Hidden Gems in Classic Rock Albums

Mott the Hoople has a number of them. Right now I’m thinking of "Drivin’ Sister." Has almost every clique guitar riff in it and it is fun. 

Deep Purple "The Shield" from The Book of Taliesyn 
Procol Harum "Homburg" and "Salty Dog"

BNL Maroon, maybe too young to be a classic

Want to just add one more group of classics (beyond the Kinks) and that is Pink Floyd. 2 albums that aren't really known that well (at least in my opinion) are Relics (which has early Syd stuff and showcases members such as Rick Wright) and The Valley Obscured by Clouds which was a soundtrack and an album (like Echoes) that showed the band was on its way to do DSOTM and more importantly, is Nick Mason's favorite Pink Floyd album. 

Linda Ronstadt's "Prisoner in Disguise" entire album is a great album & very well recorded & mastered by the late, great Doug Sax. The whole album sounds very good but Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" is especially good. 

Great test for any hifi system if you want to listen up loud & understand the full dynamics of the song. Great, tight bass guitar & drums, really nice electric & acoustic guitar work & of course Linda's outstanding vocals. 

With good horns & tube amp, the band is right there in front of you! So fun!

Hocus Pocus by Focus

@thecarpathian 

@larsman 

I too a Zevon fan.  For me, anything from Life’ll Kill Ya can make is the list.  Sad though in its concept.  
Another favorite where almost any cut can be can be on the list:  Boz Scaggs Greatest Hits Live.  His jazzy rock fusion style and voice never better in these well recorded, excellent performances. 

Manhattan Transfer, Twilight Zone.

Paul Simon Run That Body Down (from Paul Simon)

Loggins & Messina Pathway to Glory (from Full Sail)

Iron Butterfly Stone Believer (from Metamorphosis)

Nilsson Lottery Song (from Son of Schmilson)

Blood, Sweat and Tears Lonesome Suzy (from BS&T 3)

Wishbone Ash Sometime World (from Argus)

Uriah Heep Come Away Melinda (from Uriah Heep…later re-released as …Very ‘Eavy…Very ‘Umble)

Blues Image Parchman Farm/Wrath of Daisy (from Open)

Lighthouse You Give to Me (from Sunny Days)

Amazing Rhythm Aces If I Just Knew What to Say (from Too Stuffed to Jump)

Sea Level King Grand (from On the Edge)

Chase Bochawa (from Pure Music)

Pousette-Dart Band Ice (from Pousette-Dart Band)

Guess Who Just Let Me Sing (from Guess Who #10)

Many of the posts are not from "considered" top 100 "classic rock" albums. Also songs are being asked for not albums as stated by the OP. This is Audiogon we can do better!

U.F.O.- Love to Love

Elvis Costello, "This Year's Girl" off This Year's Model. Ran as the opening track for HBO's short lived series Vinyl. Great tune for sure and 1978 is certainly classic rock territory 

Peter Kaukonen. Dynamo snackbar.

@lostinseattle

Zoom and Alone in the Universe

are both as good as any ELO album, IMHO. Not quite the original ELO sound, since they are Jeff Lynne, with some guest performances from old members

Here’s a good one:

’End of the Night’ by The Doors.

Plug in your lava lamp, put on your Nehru jacket and light up or crunch on whatever it is you old hippies were into..!

A black light probably wouldn’t hurt either.

Jimi Page

"White Summer."  Yardbirds  & Led Zeppelin 

OP - thanks for starting this thread - and thanks to everyone digging deep - it's pretty cool that you can jump on Qobuz or whatever and listen to many of these great tracks, save what is interesting and expand your library.

Heavy Metal and All of You by Don Felder from the Heavy Metal sound track. Quite a few cool songs on this album, maybe not top of mind.

Actually, I'm mistaken.

'Excitable Boy' is classic rock, It's not a rock classic.

I came across a song recently by Electric Light Orchestra. It was in the movie American hustle. The song is called Long Black Road and allegedly it’s from a 2001 album called Zoom but it doesn’t show up on the track listings.  I don’t know whether 2001 qualifies as “classic rock“, but the song definitely has a 1970s feel. On Apple Music it does show up on the Japan release version of this album, but I can’t find it anywhere else. It’s an awesome song. I was shocked that I had never heard it before.

Steven Stills, a wonderful song, and recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSrXEUiclUo

@larsman ,

Very true! I suppose you can't really consider his 'Excitable Boy' album to be a rock classic either. Nonetheless, I'm with you- great song, great album.

Pink Floyd - Terminal Frost (Momentary Lapse of Reason)

Weezer - Island in the Sun

Buffalo Springfield - On My Way Home 

@thecarpathian - totally agree about 'Roland' - brilliant song!! I dunno about 'overlooked' though; seems like it's a lot of folks' favorite on there.. Of course, one could say that whole album was overlooked by too many people... 

Iron Butterfly,  Scorching Beauty.

+1 for the Kinks, 1966-70

+1 for the Band, The Shape I’m In, add Daniel and the Magic Harp

Nilsson, Pandemonium Shadow Show (She Sang Hymns Out of Tune, 1941). Aerial Ballet (Good Old Desk, The Wailing of the Willow). Nilsson Schmilsson (everything, though Jump into the Fire may not be hidden)

Yoko Ono, Run, Run, Run from Feeling the Space, which along with Approximately Infinite Universe and Fly include several hidden gems.

Faces, Debris, Fly in the Ointment, Glad and Sorry

West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, some disturbing themes and lyrics, but all three lps include genuine gems

If it's SQ in rock you're after I was suppressed by "Melody" by the Stones on Black and Blue. 

I also find Richey Balckmore's guitar work well recorded. He leaves lots of space between his notes which gives you a chance to peek behind the lead.

Free, "Mr Big" off Fire And Water & Aerosmith, "Lord of the Thighs" off Get Your Wings - two great old slinky jams.

@jwei. You nailed it...

A lot of the comments here sort of miss the mark though... naming things that were huge

Whoever mentioned The Kinks gets it but Eagles, Santana...  IDK, maybe it's just the differences in people's ages being revealed...

...but I've this....problem...

I keep getting drug into the future....and an end I can't see past.... 🤨

One for The Road   

...played the album until the cart started curling vinyl....

Got the MFL release and treated it better. ;)

I guess with any Zeppelin song you could argue how "hidden" it is, but I think Fool In the Rain from In Through the Out Door is one of their best songs, especially for system demo. I can't vouch for the digital release, but on vinyl, it's a great, lively presentation.

I was listening to some Great White yesterday and "Rock ME" and "House of Broken Love" were very well recorded.

@cptrips +1 for "Rock Candy" and "Bad Motor Scooter" 

"Runnin w the Pack" and "Rock Steady" and "Seagull" by Bad Company

"Not Fragile" and "Second Hand" and "Blue Collar" by Bachman Turner Overdrive

David Bowie: Station to Station.

Phil Manzanera: Diamond Head.  Eno on a rock album 1975

Zappa: numerous

Camel: Moonmadness and Mirage

Rolling stones "Fingerprint File" from the album " It's only Rock'n Roll"

Not a huge Stones fan, but WOW. This song knocked my socks off.

Elton John- "Tumbleweed Connection"

Ten great classic songs. No throwaways. My favorites are "Where to now St. Peter?" and "Burn Down the Mission". I liked this album so much I sprang for the MFSL Ultradisc, many years ago.

Jethro Tull- "Thick as a Brick"

Just one long song, but definitely worth a listen if you aren't familiar with it.

Tommy Bolin - Private Eyes 

the whole album is very solid, but if you are looking for a single track, it has to be Post Toastee. 9 minutes of bliss, we’ll recorded and sounds great on vinyl. 
 

Doobie Brothers - Takin' It To The Streets album:  "For Someone Special"  Great bass lines and sung by the bass player, Tiran Porter, who supposedly never formally learned the bass, just picked it up along the way and played mostly by ear.  Good stuff!

I myself am partial to Zevon’s 

‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’.

"Overlooked" songs?  Three of my favs --

All of You by Don Felder from the Heavy Metal soundtrack

https://youtu.be/hHZfyhVOGLY

Go Back Home by Stephen Stills from the Stephen Stills album

https://youtu.be/Pd9VNlquFlE

Star of the Story by George Benson from the Give Me the Night album

https://youtu.be/n4FpY5xUvoU

+1 @hifiguy42 Absolutely love "Accidently Like a Martyr". 

​​​@milo0812 "Night Train" is a great song and an equally great demonstration cut for percussion and high frequency response. 

Some really good tracks mentioned here--keep them coming. How about "Easy Wind" off Workingman's Dead or "You Tell Me" off Damn the Torpedos. Both classic albums and both excellent cuts that fly under the radar.

@charliech You got a couple of my favorites...

Everything from Life's Rich Pageant. Truly majestic Rock and Roll.

Cream's Swlabr. Clapton comes up with an A+ level lead guitar hook.

Steve Miller Macho City.

Montorse's first album.  "Rock Candy" "Bad Motor Scooter"

Storyville-A Piece of Your Soul is really good to my ears, Don't Make Me Cry, Cynical, Share That Smile are standouts even thought the entire album is great.

@mwinkc 

I’m totally with you on Holland. Sail On Sailor and California on side one. Side two is a classic. The Trader, Funky Pretty, Leaving This Town, all fantastic. The vinyl version I have is poorly recorded. 

Van Halen: Little Guitars, Cathedral, Secrets, Big Bad Bill (all from Diver Down!)

AC/DC - Shake a Leg (Back in Black)

Rush - Lessons (2112); Beneath, Between & Behind (Fly By Night)

Steely Dan - I Got the News (Aja)

Rickie Lee Jones - Night Train from self-titled album, more of a slow jazz feeling unexpected
Led Zeppelin - Ten Years Gone from Physical Graffiti, such great 12 string work here 
John Mellecamp - Last Chance from Whenever We Wanted, moody with good guitar licks

and shout out for Cowboy Song