I dunno about albums, but surely The Jam must be the most under-rated band of all time? I think maybe the fact they are labelled as a "punk" act turns up noses, which is a shame because their musicianship, lyrics, and just the feel of their songs really is fantastic. Probably the best British band since The Beatles (who, ironically, are the MOST OVERRATED bunch of sods in the universe! 🙂 )
I think I love you. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ok, I respect The Beatles...but def overrated to the Nth. And yeah, The Jam can get the juices flowing if you can find em around.
Sound Affects and
The Gift were a couple of really good back-to-back albums. And yeah...they are far beyond the basic description of "punk".
Ok, so my fave underrated albums by my fave bands...hmmm....
Caress of Steel by Rush. They actually dubbed the COS tour the "Down the Tubes Tour". But, I found it to be a very enjoyable album. Very trippy, and the side-long concept piece
The Fountain of Lamneth was a musical precursor to
2112; and lyrically/conceptually a foreshadowing of
Xanadu. It's a really good little disc.
Good Trouble by REO Speedwagon. Nestled in between the monster
Hi Infidelity and the "comback album"
Wheels are Turnin', this album has got some POWERFUL songs on it. Some of Gary Richrath's most emotive solos and two of the most breathtaking power-balads of all time. Hell, I don't even know if they qualify as ballads, they're so strongly played. Give a listen to
I'll Follow You and
Stillness of the Night and tell me this album sucked. It gets very little play even among fans, but it's my second fave REO album behind
You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish.
Season's End by Marillion. Caught between the end of the "Fish-era" Marillion and the acceptance of the Steve Hogarth-led band, this disc got a little forgotten among fans, with the notable exception of the powerful
Easter. However, I really love this album and consider it one of Marillion's finest efforts prior to the ground-breaking
Marbles.
Astra by Asia. The third Asia album, and the first without founding member/guitarist Steve Howe...basically the beginning of the end. Ironically, it was the guitar sound that made me like this album. The addition of the relatively unheralded Mandy Myers of Krokus was questionable at the time, but the mix of Myer's power-chord laden riffs with Asia's inherant "sound" made for some memorable tunes. It was crisply produced and the sound just leaps into your speakers. This disc is worth it for
Rock and Roll Dream alone...recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Broadsword and the Beast by Jethro Tull. This disc can usually be found in the $1.99 bin, but there are some damn good tracks here. Some of Ian Anderson's most memorable and catchy flute riffs are ironcially on thier most forgotten album. Also, as many "classic rock era" bands did in the 80's, there was a heavy mix of synthesizers on this one, but Tull made it work. Of course, being a fan of old analog-synth sounds, I would have a prediliction for that, huh?
I'm sure I'll think of more later.
