Dave2112
Level of Cherry Feather
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Ok, so I have weird tastes in music. I was thinking of this the other day and many of my favorite albums by the bands I like tend to not be their biggest hit albums in terms of sales or singles.
So, fess up folks! Do you have any albums by bands you like that either didn't do "well" or were panned but you still rank them high? Here's a short list of mine...
Caress of Steel - Rush
In my Top 5 Rush albums even though it spawned the infamous "Down the Tubes Tour". Containing only three regular-length songs, the 10-minute piece "The Necromancer" and the full-side length concept opus "The Fountain of Lamneth", this album almost ended Rush's career. However, "Fountain..." gave the boys one last inspiration to either do it their way or go down trying...leading to "2112" which launched their career and spawned prog-metal as we know it. To this day, "Fountain" is my favorite piece to get stoned to, hands down.
Good Trouble - REO Speedwagon
Nestled between two mega-hit albums, this 1982 offering is my fave REO album. I'm more of a 70's REO fan...but "Good Trouble" managed to keep that 70's feel that "Hi Infidelity" lacked while still creating songs that should have been huge hits. Easily Kevin Cronin's most powerful vocal album by a long shot.
Surveillance - Triumph
Not my fave Triumph album, but in the Top 2. Coming on the heels of the over-produced, heavily synth-oriented and (some say) "sell-out" album "Sport of Kings"...this may actually be Triumph's heaviest album. Spawned no real hits, but contains some of Rik Emmett's best guitar work. It was their last album with the original line-up, and they went out with a huge bang.
In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin
Ask any Zep fan what their favorite album is, and you get either "IV", "II" or "Houses of the Holy". I could never put my finger on why...but "In Through the Out Door" is my favorite total body of work by Led Zeppelin. I always thought that John Paul Jones was grossly underrated as a true musical force in that band, and his keyboard work in particular was brilliant on this album. This makes me wonder what kinds of sounds Zep would have experimented with if they'd been around into the 80's.
Broadsword and the Beast - Jethro Tull
I'm gonna catch a lot of flak for this one from Tull fans...but I totally dig this album and it's perhaps my fave album by Ian Anderson and Co. Doesn't contain my favorite songs individually...but as a whole album, it's way cool. Said by many critics to be way to reliant on synths, I disagree. Another album you can get stoned to every song to.
Ride the Lightning - Metallica
Am I the only metal fan who doesn't think that "Master of Puppets" was God's gift to metal? Great album, don't get me wrong, I love it...but for my money "Ride the Lightning" is THE definitive Metallica album and the greatest thrash album ever.
Well, those are the ones I can think of. Which "lost" albums are your faves?

So, fess up folks! Do you have any albums by bands you like that either didn't do "well" or were panned but you still rank them high? Here's a short list of mine...
Caress of Steel - Rush
In my Top 5 Rush albums even though it spawned the infamous "Down the Tubes Tour". Containing only three regular-length songs, the 10-minute piece "The Necromancer" and the full-side length concept opus "The Fountain of Lamneth", this album almost ended Rush's career. However, "Fountain..." gave the boys one last inspiration to either do it their way or go down trying...leading to "2112" which launched their career and spawned prog-metal as we know it. To this day, "Fountain" is my favorite piece to get stoned to, hands down.
Good Trouble - REO Speedwagon
Nestled between two mega-hit albums, this 1982 offering is my fave REO album. I'm more of a 70's REO fan...but "Good Trouble" managed to keep that 70's feel that "Hi Infidelity" lacked while still creating songs that should have been huge hits. Easily Kevin Cronin's most powerful vocal album by a long shot.
Surveillance - Triumph
Not my fave Triumph album, but in the Top 2. Coming on the heels of the over-produced, heavily synth-oriented and (some say) "sell-out" album "Sport of Kings"...this may actually be Triumph's heaviest album. Spawned no real hits, but contains some of Rik Emmett's best guitar work. It was their last album with the original line-up, and they went out with a huge bang.
In Through the Out Door - Led Zeppelin
Ask any Zep fan what their favorite album is, and you get either "IV", "II" or "Houses of the Holy". I could never put my finger on why...but "In Through the Out Door" is my favorite total body of work by Led Zeppelin. I always thought that John Paul Jones was grossly underrated as a true musical force in that band, and his keyboard work in particular was brilliant on this album. This makes me wonder what kinds of sounds Zep would have experimented with if they'd been around into the 80's.
Broadsword and the Beast - Jethro Tull
I'm gonna catch a lot of flak for this one from Tull fans...but I totally dig this album and it's perhaps my fave album by Ian Anderson and Co. Doesn't contain my favorite songs individually...but as a whole album, it's way cool. Said by many critics to be way to reliant on synths, I disagree. Another album you can get stoned to every song to.
Ride the Lightning - Metallica
Am I the only metal fan who doesn't think that "Master of Puppets" was God's gift to metal? Great album, don't get me wrong, I love it...but for my money "Ride the Lightning" is THE definitive Metallica album and the greatest thrash album ever.
Well, those are the ones I can think of. Which "lost" albums are your faves?
