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Underground > Radio & Music >

The Dungeon Of Underrated Music Gems

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21:53 / 24.09.01

The Aloof's "Sinking", Olivia Tremor Control's "Dusk At Cubist Castle"...every Captain Beefheart album EVER...
...those albums we picked up on impulse at the record store, which draw blank looks from people we're trying to sleep with. Thoughts?
FingerCuffs xx

11:28 / 25.09.01

I think I have a few of those too, ones that are the ones you don;t think of buying unless you drop into the used CD store on a Saturday afternoon and have some cash to blow.

I think my favorites of this "underrated" music gems genre includes:

Emerson, Lake, and Powell (has ELPo's version of "Mars the Bringer of War" from Holst's the Planets on it)

Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight and Made Again (live)

Sisters of Mercy - Floodland (hey, hey, hey, now, now, now, now, sing this corrosion to me)

Anything by Weather Report or Return to Forever

and a whole buncha lame, but entertaining stuff put out by Cleopatra records including an entertaining tribute to Genesis, and another just as entertaining tribute to King Crimson (oh I forgot KC's Red, Lark's Tongues in Aspic, and Starless and Bible Black)

-Trish

12:40 / 25.09.01

prog rock ..hiiisssss...

but moving swiftly on:

Terrific thread.

I mean, where to start..

MASSIVELY underrated bands:

Dawn of the Replicants
Urusei Yatsura
The Cogs
Billy Mahonie
Drugstore
Seafood

I would describe their respective underratedness in greater detail, but that would be rather tedious..

13:15 / 25.09.01

quote:Originally posted by AilleCat:
Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight and Made Again (live)

We like you. You can stay.

Recommend "Brave" , their album before "Afraid of Sunlight." Wicked atmosphere, goes from very subtle and understated to roaring, overbearing prog rock, always sounding awesome and atmospheric. Great songs, great sound. Plus, they were playing so loud during recording that they caused major structural damage to Mile's Copeland's French castle. It's still one of the best produced albums I've ever heard.

I agree on "Sinking" . Great record. I've been disappointed by the rest of the Aloof's output by comparison.

"'93 Til' Infinity" by Souls of Mischief is one of the all time classic hip hop albums, IMHO. Very underrated. I'm also very fond of "Outside" by Bowie. I think Eno's production, coupled with the creative methods used, makes this by far his best album outside of the '70s.

Michael Fakesch's "Maria" is great - like a cross between Photek and Aphex Twin, but much more gentle and chilled than either.

Finally, you simply have to listen to this new band. They're called the Strokes. I know! I hadn't heard of them either. They're a struggling American indie band that despearetly need our support. I've been appalled by their lack of press coverage...

13:18 / 25.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Rizla Year Zero:
prog rock ..hiiisssss...

Prog rock... yay!

Well, not quite. Or perhaps, not at all. Some of it's alright.

Definitely not Dream Theatre.

13:28 / 25.09.01

quote:Originally posted by expressionless:

We like you. You can stay.

Recommend "Brave" , their album before "Afraid of Sunlight." Wicked atmosphere, goes from very subtle and understated to roaring, overbearing prog rock, always sounding awesome and atmospheric. Great songs, great sound. Plus, they were playing so loud during recording that they caused major structural damage to Mile's Copeland's French castle. It's still one of the best produced albums I've ever heard.

yeah, I like Brave alot, but I've always had a hard time listening to it over and over (not like Misplaced Childhood), my favorite stuff has actually come a bit later, like "This Strange Engine" and "Accidental Man"

-Trish

Jack The Bodiless

13:47 / 25.09.01

You're beautiful. I've been jabbering on like a looooonatic about Marillion for years. Does anyone listen? No, they just take the piss... but I'm used to it.

All the best freaks are here, AilleCat. Welcome to the flip side of the moon.

14:05 / 25.09.01

Rizla Year Zero: I would describe their respective underratedness in greater detail, but that would be rather tedious..

I'd love to hear about drugstore's underratedness - they have a brazilian singer, I think, and they are pals with radiohead. Go on Rizla!

14:17 / 25.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Jack The Bodiless:
You're beautiful. I've been jabbering on like a looooonatic about Marillion for years. Does anyone listen? No, they just take the piss... but I'm used to it.

yeah same here, and when people do hear them, they say "wow that sounds familiar", or "wow, I really like this"

quote:also posted by Jack:
All the best freaks are here, AilleCat. Welcome to the flip side of the moon.

Thanks for the welcome, now please stop staring at me

-Trish

deletia

14:25 / 25.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Jack The Bodiless:
You're beautiful. I've been jabbering on like a looooonatic about Marillion for years. Does anyone listen? No, they just take the piss... but I'm used to it.

My lord...

MARILLIONPATROLGO!

Ganesh

14:29 / 25.09.01

Now, where did I put that childhood?

deletia

14:32 / 25.09.01

Lost amid lots of nursery crimes, I imagine. After you ripped off a jester's ear.

16:13 / 25.09.01

Hmmm. Learning a powerful lesson. Build up your board presence quickly and easily by posting lots of short sarky quips. Gotcha...

17:34 / 25.09.01

This thread...is totally fugazi

17:45 / 25.09.01

Jesus wept. Thread rotting little sods. Look over there [points] - it's Laila! Fetch boys, fetch!

Right, now they've fucked off:

One Dove's Morning Dove White is great - prefigured all the Portishead stuff by quite a few years and was dubbier and dancier and dirtier and, well, go and buy it.

Pulp (yes that Pulp)'s Separations: a bloody depressing album which still makes me laugh my arse off. Not as good as Intro, their EP compilation when they signed to Island, which is almost all excellent - but I wasn't sure how many people underrated Intro.

David Axelrod - any album, though he currently has an eponymous one out on Mo'Wax.

Shuggie Otis' Information Inspiration - I've bigged Shuggie Up before, though in the recent 'Got Any New Albums?' thread, so I'll shut up here.

Hardkiss' Delusions of Grandeur - a wonderful West Coast of America-style Orbital, who produced my favourite Essential Mix ever (I will pay good money for a copy if anyone has one) as well as this beautiful album.

and lastly but not leastly: Anything by Fila Brazillia, 'Mess' being as good a place as any to start.

[ 25-09-2001: Message edited by: JB again ]

17:57 / 25.09.01

Cover my eyes...this thread is getting out of hand, No One Can save us now, I think we need to all go out and get Under the Sun, and join The Party going on outside what's happening here.

-Trish

19:54 / 25.09.01

You know who totally rocks? Dynamite Hack.

They had a huge hit last year with that folk cover of "Boyz N The Hood". But aside from that one track they're a kickass pop punk band. They even toured with Weezer!

Liz Phair is also cool, Veruca Salt ect...

20:10 / 25.09.01

Sparklehorse. Wonderful, wonderful, Sparklehorse.

And then stuff like Yatsura, as earlier mentioned.

And Smog. You can't have too much Smog.

The Return Of Rothkoid

09:28 / 26.09.01

The now-defunct Crow. Angst rawk in its truest form?

The Necks. Piano, bass, drums and genius.

Michael J Sheehy's solo stuff, sometimes. Country enough. Sounds like it was recorded sitting down.

Bill Frisell's Ghost Town - spooky, yet homely. Solo-ish guitar and occasional loops. Brilliant.

The Paradise Motel's Left Over Life To Kill EP. Dark vision with class, and ethereal female vox.

The first Bonnie Prince Billy album will tear your heart out. Ditto some of Red House Painters' work, particularly Ocean Beach.

...and, of course Dirty Three. But I would say that.

09:28 / 26.09.01

I'll go with Michael J Sheehey, although I've only heard "Love Me", but Dream City Film Club were underated in their time as well.

Bikini Kill & The Servant. I think the Servant have split now....? Anyone know?

And Mindless Drug Hoover - must get the album at some point!

09:28 / 26.09.01

The Makers are dangerously underrated, fucking incredible band Psychopathia Sexualis is my new favorite album. Mike screams about how his lover is a "skintillectual" which is my favorite made up word since "automobills."

The Make-Up are also highly underrated, starting to like 'em better than Nation of Ulysses.

Regrettable Juvenilia

09:28 / 26.09.01

Sparklehorse, Smog and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy underrated? I like 'em all, but when have they ever had a bad review?

14:34 / 26.09.01

Anyone ever found any of the legendary cassette recordings of Stanton Fleiss?
I hear they're pretty cool, but harder to find than Jandek.

Red Cross Iodized Salt

15:43 / 26.09.01

Trumans Water definitely deserve a place in the 'underrated gems' category. If you like the idea of something that fuses Beefheart, Pavement, Sun Ra and Pixies you need to run, run, run and buy either Ov Thick Tum or Spasm Smash X X X OX OX OX and Ass.

Jack The Bodiless

16:21 / 26.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Ganesh:
Now, where did I put that childhood?

I think I still have it... email me your new address to post it to, elephant man.

18:33 / 26.09.01

Was listening to "The Critical Path" by Tipper earlier this evening. It's a vibey technoey thing.

Great orchestration, atmospheric, lovely programming, obsessive attention to detail. Apparently it sent a record label to bankrupcy, which you don't often hear happen.

I've just put on "The Sanity Annexe" by Sonic Sum. I got it ages ago, but it's only just started sucking me in. I was forced to put it on a second time.

It's a bit wordy, but it mixes rap with poetry with more consistency than "Amethyst Rock Star." Atmospheric, good ideas, very understated.

[ 26-09-2001: Message edited by: expressionless ]

09:50 / 27.09.01

Two very different gems to start with (more will come to mind as soon as I post this)

Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin - Copycats
Oldies from the '50s and 60s redone to form a concept album. Great.

The Baltimore Consort -
La Roque'n'Roll
A collection of medieval/reinassance popular hits. Rock from the middle ages.

09:50 / 27.09.01

Prefab Sprout "Steve McQueen" & "Jordan: The Comeback"

Gang of 4 "Solid Gold"

Heaven 17 "Penthouse & Pavement"

Anything by the Beach Boys - esp "Pet Sounds"

Do I have to be chained and shackled to the wall of this dungeon, or can I dance and swoon?

09:50 / 27.09.01

Pet Sounds, underrated?!?!?!?

Last time I looked it was acclaimed by an army of slavering muso critics as the best album ever.

Some more underrated bands:

The Experimental Pop Band
Gel
El Goodo
Vaz

16:01 / 27.09.01

I picked up something pretty good a few months ago on a whim, even though I hadn't listened to The Cult since I graduated High School (back in 1992)

The Cult - Rare Cult, has some gems on it that while not considered "classic" because they were pretty much just released, has alot of stuff on it thats from the "Love" era (the album with She Sells Sanctuary, and for me was my favorite sound from them) and some stuff from when they were the Southern Death Cult. its actually pretty interesting, and if you tend to like stuff like early Cult and Siouxsie around "Tinderbox" era, then you might like the stuff on here too (and I'm definitely not a fan of thier newer stuff)

-Trish

16:33 / 27.09.01

Recently dug out an old CD from a band called Jellyfish, it came out back in 1994 I think. It's titled Spilt Milk and it's very pop but very clever.

17:54 / 27.09.01

Rizla, you're right "Pet sounds" is critically lauded, but for many people the Beach Boys are seen as Californian kitsch crap - the raw material for hypermart/ elevator music - that's the way I viewed them until a coupla years ago. So, they are 'underrated' in this sense.

lyssa Jones,Captain Beefheart has produced a fair bit of shit eg. "Unconditionally Gauranteed"

Gem: Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Theives."

18:42 / 27.09.01

The Cranes... try 'Wings of Joy'.

Harry Connick Jnr.'s 'Twenty' (I think it was 'Twenty') - not sure *how* it was rated...but it never would've occurred to me to try his music had not a good friend recommended him...so, I thought it was worth a mention.

Rufus Wainwright - again, don't really know how he is rated, but he's not all that well known, despite that Gap ad a few Christmases ago... Try his self-titled first album... Love the way he sings...

19:08 / 27.09.01

I second the motion on Prefab Sprout's "Steve McQueen" and "Jordan".
And I add to it Deacon Blue's "Raintown".

And then there's Toyah Willcox.
"Anthem" and "Changeling" are essential.

23:48 / 27.09.01

quote:Originally posted by Ierne:
This thread...is totally fugazi

Damn straight! "I'm a Margin Walker/with a clear shot...."

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