There is a fine line between artistic evolution and a desperate identity crisis.
Throughout the golden age of rock, even the most formidable legends were prone to moments of profound insecurity or misguided curiosity. Whether they were trying to appease a changing market, chasing the 'new' sound of the dance floor, or simply indulging in a studio whim that should have remained a demo, these experiments often resulted in spectacular failure.
These misfires occur when a band’s signature strengths – be it heavy riffs, complex arrangements, or poetic grit – are traded for a genre they don't fundamentally understand. From clunky attempts at hip-hop to sanitized versions of punk, these tracks serve as cautionary tales of what happens when the compass breaks. They are the awkward, often-skipped chapters in otherwise brilliant discographies, proving that even the gods of rock can sometimes sound like they are playing in the wrong room.
1. Led Zeppelin – 'The Crunge' (1973)
Led Zeppelin were the undisputed kings of heavy blues, but their attempt to do a James Brown on Houses of the Holy was a stumble. While John Bonham’s 9/8 drum beat is a technical marvel, the song lacks the effortless 'pocket' required for true funk. Plant’s "Where’s that confounded bridge?" ad-lib was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it ended up highlighting how lost the band felt in a genre built on groove rather than riffs.
2. Lou Reed – 'The Original Wrapper' (1986)
The ultimate cautionary tale. Lou Reed, the godfather of streetwise cool, decided to try his hand at 80s rap. Featuring a clunky, synthetic production and Lou’s signature monotone delivered as 'flow', it was an agonizing attempt to stay contemporary. The man who wrote 'Heroin' sounded like a concerned uncle trying to explain hip-hop at a Thanksgiving dinner.
3. The Rolling Stones – 'Cherry Oh Baby' (1976)
The Stones have always leaned into the groove, but their cover of Eric Donaldson’s reggae classic on Black and Blue felt like a vacation souvenir gone wrong. Jagger’s exaggerated Caribbean accent and the band’s stiff, 'rock' interpretation of a roots-reggae beat lacked the spiritual weight or rhythmic fluidity of the original. It felt like 'Reggae-Lite' for the jet-set crowd.
4. Gentle Giant – 'Betcha Thought We Couldn't Do It' (1977)
Gentle Giant were the professors of prog, known for complex polyphony and medieval madrigals. In 1977, perhaps feeling the heat from the punk explosion, they released this straightforward, raunchy rocker. It felt utterly disingenuous. Hearing a band that usually plays in 7/4 time try to dumb it down for a bar-room boogie was like watching a nuclear physicist try to tell a knock-knock joke: uncomfortable for everyone involved.
5. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – 'Are You Ready Eddy?' (1971)
ELP decided to close out their prog rock masterpiece Tarkus with a 50s-style rock-and-roll jam dedicated to their engineer, Eddy Offord. After 20 minutes of futuristic synth-battles, this boogie-woogie throwaway felt jarringly out of place. It was a stylistic misfire that suggested even the most serious prog bands felt an insecure need to prove they could still rock out like a pub band.
6. Black Sabbath – 'Changes' (1972)
While now something of a cult favourite, at the time this piano-and-Mellotron ballad on Black Sabbath's Vol. 4 was a massive shock to the system. The architects of Doom Metal trading their heavy riffs for a sugary, sentimental song about heartbreak felt like a total betrayal of their Iron Man persona. Ozzy’s vocal was vulnerable, but for fans expecting the apocalypse, it sounded more like a rejected David Cassidy demo.
7. Queen – 'Body Language' (1982)
Queen were masters of the guitar-led anthem, but 'Body Language' (from 1982's Hot Space, one of rock's most polarizing albums) saw them dive into minimalist, rubbery synth-funk. Ditching Brian May’s signature guitar walls for a dry, bass-heavy pulse, the track felt cold and strangely hollow. It was a bid for the dance-floor that alienated their rock base without truly convincing the disco crowd, proving that even Freddie Mercury couldn’t sell every genre experiment.
8. Deep Purple – 'Anyone's Daughter' (1971)
On the otherwise blistering Fireball, the kings of hard rock decided to pivot into a 'honky-tonk' country ditty. Complete with a comical vocal from Ian Gillan and a bouncy, saloon-style piano, it felt like a prank that accidentally made the final cut. For a band built on the power of the Hammond organ and high-octane riffs, this detour into country was a baffling misstep.
9. The Beach Boys – 'Here Comes the Night' (1979)
In a desperate attempt to stay relevant during the disco craze, The Beach Boys took their 1967 R&B-lite track and transformed it into a near-11-minute disco epic. It featured a relentless four-on-the-floor beat and chirpy synthesizers that felt miles away from their surf-pop or symphonic roots. It remains one of the most cited examples of a legendary band chasing a trend they didn't fully understand.
10. Pink Floyd – 'The Nile Song' (1969)
Pink Floyd are the masters of atmosphere and space, but their 1969 single 'The Nile Song' is a bizarre attempt at proto-heavy metal. It is essentially a loud, screaming garage-rock song with David Gilmour pushing his vocals into a shredded rasp. While interesting as a curiosity, it lacked the subtle architecture and sonic depth that made the Floyd great, sounding more like a band having an identity crisis in a rehearsal room.
11. Rod Stewart – 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' (1978)
Quite often, Rod, yes. Not in this instance, though.
While a massive commercial success, this song represents the ultimate artistic misfire for fans of Rod’s gritty, soulful beginnings with the Faces. By fully embracing the neon glitter and disco strings of 1978, Rod Stewart traded his rock-and-roll soul for a caricature of a disco playboy. It was the moment he stopped being a singer and started being a personality, a pivot that many purists never forgave.
12. Neil Young – Trans (1982)
The man who came to define organic, 'ragged glory' folk-rock suddenly released an album of electronic blips and distorted robot vocals. Inspired by his attempts to communicate with his non-verbal son, Neil Young's intent with Trans was noble, but the execution was a misstep for his fiercely partisan audience. Fans expecting acoustic guitars were met with a Kraftwerk-lite aesthetic that left the rock community utterly bewildered.
13. Black Sabbath – 'Air Dance' (1978)
'Air Dance' is the moment heavy metal's founding fathers traded their sledgehammers for a cocktail piano. Abandoning the Iron Man stomp, the band embraced a breezy, jazz-prog aesthetic featuring ornate piano runs by Don Airey and a syncopated Latin-style bridge. It sounds less like a trip to the abyss and more like a Steely Dan deep cut. We don't dislike it, actually, but it sure is odd. And most un-Sabbath-like.
14. Genesis – 'Who Dunnit?' (1981)
On the album Abacab, Genesis tried to prove they could be edgy and minimalist. 'Who Dunnit?' is the ultimate expression of this wilful oddity: a repetitive, abrasive track with a dissonant synth hook and Phil Collins barking nonsensical lyrics. It was intended to be a bold, New Wave statement, but it is widely regarded as one of the most annoying songs in their catalogue – a case of a sophisticated band trying too hard to be 'weird'.
15. Judas Priest – 'Turbo Lover' (1986)
This is the definitive metal misfire. The 'leather and studs' icons of the UK metal scene embraced guitar synthesizers and a slick, mid-tempo, radio-friendly sound. Truth to tell, 'Turbo Lover' found some commercial success. But fans who loved the razor-sharp speed of 1982's Screaming for Vengeance found the single's robotic, digital sheen of to be a shallow betrayal.
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