Episode 60 - Hidden Gems, Vol. 3

Welcome to the Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast! This week I share another set of hidden gems—rock songs that should have been hits but somehow stayed under the radar. This week's list are all loud, high-energy, gritty tracks that deserve your attention, and while you might not have heard of them before, you won't be able to forget them once you do. So give these tunes a listen and let me know which songs I should include next!

00:00 Introduction to Hidden Gems

02:48 Hidden Gem #1

06:57 Hidden Gem #2

10:42 Hidden Gem #3

14:02 Hidden Gem #4

18:35 Hidden Gem #5

20:56 Hidden Gem #6

24:30 Conclusion and Listener Engagement

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Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast. I'm your host, Alex Gadd and this week I'm gonna share another set of hidden gems. Songs that I really like, but for whatever reason, were never hit records. What makes the song a hidden gem you ask? Well, it starts with a song that I really like. From there, I used only two parameters. One, the song never got into the top 40 on the billboard, hot 100 singles chart, and two, the song is available on both Apple Music and Spotify. So please join me as I share some less familiar but just as cool rock songs. It should have been bigger hits coming up right now, First, let me say that I missed an episode last week because I was really sick and I lost my voice. But I'm back and better than ever this week, and I'm so glad you're joining me. Now, I've always enjoyed turning on my friends to cool songs that sound like they should have been huge hits, but never were. And that was the idea behind Hidden Gems. Of course, there's always a chance that you've heard one or more of these tunes, especially if you're a music nerd like me. So if you have, I hope you'll enjoy revisiting them. But if you're unfamiliar with these songs, I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do. As I mentioned, the only parameters that I use to qualify a song as a hidden gem are one that the song was not a top 40 hit in the us and. Two, that the song has to be available on both streaming services, apple Music, and Spotify. That's it. I did used to have a third rule that the act couldn't be active any longer, but I heard from a few people suggesting that I remove that rule since we all need to be promoting as many good rock and roll songs as we can since there's so much good music out there that isn't getting enough exposure. And that made sense to me. So that rule went out the window. Still, that means that"Turn Up the Radio" by Autograph isn't on my list despite being one of my favorite songs from the 1980s because it was a one hit wonder that actually topped out at number 29 on the hot 100 singles chart and both Bottle Rockets, radar Gun and Don Dixon's Praying Mantis aren't on this list because currently available in the us. On either Apple Music or Spotify, even though they're two of the favorite songs of mine, and I would've loved to have shared them with you. That is the downside to subscribing to music instead of owning the physical media. But since I've already crossed that line. Let's get on with it. So this week's list is filled with upbeat, high energy, kind of gritty, kind of sloppy songs, and I can't wait to share'em with you. Our first hidden gem today is Honeybee by Tom Petty. This one was on his 1984 Wildflowers album, which was considered a solo record, despite the fact that almost all of the Heartbreakers played on the record, except drummer Stan Lynch. Tom replaced Stan on most of the tracks with Steve Ferone, who had been the drummer of the average white band, and ultimately became the first a touring member of the Heartbreakers and then a full member after the recording of this album. The Wildflower album is generally considered to be one of Petty's most important, impactful albums overall, one that spanned the range of his songwriting styles, but overall, the tracks are more mellow than would be on a Heartbreaker's record. The two exceptions are You Wreck Me and Honeybee and while neither song charted on the billboard Hot 100 singles chart, You Wreck Me

Alex Gadd: 3:38

was Played almost at every show. The band played after it was released and is still played by cover bands in bars every weekend around the country. While Honeybee was played far less frequently, but it should have been played more often'cause it's a barn burner tucked away between two of the more introspective tracks on the album, honeybee comes roaring out of the speakers in all of its swampy, distorted glory. Steve Ferrone's drumming here is so powerful. He's hitting like a wrecking ball and the guitar line isn't fast, but it's so aggressive. It reminds me of Howling Wolf. If you recorded in modern times with modern technology, the ultimate live performance of this track was on the 20th season of Saturday Night Live in late 1994, just months after the record was released when Tom had Dave Grohl recently of Nirvana playing drums with the Heartbreakers. Apparently Tom offered Dave a permanent spot in the band, but Dave had his side project, the first Foo Fighters record sitting in his back pocket, literally waiting to be released, and so he decided to stick with his own thing, which led Steve Ferone. Getting the job instead. Honeybee isn't a radio single. It's not on the Greatest Hits album, but it's got teeth, it's got swagger. It's a song that should have been bigger because it can rattle your speakers and make you grin like a fool. So go back and crank up honeybee. And remember, every great album has at least one song that didn't get the spotlight, but deserves your full attention.

5:10

Some sugar. You'll some sugar. Don't afraid I'm not going hurt. I. Don't say. You mama, don't tell your sister and don't tell your boyfriend.

Alex Gadd: 6:57

Hidden Gem Number two is Jade Bird's"Uh-Huh.". If honeybee is the sound of a rock legend, exploring some of his influences, then Jade Bird's."Uh Huh". Is the sound of a new voice bursting out onto the scene, though most of her other songs are on the gentler side. This one's not a ballad. It's a mood unto itself, and that's not a mellow mood. It's more of a confrontation."Uh Huh" came out in 2018, the second of two independently released singles, and if you blinked, you probably miss them. But man, this song tears it up. It's two and a half minutes of explosive. Punch you in the gut rock and roll, delivered by this tiny British woman with a huge voice and zero fear. Jade bird doesn't tiptoe around the heartbreak here. She blows the doors off of it. You don't even need to follow the lyrics to know that she's pissed off, but the more you listen, the more you realize it's not just anger. It's a controlled rage and it's really a catharsis. The guitars are loose and raw, but that's the genius of this track. It feels reckless, but it's really laser focused. The tension builds. Jade's voice pushes right up to the edge of breaking, and then the chorus explodes unto your speakers. This isn't pop dressed up as rock. This is rock and roll. It's Patty Smith meets KT Tunstall with a little bit of early Arctic monkeys mixed in. It's what happens when a songwriter gets tired of being polite and in an era when so many artists are whispering their emotions, Jade Bird screams hers and thank God for it. So if"Uh Huh" passed you by, go and give it three minutes of your life. It's fast, it's gritty, it's angry, and it might be the most honest thing you hear all week. Here's Jade Bird with"Uh Huh".

8:42

Push you way, put on makeup in the bathroom, go to work and stay and text you. She'll be back soon, but if fingers round are pretty blind, I bet you. I think you should be tough. She got you. Like little, everybody sees that she, she skirts. Screw. If you can check fun, talk about the guys at work so we can feel ego central. Like fancy cars, football teams at Sheila Continental, the European X, she soldier and I don't want get involved. She, she got. And say, you, us, you don't see no sea. She, she's doing what you did to me. You, us, you don't see no sea. She said. Win what you did to me. She got you. Everybody sees a gift. Got little fun. Kick outta visit whole you.

Alex Gadd: 10:42

Next up is the song, Get Off My Jollies by Raging Slab. Now, who's Raging Slab, you may ask. That's a fair question. If you've never heard of Raging Slab, don't worry. You're definitely not alone. But trust me, if you like your rock greasy and loud, this one's for you. It's a full throttle. No apologies. Stomp on the pedal blast of Southern Fried Riff Rock. Interestingly, Raging Slab formed in the mid eighties in New York City, but they were a mashup of southern rock and metal and punk and blues, and they turned it into a sound that was really just Raging Slab led by the husband and wife duo of guitarist, Greg Strezempka and slide guitarist, Elise Steinman Slab never quite broke through commercially, but they built a cult following with their explosive live shows and a handful of blistering records, especially. Their self-titled Major Label debut in 1993. They were loud, proud, and completely uninterested in chasing trends, and that's exactly why they're ripe for rediscovery all these years later now. This song was on that self-titled debut album. Get Off My Jolly Sits at the Crossroads where Skynyrd style Boogie meets early nineties punk. And a little bit of metal swagger from the eighties mixed in. It's if Molly Hatchett got into a bar, fight with Soundgarden and decided to form a band afterwards. The riff is filthy. The drums are huge and mean. This song was built for dive bars and summer nights with your buddies. What makes Get Off My Jollies? A true gem though isn't just the sound, it's the overall vibe. There's no overthinking here. No subtle metaphor about lost love or existential dread. This is music made to crank it up and let it rip. The band's not trying to win a Grammy. They're trying to get your ass moving. And honestly, I kind of like that, especially today when everything feels polished and careful, get off. My jollies feels like a real Boogie. Woogie rock and roll turned up to 11. And here's the thing, raging slab never broke through. They were probably too gritty for their own good, but that doesn't mean you can't go back and shine a light on tracks like this. Now, songs that remind us that great rock doesn't always come with a marketing campaign, sometimes it just lives in the grooves of a forgotten record. Waiting for someone like you to go find it. This is Raging Slab's"Get Off My Jollies."

13:24

I The, so funny, I, my now the, oh, get off.

Alex Gadd: 14:02

Our fourth hidden gem is the Eagles of Death Metal's 2015 Track Complexity, a song that proves you can be loud, smart, dumb, and danceable all at the same time. It's rock and roll with a wink and a snarl, and I absolutely love this band. Now, first off. If you've never heard Eagles of Death Metal, don't let the name fool you. This is not a death metal band. This is a Sonoran Desert garage band that's stomping all over the stage. It's a soundtrack to a dive bar where the air is dusty, the drinks are cheap, and the jukebox is on fire. The band's fronted by a guy named Jesse Hughes and he looks like he was raised on vinyl and attitude with Josh from Queens of the Stone Age, lurking behind the scenes. He plays drums on a lot of the songs, and he's the producer. I first found Eagles of Death Metal at First Avenue in Minneapolis back in 2 0 0 6 when they opened for Joan Jett and The Black Hearts. I knew nothing about them going in, and I was left stunned and amazed by the end of their set. Jesse has so much charisma on stage from his strutting around and his posturing. He gets over like he was born as a front. He gets over, like he was born to be a front. He gets over like he was born to front a rock and roll band. Years later in 2015, right when this song was released, the band gained unwanted notoriety when they were playing a show at Bataclan, a theater in Paris. When a group of, when a group, uh. When a group of Islamic terrorists opened fire on the crowd and killed a large number of the fans in the room, the band survived, thankfully, and Jesse struggled to recover from that attack. Eventually returning to Paris to play a comeback show there. Colin Hanks. Who's Tom Hanks' son filmed a pretty intense documentary about the whole affair, which came out back in 2017. If you're interested in digging into this a little bit more, but getting back to complexity, it kicks off with a fuzzed out rift that's equal parts T-Rex and Divo, and then Jesse comes in with a vocal that's all sass and swagger. The lyrics are a tongue in cheek takedown of overthinking, aimed right at the hipsters, the gatekeepers, the people who forgot that rock and roll is supposed to be fun. That's why this one's a gem as it is, as is the theme here today. It seems this one doesn't pretend to be important. It doesn't try to change your life. It just wants to make you move, wants to make you smile, and maybe wants to make you feel like you're cooler than you actually are, which. If I'm being honest, is what I thought. Rock and roll was always supposed to be about. Complexity flew under the radar when it dropped like a lot of the band songs did. But it's got all the elements that you like. Great riffs, nearing vocals, clever lyrics, and a beat that just won't quit. It's the kind of song that reminds you that not everything has to be deep to be great. So cue it up, crank it up, and don't overthink it. Remember, that's the whole point.

17:01

You didn't want a scrap, but then you got the itch. You only want it. So I thought you got the wish. You know you are always paying for the shit that's free. It's not easy when it's complexity. It.

Alex Gadd: 18:35

Next on our list of Hidden Gems is the Quireboys with Man on the Loose. Another band you may not have heard of, but if you're a fan of bands like The Faces or early Aerosmith then this one's for you. The Quireboys were part of that late eighties, early nineties wave of rock bands that got caught in the crossfire between the end of Glam metal and hair metal and the beginning of grunge. Wrong place, maybe wrong time, but man did they bring the goods. Man on the loose kicks off their 1990 debut album A Bit of What You Fancy, and from the first chords, it's clear that what these guys were all about were raw vocals, sleazy riffs, a little bar room piano mixed in, and enough swagger to light up a small city. Frontman Spike doesn't sing so much as he growls and rasps in that voice. It's like Rod Stewart's little rowdier brother just got thrown out of a bar and came running back in through the kitchen. The guitars are jagged, the energy is high, and the piano, God bless that piano. It's like Ian McLagan never left the studio. Man on the Loose pays homage to all of the blues based rock and roll that preceded it. It's that classic formula, rock and roll that's dirty, simple, loud, and completely irresistible. And yet like so many great bands of that era, the Quireboys just never caught on in the States. But that's what makes this a hidden gem. It's a reminder that some of the best rock and roll out there isn't hiding. It's just waiting for you to find it in the right pub, on the right jukebox, on the right night. So do yourself a favor. Dig up man on the loose. Raise a glass and let the Quireboys show you what a proper good time sounds like. Give this one a listen.

20:13

Yeah. Oh yeah. I. The you, the goal cut you, you care. That's all. It's all.

Alex Gadd: 20:56

Finally, our last hidden gem this week is Love Letter by Clary Brown and the Bang and Raclettes. It's a great song from this Australian band that was only around for six or seven years. In the 2000 and tens before they broke up. Now if you ever hear a song that feels like it, time traveled straight out of a smoky sixties jukebox lounge and has the attitude of a garage rock band. It's Love Letter. It's the closer for volume three of hidden Gems this week. Believe me, this one doesn't sneak in the back door. It struts right in through the front. Released in 2013 off their debut album, Baby Caught the Bus. Love letter is one of those tracks that makes you do a double take It's all sass and soul. With horns blaring, hand claps popping a stomping backbeat and cla Brown's powerhouse vocals dripping with attitude. But listen a little closer and you'll catch on that. It's not just a throwback. This is Vintage Soul Reimagined with Indy Grit and a don't Mess with me swagger. Think Amy Winehouse. If she were backed by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. This song's got this great energy of vulnerability wrapped in defiance, all owning heartbreak instead of being swallowed by it. And man, that's chorus. It sounds so classic. It's catchy. It's a little bit off center. Brown sings like she means every single word though, like she's staring down an old flame and daring them to blink first. This track didn't exactly climb the charts, but it sure climbed into my permanent playlist. It was used in a Heineken ad that got a lot of people Googling, what is this song? But the band stayed criminally under the radar, which is exactly why I'm giving it the spotlight here because Love Letter's a gem that deserves more than background noise status. So pour yourself something strong. Turn this one up loud and let Clary Brown send you out in style.

22:51

What I want you to do to me in a letter, I'm gonna, I. When it's all night Y's baby now and forever, I. Oh my. My roommates are light hands on, but you can forget her. I love. Call us. Not as a time never known. I. Through the.

Alex Gadd: 24:30

Okay, so which are your favorite hidden gems? I want to hear your favorites and maybe I'll include them in a future episode. So please let me know which songs I should feature next in the comments and in the meantime, that's it for this week's episode. Thank you for joining me. I'll be back next Tuesday hopefully with my full voice. And if you like what you heard today, I'd appreciate it if you would like and subscribe or follow to make sure you get notified about each new episode. And please tell your friends and a reminder that I release a playlist for every episode. So look for the Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast playlist on Spotify every week, this week, featuring the songs that I mentioned here today. So check that out. And as I said, I wanna know what you think, so please leave me a comment. I'll try to respond to every one of them. The Rock-N-Roll Show Podcast is a World Highway Media production. I'm your host, Alex Gadd, and until next time, remember that life is short. So get those concert tickets.