Like most things to do with pop music, the hidden track can be traced to The Beatles. Many consider the 23 second ditty, “Her Majesty” at the end of Abbey Road to be the first hidden track, and since then they’ve been used by many artists usually as a surprise for listeners who stick around after the last track has finished. Most of the times hidden tracks on albums are kept hidden for a reason, throwaway or joke tracks and the occasional remix. But on the rare occasion the hidden tracks are actually as good or better than anything else on the album. Here’s six of the best hidden tracks for your downloading pleasure.
MP3 Wilco – Candy Floss (from Summerteeth)
There was two hidden tracks on Summerteeth, one of them being an alternate version of “A Shot In The Arm” and one being this winner. Easily one of the greatest and catchiest on an album that’s full of great, catchy songs.
MP3 Jarvis Cocker – Running the World (from Jarvis)
This was actually the first track that was leaked onto the internet from Jarvis Cocker’s solo album. An anthemic song that doesn’t pull any punches (especially when it comes to a certain “c” word).
MP3 Eels – Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues (Daiseys of the Galaxy)
This is another unusual hidden track as it was actually prominently used in the film Road Trip and became perhaps the best known song from the album. For good reason too, it’s a wonderfully breezy summer tune featuring one of the bands most memorable choruses.
MP3 Beck – Diamond Bullocks (from Mutations)
This spacey, Beatles-esque track is the perfect mixture of Beck’s experimental tendencies and his knack for melody. One of the best pieces of music the man has done in my opinion. The tempo changes in this song are sick.
MP3 The Clash – Train In Vain (from London Calling)
This is the obvious one, and it actually was only a hidden track because the album was printed before the song was added to the track listing. Since then it became a hit single and one of The Clash’s most well-known songs. There’s a good chance you’ve either given or received a mix tape/CD with this song on it.
MP3 Cloud Cult – Bobby’s Spacesuit (from Advice from the Happy Hippo)
A gorgeous acoustic ballad found at the end of what Cloud Cult’s wonderful 2005 album. Features one of my lyrics from the band “turn my stupid question marks into simple candy canes”.
Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good 