Who are your personal ignored/underrated favorites?

[-Jar-]

someone mentioned WAS NOT WAS here at work just a few days ago.

I just remember "Open the Door get on the floor, everybody walk the dinosaur"

I remember I bought WHAT UP DOG? based on a review in Stereo Review. Didn't really make a long term connection with me, but it's a nice record.

-jar

[SlumpBuster]

Wow, we're spread all over a bunch of decades here. This is my list as of today. I would consider and underated list to be organic and change as you hear new stuff.

1980s:
Naked Raygun: One of the best punk bands ever. 5 or 6 studio records. Each one a gem.

Hanoi Rock: Infectious trashy glam rock. "All those wasted years" is one of the best live albums of all time. Right up their with "Live Bullet"

Men Without Hats: "Pop Goes the World" Goofy goofy 80's synth pop concept record that I just can't stop listening to.

Present artists:

The Dandy Warhols: What can I say that hasn't already? Apparently huge in the rest of the world, not so much in the States.

Ash: Huge in UK, but they can't get arrested in the States.

Hanson: These guys quietly made the best pop rock album of 2004 that was promptly ignored.

[bpsychotic]

i once read a review in a hi-fi mag about the masters of reality - i've been a fan ever since - i'd never have heard of them otherwise.

i've also wondered why micheal stanley wasn't more popular.

[Pat D]

We all have our personal favorites that maybe didn't get the critical accolades, or didn't sell that many records, or both. So, go ahead and list a couple groups or artists that you think deserved to get more attention from somebody. ...

Well, Angèle Arsenault has received a certain amount of recognition, not only in Canada but in the francophone world, but not nearly as much as she should have. I'm sure most of you don't know of her though I mention her occasionally. Lise Aubut wrote of her "astonishing originality." Poet, composer, singer, comedienne, satirist, performer, social critic and philosopher. Her songs are often concerned with various things of everyday life such as eating, losing weight, shopping, but gets down to basic life attitudes: do you want to really live or not? Unlike many artists, she seems to be a happy person. She has been a natural blond and a natural brunette. Only one of her records is in English, the rest are in French.

Here's a biographie on her fan site:

http://www.admirateurangelearsenault...m/catalog.html

[-Jar-]

i once read a review in a hi-fi mag about the masters of reality - i've been a fan ever since - i'd never have heard of them otherwise.

i've also wondered why micheal stanley wasn't more popular.

Yea, I dig the Masters of Reality too, have you picked up LIVE AT THE VIPER ROOM? Definately worth checking out. Great sound on that one.

Are you from Ohio? I didn't think anyone outside of Ohio know who Michael Stanley is.
He's sort of a local hero. A rock star of sorts here in Cleveland. Kind of like, Donny Iris is to Pittsburgh. Except, I'm not sure if Donny Iris is doing commercials for cars and hair-replacement clinics.

-jar

[bpsychotic]

Yea, I dig the Masters of Reality too, have you picked up LIVE AT THE VIPER ROOM? Definately worth checking out. Great sound on that one.

Are you from Ohio? I didn't think anyone outside of Ohio know who Michael Stanley is.
He's sort of a local hero. A rock star of sorts here in Cleveland. Kind of like, Donny Iris is to Pittsburgh. Except, I'm not sure if Donny Iris is doing commercials for cars and hair-replacement clinics.

-jar

yeah, i have the viper room cd - it's awesome.

no, not from ohio. msb used to play alot on the radio in the early 80's. 'in the heartland' and 'my town' were the hits that got me listening to them. i remember their tune 'take the time' was played for a while on mtv.

haha! that would be funny to see him doing a commercial

[Chip_B]

The Hoax. Their Sound Like This release is one of the finest Blues-Rock albums I've ever heard. Great guitar interplay, solid vocals and killer tunes...absolutely NO filler whatsoever. It's damned frustrating that they never released another CD.

Pale Divine. This would be the first band to use that moniker, not the hardcore band that came later. On their only album, Straight to Goodbye, Pale Divine did cool pop/rock that ranged from dreamy and atmospheric (Freedom in a Cage; The Fog; Anything) to rockin' (My Addiction; Something About Me) to a whirly sorta Middle Eastern thing (Universe). Divine's guitarist, Richard Portis, also played with the Psych Furs, Love Spit Love, and GnR.

Indio (Gordon Peterson). His Big Harvest album is a seamlessly blended mix of Eastern rhythms, folk, and pop. Excellent.

Jimmie Spheeris. Great singer/songwriter from the 70s; his tune I Am the Mercury is truly beautiful. Died way too young.

The Blue Nile. Superb, ultra-cool 80s pop. My favorite album is A Walk Across the Rooftops.

Monti Amundson. I've posted about Big Monti several times. He is undoubtedly the most talented Blues-Rocker to ever toil in obscurity. Whether it's slow Blues, rockabilly, or full throttle rockin', Monti is superb.

Storyville. After Arc Angels broke up, Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton (Double Trouble) hooked up with Malford Milligan (vocals) to form Storyville. Milligan can flat out sing and the Storyville albums rock in a bluesy, soulful way.

Danny Gatton. Danny was a helluva guitarist and not like anyone else you've heard. His playing was tasteful, original, and altogether brilliant. I've heard that his frustration over never 'breaking out' was the reason he committed suicide. What a terrible loss.

There's other stuff discussed in this thread that I like too. I was a Duane Eddy fan back in the 60s and even had his version of Apache on a 45. I also have that Dr. Feelgood LP, Malpractice (and their Club Alibi album). I like Guadalcanal Diary (I have 2x4) and especially Split Enz (got all of 'em, I think). I've even got a couple of Michael Stanley Band LPs (Cabin Fever and Heartland), though I don't think I've played either one of 'em in probably 20 years.

[tentoze]

Jimmie Spheeris. Great singer/songwriter from the 70s; his tune I Am the Mercury is truly beautiful. Died way too young.

Found a clean copy of The Original Tap Dancing Kid" for fitty cent yesterday, Chip.......

[3-LockBox]

Porky Tree of course, Built To Spill is high on my list of underappreciated, underrated acts, as well as World Party. Most recently, I'd add Hot Hot Heat to that list.

But the all-time underappreciated, misunderstood, under rated and maligned act of all time has to be King Crimson.

[Chip_B]

Found a clean copy of The Original Tap Dancing Kid" for fitty cent yesterday, Chip.......

I remember buying OTDK back around '73. I severely damaged the cover when I was hitching down I-75 that summer with a handful of my records and got caught in one of those good ol' fasioned gully washers. Man, was I bummed!

[audiobill]

Won Ton Ton is a group that had a one album output in 1991, but what an album!!
The disc is entitled "Home" and it is pure New-wavish pop rock from Belgium.....in English, of course. The female vocalist, Bea Van de Maat still sends sensual shrills up my spine a decade and a half later.

Hayden is his name & he is one of Canada's most talented, yet underappreciated young artists playing today. He has become my Sunday morning listening pleasure; in fact, he competes for Sunday a.m., with non-other than Nick Drake -- he's that good, imho!!
"Skyskraper National Park" is the album of his I return to time and time again. However, his live album recorded at University of Toronto's Convocation Hall is outstanding.

My 2,

Bill

[Dusty Chalk]

Oh, and Crack the Sky. Inventive songwriting, sarcastic lyrics, hooky music, virtuosic playing -- it's great.

[KEXPMF]

#1 / the winner : GOMEZ

runners up:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
The Getaway People
Orbit
The Dandy Warhols
Swervedriver
The Happy Mondays
Black Grape
Fun Lovin Criminals
Consolidated
Delinquent Habits

[Olivertmc]

There was a great band from the mid- to late 90's called "The Origin". They had two albums, both are great (imo), the first was self-titled, the second was called "Bend." I believe the lead singer went on to play guitar in a funk/groove band called Grayboy Allstars. While I like the Grayboy stuff, it is totally different than the Origin. The original Origin records are still played pretty often, especially when hanging out with my friends that were pretty into them at the time.

[-Jar-]

KEXPMF:
I bet you'll dig Bailter Space.. they have the same kind of thick, dense guitar as Swervedriver. If you like the toonz on the comps I sent then there exists a Bailter Space comp that was put together by a fine fellow who no longer lurks in these parts. I'd be happy to send a copy your way on my next shipment. A great band from New Zealand that sort of bumped up against the shoegazer movement from the other side of the world.. NZ had a lot of great overlooked bands..among them Straitjacket Fits, The Clean, the 3-D's and more recently, the Renderers.

[Stone]

Men Without Hats: "Pop Goes the World" Goofy goofy 80's synth pop concept record that I just can't stop listening to.

Cool. I had no idea more than about 6 people liked this album (including me), but apparently more people do than I thought (or maybe they just all found their way to this board).

Two bands that I tend to name as underrated/unknown are:

Close Lobsters
For Against

[KEXPMF]

KEXPMF:
I bet you'll dig Bailter Space.. they have the same kind of thick, dense guitar as Swervedriver. If you like the toonz on the comps I sent then there exists a Bailter Space comp that was put together by a fine fellow who no longer lurks in these parts. I'd be happy to send a copy your way on my next shipment. A great band from New Zealand that sort of bumped up against the shoegazer movement from the other side of the world.. NZ had a lot of great overlooked bands..among them Straitjacket Fits, The Clean, the 3-D's and more recently, the Renderers.

Yes, I noticed that on the comp and they sound good. Swervedriver is still by far my favorite in that style. I also very much like the Catherine Wheel song on there "Harder Than I Am".
And the MBV, AR Kane, Boo Radleys, House of Love, Hum and of course Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins.