Most underrated artists/albums.

[leedsrevolution]

A follow on from Offys thread. I will start:

Dinasaur JR

JAPAN

Sensless Things

[Adamski]

The Cribs
The Hold Steady
Half Man Half Biscuit

[Offshore Toon]

Franz Ferdinand - they don't get enough credit for their first two albums.
Rainbow - mostly for Rainbow Rising which is incredible. They're actually playing the O2 this summer so I really ought to go.
Little Dragon - I don't see how anybody could dislike them and they have so many great songs.

[Lewis]

I've always thought Lynyrd Skynyrd are underappreciated. They maybe aren't Led Zeppelin tier (who is?), but they're definitely in the mix for topping the next level down, and yet nobody ever really seems to mention them as a top, top rock band.

[Offshore Toon]

I know of some people that love them but I've never checked them out properly. Might do now.

[Adamski]

There's loads actually.

Ryan Adams & The Black Keys are another two of mine.

[Offshore Toon]

The Black Keys are massive.

[Adamski]

In the UK? I wouldn't say so, they're the very definition of underrated.

[Offshore Toon]

Maybe compared to twats like Kings Of Leon, but they subbed the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in 2014 and had a big crowd.

[Reg]

Parliament-Funkadelic (mainly in England. Some Americans know what's up.)

[phonics]

Didn't Samsung or Sony use one of their songs in an advert? Black Keys not Parliament.

[Alex]

I would say The Feelies and The Replacements are maybe the two bands I'm really into who I feel are very underrated. Particularly The Replacements, Paul Westerberg being one of the finest songwriters of his, or any, generation, for my money.

The Beach Boys, although obviously huge, have an incredibly underrated mid-career catalogue. I don't think they get a great deal of respect for their post Pet Sounds output, it's almost like they ceased to exist from a critical standpoint once the wheels fell off of Smile. But they actually embarked on an almost decade-long run of releasing mostly very interesting, sometime strange, but always entertaining material.

I sort of want to mention The Fall as well, who I would say are probably my favourite band this country has ever produced, but they can be very polarising and have released material that's just flat out hard to like, so I'm not sure they really fit into this category. If you get into them there really is an endlessly fascinating catalogue of music available there though.

[Offshore Toon]

I've always thought Lynyrd Skynyrd are underappreciated. They maybe aren't Led Zeppelin tier (who is?), but they're definitely in the mix for topping the next level down, and yet nobody ever really seems to mention them as a top, top rock band.


I know of some people that love them but I've never checked them out properly. Might do now.
Got sick of their first album at Mississippi Kid.

[Alex]

I love The Cribs. I went to see Arcade Fire with Ryan Jarman a long time ago. Proper good guy. Seen them live about 10 times, great live act.

I agree that The Cribs are very underrated. One of the few bands that came out of that post-Strokes indie eruption and not only managed to survive, but also to grow and have a worthwhile career. Their last couple of albums have been their best work to date, in my opinion. I don't just say this because they're Wakefield's most famous sons either. Although that might come into it slightly. :D

They want to fucking get themselves back to Wakefield and stop playing their "homecoming" shows in Leeds though. We've got a perfectly good music venue gathering dust over here. They played once after it had just opened and then never came back.

[-james-]

Gnod - probably one of the best British band of the last 10 years

Senyawa - might be the best live act in the world at the moment

Arthur Russell - one of the best singer songwriters ever


I guess best = my favourite in threads like these.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I doubt Sam Cooke is truly underrated, but I've yet to hear a better voice in my trawls through the music archives. I guess he died young but should be as big a figure as anyone.

[Adamski]

Soul/Motown in general is criminally underrated so I'd agree there.

[Spammer]

I agree that The Cribs are very underrated. One of the few bands that came out of that post-Strokes indie eruption and not only managed to survive, but also to grow and have a worthwhile career. Their last couple of albums have been their best work to date, in my opinion. I don't just say this because they're Wakefield's most famous sons either. Although that might come into it slightly. :D

They want to fucking get themselves back to Wakefield and stop playing their "homecoming" shows in Leeds though. We've got a perfectly good music venue gathering dust over here. They played once after it had just opened and then never came back.

Did you like The Music?

I'm mates with the drummer. He's a good bloke.

[Alex]

Did you like The Music?

I'm mates with the drummer. He's a good bloke.

They were decent. I didn't listen to them enough to say any more than that really. Take the Long Road and Walk It remains an absolutely colossal tune though. :cool:

Quite a few of my mates were really into them, they used to go to a lot of the gigs and stuff. I remember being offered tickets to their last gig in Leeds, but I couldn't go for some reason. Which was a shame because I would have liked to have seen them live at least once, if only to witness the lead singers dancing in person. That guy could really move. :D

[Giggles]

Paradise Lost.

[Adamski]

Take it to the "my autobiography title" thread Giggles.

[Giggles]

Oh look, there you are again.

Good one.

[Raoul Duke]

The Mountain Goats

[Spammer]

Parliament-Funkadelic (mainly in England. Some Americans know what's up.)

Off to see them in Leeds next month :cool:

I agree with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers are in the same bracket, although I think they're quite well regarded at least in the States.

I think Supertramp and Jethro Tull aren't really heard of nowadays. Both proper good though. Jethro Tull more rock-folk and Supertramp closer to rock-pop.

I think we need examples of songs guys.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG-r7YvcN9I


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh3Kk5tZSmo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZup5YLOWLE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJHqFFWuNI4

[Jimmy Floyd]

My mum and dad listen to Supertramp fucking constantly as it was their courting music in the 70s, so I see them as overrated. It isn't bad though, to be fair.

[Reg]

Off to see them in Leeds next month :cool:
:cool:

I'm seeing them in London. So glad George is still touring.

[igor_balis]

The Cribs
The Hold Steady
Half Man Half Biscuit

Was about to take the piss for liking the Cribs but HMHB are one of my all-time faves so fair play to ya.

[Shindig]

I feel like The Twilight Sad play in venues that do their songs the most justice but, man, I've not heard them phone an album in yet.

[igor_balis]

I reckon Prefab Sprout have a few absolutely outstanding singles, and I think they're unfairly dismissed as a bit of a novelty act because of their silly big hit, and their stupid name. Bonny is probably my favourite song EVER!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3Rh2hnDtAg

Maybe The Shins? It does feel like a lot of people like them, but it feels like they're more just seen as part of the furniture of the indie/alternative world than ever really being spoken of as a top top band. The Garden State thing does them no favours in this regard either, but it probably lead to more people hearing about them so I don't mind it that much. It is proper cringe cinema though.

ABC? The Lexicon of Love is brilliant.

[The Merse]

Never really understand what to do with this question. Given most bands are limited first and foremost due to their style. So I've gone with bands that ought be placed more prominently amongst their peers.

Within the context of melodic hardcore, Departures should really be headlining ahead of the bands that they've been third on the bill to. Three albums down and they're clearly the closest the UK has to a Defeater.

Danananananaykroyd and Johnny Foreigner should have been doyens of the punk/alt/indie scene but somehow it never happened. Even with the former having a single on FIFA, their final tour was to 150 odd people at a time and the latter are still pretty much a midlands band, presumably their rampant Japanese following having fallen away too.

Mission of Burma really deserve to mentioned I the same breath as he big 80s PP/Alt definers like Replacements and Husker Du. Unfortunately, they remained to independent.

Cap n Jazz get less love than Rites of Spring. Which is toss.

McLusky should've been the UK's Drive Like Jehu/Rocket From The Crypt.

Million Dead and ThisGirl seemed to be higher on the bill than Biffy Clyro at every UK post-hardcore gig of the early noughties. Something I disliked at the time being a BC super fan for the 02-05 Beggars Banquet released albums, but which also shows where they might've ended up. Albeit, maybe they too would've had to morph into U2 apeing mawks.