10 Songs That Are Huge Outliers On Rock Albums

For some, an album is just a method of distributing a large number of songs at the same time. There doesn't need to be any connection between the tracks, they just have to all be good.

Or at least passable, if you're an Ed Sheeran fan.

However, for those who worship at the altar of the LP, an album is more than just 12-15 songs bundled together for easy access.

An album is an art form in and of itself; an exercise in storytelling through expert song placement and continuing themes. This is the view held by many artists, who strive to create a sonically cohesive record that stays true to their own creative visions.

So what the hell happened here then?

The following ten songs all stick out like a bass player's sore index finger, sounding completely different to everything else they share a track listing with.

Some are in totally different genres, some have completely different singers, whilst some are just balls-to-the-wall mental for no apparent reason.

Whilst it's important for musicians to experiment with their sound, perhaps these could have been released as standalone singles instead?

Just a thought.

In 1977, rock 'n' roll legends The Beach Boys released an album called The Beach Boys Love You.

Aww, thanks guys. We love you too.

In true Beach Boys fashion, this album is utterly mad. The juxtaposition of the band's croaky-sounding vocals with the record's themes of teenagehood created a weird contrast that polarised fans at the time and is still divisive to this very day.

The deteriorating quality of Brian Wilson et al's voices adds a certain psychedelic layer to the record, which is especially evident when you listen to the song Good Time.

Located towards the end of the first side, Good Time sounds completely different to the rest of the album because it was recorded seven years earlier.

It was released as a single by the band American Spring in 1972, but sold poorly. Not wanting to waste a song, Wilson stuck it on this album.

His vocals on Good Time are starkly different to those on something like Solar System. However, this album is so weird anyway, that this actually compliments the rest of the track list rather than detracts from it.