I LOVE the Residents. They’re wierdness makes everything so wrong yet so right. I like the Stone Roses as well. They were consistantly good, while Happy Monday’s only real achievment was Pills. I personally think Pills was better than any Stone Roses album, but the Roses were definately the better band as whole.
Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey’s Dead
Just as good as Psychocandy. I listen to it more often.
Belly - Star and King
I like them better than any of the Throwing Muses or Breeders albums that are rated far higher by critics (though they are all good).
The Feelies - The Good Earth
The Replacements - Let it Be
Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
Pink Moon gets more attention, but this is incredible.
I’d also mention Big Star, Can, Wire, etc, but these (and probably some of my other choices) are not so much underrated, as not rated at all by most people.
Actually, I guess pretty much any album by Richard and Linda Thompson (and most solo albums by Richard) should make the list. They are one of my top 10 bands of all time, but rarely get love even from critics.
Hokey Pokey, Pour Down Like Silver, I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight, and Shoot Out the Lights are all fantastic (especially the last two).
Check out songs like “The Calvary Cross”, “The Great Valerio”, “Night Comes In”, “Walking on a Wire”, “Shoot Out the Lights”, “Did She Jump or Was She Pushed?”, “Wall of Death”, and many, many more. And solo songs like “Waltzing’s For Dreamers”.
Yes - Relayer
Saga - In transit
Anything by Pitchshifter, Snapcase or HEDpe.
Rainbow - Rising
I also agree with the Spirit album mentioned above. I always enjoy listening to it.
One album that comes to mind is Sell Out by The Who. It’s kind of a transition album from their early R&B stylings to Tommy and beyond.
Rough Mix by Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane is a great album that is more of an unknown than it is underrated, but I feel it needs mentioning. Good luck on finding a copy, but if you spot it, get it.
Seconds of Pleasure by Rockpile. Great rock and roll.
I love the Clutch album Elephant Riders, if you like hard rock you’ll like it, the song The Yeti is bad ass. If thats your thing also check out Kyuss , The Circus Leaves Town, or thier song Demon Cleaner.
cw - Elephant Riders is great. I always get a bit of a Zappa vibe from Clutch. I’m not sure why, but I like it.
A year ago I would have mentioned Queens of the Stone Age (along with Kyuss) but they seem to have gotten sort of popular these days so I guess they don’t count anymore. I still like em anyway.
My nominations,
“the xenon codex” by Hawkwind, a trip not to be missed (but most did).
As far as bands go, I nominate “FM” (Canada), why they didn’t take off I don’t know, if you can find it I suggest you listen to “Surveillance” (sp?).
unclviny
Secret Treaties by Blue Öyster Cult.
I have no idea why this isn’t up there with the classic albums of all time. Every track on the album is a doozy. Very listenable, yet full of unnerving imagery and eery arrangements, and Buck Dharma’s guitar work is astonishing.
Songs to Remember by Scritti Politti. It did OK in its time and is quite well-regarded. I just think it deserves even greater fame and acclaim than it tends to receive. Every track is good, but each one is also completely different and offbeat in its own way, with the album as a whole constituting a highly creative and experimental de-construction of what ‘pop music’ sounds like while remaining very accessible and easy to enjoy. There’s all kinds of weird stuff on it, such as a track which they realised sounded better if they left the guide vocal (just la-la-lahing along to the tune) from the demo on the final mix as well as the actual finished vocal. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does. The whole album is crammed with these kinds of unusual touches, and rewards many repeated listenings. Plus it was all recorded on a shoestring budget mostly by people who had never worked together before.
Okay, here’s one that sold well enough, but critics didn’t seem to like too much.
REM’s Out of Time.
Every song here is wonderful, except Radio Song. Even Shiny Happy People.
I’m going for anything by the imortal rock legends Rocket from the Crypt, but I’ll single out The Start of Art Is On Fire and Group Sounds. Also, Civil Disobedients by Capdown. And whilst not really rock, You Were Here by Sarah Harmer is virtually perfect if you dig the whole singer-songwriter thing.
That said, underrated can mean a few things. It could be an album from a band that doesn’t get much exposure but has a loyal, diehard fanbase. It wouldn’t be underrated by their fans, but it will be by the public in general. Or it could be an album that is a critical or commercial flop, but becomes successful years afterwards (like Pinkerton by Weezer.)