I like "Lucky Man" but I know many ELP fans who don't.

"You're Gone" certainly doesn't reflect Marillion's best attributes.

"My Ding-a-ling" was Chuck Berry's biggest hit.

Quite a lot of non-characteristic songs have been released as singles, or even added to albums at the last minute- often in an attempt to hook the mainstream listener. Which singles (or even 'signature' songs) do you feel paint an inaccurate portrait of their respective bands?

Even tho I understand that Yes had out a few singles in the UK before Fragile.. I believe their first single out in the States was Roundabout... not really an accurate picture of Yes.

The funny thing about Lucky Man is that it is very typical ELP.  It was part of their winning formula... a few instrumentals... some heavy keyboards..with some deep lyrics... one beautiful GL ballad.. and a comedy song...  Keith Emerson use to rag on "Lucky Man" all the time.. and yet now with his own band.. and minus Greg... he's still playing it...

I don't really pay attention to singles, but Owner of a Lonely Heart really didn't reflect the Yes band.... none of the Rabin era represented Yes.

 Just something about "singles" and "prog" that doesn't really click. The idea of a single is a three minute tune to be played on the radio as filler for the important commercials which fulfill and satisfy all those needs we have. A single is the antithesis of progressive music, right?

<radio...

"A single is the antithesis of progressive music, right?" Not necessarily... what about 'Wondrous Stories' by Yes, or 'Limelight' by Rush, 'House of the King' by Focus?

I agree with Three Fates about Lucky Man - it has many recognisable ELP elements

Others:

I know What I Like - Genesis (the very beginning of Genesis doing 'pop'??) 

Catfood - King Crimson (too humurous for Crimson!)

Stairway To Heaven - Led Zep (this track is a bit of a 'yawn' to me!)

Fanfare For The Common Man - ELP (one tempo for the whole track - not usual for ELP!)

The Strawbs biggest hit was "Part of the Union", which was totally unrepresentative of their sound. It wasn't even Dave Cousins singing on it! Hudson Ford, who were the guilty parties went on to have sucess as a duet, then transformed into the Monks, and hit the charts again with "Nice legs, shame about the face".

I always felt Uruah Heep tried too ahrd to find a hit single. Tracks like "Somehting or nothing" and "Prima donna" were blatantly commercial, and not really representative of their best work.

Curved Air's "Back Street Luv" was a good single, but once again, did not represent their work well. Can't have been a "bad" choice though, it was a huge hit!

Prior to "Lady in red", Chris De Burgh had buit up a soild reputation, touring in support of Supertramp and releasing haighly rated albums like "Spanish Train and other short stories". He may have had a massive hit, but he lost all the credibility he ha agined with that one single. (John Denver is a similar story with "Annie's song").

Rick Wakeman released a single called "I'm so stright I'm a weirdo", and Yes the song is as bad as the title.

Also ran - "Hi ho silver lining" -Jeff Beck, "Disco Boy" - Frank Zappa, "The laughing gnome" - David Bowie

I guess if a single's a hit, it can't have been a "bad" choice as such, as the main aim of singles is to broaden awareness of the artist. Bad choices are the ones which aren't hits.

Marcelo wrote: A single represents the intention to be on the radio for masses, through a simple and basic song. Valid point, and what a surprise after buy! (Imagine some guy who likes melodic pop in '70s buying -i.e.- ELP's BSS cause he heard "Still... You Turn Me On").

Actually he probably would have loved it... Its the guy who bought the first ELP album after listening to Lucky Man... and then hearing "The Three Fates".  That beginning organ solo even scared me the first time...

All:

While I agree with "Lucky Man," "Owner of a Lonely Heart," and, especially, "I Know What I Like," I'd have to add "Roundabout" (as good as it is, it is not really representative of extreme complexity of most of Yes' music), "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (same comment) and "Nights in White Satin" (same comment).  I'm sure I'll think of others.

Peace.

I'll go by the other side:

Twilight Allehouse and Happy the Man were two hit singles released by Genesis:

Happy the Man was an A side (and not B side as many people believed) with Seven Stones as B side.

Twilight Alehouse was B side of I Know What I Like.

Both songs deserved to be part of an album because have more quality than More Fool Me, For Absent Friends and IMHO even than I Know What I Like.

So both were bad choices for hit singles when really deserved to be part of an album.

Iván

  http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001">

Useful_Idiot wrote: Radiohead - Creep

Ahh - the irony!

Both "Kayleigh" and "Lavender" have suffered horribly after being released and over-played as singles. As part of the concept of "Misplaced Childhood", both work very well, but out of context they become horrible FM Radio MOR ballads and thus end up tarnished.

It's a bit like having only heard one part of one movement from a single concerto of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons over and over again (I hate those phone systems for that!) - you could soon start thinking that Vivaldi is boring. However, in context, the 4 Seasons suite (of 4 complete 3-movement concerti) is very exciting, a dramatic example of programme music (music written to express something specific as opposed to simply "Concerto for Violin in G Major"), and hence the earliest piece of prog imaginable.

Possibly.

'Follow you follow me' by Genesis. It didn't really represent Genesis at the time, although it showed where they were going. The song is just poor, and I know for a fact their producer David Hentschel, didn't want it on ATTWT, because it was so crap.

The tune always makes me yawn and feel slightly queazy.

Also, anything by Asia, single or otherwise is total bollards..

Blacksword wrote: 'Follow you follow me' by Genesis. It didn't really represent Genesis at the time, although it showed where they were going. The song is just poor, and I know for a fact their producer David Hentschel, didn't want it on ATTWT, because it was so crap. The tune always makes me yawn and feel slightly queazy. Also, anything by Asia, single or otherwise is total bollards..

 Yet follow me follow you wasn't the worse GENESIS could come up with,I reckon'coz you don't like that single you're refusing listenin'to their album/cd'And there were three'. If you think that was crap try'Invisible Touch'both the single and the album/cd,and see what you think of'em then!

flippedcanvas:

You are 100% right, but Invisible Touch is so bad, so totally awful I am at pains to recognise it as the same band. It didn't even ocour to me to think of Invisible Touch!! Thats Phil Collins, as far as I'm concerned, not Genesis..

'Follow you follow me' cuts deeper with me because I like ATTWT as an album, and FYFM was an unusually flacid end to a Genesis album. It was the defining moment when Genesis proved they could be an awful dissapointment. From then on you kinda expected it.