Monday, January 29, 2007

The 11 Best Lost Tracks (Part 1)


You know what I hate? I hate when people think they know music. They go off and make these music lists, trying to define the best and worst of a specific band or genre. They claim it's the definitive list but it's really missing 90% of the truly definitive tracks. I mean, who the hell do these people think they are? Do they really think they know music or...wait a second, nevermind.

Q magazine just published the 500 Greatest Lost Tracks of all time. Included are songs like "Breathe Me" by Sia (which was wildly played all over the radio all year long) and Led Zeppelin's "Traveling Riverside Blues" (who hasn't heard that song?). If you're going to do something like this and call it the greatest Lost Tracks...at least stick to B-Sides and non-album tracks...and don't list readily available songs.

So I've made an attempt to try and make a true Lost Track list. This is by no means definitive...nor the best. I've tried to come up with the 11 rarest most sought after tracks that have been searched for in recent years...

Here are the 11 Greatest Lost Tracks (Part 1)...

1. Butterflies - Foo Fighters (probably the best song that wasn't on the first Foo album. This song was heavily booted before the album's proper release. Strangely still one of the strongest tracks they've ever done.)
2. Big Bottom - Soundgarden (released on a live EP that was never officially released. Best part is hearing Chris Cornell bust-up laughing halfway through the track.)
3. Hadda Be Playing on The Jukebox - Rage Against The Machine (featured in the middle of every live show. A musical poetry endeaveor never made it to CD and only pops up as a live track on a live Japanese EP)
4. Diary of a Lovesong - A Perfect Circle (Only available as a live bootleg, although many claim to have the recorded version, Cure's Lovesong mixed with Diary of a Madman. Can Maynard do no wrong?)
5. Love Will Tear Us Apart - The Cure (Recorded on a live radio broadcast. Robert Smith's tongue-in-cheek performance is brilliant.)
6. Crash Diet - Guns N Roses (Maybe the best song never re-recorded by JD Salinger of rock bands.
7. I've Got A Feeling - Pearl Jam (original b-side on their first single. When they broke big, the label re-released the single with the Beatles' cover missing. Never to be re-released.)
8. Divine And Bright - Earth and Kurt Cobain (you can find this used for a pretty penny. But probably the least know Kurt Cobain vocal track out there)
9. Living Without You - Weezer (The most talked about song to be featured on their 5th album never made it to the final track listing. It would have been the best song on the album.)
10. I Don't Wanna Know If Y R Lonely - Green Day (The b-side that never made it to Shenanigans might be the best Green Day b-side of all time...or at least one of the most rockin'.)
11. Purest Feeling - Nine Inch Nails (Sorry, Trent. Reznor in pre-NIN mode is quite excellent in an extremely cheesy campy way.)

4 comments:

m0rph3us said...

Great list, I have been looking for some of those tracks for ages - particularly Butterflies. The links aren't working though - can you fix them? (at least the Foos and Soundgarden ones!!)

Frankie said...

Well actually, "Hadda Be Playing On The Jukebox" appeared on the b-side of "Bulls On Parade", which is fairly readily available. Still an incredible track though, and great list.

F.J. Delgado said...

Awesome list, great mix of bands.

Unknown said...

Yeah- GREAT list!... but the links aren't working for me either....