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3 of the Best Rock Songs From the 1970s That Remained Unreleased for Decades
This piece profiles three rock songs from the 1970s that were recorded at the time but not officially released for decades, becoming bootleg favourites among devoted fans in the interim. The article highlights how each track eventually surfaced through different circumstances, from an artist's own decision to revisit a beloved outtake to a contractual dispute and a shelved alternative arrangement, illustrating how music can gain a following long before it reaches wider audiences.
Bruce Springsteen's "Bring On The Night" stayed in the vault for around two decades before its official release, having already gained a strong fan following as a studio outtake. The Rolling Stones' "Schoolboy Blues", a deliberately crude track handed to Decca Records to fulfil a contractual obligation, was not officially released until 2010. Elton John's "Madman Across The Water" featuring guitarist Mick Ronson used a different arrangement to the version released in the 1970s, with Ronson's guitar-driven cut only appearing on various releases in the years since.
In short
- Three 1970s rock tracks stayed unreleased for decades before surfacing
- Springsteen's "Bring On The Night" waited about 20 years for release
- Stones' "Schoolboy Blues" was a contractual spite track, released in 2010
Explained simply
During the 1970s, major rock artists recorded songs that were never released to the public for many years, despite becoming well-known amongst dedicated fans through bootleg recordings. These unreleased tracks came from prominent acts including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, and Elton John, each of whom created material that existed outside their official discographies. The reasons these songs remained shelved varied, shaped by artistic decisions, contractual disputes, and other circumstances affecting the music industry at the time.
Bootleg recordings allowed fans to discover and share these hidden tracks before they were officially released, sometimes decades after the initial recording sessions in the studio. This created devoted followings for music that the artists themselves had chosen not to put out through official channels. The eventual appearance of these songs on legitimate releases offers perspective on how these major artists worked and what creative decisions shaped their output during an important period in rock history.
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