For this new series, I have selected a range of years to showcase the concept of deep cuts – 1965-1985. This is the period between Rubber Soul and the replacement of vinyl by CDs. During this 20-year period, the standard album was usually about 10 songs long with about two to three singles. The rest of the album was filler, and the best of that filler are the deep cuts. CD technology has now led to artists being able to jam over an hour of music onto every release, often including music that should have stayed unreleased and a bunch of out-takes, alternate versions, and other bonus material. Fans of bands are happy to have access to that material now, but there was something magical about a perfectly crafted 10-song album, and that magic can be best explained through the concept of deep cuts.
I’ve decided to focus this new series on individual years. For each year, I’ve selected ten of my favorite albums and two of my favorite deep cuts from each. Listing singles and hits is very objective, but determining one’s favorite deep cuts is very subjective. I’ve selected songs that I like the best but that also have some interesting aspects or facts that can be discussed. If you don’t know the albums, maybe this will help you find some new favorites. If nothing else, these are going to be some great playlists of music that you may or may not know very well.
1980 Deep Cuts
The first year I’ve selected for this series is 1980, with a focus on ten rock and roll artists. There is no reason for starting here, but I must start somewhere, and 1980 is an important transitional year in music. Punk and disco were quickly being replaced by new forms of soul, R&B, and rock music. Rap was just starting to move out of the house parties where it started. College radio was beginning to create an avenue for hundreds of independent labels and local bands to reach their audience. MTV was slowly making its way onto cable networks. This didn’t all occur within only one year, but 1980 was set firmly in this evolutionary period. The music of 1980 showed many artists moving in new directions and producing some of their most influential and beloved work.
As always, there is a playlist for the show.
Peter Gabriel 3: Melt by Peter Gabriel
Top 40 Singles: “Games Without Frontiers,” “No Self Control,” and “Biko”; only “Games Without Frontiers” was a hit outside of the UK and none of them were hits in the U.S.
Peter Gabriel’s third solo album, often called Melt, is loaded with great and important deep cuts. Anyone interested in the history of the drum sound of the 1980s knows that the technique called gated reverb produces that sound. The opening track “Intruder” was the first recording to use the version of gated reverb created by Hugh Padgham and Phil Collins. This would soon become the trademark sound of Collins’ drumming, including the most famous implementation of gated reverb on “In The Air Tonight.” Other songs found throughout Melt include Kate Bush as well as Phil Collins, and the production by Steve Lillywhite was one of the first on his long list of albums he produced in the ‘80s. Overall, Melt presents Peter Gabriel as a leader in the new wave movement of the early ‘80s and set him up for the run of albums that now define his solo career.
Deep Cuts: “I Don’t Remember” and “And Through The Wire”
My two favorite songs on the album have always been the deep cuts “I Don’t Remember” and “And Through The Wire.” ”I Don’t Remember” was recorded with Gabriel’s touring band as well as Robert Fripp (King Crimson) and Dave Gregory (XTC) on guitars and Tony Levin on Chapman stick. “And Through The Wire” includes guitars by Paul Weller of The Jam. Sitting at Side One, Tracks Four and Six (respectively), these are perfect examples of a deep cut. U.S. music listeners may remember “Games Without Frontiers” from its occasional airplay during the early days of MTV and “Biko” from its importance during the anti-apartheid era, but it wasn’t until his next album that Gabriel began to become recognized by anyone who wasn’t a fan of early Genesis. These two deep cuts were long-forgotten in the world of pop music by the time that “Sledgehammer” became one of the most iconic songs and videos of the ’80s, but they are now recognized as major evolutionary steps toward the sound of rock that would define the early years of that decade.
Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police
Top 40 Singles: “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da”
The Police had been slowly gaining worldwide attention from songs on their first two releases, including “Roxanne” and “Message In A Bottle,” when they released their third album Zenyatta Mondatta. The UK already knew how great they were, but the songs “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” taught everyone else to pay more attention. These were the first two U.S. top 10 hits for the band that would soon replace Queen as the most popular rock band in the world. Unlike their first two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta was the first Police release that presented a complete collection of album-ready compositions.
Deep Cuts: “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around” and “Canary In A Coalmine”
Police fans all have favorite deep cuts from the record, including “Driven to Tears” and “Bombs Away,” but my two favorites have always been “Canary In A Coalmine” and “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around.” Both tracks sit at the center of Side One. Back in the day, these two songs were perfectly placed to keep the listener’s attention through to the end of the side before flipping the album over to hear “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” Over forty years later, “When The World…” is one of their most beloved fan favorites and every Police fan knows about James Brown on the T.A.M.I. Show. While everyone knows The Police because of “Every Breath You Take,” that song is from an album that most fans now ignore. Although the Faux household would select Ghost In The Machine as their best, lifelong Police fans often identify Zenyatta Mondatta as their favorite, and it is because of the strength of the deep cuts found within its grooves.
The Game by Queen
Top 40 Singles: “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites The Dust”
Queen was no stranger to success when the band released their eighth album in 1980. The Game could have been a disaster for the band since it was a new direction for a group who had spent years building a global popularity after starting out as a glam rock act. Instead, the songs “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bite The Dust” cemented their place as the most popular rock band in the world. The success of those two songs made them the most successful pop act of 1980 and gave them the freedom to do whatever they wanted for the rest of their career. Many find their 1980s output to be of a lower quality than their classic run of ‘70s albums, and it would be hard for that not to be true when one considers those albums. As I’ve grown older, and continued to listen to their music religiously, I have developed a fondness for the ‘80s pop they produced, and it all started with this album.
Deep Cuts: “Dragon Attack” and “Rock It (Prime Jive)”
One of the most important aspects of The Game is the number of songs composed by members other than Freddie Mercury. Songs like “We Will Rock You” by Brian May, “I’m In Love With My Car” by Roger Taylor, and ”You’re My Best Friend” by John Deacon had always shown the breadth of songwriting talent in their members, but it wasn’t until John Deacon composed “Another One Bite The Dust” that the world realized that Queen was a lot more than just Freddie Mercury’s backing band. It is hard to see beyond the massive success of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “Another One Bites The Dust,” but hidden among some of the new sounds of the album are gems that showcase all the components that make every Queen album a complete listen. Brian May’s guitars are all over the deep cuts of the album, and some of their best rock and roll songs are included. Every Queen fan knows that “Dragon Attack” is arguably the best rock song they wrote since “Brighton Rock” in 1974. It is easily in my Top 10 Queen songs. The rest of the album presents their most eclectic collection up to that point, including May’s wonderful ballads “Sail Away Sweet Sister” and “Save Me,” but Roger Taylor’s “Rock It (Prime Jive)” was always the reason I flipped the album over to Side Two. The second side kicks off with Queen’s first true ‘80s new wave track. I have owned the album since it was originally released and have probably played Side Two as much as Side One over my lifetime. Due to the massive popularity of the two singles, the rest of The Game is a prime example of how deep cuts can be unreasonably ignored.
Remain In Light by Talking Heads
Top 40 Singles: “Once In A Lifetime” (was a UK hit only) and “Houses in Motion” (hit #50 in the UK)
Talking Heads were still one album away from global popularity in 1980 but Remain In Light is now recognized as their greatest artistic achievement. This is the album that introduced the fusion of funk, art rock, and new wave that would define the band in the ‘80s and make them one of the most popular bands of their era. Their next album, Speaking In Tongues, would build on the sounds they perfected in 1980 and lead to their landmark concert film and album Stop Making Sense, but it was their 1980 album that made the world start to take notice. The video for “Once In A Lifetime” was a standout during the early years of MTV, and David Byrne’s oddly syncopated choreography for the video is still the most iconic image of the band.
Deep Cuts: “Crosseyed and Painless” and “The Great Curve”
Sitting at Side One, Tracks Two and Three, “Crosseyed and Painless” and “The Great Curve” are deep cuts that present the new sound of the band better than the hit “Once In A Lifetime.” The incessant groove of both songs is still breathtaking over forty years later. By the time the record gets to the hit, the listener is already ready to come up for air after fifteen minutes of art rock glory. Talking Heads fans know that Side One of this album is their crowning achievement. It is arguably the best single album side of 1980, if not the entire decade that followed. The next time you need to groove down the highway, play the first four songs of Remain In Light and your destination will arrive before you know it.
Back In Black by AC/DC
Top 40 Singles: “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Back In Black”
The fact that AC/DC were still a band in 1980 was an achievement in itself. Lead singer Bon Scott died in February 1980 and the band almost disbanded. If they had done so, it would have made sense. Even though the riffs and solos of guitarist brothers Malcolm and Angus Young were the foundation of the band, it was Scott who gave the band the energy that made them international superstars, even without any possibility of recording hits. Scott’s lyrics were much too inappropriate to garner radio play and he was certainly not know for his singing ability. Unbelievably, the band not only continued but their first post-Scott album was written, recorded, and released five months after Scott’s death. Back In Black is now the second best selling album in history with over 50 million copies sold. The only other album to sell more is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Propelled by two Top 40 hits, “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Back In Black,” the album destroyed all previous notions of how music can sound and still be popular. At the time of the album’s release, new vocalist Brian Johnson was the worst singer to ever score a Top 40 hit. The hits were the hardest rocking songs to ever receive worldwide airplay. The lyrics of the album were by far the most obscene of any Top 10 album recorded up to that point. You can love it or hate it, but popular music was changed forever by Back In Black.
Deep Cuts: “Shoot To Thrill” and “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
Everyone knows the riff from “Back in Black.” Everyone knows both of the hits. However, I would guess that if you don’t like AC/DC then you don’t know the rest of the album. This is not the kind of music that people listen to if they don’t like it. It is loud, noisy, and filthy. Even so, an album that sells 50 million copies can not do so based on one or two songs. Anyone who likes hard rock knows that this album is one of the best ever recorded. I fall into that category, and my two favorite deep cuts are “Shoot To Thrill” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.” This is another album that I have owned since it was released and used to play beginning to end, front and back, over and over. It is a collection of deep cuts.
Pretenders by Pretenders
Top 40 Singles: “Brass In Pocket”
Chryssie Hynde didn’t start out as a rock icon. The debut album by Pretenders was successful enough to place the band on the pop charts, but she was a woman playing rock and roll in a man’s world. Even decades later, the selection of the band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was met by many with questions about whether the band was worthy. I’m not going to discuss that now, but feel free to check out my Rock Hall of Shame posts. I’m just going to say that this is one of the greatest debuts in rock and roll. Songs like “Precious” and “Tattooed Love Boys” are still relevant in the misogynous world of pop music. “Brass in Pocket” should have been a Number 1 hit. This is rock and roll in all its frenetic, unadulterated glory.
Deep Cuts: “Kid” and “Mystery Achievement”
More than any other album on this list, the debut by Pretenders is a glorious collection of deep cuts. Even “Precious,” which is one of the band’s best-known songs, is a deep cut due to the lack of airplay it received for dropping an F-bomb. “Tattooed Love Boys” is a masterpiece and the cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing” should have been a Top 10 U.S. hit. My two favorite deep cuts are “Kid” and “Mystery Achievement,” but I could have selected “The Phone Call,” “Up The Neck,” “The Wait” or any other tracks on the album. If you like rock or pop music and have never listened to this album, you should do so immediately. The band’s third album got all the radio airplay and MTV attention that made them superstars, but this is their best album and still sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.
The River by Bruce Springsteen
Top 40 Singles: “Hungry Heart” and “Fade Away”
Like many of the albums on this list, The River presents a period of transition for the artist. After two successful albums (Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town), Bruce Springsteen was still searching for a Top 20 hit and the songs on his 1980 album found him experimenting with some new sounds that presented much more hit-making potential. As we now know, from all the unreleased material available, he was also recording at a ridiculously prolific pace. The amount of material (50 songs were recorded for possible inclusion), as well as the diversity of songwriting, allowed him to release a double album that showcased all the new sounds in his arsenal. Increased use of organ, big hooks, and shorter songs produced a new kind of Springsteen album. It hit #1 and the lead single “Hungry Heart” gave him his first Top 10 hit (#5). “Fade Away” hit #20, and suddenly Springsteen was a pop artist. There were so many potential hits on the album that seven singles were released, although none of the rest of them hit the Top 40 (it would be four more years before Born In The U.S.A. flooded the charts with hit after hit).
Deep Cuts: “Out In The Street” and “Independence Day”
Sometimes a double album is an exercise in arrogance and ego, but The River is a collection of material that is all worthy of inclusion on an album and that holds together within the overall concept of the record. Every Springsteen fan has their favorite deep cuts from the album, and my two selections are two of the most popular. “Out In The Street” has been a live staple for decades. It is an anthem of the working man that still presents as powerful as any of Springsteen’s similar songs. “Independence Day” is one of my Top 10 Bruce tracks and shows a new style of songwriting that would return in four years on songs such as “My Hometown.” Springsteen’s career is defined by “Blinded By The Light,” “Rosalita,” Born To Run, and Born In The U.S.A, and The River is often overlooked as a highlight of his career. This makes sense because not every release can be a highlight, but the songs on this album are an obvious transition for Springsteen from his unwanted moniker as “the future of rock and roll” to his desired role as “pop artist.” The fact that so many of the songs on the album have remained live show favorites proves that this double album is a deep cut bonanza.
Hi Infidelity by REO Speedwagon
Top 40 Singles: “Keep On Loving You,” “Take It On The Run,” “Don’t Let Him Go,” and “In Your Letter”
The best-selling album of 1980 was not by The Police or Bruce Springsteen or Prince or Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder or any other icon of the ‘70s and ‘80s. It wasn’t even Back In Black, the best-selling rock album of all time. It was Hi Infidelity by REO Speedwagon. With over ten million copies sold, it is now one of the best-selling albums of all time. Driven by four Top 40 hits (the first hits for the band) the album dominated the charts from late 1980 until late 1981. Fans of the band probably thought this should have been expected, but no one else was prepared for the massive success of a bar band whose sound was set firmly in the arena rock of the ‘70s. This is not a transitional album. This is merely an album released at the right time. While the music of the ‘80s was about to be transformed by new wave, post-punk, indie rock, rap, Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson, there was a swarm of old school rock fans who wanted nothing to do with these new sounds. These consumers wanted rock and roll, and bands like Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Styx, and Loverboy were about to rake in the dollars with album after album of slickly produced rock and roll mediocrity. MTV was sitting with open arms for these bands to provide product that met their all white, all male video format. Hi Infidelity was the first album to reap the rewards of this new audience.
Deep Cuts: “Out of Season” and “Tough Guys”
Having said all of that, it is important to recognize that this album is a collection of songs that could have almost all have been hits. If you want big hooks, catchy choruses, guitar and piano solos, and a mix of rockers and ballads then there is no better album than Hi Infidelity to serve your needs. Like most rock listeners of the era, I bought this album when it came out. I have listened to it many, many times since and still throw it on occasionally for fun. My favorite deep cuts are “Out of Season” and “Tough Guys.” The band would continue to produce Top 40 hits in the ‘80s, but none of them (not even the embarrassingly mediocre #1 smash “Can’t Fight This Feeling”) are as good as the deep cuts on this record.
Get Happy by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Top 40 Singles: “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down,” “High Fidelity,” and “New Amsterdam” (all were UK hits only; the U.S. ridiculously ignored Elvis Costello during his heyday)
After releasing three incredible albums that laid the groundwork for dozens of artists who followed, Elvis Costello shifted his sound toward 1960s soul music with his fourth release. Get Happy should have been the album that broke Costello on the U.S. charts. The fact that this didn’t happen is through no fault of the material on the album. Every track on the record finds Costello and his band at the peak of their talents. This is not the record that most would go to in order to introduce someone to Costello’s work, but if you are more interested in music that grooves instead of music that rocks then this is a great place to start a study of his albums.
Deep Cuts: “Opportunity” and “Possession”
Since there are no U.S. hits on the record, I could argue that every track is a deep cut. With 20 songs on only two album sides, there is an incredible amount of material to digest. Most tracks are short, which showcases Costello’s ability to hone in quickly on the melody and hook of each song. I’ve selected “Opportunity” and “Possession” because I had to pick two and these are two of my favorites. “Possession” presents a sonic landscape that would be perfected soon on the song “Watch Your Step” and “Opportunity” is Costello at his soulful best, but there is not a weak moment on the album. Most fans now understand that this one of his best albums.
Double Fantasy by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Top 40 Singles: “(Just Like) Starting Over,” “Woman,” and “Watching The Wheels”
John Lennon’s final album, released just days before his murder, was not immediately recognized as one of his best. After his death, Double Fantasy‘s popularity grew and it ended up winning the Grammy for Album of the Year. Like most solo albums by ex-Beatles, records like this one are always unfairly compared to The Beatles. Obviously, this album is not as good as Abbey Road or Revolver. However, it is a better pop album than anything that George Harrison, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, or The Who released after the late ’70s. Is it Lennon’s best solo work? That is personal choice. All I can say is that I listen to Double Fantasy as much as any other Lennon albums.
Deep Cuts: “I’m Losing You” and “Dear Yoko”
Double Fantasy, at least the Lennon compositions, is a love letter to Yoko Ono and their son Sean. For that reason, the best deep cuts are the ones that focus on his personal life. Although it wasn’t a hit, one of the most popular songs on the record is the deep cut “Beautiful Boy.” I selected the song “I’m Losing You” because it is about as Beatles-sounding as Lennon gets on the record. It’s theme of struggling through a relationship was always territory that Lennon covered better than McCartney, and he presents one of his career-best songs about this theme here. “Dear Yoko” is a love song that hits perfectly. It pairs nicely with the hit “Woman” and completes his compositions on the album. It is a nice companion to the Beatles song “The Ballad of John and Yoko” and serves well as the last Lennon album composition before his death.
That concludes this first entry of the new Deep Cuts series. I think I’ll be heading back to 2013 in the next show. In the meantime, as always, thanks for listening (and reading)!
The Radio Faux Show 