# What song is on you best list that nobody else has even heard of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902 "2006-07-25T00:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/21 "2006-07-25T08:57:14Z")
I have to give a shout to two more, not incredibly obscure, but two of my favs. Is that thing loaded yet?.. 😃 Aereoplane - John Hartford A Wizard/A True Star - Todd Rundgren ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/22 "2006-07-25T10:31:41Z")
My contribution to this thread… Any frickin’ song at all by [Happy Rhodes](http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodes). [QUOTE=garygnu] I have eclectic musical taste, and my friends haven’t heard of a large portion of my collection. Let’s see how SDMB fares. I’ve got two especially: “Water Dance” by Raffi “Harbor” by Vienna Teng Heard 'em? Give me some of your own wierd and/or obscure music. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard of Vienna and have seen her live a few times. I even have [this poster](http://wretchawry.com/Images/Vienna.gif) on my wall. Did you know her new album, Dreaming Through The Noise, is due out today? Did Raffi used to sing songs for children, or am I thinking of someone else? [QUOTE=Unintentionally Blank] Curious by The Innocence Mission [/QUOTE] I love that song and that album (and all their albums). That song is so fun. Everyone in the family is giddy with excitement about meeting their brother’s new girlfriend, who comes from England, to them a very exotic place. I love The Dukes of Stratophere! [QUOTE=ErinPuff] “Unemployed in Summertime” - Emiliana Torrini “Stay” - Jorane [/QUOTE] I know those two. I saw Jorane live once. It was a very good concert. ---
**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 25, 2006, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/23 "2006-07-25T10:37:34Z")
Well, other than a whole lot of South African alternative stuff that no-one else here would have heard, some of my fave songs seem pretty unknown: _Century Flower_, **Shelleyan Orphan** _Disturbocharger_, **Honolulu Mountain Daffodills** _Bedrock_,\*\* Foetus\*\* Also, I never see any love for early **Swans** on the 'Dope - _Raping a Slave_ being particularly beloved by me. ---
**Author:** ![Seymour\_Gams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Seymour\_Gams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seymour_Gams)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/24 "2006-07-25T10:40:07Z")
I love Vienna Teng, good choice. The Salvidor Dali Murder Mystery by Death By Chocolate. Unemployed in Summertime by Emiliana Torrini A Town Called Luckey by Rilo Kiley Helicoptor by The Borrowers Rabbits and Bears by The Billy Nayer Show ---
**Author:** ![Seymour\_Gams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Seymour\_Gams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seymour_Gams)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/25 "2006-07-25T10:41:33Z")
[QUOTE=ErinPuff] “Unemployed in Summertime” - Emiliana Torrini [/QUOTE] Not only does someone list Emiliana Torrini before me but the same damn song? Wow… ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/26 "2006-07-25T11:27:44Z")
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon] I can’t beat it, necessarily, but I have the album (well, purchased the whole thing from iTunes). I didn’t know it was obscure, though. :smack: [/QUOTE] Do you like it as much as I do? My favorite songs are _Postmodern_ and _How Do They Do That?_ ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/27 "2006-07-25T11:49:58Z")
But do you have **Memorial Beach** and **Analogue**? 🙂 If not, You have some listnen to do. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/28 "2006-07-25T11:56:11Z")
GAH! (from a-ha…I meant to say…from a-ha) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/29 "2006-07-25T12:00:43Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] Just a sampling (I’ll stick with one song by each obscure group or musician): “Madeira M’Dear” by Flanders and Swan [/QUOTE] Ding! I recognize that one. Can’t hum or sing it and can’t quote you any lyrics, but I have “heard of” it. What else did those folks do? I have them confused with Ferrante and Teicher and a singing duo whose name is escaping me at the moment. Not Shields and Yarnell. Not Seals and Croft. They were regulars on the variety shows of the 60’s and were more a “pop” act than anything else. I seem to have them associated with something like “Somewhere My Love” or that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/30 "2006-07-25T12:20:00Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] Well, other than a whole lot of South African alternative stuff that no-one else here would have heard, some of my fave songs seem pretty unknown: _Century Flower_, **Shelleyan Orphan** [/QUOTE] I have that album. I haven’t listened to it in a long time but I remember it being very beautiful. I’ll have to dig it out along with the others I have by the group, **Helleborine** and **Humroot**. You reminded me to check,and there are a couple of Shelleyan Orphan MySpace pages. [This one](http://www.myspace.com/shelleyanorphan) has 4 songs and 4 videos (I’ve never seen a video!) and [this one](http://www.myspace.com/shelleyanorphanfans) only has one song, “Burst” from Humroot. It’s a fan site, wheras the other one looks to be somewhat official, but I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/31 "2006-07-25T12:38:50Z")
Oh, there’s also **Lifelines** (also a-ha)…I tried emailing you but it bounced, drop me a note at wildmail aaaaaaat millertwinracing doht com ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/32 "2006-07-25T13:59:50Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] “Look Out There’s a Monster Coming” by the Bonzo Dog Band. [/QUOTE] I know this one, it’s on Gorilla, my pick from that album would be either **The Intro and the Outro** or **Death Cab for Cutie** – tho’ tha latter probably doesn’t qualify as obscure enough since some guys called “band name!” and called their group after it. My obscure favourite would be something off one of the first three LPs by **Doll by Doll** , Butcher Boy, Palace of Love or Bright Green Field. I think of this band as another **Big Star** / **Soft Boys** type greatest never-successful/ignored-in-their-own-time band. Unfortunately you cannot get their albums on CD so there’s no way for people to discover them. Another: **(I want to be an) Anglepoise Lamp** by The Soft Boys. I don’t even have a copy of the record (it was a single) IIRC there’s a live version on one of the releases (the CD?) of Can of Bees. To go utterly obscure a song I really like by them is **The Lonsome Death of Ian Penman** which I only have on a bootleg tape, they never released it. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/33 "2006-07-25T14:14:07Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] **Doll by Doll**. . . so there’s no way for people to discover them. [/QUOTE] :smack:, annoyed grunt. Google “doll by doll” +download brings back a bunch of places where you can get two of the songs I listed, and a few others. Anyone care to give them a listen? ---
**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 25, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/34 "2006-07-25T14:54:22Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Ding! I recognize that one. Can’t hum or sing it and can’t quote you any lyrics, but I have “heard of” it. What else did those folks do? I have them confused with Ferrante and Teicher and a singing duo whose name is escaping me at the moment. Not Shields and Yarnell. Not Seals and Croft. They were regulars on the variety shows of the 60’s and were more a “pop” act than anything else. I seem to have them associated with something like “Somewhere My Love” or that sort of thing. [/QUOTE] See [this site](http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/) for F&S. The only person they could reasonable be confused with is Tom Lehrer (they were essentially the British version – though quite good in their own right). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/35 "2006-07-25T15:05:24Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] See [this site](http://www.nyanko.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/fas/) for F&S. The only person they could reasonable be confused with is Tom Lehrer (they were essentially the British version – though quite good in their own right). [/QUOTE] Thanks for the link. I had already done a Yahoo! search on their names to be sure they weren’t the ones I had been thinking of. I eventually located Sandler and Young as the ones I couldn’t recall. It’s peculiar that when I was trying to place where I had heard _Madeira M’Dear_ (if not the Flanders and Swan version) Tom Lehrer’s records flashed across my mind. I worked in a record shop when I was in my just-out-of-college days and pretty well heard most of the comedy records of that period. I’m not sure I saw F&S among them, and maybe my memory of them is from TV, but the song is definitely from that part of my life. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/36 "2006-07-25T15:25:38Z")
“Fall On Tears” by Love Spit Love. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/37 "2006-07-25T15:30:05Z")
[Bold Fenian Men,](http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bradley) as performed by Kellee Bradley. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/38 "2006-07-25T15:37:44Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] The entire album _Kill All Humans_ by Schnauser. This is without a doubt the most obscure thing in this thread yet. Armenian prog rock. Good luck beating that. In any case the album is amazing, and mind-blowing. [/QUOTE] Oh, we’re going obscure now? Okay. I own _TWO_ Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s albums. Betcha didn’t know there even -were- two, did ya? And from the quality, they should’ve stopped at one. But still…! ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/39 "2006-07-25T15:43:11Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] Nobody’s heard of _anything_ on my best list. I like really old music. You know what they say: “If you can remember the '30s - you weren’t born yet.”) [/QUOTE] Do you have Billy Murray singing “Fido Is a Hot Dog Now?” ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/40 "2006-07-25T15:55:12Z")
[QUOTE=Small Clanger] Another: **(I want to be an) Anglepoise Lamp** by The Soft Boys. I don’t even have a copy of the record (it was a single) IIRC there’s a live version on one of the releases (the CD?) of Can of Bees. [/QUOTE] It’s available on the Rhino box set _No Thanks!: The 70s Punk Rebellion_ and also **The Soft Boys** _1976-1981_ compilation put out by Ryko (out of print, but you can still find it around). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902.md?page=3)