I take "underrated" as meaning "people know of the band (or at least one of their songs) but don't properly appreciate them" and using that, I tend to go with Men Without Hats and The Vapors.
The Fall were well known (relatively speaking) well before 2001. xpost. I'd say that by Nation's Saving Grace they were hardly obscure. I got Bend Sinister at a non-hipster store in NJ off of Route 22 when it came out.
― dlp9001, Friday, 30 November 2007 01:59 (sixteen years ago) link
con-funk-shun red sovine carolyn mark freakwater/catherine irwin/janet bean american death ray
― omar little, Friday, 30 November 2007 02:17 (sixteen years ago) link
dlp2001, you may be right re: The Fall. All I remember is that in 2001 or so, all of a sudden a bunch of people were playing their records, there were interviews with Mark E Smith everywhere, and hipster records shops were stocked with a bunch of Fall Cds and records seemingly overnight. It was as if all Hipsterdom decided en masse that they were the latest hip-find-that-we've-been-into-for-years,-duh, (maybe because 2001 was another shitty year for music in the US), but in the 90s I never saw their name anywhere.
― Chelvis, Friday, 30 November 2007 02:23 (sixteen years ago) link
As far as bands that are well-known, i still say (I've already ranted on other threads) that the Buzzcocks and The Stranglers don't get enough worship. They are both big names, but I never hear them get the kind of star treatment that a band like The Clash gets. Buzzcocks are sorta remembered by a lot of people as cutesy pop punkers or something and Stranglers are remembered for being old and bearded and sexist or something. If Stranglers were from Germany they would get Can/Neu levels of praise. And Buzzcocks are simply one of the greatest rock bands of the 70's. I mean, how many years do I have to read about the genius of Television. Fuck Television! Buzzcocks were all kinds of genius.
Plus, just in case anyone forgot how great The Cramps were, don't forget how great The Cramps were. Okay? I spent a night watching Cramps on youtube and even I almost forgot how godly they could be. They deserve a medal at the very least. (not that i've heard much Cramps music since, like, a date with elvis, but still...)
― scott seward, Friday, 30 November 2007 02:40 (sixteen years ago) link
good point - fuck Television.
― Chelvis, Friday, 30 November 2007 02:42 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh yeah, and Wall of Voodoo
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Friday, 30 November 2007 03:04 (sixteen years ago) link
WOV OTM
my list ain't much of a secret, I'm always babbling about them here...
live skull 9353 kilslug christoph de babalon gore monitor
― Edward III, Friday, 30 November 2007 03:07 (sixteen years ago) link
kilslug has reformed, btw
― Edward III, Friday, 30 November 2007 03:09 (sixteen years ago) link
My top two nominees for this are definitely the Plugz and the Screaming Blue Messiahs. Every Messiahs album has moments of brilliance, but Bikini Red is fucking godlike from first note to last, yes even including "I Wanna Be A Flintstone." And the Plugz' debut, Electrify Me, is one of the top five L.A. punk albums, period. (The other four are Damaged, Los Angeles, Wild Gift and Fear's The Record. The surviving Germs, and their frontactor, can suck my taint.)
― unperson, Friday, 30 November 2007 03:16 (sixteen years ago) link
I didn't what to say about Luther Vandross, that one I don't get
I don't read many threads debating the merits of Give Me The Reason versus Any Love.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 30 November 2007 03:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Yessss...
In defense of 80s Dead, Reckoning is one of their finest albums, probably in my Dead top three. I guess that's stretching it a bit, it was recorded 79/90, right?
And I love a lot of Jerry's 90s stuff w/ Grisman.
― winston, Friday, 30 November 2007 04:39 (sixteen years ago) link
79/80, i mean
― winston, Friday, 30 November 2007 04:40 (sixteen years ago) link
The Walkmen are always lumped in with early 2000s nu-NME, Strokes, etc. but their first album is really fucking awesome
― winston, Friday, 30 November 2007 04:44 (sixteen years ago) link
I mean, it transcends its NYC hipster stereotype
or whatever. sorry, too stoned
― winston, Friday, 30 November 2007 04:45 (sixteen years ago) link
first Walkmen album's good, second one's better, still waiting for another decent one though...
― stephen, Friday, 30 November 2007 04:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Today my favourite underrated artists are In Camera.
"No-one listened to the Fall before 2001" is one of the most WTF things I've ever read on this board. Who are these "Midlands spastics" anyway?
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 November 2007 11:03 (sixteen years ago) link
All of my favourite artists are underrated (maybe save for The Beatles who are neither over- or underrated, and only underrated by younger generations)
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 30 November 2007 11:48 (sixteen years ago) link
are you sure about that?
I'll say Jim Guthrie, Red Red Meat, Nada Surf and Grifters and second Sloan and Archer Prewitt. Tons of bands in weird or lesser listened to genres are underrated (grifters and red red meat).
― CaptainLorax, Friday, 30 November 2007 12:26 (sixteen years ago) link
and unless I'm wrong cuz I don't get out much. Quasi, King Creosote, and Pigeon John don't get enough love. I think a lot of the bands I've mentioned here and above might be somewhat popular? I mean a good crowd showed up for the Nada Surf and Sloan concerts I went to but all in all most people don't know who they are. It's hard to draw the line with underrated artists and I guess I should have stuck with only the one that is clearly underrated - Jim Guthrie.
― CaptainLorax, Friday, 30 November 2007 14:00 (sixteen years ago) link
I think there's moderately-strong positive correlation between popularity and overratedness
― CaptainLorax, Friday, 30 November 2007 14:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Also Blue Oyster Cult is greviously underrated. People only know them for three tunes-Reaper, Godzilla and Burnin for You. They had much better songs than that, and I think they were truly genius.
― Bill Magill, Friday, 30 November 2007 14:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Jason Falkner
― MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 15:18 (sixteen years ago) link
The Fall: Nobody cared about this band until sometime in mid-2001, when the critics had run out of classic overlooked 80's English bands to tout Midlands spastics for people merely looking to expand their record collections.
I almost agree with you, although speaking from experience during my college years, nobody actually cared about this band until sometime in 1994 when the critics had run out of classic overlooked '70s English bands.
― MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 15:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Bill I'd say a pretty hefty chunk of critic types know & love BOC all the way through Fire of Unknown Origin
― J0hn D., Friday, 30 November 2007 16:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I still wanna know what "to tout Midlands spastics" refers to cos I have no idea WTF they were on about!
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Probably true, I'm talking more general public types and radio programmers. I don't think I've ever heard an Eric Bloom sung BOC song on the radio, and he was their de facto lead singer.
xpost
― Bill Magill, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:22 (sixteen years ago) link
still wanna know what "to tout Midlands spastics" refers to cos I have no idea WTF they were on about!
Yeah, I ignored that part cuz I had no idea myself...
― MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:29 (sixteen years ago) link
Where is the LOVE for all these Christian rock acts who are ripe for hipster reappraisal?
― dr. phil, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Rank & File - just the first two albums, anyway.
― Jazzbo, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:49 (sixteen years ago) link
Another vote for Nada Surf. The best power pop band in the world.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Jason Falkner-- MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 15:18 (1 hour ago)
I'd totally agree - but that new record isn't going to win any new fans ... nine years between full length records for that - ugh!
― BlackIronPrison, Friday, 30 November 2007 16:56 (sixteen years ago) link
this is crap, every generation discovers the fall eventually.
― Edward III, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:04 (sixteen years ago) link
"still wanna know what "to tout Midlands spastics" refers to cos I have no idea WTF they were on about!"
that was a lack of proofreading and clarity of expression, that is what that was about. I should have been clearer:
The Fall: Nobody cared about this band until sometime in mid-2001, when the critics had run out of classic overlooked 80's English bands to tout. The Fall were just spastics from the Midlands, and their records were for people merely looking to expand their record collections.
I sincerely hope that one day I will listen to the Fall and hear the genius that others seem to hear, and that I'm wrong on this.
Also, dang, I hate Tom Waits so much.
― Chelvis, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Uh, the Fall were not from the Midlands.
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Any more bullshit for us? :)
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:17 (sixteen years ago) link
it took me six years of hearing and disliking random things by the fall before I "got" them.
― Edward III, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:19 (sixteen years ago) link
so don't give up on the fall, however, you may want to pause before hitting the "submit response" button in the future.
― Edward III, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:20 (sixteen years ago) link
I think Falkner's new album is pretty good. Not too different stylistically from the past, so is your problem with the level of the tunes? "This Time," "NYC," "The Knew," "Anondah," and "I Don't Mind" are all quality IMO.
― MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:35 (sixteen years ago) link
Speaking of underrated power pop, I agree on Nada Surf (being underrated, not the "best")
For best underrated, I'd go with Superdrag, Sloan, The Shazam, or even Falkner if you throw him in there.
Actually, underrated... power pop... you could even say Cheap Trick, but I don't think we want to have that conversation on ILM yet again.
― MC, Friday, 30 November 2007 17:39 (sixteen years ago) link
"King Crimson's modern improvs - The ProjeKCts (1 - 4 + X). I am possibly the biggest crimhead this side of Alpha Centuri an believe this is the pinacle of their existence.
I dunno man. I bought the first Project and all I could hear was the terrible V-drum presets that Belew was playing. He even talks in the liner notes about getting the drums in the mail, unwrapping the box, plugging them in, and recording. That is not the proper use of any sort of synthetic instrument.
***
The Fall -- I saw the Middle Class Revolt tour (Brix was back!). Just an awesome show. And a great (UNDER-RATED) album. Mark Smith paced the stage glaring at his bandmates, kicking the mic out of the kickdrum, away from the bass amp, and eventually stormed off stage. Brix finished the set for him. Could have been preconceived. Didn't matter.
― Nate Carson, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 02:59 (sixteen years ago) link
People don't seem to take Three Dog Night very seriously. It's not all walrus mustaches and chest fever...they had such a great run of singles. And they chose the best songwriters of the time. Eli's Coming is so frenetic and creepy.
Cher and Cass Elliott are eternally underrated. Also, Joe South is a lot more interesting to me than most of the new Dylans types who came after him. Except Loudon Wainwright, whose sad songs aren't given as much attention as his goofy/witty ones, I don't think, which is a shame cause they're so much better.
As for things a bit more obscure,I think Marilyn's album Despite Straight Lines sounds really great. He tried so hard w/the Was Not Was people and all.
The Pulsars record from 1997 is my favorite synthpop record since the mid Eighties.
― Arthur, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 06:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Blue Hippos -- Late-80s Twintone trio.
Spastic and angularly hepped-up joints and r-rated rants
― christoff, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 18:29 (sixteen years ago) link
Binary Star
― talrose, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 18:30 (sixteen years ago) link
Claude Delcloo
― ian, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 18:34 (sixteen years ago) link
hot 8 brass band rebirth brass band new birth brass band free agents brass band soul rebels brass band
― Jordan, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 18:43 (sixteen years ago) link
NO-MAN
― Gendou Ikari, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Nortt
― Soukesian, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 20:36 (sixteen years ago) link
hell yeah on the eddy grant love. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/ettiem/killerontherampage.jpg good tunes, great legs!
hell yeah, too, on the ray parker jr. love. been picking up raydio records on sight the last year or so. evey one has at least a few fantastic tunes. favorite at the moment is "more than one way to love a woman." the chorus is almost steve millerish.
― andrew m., Tuesday, 4 December 2007 21:02 (sixteen years ago) link
"Michael & His Slipper Tree" rules!...one of those tunes that burrows into your head after just one listen...
my fave underrated artist is Scott 4...(the band, not the LP)...motorik country/western, don't know how they slipped through the cracks...
― henry s, Tuesday, 4 December 2007 21:35 (sixteen years ago) link