best band you have never heard???
Hrmm, here is one.
.::Budgie::. was the lovable trio from Wales, the stepchild of Black Sabbath and Rush (due both to musical and visual similarities to these two bands), plying their trade at a time when practically no one other than Sabbath was doing so. One has to appreciate the humorous album covers and quirky song titles (“Napoleon Bona-Part I”, “You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk”, “Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman”, where do they come up with this stuff?), as well as one of the most diverse songwriting styles ever, with their aformentioned Sabbath/Rush style on one end, folky acoustic ditties on the other, and practically everything in between as well. They were cult favorites in the UK for years, though they never really achieved a lot of success elsewhere. Another band given a boost via the Metallica cover treatment, with two of their classics, “Breadfan” and “Crash Course In Brain Surgery”, covered by James and company. Though it’s difficult to pinpoint a best album, a good bet (and arguably one of the best overall representations of their style) might be Never Turn Your Back On A Friend. Budgie was an outstanding band, well ahead of its time.
The Court And Spark, especially on the album Bless You. Critics have called them an alt.country version of Steely Dan due to the studio-obsessive factor, but I think they sound like an alt.country version of Pink Floyd, circa Meddle or DSOTM. The vocals sound like Margo Timmins dueting with John Prine.
This is the best band I’ve heard in ages. I can’t praise them highly enough.
http://www.dreamchimney.com/theCourtandSpark/ for details.
I find it sad beyond words that I can quote the bands Midnight Oil and Powderfinger and the pitiful state of the US music scene these days has become so amazingly insular that none of you will probably even know who they are.
Don’t believe me? Go and take a quick look at your charts… count the number of foreign acts. Fewer than ever before, and it’s not due to talent. It’s purely due to the insitutionalised payola which exists nowadays between American record labels and American radio networks.
It’s gotten so bad that if Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd arrived on the scene now, I doubt any of you would have heard of them either.
Look, I’m not saying that it’s your fault, my fellow dopers. You naturally wish to have a quick rave about that which you’re familiar with. What I’m trying to say is that there is SO MUCH incredible music being made outside of the USA these days which simply is NOT GETTING IN because the payola can’t be afforded.
Of course, we know Midnight Oil. They’re the ones with the bald guy who sing “Beds are Burning”. They don’t have any other songs, do they? 
I agree, it’s really sad that we don’t get much foreign rock, and what we do usually comes from the UK. If it weren’t for word of mouth I would have never heard of Blind Guardian, or Rage (not Against the Machine, just Rage), or Running Wild. (hint… those are more bands to check out. Especially if you like metal, and are dissatisfied with the current US offerings.)
Oh, I’d agree. Another recent favorite of mine is Zuco 103, which can best be described as Brazilian Eurotech triphop. If I weren’t listening to KEXP (linked above), I’d never have heard of them.
I don’t bother with American radio any more (except NPR), for exactly the reasons you describe.