[Music] Most underated band ever?

[Biker-Marty]

Metalhead Here.

Diamond Head - one of the best NWOHM bands, but unlike the Mighty 'Iron Maiden' & Def Leppard', never made it big.

 

[Lower West Stander]

Einsturzende Neubaten anyone?

 

[The Sock of Poskett]

A few of my other faves who were either wilfully obscure, critically acclaimed but unsuccessful, or simply never got the breaks:

The Outlaws - blistering country rock from the 70s
Audience - cult UK art rock band from 1969-72, who later reformed
Spirogyra - acid folk prog genius from the very early 70s. Not to be confused with jazz-fusion lite noodlers Spyrogyra.
Dando Shaft - see Spirogyra above, but with more of a jazz/psychedelia feel
Young Marble Giants - minimalist lo-fi synth and drum machine crew from Cardiff, around 1980. Cult act, again reformed recently.
Any Trouble - Clive Gregson-fronted new wave/power pop act with an early Elvis Costello vibe. Catchy songs.
Shelagh McDonald - Scottish folk singer who recorded two stunning and very hard to find albums then disappeared in 1971. Re-emerged a few years back and is reportedly gigging and recording again.

Be interested to know if others have a fondness for any of this eclectic bunch ...

 

[pearl]

https://youtu.be/L6Z6DRTfi00

 

[LlcoolJ]

but I'll say the pick of the bunch is Canadian singer Frazey Ford. If you're a fan of Beth Orton then you NEED to get into Frazey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXRrySTujn8


Seriously - how good is that song? On a scale of 10-11 - it's a 12, right?

That is superb.

 

[pearl]

Einsturzende Neubaten anyone?

https://youtu.be/dYmRnl_J9GI

oh yes

 

[boik]

[/B]

I was at that!

I think you're about the 5th or 6th person that I didn't know at the time who turned out to have been there. Think it must have been the Drums and Wires tour as Dave Gregory had replaced Barry Andrews by then. Looks like it was May 81, although I also saw them at the Top Rank in May 79.

 

[Robinjakarta]

Must admit to knowing next to nothing about music from late 90s until now. however my most under rated group are from the 60s called Love. Their Forever Changes album was years ahead of its time

Yes. One of the greatest albums ever. Their album before that Da Capo was pretty damn good, too. Well, side one anyway.

 

[pearl]

I think you're about the 5th or 6th person that I didn't know at the time who turned out to have been there. Think it must have been the Drums and Wires tour as Dave Gregory had replaced Barry Andrews by then. Looks like it was May 81, although I also saw them at the Top Rank in May 79.

er ... think my terrible memory has caught me out, it would have been May '79 that I saw them. Another band that suffered a power cut at the Top Rank was Stiff Little Fingers (I think)

 

[boik]

er ... think my terrible memory has caught me out, it would have been May '79 that I saw them. Another band that suffered a power cut at the Top Rank was Stiff Little Fingers (I think)

It's more likely that it's me to be honest. So many gigs over the years that some of them have merged a bit in my mind. Just checked and Gregory joined in '79 so you're almost certainly right. Anyway, they were both great gigs.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

About 20 odd years ago, my colleague was in a band called 'Lose The Mood'. They basically did pubs in East Grinstead sort of area, and I thought they were great. Should've gone on to better things, but didn't get the big break. Not expecting anyone to have heard of them!

Well, if we're doing mates' bands...

One of my closest friends was the frontman of Junior Cottonmouth back in the '90s. They deserved to go on to big things, and knocked on the door a bit. Wasn't to be, sadly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1OmIRZeTmg

 

[Buzzer]

To be fair, Wah! had some big hits. Who could forget the magnificent 'Story of the Blues' or 'Come Back'?

Pete Wylie was great, and wonderful live.

Wah! (or Wah Heat! or Shambeka Say Wah!) emerged from Liverpool at the same sort of time as Echo and the Bunnymen (also underrated) and The Teardrop Explodes, who had much more commercial success. They were all mates - Wylie, Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch were originally in a band together (The Crucial Three) - but all had massive egos that demanded frontman status - I think they got back together, though, from time to time.

But Wylie, for whatever reason, didn't last. So yes, hugely underrated, especially now.

With you all the way on this. Yep, he had success but never the same level or longevity as Ian McCulloch. The Story of the Blues is a stone-cold classic and sums up in one song how the city of Liverpool managed to get through the Thatcher Years. He was extremely ill last year, life-threateningly ill but thankfully he's pulled through and on the mend. I've chatted with him a few times on Twitter and he's every bit as friendly, witty and clever as you'd imagine.

 

[Buzzer]

That is superb.

It is, isn't it? Check out September Fields that she recorded with the Hi Rhythm Section, Al Green's backing band.

 

[Nitram]

I vaguely recall seeing them (Budgie) at a gig upstairs at a venue (whose name I cannot recall) which was where Boots is now, on the corner of Queens /Western Rd. Was it the Regent cinema with a dance hall above?
They made so much noise people in the flicks below complained.
Anyways. in the spirit of the the thread I give you ....The Strawbs. Saw them at the Dome. They once had Rick Wakeman in their line up! "Bursting at the Seams" was a brilliant album. Lay Down was the commercial success but "Down by the Sea" and "The River" were just as good.

https://youtu.be/KB-X_hIqKd0

Funnily enough just bought an orginal copy of 'Bursting at the seams' off Discogs

 

[ewe2]

Caravan....

 

[LlcoolJ]

It is, isn't it? Check out September Fields that she recorded with the Hi Rhythm Section, Al Green's backing band.

Yep. Been watching her live stuff on YouTube since.....

 

[Weststander]

The Cure. By their late teens, producing brilliant and original tracks.

 

[LlcoolJ]

The Cure. By their late teens, producing brilliant and original tracks.

I love The Cure. Possibly my favourite band. But I don't see them as underrated. Still massively popular and appreciated across age groups.

 

[Weststander]

I love The Cure. Possibly my favourite band. But I don't see them as underrated. Still massively popular and appreciated across age groups.

To people like you with great taste, but you might be surprised by the mass of folk who think they're a just shite 80's band who in their minds churned out naff singles.

 

[LlcoolJ]

It is, isn't it? Check out September Fields that she recorded with the Hi Rhythm Section, Al Green's backing band.

Just bought both her albums. Nice one. Already my wife's new current favourite artist....