# Most underrated musical artist/band? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2019, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703 "2019-07-27T10:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/21 "2019-07-28T15:27:22Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Well, _I’ve Got A Line On You_ got a lot of airplay. > > And _Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus_ was all over college radio stations… and my dorm. The song “Nature’s Way” was an anthem for my freshman year. > > And here’s [an amazing cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWq-7kuESe8). By a duo that _should_ be world-famous: Rodrigo y Gabriela. They did this with Øystein Greni, frontman for Norway’s band Bigbang, another contender for this thread. There were fans, but they were a niche. I listened to them all the time in college, but I knew few others who knew who they were. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/22 "2019-07-28T16:15:38Z")
I think there are _lots_ of bands and artists that are really good, but are not very well known, for various reasons unrelated to their actual level of talent. I don’t think of them as “underrated” so much as “under-known” or “under-popular” or “not-really-rated-at-all”; and I don’t know how you’d decide on one that was the _most_ underrated. I think the question posed by the thread title is more interesting if you think about acts that _everybody_ knows, or has at least heard of, but they’re really much better than many people think they are. Who’s the most underrated in that sense? ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/23 "2019-07-28T16:41:22Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I think the question posed by the thread title is more interesting if you think about acts that _everybody_ knows, or has at least heard of, but they’re really much better than many people think they are. Who’s the most underrated in that sense? From a purely musical perspecitve, both as individual players, from a talent-wise perspective, and virtuoso instrumentalists as well as also incredibly nuanced, insightful songwriters, as well as being one of the most innovative live performing band in modern American musical history as a whole, it has to be the Grateful Dead, hands down. All that people who are not familiar with their music remember is the various stupid “Skeletons and Roses” bullshit Jr. High School level comic-book imagery and the “Oooh, illegal drugs, hey man, I like to get high too, Haw Haw Haw!!!” reputation that made it almost impossible for the general public to get past and focus on the music did the band a huge disservice, but for those in the know, the music stands the test of time and speaks for itself, now some 25 years later… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/24 "2019-07-28T17:13:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I think the question posed by the thread title is more interesting if you think about acts that _everybody_ knows, or has at least heard of, but they’re really much better than many people think they are. Who’s the most underrated in that sense? I’d offer up The Kinks. They’re reasonably well-known (I mean, everybody knows “You Really Got Me” and “Lola,” for instance), but I don’t get the sense that most people regard them anywhere near as highly as they should be except music aficionados. ABBA is another one that comes to mind for different reasons, though I think there has been some critical reassessment of them in the last ten or twenty years. Everybody knows their hits, and a lot of people I know seem to consider them a “guilty pleasure” but there should be no guilt in enjoying the tightly written pop songs with catchy melodies and sweet harmonies of this group. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/25 "2019-07-28T17:26:05Z")
One day in 1978 I walked into my local record shop as [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71s-T8oUTQs) was playing. For the only time in my life, I walked directly to the counter and said: “Get that off the turntable and put it in a bag. Here’s the money.” I think of the Mekons as virtually unknown, but that youtube video has over a half million hits - so who knows. This is making me all nostalgic. These are the [Delta 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggBQC52SLis). I saw them on the Slits’ Simply What’s Happening tour - you don’t get it from this Peel session recording, but the group was Drums, Guitar, Bass, Bass, Bass. They made the building shake. (And over 200 000 hits for that video). Most underrated - can I offer a DJ? [John Peel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peel) (as in “Peel session”, above) was actually extremely well known in the UK (I have no idea about the US) and was a tireless promoter of new music. Discovering Peel on the radio was a rite of passage for British youth - simply part of growing up. And _still_ we massively underestimated his importance. I would posit that music in Britain (and for that matter globally) has still not recovered from his untimely death in 2004. He was that important, even if you never knew his name. I’ll stop now. j ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/26 "2019-07-28T17:51:27Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > From a purely musical perspecitve, both as individual players, from a talent-wise perspective, and virtuoso instrumentalists as well as also incredibly nuanced, insightful songwriters, as well as being one of the most innovative live performing band in modern American musical history as a whole, it has to be the Grateful Dead, hands down. I agree that they’re the greatest American rock band of all time, and more than that, the _most American_ rock band of all time if that makes any sense. But I don’t think they’re underrated, they definitely get their due. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/27 "2019-07-28T18:28:45Z")
Here is [The Ballad of El Goodo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn1t6l7UUPc) by Big Star. They got decent critical reviews, could have been huge, but the labels blew it as far as distribution and promotion. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/28 "2019-07-28T18:56:49Z")
My favorite _underrated_ musical artist/band, or my favorite musical artist/band that never gained much publicity and fame? For the former, Joni Mitchell is often regarded as one of the best rock/folk songwriters of all time. Yet few talk about her guitar playing. She was an extremely good and underrated guitarist, IMO. As for the latter… Everyone has heard of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yet few have heard of [Roy Buchanan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Buchanan). He was quite outstanding. I’m a huge fan of [The Residents](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Residents), especially their early stuff. Despite putting out 46 albums (some better than others), 20 live albums, and many videos, few people have heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/29 "2019-07-28T19:34:07Z")
> [@ski](#): > > Fans realize he is a fantastic and amazingly versatile guitar player with literally hundreds of albums, but I’d bet few others have ever heard of Buckethead. > > [https://m.youtube.com/results?search\_query=Buckethead](https://m.youtube.com/results?search_query=Buckethead) I would say most would know him from his Guns N Roses stint and eccentric behavior. So, he’s probably known by a few million people, but they don’t really know about his actual playing and solo output. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/30 "2019-07-28T20:00:30Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’d offer up The Kinks. They’re reasonably well-known (I mean, everybody knows “You Really Got Me” and “Lola,” for instance), but I don’t get the sense that most people regard them anywhere near as highly as they should be except music aficionados. Being banned from playing in the USA from '65-'69 was probably the major factor in their being “underrated”. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/31 "2019-07-28T21:14:47Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Being banned from playing in the USA from '65-'69 was probably the major factor in their being “underrated”. It was a big factor, but the Stones as well didn’t tour the States between 66-69, and that somehow didn’t do much damage to their popularity. I think the Kinks’ distinctive Britishness was at least as big a factor for the fact that they never hit as big as the Stones or the Who in the USA, though they definitely were their peers and as good as these bands. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2019, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/32 "2019-07-28T21:30:39Z")
Original poster here. The responses thus far have been very intriguing. I definitely plan to start listening to the Meters and Walter Trout! Since the thread is now touching on not-wholly-unknown acts, I’ve got one to offer: Jellyfish. This power-pop band released only two albums. Drummer/vocalist Andy Sturmer, who co-founded the band, has effectively disappeared for the 25 years since then. Have a listen: Several factors no doubt went into Jellyfish’s lack of commercial success, but I like to blame the album artwork. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/33 "2019-07-29T10:33:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Cool! Never heard of these guys, and this stuff is totally up my alley! Thanks! Have you heard even older, even less productive but likewise Scottish band [The Blue Nile](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTAAgVOdTLI) whose first two albums **A Walk Across the Rooftops** and the linked **Hats** are sonic masterpieces. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2019, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/34 "2019-07-29T10:57:45Z")
[Shelleyan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Zz7BX3tsQ) [Orphan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHE7pS8S9oQ) - the perfect dream pop band [Honolulu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7YJyjAAoY) [Mountain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X53gEWDcFY) [Daffodils](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWfm6qBteMw) - Stooges-y rock I don’t know why [Meg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR5u9jb0PJE) [Myers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQqZg5BisE) isn’t much huger than she is. > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > A good opportunity to plug my favorite band nobody ever heard about (at least in the USA), Norway’s national treasure [Motorpsycho](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/motorpsycho-mn0000599741/biography). How many national treasures is Norway producing? I mean, there’s the goddess [AURORA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06ht9MyJLT4) and the band of awesome [Wardruna](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UPUPDo20nM) (oh, and look, [here they are collaborating](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnkTuHP9q3o)) and Sigrid and Röyksopp and … it seems like Norwegian music is made of awesome (and I’m not even including the metal scene, because I don’t like metal very much) ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/35 "2019-07-30T21:49:39Z")
Happy Rhodes. Listen to this gem, recorded live… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSToMTvLpAw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSToMTvLpAw) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/36 "2019-07-30T22:36:52Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > It was a big factor, but the Stones as well didn’t tour the States between 66-69, and that somehow didn’t do much damage to their popularity. I think the Kinks’ distinctive Britishness was at least as big a factor for the fact that they never hit as big as the Stones or the Who in the USA, though they definitely were their peers and as good as these bands. I would qualify that a bit – Ray Davies was the equal of (at least, and probably better than, and certainly more prolific than) Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards as a songwriter. The Kinks as a band – no, not the equals of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, unfortunately, and that might have something (not everything) to do with their relative lack of commercial success in the US. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/37 "2019-07-30T22:42:42Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/38 "2019-07-30T23:05:02Z")
I’ve been listening a lot to Mott The Hoople in the last days, and I thought that they’re a good contender for this thread. Mostly known for their spell with Bowie on “All The Young Dudes” (album and single), they always had been a bona fide bare-bones rock’n’roll band with style and swagger. A perfect match of Dylan and the Stones, as I’ve read somewhere, and that puts it well. All their six or so albums were great, only avoid the last two albums without Ian Hunter issued under the band name Mott (without the Hoople), they must be terrible. But don’t confuse those with the album “[Mott](https://www.allmusic.com/album/mott-mw0000652911)”, which was still issued under their old band moniker Mott the Hoople, and which is one of their best. I know this sounds confusing, but blame the band, they even released an album with the name “[The Hoople](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-hoople-mw0000654822)” (which was also great) to add to the confusion. Phew, after that name confusion, here are some songs: [One Of The Boys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBT2pKTJUy4) [Drivin’ Sister](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUrHKmm7B60) [The Golden Age Of Rock’n’Roll](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEM3T7kT4JI) [Death May Be Your Santa Claus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djfugoFOB_w) [Rock And Roll Queen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNYGpPdguko) Given that the banes of rock’n’roll life and being on the road always was a theme in their music, even after a last minute boost by Bowie that brought them their 15 months (or so) of fame, I think the band may have died from disillusion and lacking recognition. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/39 "2019-07-30T23:06:41Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I would qualify that a bit – Ray Davies was the equal of (at least, and probably better than, and certainly more prolific than) Lennon/McCartney and Jagger/Richards as a songwriter. > > The Kinks as a band – no, not the equals of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, unfortunately, and that might have something (not everything) to do with their relative lack of commercial success in the US. You got me there. And I absolutely agree with your post. I put it wrongly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703/40 "2019-07-31T08:31:51Z")
I would like to add Terry Kath, the guitarist of Chicago. I mean Chicago is a famous band, but I don’t think Kath got the recognition he deserves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-underrated-musical-artist-band/837703.md?page=1)