It may be almost Christmas time, but I’d like to talk to you about Easter eggs. Musical ones, that is. Hidden tracks on albums. Artists do it all the time, but The Beatles (who else?) invented the concept in 1969. And like so many of their revolutionary contributions to music, it was an accident, as this nice article points out.

Curiously, hidden tracks are often very good songs, so why hiding them? Personally, I think Whoops Now by Janet Jackson is a perfect example. Originally stashed away at the end of her album Janet, it eventually became a hit when put out as a single.

The same now applies for Dream by Australian rock band Ocean Grove. When they released their sophomore album Flip Phone Fantasy in the early days of the pandemic, physical copies ended with the secret track Dream. A great rock song, full of hooks and melody, far too good to conceal. Luckily, the band have become aware of that as well, and released it as a single.

Ocean Grove’s frontman Dale Tanner describes Dream as ‘a positive mental attitude anthem’. Bassist Twiggy Hunter adds: “Dream was written to empower the listener and instil a sense of don’t-give-a-fuck-ery with a bold, glistening undertone of optimism and hope. We hope listeners can use this song as a form of lifeblood to not give up hope through the times ahead and go on to prosper and thrive in their own individualism.”

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Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.