# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/41 "2006-07-25T16:56:08Z")
_We’re Dancin’ 'Til It Blows Over_ by Second Helping, which is Quebec rock legend Michel Pagliaro, adopting a group name before just going by his last name. Great song, great singin’, great playin’. Deadly obscure and rare, not on an album and never issued on CD. (I have the only two copies I’ve ever seen.) Michel made a string of really good English pop records in the early-to-mid '70s. He’s well-known for _Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy_, but not a lot of folks have heard _Sure Maybe_. The vast majority of his material is in French. The best one I know of these is “J’entends frapper.” I second the Emitt Rhodes mention. I have all his stuff, including The Merry-Go-Round records. _Thumbin’ A Ride_ by Jackie Lomax. Cover of a Coasters song. Incredible B-side of a wholly unremarkable single on Apple Records, which features George Harrison on lead guitar and Paul McCartney on drums. _Walk That Walk_ by David Clayton Thomas. _Any Other Way_ by Jackie Shane. _Mighty Man_ by Mungo Jerry. _Berkeley Mews_ by The Kinks. _Rock And Roll Band_ by Billy Mysner (aka Bill Marion) _Too True Mama_ by Crowbar _Buffalo Grass_ by Doug Feaver. This might win the obscurity award. I’m not aware of him ever having made a recording of it, despite having performed it hundreds of times. I’m not likely to ever run into anybody who even knows who he is. ---
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/42 "2006-07-25T17:05:22Z")
Probably my favorite song ever is “Forgiveness” by Patty Griffin, which is not super-obscure, but, well, pretty obscure. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/43 "2006-07-25T17:24:53Z")
Well it’s clear I’m not going to be out-obscuring many people here. It is the internet after all. Some more that might be a little more known: “An Poc Ar Bulle” “Pina Colada in a Pint Glass” “Me and the Moon” - Gaelic Storm (5 albums with the 6th on its way) “This Side” - Nickel Creek (3 albums) “Coney Island Washboard” - The Dapper Dans (2 albums) Raffi is indeed the children’s singer, but “Water Dance” is a mellow and fairly sophisticated instrumental from the _Baby Baluga_ album. **Unintentionally Blank** , **Equipoise** , etc. might like my Vienna Teng story: I unsuccessfully asked her out once in high school. ---
**Author:** ![Kairos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecc23a/32.png) [@Kairos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kairos)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/44 "2006-07-25T18:09:08Z")
Even if I’m not familiar with the particular song titles, I recognize a fair number of the artists mentioned - Husker Du (are they obscure?), Cinerama, Handsome Boy Modeling School, The Innocence Mission, Emiliana Torrini, Love Spit Love - but then, I worked in college radio, so I’ve _heard of_ tons of obscure stuff. (We had a guy who called in every week and asked us to play [The Flying Luttenbachers](http://nowave.pair.com/luttenbachers/).) The first song that popped into my head was “Star-Gazing Lily” by **Star Hustler**. **Sissybar’s** twee cover of “Gin and Juice” always made me smile. Oh, and I’ve been aching to hear **Geoff Farina’s** “Steely Dan” again. _sigh_ Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/45 "2006-07-25T18:49:28Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] Do you like it as much as I do? My favorite songs are _Postmodern_ and _How Do They Do That?_ [/QUOTE] I like _What Is Postmodern?_ and \*How Do They Do That \* okay, but I find I look for _Butterfly_ and \*Bones of Kramer \* most often when I’m listening to it. To answer your question, do I like it as much as you do… probably not. 😉 I just wanted to comment that I had noooo idea it was obscure, and that’s kind of neat. Neat. You want obscure, I challenge you to find any of the songs I listed, though they may be done by somewhat popular bands/artists, on any mainstream site. You can’t get these on iTunes or Amazon. (With the exception of _Song For Holly_, since it is easily found on the _Go_ soundtrack at Amazon.) I’m only playing around, don’t take this challenge seriously. Not that I think the songs will be easily found, just that I do not know how to make my text convey the “girl with weak voice trying to act like she’s a blowhard and play with the big boys” tone. I also have one of the original copies of Blur’s _Wassailing Song_. Should a hardcore Blur fan read this, they will understand, foam at the mouth, and turn green with envy. Unless they have it, too. But the chances are slim. -ish. ---
**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, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/46 "2006-07-25T19:15:08Z")
**Dolby. Thomas Dolby** Blinded me with science guy. I guess I like ‘Alton Brown’ lookin’ people. I’ve got pretty much everything he’s put to media. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/47 "2006-07-25T19:33:55Z")
Too bad you’re logged out, **Unintentionally Blank**. I wonder if you know whether his recording of Joni Mitchell’s _The Jungle Line_ is available in digital media. The only place I’ve seen it is on the B-side of a 12" single, which I have on tape. An old friend of mine had one of his concerts on video, and the recording is taken from that concert. That’s a brilliant rendition of the song. Is it on CD? ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/48 "2006-07-25T19:51:55Z")
I’m familiar with: Celebrated Summer by Husker Du (love it) The Dukes of Stratosphear (love them) I love Foetus, but don’t believe I’ve heard Bedrock. I have a Swans compilation that I like, but couldn’t name any particular song so I probably don’t qualify. Everything else, never heard of them. As for me: Haunted by Poe ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/49 "2006-07-25T20:29:14Z")
[“Lies”](http://www.ifred.ca/stanrogers/songs/lie-sng.html) by Stan Rogers is my favorite song ever. I haven’t heard of any of the ones in this thread! ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/50 "2006-07-25T20:38:31Z")
Here is my top 10 of songs always on my iPod playlist which almost nobody has ever heard of: 1.) Robert Gordon & Link Wray - Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache 2.) Maids - Back to Bataan 3.) Demics - Oh Well 4.) Stump - Charlton Heston put his Vest On 5.) Forgotten Rebels - Highschool Hooker 6.) Slow - Against the Glass 7.) Young Canadians - Hawaii 8.) Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation 9.) Dave Edmunds - Creaure from the Black Lagoon 10.) The Birthday Party - Mutiny in Heaven ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/51 "2006-07-25T21:27:47Z")
My current “bunch of random favorites” iPod playlist has 156 songs on it, but just a few that I would consider even sort of obscure:[ul][li]“Heart of Mine” – Peter Salett[/li][li]“Monsters and Angels” – Voice of the Beehive[/li][li]“Dixie Drug Store” – Grant Lee Buffalo[/li][li]“The King is Half Undressed” – Jellyfish[/li][li]“Solution” – Laughing Colors[/li][li]“Gimme Some Water” – Eddie Money (people know him, of course, but few people know this song)[/li][li]“Smash” – Q[/li][li]“The Woman’s Touch” – Aeone[/li][li]“Want Me” – Red Delicious[/li][li]“The Bell” – Mike Oldfield[/li][li]“Can’t Get You On My Mind” – Adam Schmitt[/li]“I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” – Nik Kershaw[/ul] ---
**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, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/52 "2006-07-25T21:40:23Z")
[QUOTE=Equipoise] 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**.. [/QUOTE] Century Flower’s the best, though (well, that and the This Mortal Coil stuff Caroline did. Haven’t heard the new band, Babacar, yet) [QUOTE=Equipoise] 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. [/QUOTE] Ooh, thanks very much for that. I never even thought of looking for them on youtube. Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/53 "2006-07-25T23:10:03Z")
Most of my collection tends to be obscure, at least in the US. A few favorites: “Vowels,” from **Ulver** ’s \*Quick Fix of Melancholy \*EP. The best song from a stellar EP, showcasing Garm’s (no doubt processed) gorgeous voice. The closing lines: “…so low… so level… wolves evolve…” seldom fail to give me chills, solely as a result of his delivery. The EP as a whole, for some reason, tends to remind me of China Mieville and Perdido Street Station–maybe I was reading it when I first got the disc. “It Don’t Bother Me,” from **Absinthe** ’s _A Good Day to Die._ This isn’t an album I listen to often, as it gets me all verklemmt, and this song in particular is just a little too familar. But it’s still a favorite, in its way. “Thanks for All the AIDS” and “Akira the Don’s Drinking Song,” both from **Akira the Don** , a Brit rapper(? I’m not sure the proper term any more; rapper makes me think of MC Hammer and Run DMC.). He’s clever, funny, and political. Go check out his stuff! “Rats are Leaving” and “From Heaven into Hell,” from the **Revelling Crooks** ’ _From Heaven into Hell._ These guys are a German ‘klezmer-country-balkan-folk’ outfit, and lots of fun. I’ve got a soft spot for balkan/klezmer/gypsy tunes, so long as they’re not the oompah band sorta thing. “Igne Natura Renovatur Integra”, from **Enochian Crescent** ’s _Omega Telocvovim._ What is it with the Finns? While what I’ve heard of these guys’ non-musical antics is a bit disturbing, what I’ve been able to track down of their actual tunes is impressive–black metal that’s actually heavy on the melody, with some decent clean vocals and screeches that don’t bother me overmuch–but then, you learn to tune those out, listening to this sorta stuff. 😉 “Dogs Were Barking” and “Not a Crime” from **Gogol Bordello** ’s _Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike_. See above regarding gypsy tunes; I’m also a fan of fusions such as this. The former song, in particular, sounds like the sorta party I’d like to get invited to more often–dogs barking, dancing on the tables, girls cutting loose; what’s not to like, other than the cops lurking? 😃 **In the Woods**. Too many songs to list here; I’m a fan of _Omnio_ and Strange in Stereo and _Three Times Seven_; the vox on the first album were a bit hard for me to handle. If I could find more psychedelic weirdness along these lines I’d be one happy primate. I think I’ll stop now–that seems like a decent little sample. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/54 "2006-07-26T15:42:42Z")
**Milford Haven** - Oysterband **Davey Lowston** - Tickled Pink \*\*Pentyre Town \*\* - Bluehorses **He Ran Out of Road** - The Albion Band ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/55 "2006-07-26T17:45:52Z")
Blur, ‘The Universal’. It’s even better if you watch the video that goes with it. A duet between Zazie and Axel Bauer, ‘A ma place’. It’s in French, a sort of dark moody rock anthem. Everything else I imagine _someone_’s heard of around here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/56 "2006-07-26T18:11:40Z")
“The Devil’s Eyes” by **Bella Morte** ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/57 "2006-07-26T18:17:48Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] Blur, ‘The Universal’. It’s even better if you watch the video that goes with it. A duet between Zazie and Axel Bauer, ‘A ma place’. It’s in French, a sort of dark moody rock anthem. Everything else I imagine _someone_’s heard of around here. 🙂 [/QUOTE] And I have Blur’s _The Universal_. 😉 On video, too. It’s my husband’s favourite. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902/58 "2006-07-26T18:28:51Z")
Well… these aren’t really on my “best list,” but they’re all little pleasures which no one seems to have ever heard of. At least around here. :\ _Cinderella_ and _Miss You_ - JADE from Sweetbox _Boy_, _I Hate You Now_ and _No Angel_ - Marcella Levy _Worked Up So Sexual_ - The Faint _Place In The Sun_ - Cris Child _Yes Sir, I Can Boogie_ - Baccara _Endless Zero_ - Seiko Kobuchi _Gloomy Sunday_ - Heather Nova _If I Apologised_ - Iain Ballamy _Esperandote_, _Room of Angel_, _Letter_, _You’re Not Here_ and _Waiting For You_ - Akira Yamaoka _Remind Me_, _Poor Leno_ and _What Else Is There_ - Royksopp [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-song-is-on-you-best-list-that-nobody-else-has-even-heard-of/365902.md?page=2)