Underrated Albums

Bucket

Everyone bangs on about Bonded by Blood, but I prefer this one:

http://www.metallibrary.ru/bands/discographies/images/exodus/pictures/92_force_of_habit.jpg

This isn't the classic Testament line-up but arguably an even cooler line-up - practically a supergroup. Features Dave Lombardo from Slayer on drums, plus Steve DiGiorgio and James Murphy from Death on bass and guitar respectively. Brutal. Absolutely great album.

http://www.rankopedia.com/CandidatePix/70183.gif

And if you'll excuse the terrible album cover - I am in a minority but I genuinely think this is better than Paranoid.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/3253/cover_5136162272009.jpg

It's no Dark Side of the Moon, but this is still a good album - some of Gilmour's best playing.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Pink_Floyd_-_Division_Bell.jpg

One of Faith No More's best:

http://quasherthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/faith-no-more-album-of-the-year.jpg

Someone else mentioned this but it bears repeating:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/ALAE_cover.jpg

TTony

His last, I think - at least, his last "proper" album.  Lyrically and musically brilliant, but never got the same recognition as Boots & Panties or DiY

Just about anything from the 70s by this guy.  He should have been huge, but seems to have got completely screwed by mismanagement.

And everything by J J Cale!  

JAYJO said:

Ive just got that eels album, never heard of them before they were recommended by a friend. I recognised a recent single by them. They look decent on youtube so i will delve a little deeper!

@jayjo - I started with Beautiful Freak whenever that came out (10+ years ago), and that's still my favourite Eels album.

RocknRollDave

@Bucket, as ever a whole load of wisdom in there.

Division Bell has some corking stuff on there, and as a big Lombardo fan who hasn't got any Testament, I think I shall have to have a listen to that album there, nice one!

Bucket

RocknRollDave said:

@Bucket, as ever a whole load of wisdom in there.

Division Bell has some corking stuff on there, and as a big Lombardo fan who hasn't got any Testament, I think I shall have to have a listen to that album there, nice one!

The Gathering is really good. It doesn't sound much like Testament's old stuff (ie the stuff with Alex Skolnick, also very much worth checking out - he's probably the best lead guitarist out of any of the 80s thrash bands) but it's a great album in its own right. Very heavy - they were experimenting with death metal. Lombardo absolutely kills as well - one of his best performances, I think.

richardhomer

Gassage;162779" said:

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden.

Mark Hollis : Mark Hollis.

Fucking genius.

And Laughing Stock and The Colour of Spring

chillidoggy

"Dust For Life", by the band of the same name. Crushing riffs, superb guitar work, in the Chilli top ten of favourite albums, and superbly produced.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/image_zpsb606af70.jpg

Grunfeld

Gassage said:

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden.

Mark Hollis : Mark Hollis.

Fucking genius.

@Gassage I am loving this album.  Never heard it before. 

richardhomer

Grunfeld;162926" said:

Gassage said:

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden.

Mark Hollis : Mark Hollis.

Fucking genius.





@Gassage I am loving this album.  Never heard it before. 

It's an astounding record isn't it?

cruxiform

Zodiac Windwarp's Tattooed Beat Messiah, an album I still listen to to this day. Jan Cyrka on guitar playing some mighty riffs and licks.

cruxiform

While I'm at it, Faster Pussycat's Wake Me When It's Over.

Gassage

Grunfeld said:

Gassage said:

Talk Talk Spirit of Eden.

Mark Hollis : Mark Hollis.

Fucking genius.

@Gassage I am loving this album.  Never heard it before. 

I'm so pleased you listened. Talk Talk we so intense live on their very few appearences.

Check this out- what a song, what a voice- one of my desert island discs.

It's a simple use of key changes- same progression - in 3 different keys to build the amazing tension in the song.

John Turnbull ex of Blockheads on cheesey chorus laden lead guitar.

ED's Note: Hollis is a recluse- he won't make music anymore. I have however met him, as he often goes to Welwyn Garden City Cricket Club to watch and I played there. Charming guy. Hates the music industry

Gassage

I feel like starting a Mark Hollis appreciation thread. His music was light years ahead of his time. Fucking absolute genius. Such a loss to music. No-one has used counterpoint and tension better IMO and every song was so from his heart.

stickyfiddle

Lixarto said:

"Be Here Now" by Oasis.

It's bloody brilliant, and I think the reprise to "All Around The World" is still playing somewhere.

There is a great album in there somewhere, under a pile of coke. If you cut most tracks down to 3 or 4 minutes it'd be brilliant (except maybe Don't Go Away, which is just a bad rewrite of Don't Look Back In Anger, obviously). Fade In/Out is excellent.

I'd also say Morning Glory is underrated too, in a way. Everyone is still obsessed with Definitely Maybe but WTSMG dicks on it- full of really great music (and Roll With It )

digitalscream

I completely agree with The Division Bell - personally, it's one of my favourite Floyd albums.

Somewhat predictably, I'm going to go with Waiting For The Punchline by Extreme. It's not just underrated; very few people even know it exists.

It's a much more raw-sounding, almost classic rock album than their previous 3 offerings - after the 80s-based rock of Pornograffiti and the prog self-indulgence of III Sides, I actually thought they'd found "their" sound with this one. There are some low points on there, but the good songs really make up for it. It's like there's more of a focus on the songs than Nuno's talent on the guitar, and it really works for me.

xSkarloey

Any Scott Walker fans? I seem to listen to Climate of Hunter more than the others, and I love all the others. 

BTW in terms of guitar playing, John Squire blazes all over Love is the Law from his Seahorses days, but that's all I can remember from that LP apart from some ditty called "Happiness is..." (something or other). It sounds like a scottish jig and shows his writing skills were really going down the bog. 

koneguitarist

Deep Purple come taste the band. Blackmore, Gillan and Glover has gone, yet songwriting had improved, range of songs was far better and songs were just great songs rather than mainly jams with some words thrown in.

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b476/robitusson2/1169589398_deep_purple__come_taste_.jpg

not_the_dj

Big +1 for The Division Bell. The only PF album that I got on the day of release. I remember listening to a DJ called Nick Abbott on Virgin 1215 who was a big Floyd fan and getting caught up in the anticipation.

Great playing from Wright and Gilmour throughout.

I've not tracked it down but there's supposed to be a whole albums worth of instrumental stuff from that time, part of which made it into the album as 'Marooned'. 

ICBM

koneguitarist said:

Deep Purple come taste the band. Blackmore, Gillan and Glover has gone, yet songwriting had improved, range of songs was far better and songs were just great songs rather than mainly jams with some words thrown in.

I didn't like that one at all, sorry! To me it's no more Deep Purple than the 1980-ish Whitesnake lineup is. (I actually prefer Ready And Willing to CTTB.)

I feel Blackmore is the essence of Deep Purple, and without him it just wasn't the same. Same with Steve Morse - great player, probably much better technically than Blackmore, but it just doesn't sound right.

koneguitarist

I liked Blackmore and the MK11 line up, but this album, is so different, but yet is still a great album in its own right. Hence the underrated tag.

DulcetJones

I've mentioned City Boy in this forum before and got no response but hey,  They were around in the late 70's for about 5 or 6 albums, this is the title track of their best one.   They had a pretty kick ass lead guitarist but he didn't get many chances to let it rip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRMD35QXuFE