What qualifies an underrated song? What defines a classic album? Who makes the rules? These are all important questions as we approach our good-natured discussion.
It's an unusual and tricky exercise placing the "underrated" tag on a keystone element of a greater artwork. We can agree that the keystones of a great artwork are inherently valuable single entities. In the case of music, one can argue that the blue collar tracks that make an album work are more valuable than the popular commercial singles in contrast. Yet, one might make the counter-argument that the popular commercial singles are the most important variables for appraising the value of an entire album. The tension created by these conflicting value scales makes it difficult to find your objective footing in supporting your own personal opinion.
If that was hard to follow, think of these songs as the Ron Harpers, the Steve Kerrs, and the Robert Horrys of championship albums. Could these role players have carried the load on a championship album? Perhaps not. Still, we recognize their contributions as the individual brush strokes of a masterpiece, and that calls for celebration.
Do you agree with these underrated picks? Let us know in the comments (we know you will either way).
