Five of the most ridiculously underrated rock songs ever

Do you ever suddenly remember a song out of the blue? One that used to be played on the radio quite a bit, but has mostly disappeared. Where did it go? It's still great, but might not get the attention it once did.

Great songs don't die, though. That is especially true with the number of streaming services that exist currently. One might just have to remember the name of the song with the snippet that has once again got them humming along.

The following five tunes are as great now as they were when they were originally released. Some were popular initially, but are harder to find. Another never got the love it should have gotten.

Five fantastically underrated rock songs

"Family Snapshot" - Peter Gabriel

Gabriel was always smarter than your average rock star. He wrote about subjects that most wouldn't touch and he borrowed from genres of other parts of the world most musicians did not know existed. He turned a lot of this into priceless gems of musical experimentation. Who else would have made a track like "Biko," for instance?

"Family Snapshot" is partly based on a book by Arthur Bremer who attempted to assassinate Alabama governor George Wallace in 1972. Bremer simply wanted the fame that would come with the deed. The track begins with Bremer's planning the job and ends with his reaction to the shot being fired. Along the way, the music ebbs and flows in a way that would have made Meat Loaf proud.

"No Reply at All" - Genesis

After Gabriel left Genesis, Phil Collins and his mates chose a new path that would hopefully help them sell more records. They became far more poppy, and they eventually accomplished their goal. In between the prog rock of the early albums and Invisible Touch, however, the band kept some of their more sophisticated bass lines and melodies. They had not completely sold out yet.

"No Reply at All" isn't re-making the rock wheel, and it doesn't need to be. It's got a great horn section, and is simply a fun song to listen to. You will likely even sing along, and then hit repeat so you hear the track all over again.

"What's in the Box (See Whatcha Got)" - Boo Radleys

The Boo Radleys decided to make an album following the melodic greatness of Wake Up! that was full of weirdness and noise. Lots of fans were turned off by what they heard. The others who stuck around learned that C'mon Kids only got better with multiple listens. This particular track was brilliant from the first time one heard it, however.

It's a speed racer from start to finish. The song almost feels as if it is losing control of itself, turning sideways on the road before righting itself once more. There is nothing deep about the lyrics, but that's the point. They just are another vehicle that pushes this adrenaline rush of a song along.

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" - Procol Harum

This song has sold so many units that calling it underrated might be a stretch. Adding to a list like this in the late 1960s would be totally false, but now? The track definitely fits. The song still doesn't truly sound like anything else, and it's too baroque to get lots of airplay on "classic rock" stations now, but it deserves to find a home somewhere.

A Hammond organ drives the melody - one based on Bach - and the beginning of the song might fool one into believing the track has been playing for several minutes already. That is part of the secret to the timelessness of the tune. It never seems to really begin and there is no real ending; it just keeps going.

Plus, let's be real. The lyrics are genius, such as "When the crowd called out for more/The room was humming harder/And the ceiling flew away." Who knows what that really means and who cares? Just be OK to be swept away by the beauty of it all.

"Funeralopolis" - Electric Wizard

Call this song what you want. Doom metal? Stoner rock? Something slightly in between. The truth is that the track will be fully cathartic for you. It starts as a drone and speeds up until the bombast and feedback overwhelms. It is in every aspect a perfect rock song.

Want to take a long jog? This is a song you should have on your playlist. It is eight minutes long, but builds. By the end you will be sprinting and waving your arms in anger, but happy anger and complete emotional release. It is loud and jarring, just the way rock should be.

More music news and analysis: