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Underrated Rock Albums

post #1 of 78
8/14/04 at 2:23am
Thread Starter 
I realize that this not the most obscure list ever, but sharing some music that I enjoy although many have been largely ignored or receiived a mixed critical/consumer response when first released.

*The Reality of My Surroundings (Fishbone) [This list is not in order except this is my biggest gripe. This is one of my favorite albums ever. So diverse and badass. This album should have made Fishbone huge. Of course, they have gone downhill since. As a matter of fact, I can't even find info on what is up with them now. Don't know if they will ever recapture their old glory, but what a band they were at one time]
*Give A Monkey A Brain... (Fishbone)
*Follow For Now [should've blown up like Fishbone and LC should've. What am I - the defender of black rock music?]
*Time's Up (Living Colour) [Incredible and never got the praise it deserved. My favorite LC. Their latest album "Collideoscope" sucks all asses though. WTF happened?]
*Shadows Collide With People (John Frusciante) [Why people didn't catch on to this is beyond me]
*Forbidden Places (Meat Puppets) [A friggin' classic. Their best ever]
*Too High To Die (Meat Puppets)
*Yes (Morphine) [one of my favorite bands ever]
*Mellow Gold (Beck) [probably my 2nd favorite Beck album]
*Bossanova (Pixies) [my favorite Pixies album]
*Trompe Le Monde (Pixies)
*One Hot Minute (Red Hot Chili Peppers) [not the best RHCP but so much better than given credit for]
*Ain't Life Grand (Widespread Panic)
*White Pepper (Ween) [A quantum leap. Praised by some, but still underrated]
*Stratagem (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) [such rich southern fried rock. beautiful]
*Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit Live
*Independent Worm Saloon (Butthole Surfers)
*The Cult (self-titled)i
*Gish (Smashing Pumpkins) [Their best ever in my opinion and is often considered sub-par to their other stuff, even by the artists themselves]
*Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Wilco) [It got some critical praise, but I think they are still too far under the radar considering they are one of the best and most original rock bands out there today. I didn't even fully discover Wilco until this year, so maybe it's just me that finds them underrated.]
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post #2 of 78
8/15/04 at 7:07pm
failure - fantastic planet
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post #3 of 78
8/16/04 at 5:24pm
Clarity - Jimmy Eat World
Pinkerton - Weezer
Maladroit - Weezer
Aunt Bettys - Aunt Bettys
Two Years to Never - Ghoti Hook
Probot - Probot
There is Nothing Left to Lose - Foo Fighters
Utopia Parkway - Fountains of Wayne
Truthless Heroes - Project 86
You'd Prefer an Astronaut - Hum
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post #4 of 78
8/16/04 at 6:44pm
The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle
I just got an import of this earlier this year (unaware that a new US re-release with bonus tracks would shortly follow), and it hasn't left the otherwise-constantly-rotating roster in my CD case. The only radio hit from this is the ubiquitous "Time of the Season," but it's a much more varied and innovative album than that might lead you to believe. This is like the dark, English side of Pet Sounds, and it's the psychedelic pop album I wanted Forever Changes to be before I heard it. The Zombies were just about to break up and couldn't even hire the session guys they wanted, which led to a lot of mellotron string parts and harmony vocals to fill in the gaps. Amazing.

Shudder to Think - Pony Express Record
I will continue to hype this overlooked marvel until my dying day. There is literally no other album I've heard like it (although a few songs on their subsequent 50,000 BC reference it in a poppier context). The song structures are like nothing I've ever heard, from the precise drums that never seem to do exactly what you'd expect, to the guitar playing that goes from atonal to soulful, to the operatic vocals that hover unpredictably over the whole thing. On a first listen, it sounds so disjointed that you think the members got together and decided to write the songs simply to confound the unattentive listener - but the melodies slowly unravel, and the songs start to make sense.
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post #5 of 78
8/16/04 at 7:21pm
Every Megadeth album!!!
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post #6 of 78
8/17/04 at 1:37pm
First, a few responses to Ryan:

I allways felt that the reason Follow For Now never made it was because they had nothing to offer. I had friends who really liked them, and I've heard that they were much better represented by their live show, but that album was just weak, especially their cover of "Channel Zero." But then, I don't like Living Color either (especially that "Concrete and Steel" song...yech!).

*Bossanova (Pixies)--I realize their's been a rethink on this album--when it came out I remember the majority opinion being that it was disapointing, but most people seem to have reversed on that. I still think it's a dull album, and in particular a very front-loaded one--after the first five songs, I find very little to like. I do think Trompe Le Monde has some interesting stuff on it, though.

*Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit Live--Just so I'm not being a total negativewhore, I'm listening to this right now (checked it out of the library!), and it's great. I was actually at the show where this was taped, my first time seeing the Col., and I remember being really unimpressed at the time. I guess I just didn't hear it at all, because there's just some great stuff on here.

Now, my obscurity:

Chrome: Half Machine Lip Moves and Alien Soundtracks
When I first heard these two albums in the mid-80s, I was blown away. I assumed that they were at most a couple years old, but when I found out they were both from the late 70s, I was even more amazed! I'm not sure how to describe their sound, but if you think Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, et al., you're on the right track. HMLM has some bitchin' kinda-metal rock riffs, buried under so many weird effects that it sounds like it's being played by aliens. Alien Soundtracks is funkier, and even weirder, but under all the trippy industrial sounds on both albums are plenty of catchy tunes and riffs.
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post #7 of 78
8/18/04 at 10:08pm
A few of my picks

Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion--great "bar band" record. Underated band imo who withered under the weight of the "Seattle scene"

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger--just a solid album pre-whiney, ballad rock Cornell-garden.

Faith No More - Album of the Year--no where near the aggression of Angel Dust, nor the anger of King for a day, Fool for a lifetime, their final album became a Mike Patton album, but with a kick-ass band.

Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar--sure Manson is a caricature, and the band is a contrived mess now, this album is solid and honest. A concept album that works, if you are able to get past the cartoonishness of Manson himself.
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post #8 of 78
8/19/04 at 12:14am
Thread Starter 
My replies below...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Z-Man
First, a few responses to Ryan:

I allways felt that the reason Follow For Now never made it was because they had nothing to offer. I had friends who really liked them, and I've heard that they were much better represented by their live show, but that album was just weak, especially their cover of "Channel Zero." But then, I don't like Living Color either (especially that "Concrete and Steel" song...yech!).

//I was at their album release party in Atlanta and the live show was great and far better than the album. But I still like the album overall although I prefer a few tracks over the rest. So you don't like Fire 'N Snakes or Time? Their studio work probably would have improved but I find this a fun album. They didn't hold a candle to Fishbone back then though.//

*Bossanova (Pixies)--I realize their's been a rethink on this album--when it came out I remember the majority opinion being that it was disapointing, but most people seem to have reversed on that. I still think it's a dull album, and in particular a very front-loaded one--after the first five songs, I find very little to like. I do think Trompe Le Monde has some interesting stuff on it, though.

//I guess that we can agree to disagree here. This is my favorite Pixies of the moment, but of course that changes from time to time.//

*Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit Live--Just so I'm not being a total negativewhore, I'm listening to this right now (checked it out of the library!), and it's great. I was actually at the show where this was taped, my first time seeing the Col., and I remember being really unimpressed at the time. I guess I just didn't hear it at all, because there's just some great stuff on here.

//I think that I have only heard this and "Mirrors of Embarassment" so far. I'd like to hear more Col. Bruce stuff. I heard he played with Zappa at one time too, don't know what and when though.//

Now, my obscurity:

Chrome: Half Machine Lip Moves and Alien Soundtracks
When I first heard these two albums in the mid-80s, I was blown away. I assumed that they were at most a couple years old, but when I found out they were both from the late 70s, I was even more amazed! I'm not sure how to describe their sound, but if you think Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, et al., you're on the right track. HMLM has some bitchin' kinda-metal rock riffs, buried under so many weird effects that it sounds like it's being played by aliens. Alien Soundtracks is funkier, and even weirder, but under all the trippy industrial sounds on both albums are plenty of catchy tunes and riffs.
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post #9 of 78
8/19/04 at 3:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Proyas
A few of my picks

Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion--great "bar band" record. Underated band imo who withered under the weight of the "Seattle scene"
don't forget about dust either.
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post #10 of 78
8/19/04 at 4:43am
One of the most under-rated albums of the nineties IMO...

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post #11 of 78
8/19/04 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Rain Dog
One of the most under-rated albums of the nineties IMO...
I totally f*kin agree!! What is sad is I was looking to listen to this Cd and opened the CD case and found that it was gone. I dont know what in the hell I did with that CD. ;_;



I'd like to add Any of THERAPY? 's work. Nurse, Troublegum, Infernal Love.

Loved all three of those albums.
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post #12 of 78
8/19/04 at 11:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by heLL pAso
failure - fantastic planet
Meh, they're obscure to some point, but almost everyone who's heard that album loved it. I'd say Comfort was a more underrated cd.

But...either Diamond Dogs by Bowie or Ugly by Life of Agony (a lot of my friends hated the cd...).
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post #13 of 78
8/20/04 at 1:54am
These are some major big-sellers you guys are including in your lists of "underrated rock albums"

Anyway, I'd have to add Loudmouth's self-titled, GOD GUNS AND GUTS by Agony Column, and shit just close your eyes and point at anything by Trouble.
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post #14 of 78
8/20/04 at 1:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceL
These are some major big-sellers you guys are including in your lists of "underrated rock albums"

Anyway, I'd have to add Loudmouth's self-titled, GOD GUNS AND GUTS by Agony Column, and shit just close your eyes and point at anything by Trouble.
They don't have to obscure to be under rated. Fantastic planet is one of the most acclaimed cds of the 90's from the people who have heard it. I know dozens of people who hated both Diamond dogs and Ugly, so from my experience they're very under rated.
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post #15 of 78
8/20/04 at 3:43am
fantastic planet is under rated to the general public because nobody cares to hear their music. i wouldn't call it one of the most acclaimed album's of the 90's when about 12 people heard it.
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post #16 of 78
8/20/04 at 4:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by heLL pAso
fantastic planet is under rated to the general public because nobody cares to hear their music. i wouldn't call it one of the most acclaimed album's of the 90's when about 12 people heard it.
You're probably not old enough to remember (or hit the pipe a bit too often) that Failure's Fantastic Planet had a pretty decent hit single on it, "Stuck On You." It was on MTV and all over the alternative rock radio stations. The album is highly acclaimed. Find a legitimately sourced bad review for it. Doubt you will. Many bigger bands today claim failure as one of their inspirations (from deftones to incubus to helmet).

One of failure's guitarist is in a perfect circle, who's latest album thirteenth step has a remake of one a track from fantastic planet ("Nurse Who Loved Me"). If people don't care to listen to failure, that's their problem and their loss. Fantastic Planet is a gorgeous album.

On another note...

Some underated but great or bad ass albums:

Mad Season- Above (amazing band, but since they weren't Alice in Chains or Pearl Jam or whatever, they didn't get big).
Opeth- my arms, your hearse (it seems people started tuning in to these guys after Blackwater Park)
Isis-Oceanic (almost every band on Ipecac is great).
Metallica- Ride the Lightning (doesn't get as much acclaim as 'Master' nor is it as popular as the Black album, but is still a metal classic.)
Megadeath- Rust in Peace (to those who know, one of the greatest metal albums ever, period.)
Iron Maiden- Powerslave (Aces High)
Poison the Well- Opposite of December (you'll find the two that came afterwards almost everywhere but this one is where it's at).
Candiria- What Doesn't Kill You... (a very recent album, but probably their best. Modern Metal's best kept secret is this band).
dredg- el cielo/leitimof (both of these albums are amazing and neither get the attention nor the acclaim they deserve. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love el cielo.-unless you're one of those prog rock only "Dream Theatre Rules!" type of dudes.)
TOOL- salival (all their other albums have sold well and are pretty popular but this live one is pretty amazing in its own right. Worth the price of admission for the live version of Pushit alone. Not for everybody)

OVERATED GARBAGE:
VAN HALEN, BUSH, AFI, and all those oh so 'original' new garage rock bands, and all that numetal garbage and all that PUNK/EMO garbage thats all over fuse, Mtv and the radiostations. We're in need of a 'new Nirvana' type band to smash all this new crap into history and begin a new era of good mainstream music a la grunge.
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post #17 of 78
8/20/04 at 8:01pm
The Young Gods-Only Heaven
If you dont know it, you must.

Killing Joke-Pandemoneum
Released in 94. Light years ahead of its time

Slowdive-Souvlaki
My Bloody Valentine may have statred the shoegazer movement, but Slowdive perfected it

Kula Shaker- Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts
They were supposed to be "the next big thing". They should have been.

Spiritualized-Purephase(or laser guided melodies)
Two albums every human should own
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post #18 of 78
8/21/04 at 2:19am
ok first of all i'm not 12. i wouldn't call stuck on you a hit single when i don't even think failure has an album that went gold. every band that has a hit single goes on to sell well because all the general public wants to hear is that 1 hit single. stuck on you just happened to be the song by failure that got played a bit. fantastic planet got good reviews but that doesn't necessarily mean it can't be under rated. just because a couple bands liked them doesn't mean that they're well known. they're not. incubus liking them doesn't mean anymore then if you or i like them. so fucking what. they're known to people who actually know shit. if you're gonna talk about a band who were inspired by them it's cave in. failure's guitarist is not in a perfect circle. troy van leeuwen never wrote a note or performed on any of failure's album's. after fantastic planet he joined them so ken wouldn't have to handle all the guitar's on tour. they eventually broke up. i wouldn't exactically mention him in creating great music. same thing with a perfect circle. he wrote none of the music in mer de noms and played on 2 songs and in thirteenth step he appeared in 3 and wrote very little if any of the music. billy howerdel writes basically all of it. troy doesn't even tour with them anymore. he's the leader of enemy and they're a decent band but he's basically toured with 3 great bands (qotsa being the third, once again troy writes no music for them).
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post #19 of 78
8/21/04 at 3:29am
You're missing the entire point. A band doesn't have to be obscure to be underrated. If there were an impressive amount of people who believed that fantastic planet wasn't a fluid and brilliant album, and couldn't get past the fact that Ken Andrews doesn't have an impressive range in voice. Then they'd be underrated. But there isn't and they're not, from the people who have formed an opinion of them, they are loved. Defying the fundamental defintion of underrated.
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post #20 of 78
8/21/04 at 5:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberwaste
You're probably not old enough to remember (or hit the pipe a bit too often) that Failure's Fantastic Planet had a pretty decent hit single on it, "Stuck On You." It was on MTV and all over the alternative rock radio stations. The album is highly acclaimed. Find a legitimately sourced bad review for it. Doubt you will. Many bigger bands today claim failure as one of their inspirations (from deftones to incubus to helmet).

One of failure's guitarist is in a perfect circle, who's latest album thirteenth step has a remake of one a track from fantastic planet ("Nurse Who Loved Me"). If people don't care to listen to failure, that's their problem and their loss. Fantastic Planet is a gorgeous album.

On another note...

Some underated but great or bad ass albums:

Mad Season- Above (amazing band, but since they weren't Alice in Chains or Pearl Jam or whatever, they didn't get big).
Opeth- my arms, your hearse (it seems people started tuning in to these guys after Blackwater Park)
Isis-Oceanic (almost every band on Ipecac is great).
Metallica- Ride the Lightning (doesn't get as much acclaim as 'Master' nor is it as popular as the Black album, but is still a metal classic.)
Megadeath- Rust in Peace (to those who know, one of the greatest metal albums ever, period.)
Iron Maiden- Powerslave (Aces High)
Poison the Well- Opposite of December (you'll find the two that came afterwards almost everywhere but this one is where it's at).
Candiria- What Doesn't Kill You... (a very recent album, but probably their best. Modern Metal's best kept secret is this band).
dredg- el cielo/leitimof (both of these albums are amazing and neither get the attention nor the acclaim they deserve. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love el cielo.-unless you're one of those prog rock only "Dream Theatre Rules!" type of dudes.)
TOOL- salival (all their other albums have sold well and are pretty popular but this live one is pretty amazing in its own right. Worth the price of admission for the live version of Pushit alone. Not for everybody)

OVERATED GARBAGE:
VAN HALEN, BUSH, AFI, and all those oh so 'original' new garage rock bands, and all that numetal garbage and all that PUNK/EMO garbage thats all over fuse, Mtv and the radiostations. We're in need of a 'new Nirvana' type band to smash all this new crap into history and begin a new era of good mainstream music a la grunge.
I fully agree with your choices of Opeth, Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden. My Arms, Your Hearse never gets any recognition. When I talk to other Opeth fans, they can't stop talking about Blackwater Park. Actually, Blackwater Park is my favorite Opeth album, but there is so much more to them. I would even say that Still-Life is underrated.

As for Metallica, Ride The Lightning always seems to be the forgetten classic of the Burton era. Kill 'Em All is talked about a lot because it is pure thrash with no fancy strings attatched. This sort of album gets big points with metalheads. Ride The Lightning strays away from pure thrash, but the problem that album has is that Master Of Puppets does the same thing, only better.

If you look up "underrated" in a dictionary, you might see a picture of Megadeth next to it. They will always be unfairly compared with Metallica because of Dave's connection to the band. Rust In Peace, and Peace Sells...But Who's Buying for that matter, are both great albums, but people will always say things like, "Well, it's good, but is it Master Of Puppets good?"

Iron Maiden's Powerslave is just a perfect example of an underrated album. It has an excellent theme, great songs, good lyrics, and just about everything else you can think of. Why is it underrated? I'm not sure, but every Maiden fan I know (and I know a lot of them) tend to talk more about the other albums than Powerslave. Heck, even I do that sometimes and I love the album. Maybe it has something to do with being caught in the middle, like a middle sibling? Who knows? That's probably way off base.
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post #21 of 78
8/21/04 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iron Maiden
I fully agree with your choices of Opeth, Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden. My Arms, Your Hearse never gets any recognition. When I talk to other Opeth fans, they can't stop talking about Blackwater Park. Actually, Blackwater Park is my favorite Opeth album, but there is so much more to them. I would even say that Still-Life is underrated.

As for Metallica, Ride The Lightning always seems to be the forgetten classic of the Burton era. Kill 'Em All is talked about a lot because it is pure thrash with no fancy strings attatched. This sort of album gets big points with metalheads. Ride The Lightning strays away from pure thrash, but the problem that album has is that Master Of Puppets does the same thing, only better.

If you look up "underrated" in a dictionary, you might see a picture of Megadeth next to it. They will always be unfairly compared with Metallica because of Dave's connection to the band. Rust In Peace, and Peace Sells...But Who's Buying for that matter, are both great albums, but people will always say things like, "Well, it's good, but is it Master Of Puppets good?"

Iron Maiden's Powerslave is just a perfect example of an underrated album. It has an excellent theme, great songs, good lyrics, and just about everything else you can think of. Why is it underrated? I'm not sure, but every Maiden fan I know (and I know a lot of them) tend to talk more about the other albums than Powerslave. Heck, even I do that sometimes and I love the album. Maybe it has something to do with being caught in the middle, like a middle sibling? Who knows? That's probably way off base.
Blackwater Park is also my favorite Opeth, but it ticks me off so many people only listen to that one album and most of these jits don't even recognize that they had albums before BP. Powerslave is always forgotten, though it's not my fav Maiden album it's in my top two. Speaking of Dave Mustaine, is it true he's in Some Kind of Monster crying about the whole Metallica vs. Megadeath thing? Has anyone heard the remixed, remastered Megadeath re-releases? Have they just improved the quality of the sound or have they gone back fucked (up) around with the songs????
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post #22 of 78
8/21/04 at 9:20am
oh and Iron Maiden, speaking of underated- They Live kicks ass; nice signature.
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post #23 of 78
8/21/04 at 11:00am
"1965" by The Afghan Whigs.
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post #24 of 78
8/21/04 at 4:34pm
Merzbow - Venereology

Coil - Constant Shallowness Leads to Evil

Painkiller - Guts of a Virgin

Nurse With Wound - She and Me Fall Together in Free Death

Radiohead - OK Computer
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post #25 of 78
8/23/04 at 1:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by J.Spaceman

Radiohead - OK Computer
Jigga WHA?!
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post #26 of 78
8/23/04 at 2:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rivers Axl Rose Cuomo
Jigga WHA?!
Yea, really. I've never read a negative thing about that album.
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post #27 of 78
8/23/04 at 3:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberwaste
Blackwater Park is also my favorite Opeth, but it ticks me off so many people only listen to that one album and most of these jits don't even recognize that they had albums before BP. Powerslave is always forgotten, though it's not my fav Maiden album it's in my top two. Speaking of Dave Mustaine, is it true he's in Some Kind of Monster crying about the whole Metallica vs. Megadeath thing? Has anyone heard the remixed, remastered Megadeath re-releases? Have they just improved the quality of the sound or have they gone back fucked (up) around with the songs????

oh and Iron Maiden, speaking of underated- They Live kicks ass; nice signature.
I haven't heard the remixes yet, but I heard a few songs on the new album. It sounds pretty good so far. Yes, Dave is in Some Kind of Monster. I haven't seen it yet, but I beileve Dave says something to Lars that isn't supposed to be very nice from what I heard.

Thanks for the compliment on the signature. They Live is definitely underrated. I think it's right up there with Halloween and The Thing as one of John Carpenter's best movies. Very. very cool movie.
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post #28 of 78
8/23/04 at 10:58am
Ben Harper in general is so underrated by the general public.

The proud heir to Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, I say.

"Fight For Your Mind"
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post #29 of 78
8/24/04 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB
Shudder to Think - Pony Express Record
I will continue to hype this overlooked marvel until my dying day. There is literally no other album I've heard like it (although a few songs on their subsequent 50,000 BC reference it in a poppier context). The song structures are like nothing I've ever heard, from the precise drums that never seem to do exactly what you'd expect, to the guitar playing that goes from atonal to soulful, to the operatic vocals that hover unpredictably over the whole thing. On a first listen, it sounds so disjointed that you think the members got together and decided to write the songs simply to confound the unattentive listener - but the melodies slowly unravel, and the songs start to make sense.
Fuck yeah, Dave. I saw them play at the Metro (in Chicago) after they put that out. It's still ahead of it's time.

More (some are just forgotten goodies):

Afghan Whigs - Black Love (The second part to Gentlemen. It didn't have a hit or anything that played on the radio, at least in Chicago, but I love it as much as Gentlemen)
Sugar - Copper Blue (I just listened to Hoover Damn a couple days ago. Bob Mould is my hero.)
Pearl Jam - no code (overhated and has Hail, Hail and In My Tree... rock brilliance.)
Cracker - The Golden Age (how anyone could not think that Big Dipper isn't one of the greatest ballads of all time is beyond me.)
Midnight Oil - Redneck Wonderland (I hate people that don't love Midnight Oil. I hate that noone has this album. Harsh and gritty faire from a place they hadn't been for a few albums previous.)
Live - Mental Jewelry (It's a bummer that a lot of people, includeing Live, themselves, forgot that they started off incredible.)
fIREHOSE - Flyin' the Flannel (Mike Watt, you still around? I miss you.)
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post #30 of 78
8/24/04 at 7:13pm
Jellyfish-Spilt Milk.

Best damn power pop album. Ever.
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post #31 of 78
8/24/04 at 8:13pm
That's a damn good album, although I still think Redd Kross: Third Eye is the great underrated powerpop album of all time. That and The Bangles: All Over The Place.
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post #32 of 78
8/25/04 at 3:14am
A friend of mine turned me on to one of the single besty albums of the 90's.

URBAN HYMES by the deceased band THE VERVE.

Mind-blowing, beautiful, romantic, smooth.

Richard Ashcroft, who is a kick-ass solo artist now, was one of the bands guitarist.

He had one of the best quotes ever. Talking about his song, VELVET MORNING, he said " I wanted to write a song that sounded like Charlie Pride on qualudes."


Damn right.


Also


THE NEW RADICALS- I forget the correct title, but its one of the best pop albums I have ever heard. So damn catchy.
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post #33 of 78
8/25/04 at 4:27am
CKY - Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild
Helmet - Betty
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post #34 of 78
8/25/04 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Z-Man
That's a damn good album, although I still think Redd Kross: Third Eye is the great underrated powerpop album of all time. That and The Bangles: All Over The Place.
Always meant to pick up that Redd Kross album. As far as underrated power pop albums go...

The Posies - Dear 23 and Frosting on the Beater
The former has a rich, harmony-filled British Invasion sound with organs, tambourines, and acoustic guitars chiming in. The latter has some of the heaviest, guitar-centric production I've ever heard on an album considered "power pop" on top of some amazing melodies and, again, vocal harmonies that destroy just about anyone's. If these guys are good enough to comprise half of the reunited Big Star, they're good enough for you.
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post #35 of 78
8/25/04 at 11:21am
alice in chains - self/titled
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post #36 of 78
8/27/04 at 1:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthSidious
Every Megadeth album!!!
You're my hero dude! Anyone remember Raven?

Raven: Rock Until You Drop (1981 Neat records)

Raven's first album and a clear show of force that
hinted at the power that once made them the top
of the NWOBHM heap. These guys were great!
AND they're still going! www.ravenlunatics.com

Raven: Wiped Out (1982 Neat Records)

A bit more refined that the last, but still raw
and undiluted Raven. A lot of the stuff on this album
later found it's way on the "Raw Tracks" album from 2000
in the form of live tracks of some of the songs from this album.

Raven: All For One: (1983 Megaforce)

The album that resulted in the infamous
"Kill Em' All For One" tour with a young
and green Metallica. Has all the classics on
it, including "Mind Over Metal" and "Break The Chain."!

Raven: Architect Of Fear (1991 SPV Steamhammer Germany)

This album was greatly overlooked by the critics as they saw Raven
as too little too late after the flop of 1988's "Nothing Exceeds Like Excess."
This is a VERY heavy album and a classic for any collection.

Jaguar: Power Games (1982 Neat records)
Listen and see for yourself. TRUE forgotten metal.

AngelWitch: their first album from 1979.
The song "Angel of Death" holds up today as well as it did in '79.

As you can see I'm mostly an old holdover from the NWOBHM days but
truly, a lot of that stuff still sounds as good NOW as it did THEN

More album titles as I think of them.
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post #37 of 78
8/27/04 at 1:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceL
just close your eyes and point at anything by Trouble.
I would point to Manic Frusration personally; despite the shitty production, it's got GREAT f'n tunes.
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post #38 of 78
8/27/04 at 1:04pm
Porcupine Tree - In Absentia
The fact that only a handful of people have ever heard of it makes me want to puke. It's truly one of the greatest albums ever recorded!
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post #39 of 78
8/27/04 at 5:33pm
Chavez-Ride the Fader
Slint-Spiderland
Gang Starr-Step in the Arena
Mock Orange-Mind is not Brain
5 Style-Miniature Portraits
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post #40 of 78
9/19/04 at 2:15am
MEGADETH RULES!!! Glad to see all the Megadeth love. I used to listen to nothing but Heavy Metal, and have since moved on, however I still very much enjoy Megadeth, which is just a testament to how awesome they are. Mustaine mops the floors with Metallicas ass.

As for other albums...
RHCP - Mother's Milk
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies
Anything by STP
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post #41 of 78
9/19/04 at 4:58am
Even though I've already deemed this and the Overrated thread pointless:

Perfect From Now On by Built To Spill. All humans should love this.
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post #42 of 78
10/2/04 at 3:37am

Dig it.

Sixteen Horsepower-Lower Estate. Or really anything by them. Spooky Southern Gothic mixed with a damn near Creedence vibe. Their version of Bad Moon Rising that was a b-side for a single from the album is...well...BAD (in a good way).

Mind Flow- Killing the Pane. Largely forgotten Boston (I think) band who's album sounds for all the world like early Counting Crows with a bit of edge. Their main problem was they tinkered with this early local album and came up with the vastly inferior Miles for their national release. While they added a few songs, they remixed the better ones to where they sounded too polished. The result was a stalled career, but damn, I love their stuff. Their other album, In Search of Falling Stars, moved in a different direction and suffered because of it. If you can get them cheap, Miles and In Search of...can be played around with to make one good album. From what I understand, they do have one other album that may have been made before this, but I've never found a copy.
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post #43 of 78
10/6/04 at 3:35am
Totally agree on Fishbone. They somehow missed out on a lot of credit for being the pioneers of the wholr skafunkpunkrock movement that other bands capitalized on and Reality of my Surroundings should have been huge. Then again, I'm the douche with the Fishbone tattoo, so I'm a bit biased.

I'm sure I can think of many underrated CDs and I may revisit this thread later, but right now I'm drunk and tired and only one CD is jumping out at me as glaring. It's the self titled debut by Pet and as far as I know the only CD they put out. It's one hell of a debut that just didn't fit into the time period and didn't get any kind of push from it's label. Just one of the may indie bands to get bought up and cast aside during the 90's.

I'd agree on Pinkerton, but I think every real Weezer fan and honest critic will now readily admit that this was easily Weezer's best CD. It still hasn't got the credit that it deserves, but it's obviously genious.
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post #44 of 78
10/7/04 at 12:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Agent Graves
"1965" by The Afghan Whigs.

Holy Crap! I love that album. Pretty much all Whigs is fucking brilliant.
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post #45 of 78
10/7/04 at 2:02pm

Underrated

Every Oasis album since What's The Story, Morning Glory?

Be Here Now
Standing On The Shoulders of Giants
Heathen Chemistry

as well as the B-side album, The Masterplan
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post #46 of 78
10/8/04 at 7:07am
The Blue Garden by Masters Of Reality with tracks like The Eyes Of Texas ,Candy Song,Kill The King and John Brown.

Really good stoner rock with a southern twist,this record came out in the late 80's and seems to be ignored by most people,one of my favourite records ever.
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post #47 of 78
10/8/04 at 8:27am
AC/DC-Powerage. Some of the best balls out rock ever recorded.
Gov't Mule-Gov't Mule.
Elton John-Tumbleweed Connection.
Ben Folds Five-The unauthorized biography of reinhold messner
The Music-The Music.
Ocean Colour Scene-Mosely Shoals.
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post #48 of 78
10/8/04 at 8:43am
Super 8 - self-titled
Second Coming - self-titled
Kings X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
Living Colour - Stain
Dandelion - I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
Human Waste Project - e-lux
God Lives Underwater - Empty
Course of Empire - Telepathic Last Words
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post #49 of 78
10/8/04 at 11:33am
Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray. Perfect half hour of pop.
Placebo - Black Market Music. Hard and dirty just like your mother likes it.
Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love. Most times this is the last album people talk about when they talk Hendrix. It shouldn't be.
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post #50 of 78
10/8/04 at 11:57am
Wings- Venus & Mars.
The first side of this album has some of McCartney's greatest post-Beatles songwriting. Besides, an album with a song about Magneto, Titanium Man, and The Crimson Dynamo belongs in any self respecting geek's collection.

Iron Butterfly- In A Gadda Da Vida.
Sure the first side is perhaps the most famous epic hippy trip, but the second side has wonderfully snappy and trippy tunes you've never heard before.

Adam and The Ants- Kings of The Wild Frontier.
Yeah, I said it. Before Adam recorded Goody Two Shoes and became a VH-1 staple, he and his band created some great pop music with a punk twist. This is the best of 'em and features his early MTV favorite "Antmusic". For NIN fans, it also features his original version of "Physical" (covered by Trent on the Broken bonus disc).

Peter Gabriel- Up.
Released a decade after his last successful album, Gabriel's meditation on grief and loss landed with a thud. Nothing was catchy enough for radio play and the marginal fans were turned off by the album's bleak tunes. It's hard to penetrate at first, but there's some raw emotional charged stuff going on here. Definitely worth a second chance. Scorcese used a remix of the album's climatic tune "Signal To Noise" during the opening brawl in Gangs of New York, to wonderfully jarring effect.
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