DI Go Pop by Disco Inferno.
Independency by Bark Psychosis. (OK, OK, it’s a bloody compilation. If I’m not allowed a bloody compilation I’d go for Hex. )
mattk, have you heard either of these albums? Judging by your reccommendations, I think you might like them.
[sup](Of course, this is where you say that you think Bark Psychosis were the biggest pile of toss you ever heard)[/sup]
Tansu - I’ve heard of them, but nothing by them - I’ll take a look!
When you have a record collection like mine (thousands of items most of which fall very definitely into the “obscure” category), it’s really hard to single out just a few, but what the hell:
Felt: Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty. Early 80s English indie. This album (actually a six-song EP) is about half instrumental, but the vocals are mixed so low that even when there is singing the music dominates. If you think the guitar is the most beautiful instrument in the world, this one’s for you.
Band of Holy Joy: Manic Magic Majestic. The NME once summed up this band as “if the Pogues had been to university”. (I would add “… and were English”.) They always reminded me a bit of the Mekons. This album is their finest moment.
My Bloody Valentine: Isn’t Anything. This is the album that started off the whole “shoegaze” moment of the early 90s. It’s sort of been overshadowed by its follow-up, Loveless, which is also a great record, but IA has a rawer, more visceral appeal. And “Lose My Breath” is the sexiest song ever recorded.
Racecar: Girlish. Great 90s girlpop. Well ok, so it’s my best friend’s band …
(mattk, I agree with the Disco Inferno recommendation. See if you can find the “Summer’s Last Sound” single. It’s just … gorgeous.)
Boz Scaggs’ first album, entitled simply “Boz Scaggs.” “Loan Me A Dime,” with Duane Allman, is just masterful.
“Kak” by Kak. Great pop album with a unique style.
“Renaissance” by Renaissance. This was the original Renaissance; most people know of its later incarnation, with completely different people. This was a spinoff of the Yardbirds, so you had a blues orientation along with baroque classical music.
“Third” by Soft Machine. One of the best meldings of jazz and rock.
“Siegel Schwall Band” by Siegel Schwall Band. Fine blues, especially “Hush, Hush.”
“Emitt Rhodes” by Emitt Rhodes. Great pop songwriting. Often compared to Paul McCartney’s first solo album, and McCartney comes off second best.
“The Donut in Granny’s Greenhouse” by the Bonzo Dog Band. Any of their albums are obscure, yet great, but you can listen to this one on the Internet.
“Let the Good Times Roll” – B. B. King. King doing Louis Jordan. No need to say more.
First off, I’ll second ruadh’s nomination of Felt’s Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty
[ul]
[li]The Coolies:dig…?. Covers of the highlights of the Simon and Garfunkel songbook in a variety of inappropriate styles, heavy on thrashing guitars. Includes a brilliant surf instrumental version of “Mrs. Robinson”, as well as a cover of Paul Anka’s “Having My Baby” that wrings out some unexpected nuances. Also . . .[/li][li]The Coolies:Doug. A rock opera about a skinhead who murders a transvestite fry cook, steals his recipe book, and becomes rich and famous as a result, only to slide back into poverty and substance abuse. Parodies of wide range of musical styles, including The Who, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M./The Replacements, zydeco, etc.[/li][li]The Jody Grind: One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure. Trashcan jazz, country, pop, and rock simmered for days and pumped back out through Kelly Hogan’s amazing voice. Material by Henry Mancini, Duke Ellington, George & Ira Gershwin, Bacharach/David, Sinatra, and more.[/li][li]Dexy’s Midnight Runners: Searching for the Young Soul Rebels. Forget “Come On Eileen” – this is one of the few records released in 1980 I still listen to regularly. A fabulous marriage of Northern Soul with punk sensibility.[/li][li]The Three O’Clock: Arrive Without Traveling. The bloom was off the Paisley Underground rose by the time of the Three O’Clock’s major label debut, and the so-hip-they-can-barely-see-over-their-own-pelvises crowd were off to other interests. Shame, because they missed fine efforts like this one.[/li][li]Translator: Evening of the Harvest. By the time this was released, the band had broken up. There are fewer individual song standouts on this disc than on any of the first three Translator releases, but it holds up over repeated listens as a whole album better than the others.[/li][li]Spitballs: Spitballs. Now and then, you see the personnel of the various bands on a label get together and record a quirky little side project, not as individual acts but as a sort of house supergroup. At least you do now. In 1978, however, I’m not sure anyone had done it before. Spitballs featured performers from the Beserkley Records’ artist stable, including Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn, The Rubinoos, Earth Quake, and Sean Tyla, doing covers of such gems as “Let Her Dance”, “Chapel of Love”, “I Can Only Give You Everything”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Over and Over”, “Knock on Wood”, “Boris the Spider”, “Telstar”, and the Batman theme.[/li][li]Rainy Day: Rainy Day. Another one-off collection of people from various groups, this time the Paisley Underground bands. Members of The Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, Opal, etc. doing material by Alex Chilton, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed, and others.[/li][li]Liberty Horses: Joyland. Anyone who’s read the music-related threads here for a while probably knows how much I loved Kirsty MacColl. I haven’t really had a chance before now to put in a plug for her half-brothers, Calum and Neil, and their band Liberty Horses. I know nothing about what’s happened to them since this release seven or eight years ago, but this is a fine piece of work (and proof that it was possible to have even less commercial success than Kirsty did).[/li][li]Shoes: Black Vinyl Shoes. Or pick any of their other releases. They’re all wonderful and they’re all practically unknown.[/li][li]Ducks Deluxe: Ducks Deluxe. Two six-packs of fun.[/li][/ul]
I’ve thought of at least a dozen more, but that’s enough for now.
Sweet Child by Pentangle.
Not one, but two Charles Mingus bass tunes (Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and Haitian Fight Song) with one of them a solo bass track by Danny Thompson. Bracket all of this with the superb instrumental electric and acoustic guitar of John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. Then throw in some French Renaissance dances, early American blues, an acapella Scottish Dirge and Old English folk ballads. All of it played with precision and consumate artistry. Heap upon this embarrasment of riches the angelic clarity of Jaqui McShea’s vocals and the confluence of talent represented is absolutely staggering.
The Yes Album by Yes.
Their second and easily the best album they have ever done. The A side with “Yours Is No Disgrace”, “The Clap” and “Starship Trooper” is a British Rock tour de force with few matches of it’s kind. I had the good fortune to see them reunite in this configuration and perform most of the album. Gentle Giant opened and almost stole the show until Yes got down to work and blew out the stops. “The Clap” remains one of the finest rock and roll solo acoustic guitar instrumentals of all time.
Blues Incorporated by Alexis Korner
Korner was the one who told Mick and Keith that they ought to form a band and make some money. The album is a outstanding view into European Jazz stylings of the sixties. “Royal Doogie” and “Chris Trundle’s Habit” are some of the most solid Jazz Blues that you would ever hear this side of Dave Brubeck. The band was hotter than sunburn. Dick Heckstall-Smith is in complete control of his sax as he dizzily weaves counter-rythyms into the solid blues backbeat.
The Lady and the Unicorn by John Renbourn.
A superb instrumental recreation of Renaissance pieces ranging from French dances to “Scarborough Faire”. A Bach Sarabande is played upon reverb electric guitar to perfect effect. One of the first albums I ever bought in my life.
Johnny Winter and Live At The Fillmore East
The duet of Winter and Rick Derringer was one of the peaks of hot rock and blues. “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” is a raucous and bawdy blues stomp deluxe. When Winter sets his sights on “Johnny B. Goode” all Hades breaks loose. Obviously a tune that Johnny was meant to play. Derringer is the perfect straight man cum foil with his solid beat and rousing leadlines. Johnny Winter basically just goes berserk on guitar in a rather remarkable fashion. The net result is an album that requires being played at high volume.
Full House by the J. Geils Band
Peter Wolf on vocals, Magic Dick on harmonica and Mr. Geils on his traditional Flying Vee Electric. What an incredible show to see and this album concentrates their Rock and Roll quite well. “Whammer Jammer” is simply one of the best rock blues instrumentals there is. Magic Dick’s harp work is beyond belief as he chuffs through a blistering blaze of pure musical genius. Geils was one of the few rock guitarists besides Jeff Beck who was competent on fretless guitar. We’ll leave any discussion of his talent at that. Peter Wolf is the consummate front man for a Detroit band like this.
Alive at 40 Million by The Bogmen.
Not so obscure as club musicians, but pretty unknown recording. Of course, my damn luck, I lost the album sigh
Charlie Sexton-- “Pictures for Pleasure”. Love every song on it.
Wolfsheim-Spectators One of the best synth-pop cds since Depeche Mode’s Violator.
Gridlock-FurtherA truly genre breaking cd. Melding industrial drones, ambient, power electronics and break beats in a seemless manner.
Beefcake-Spontaneous Human Combustion A ground breaking cd, which explores the wide spectrum of break beats, d&b, power noise, and electronica.
Feindflug-Stukas Im VieserAn album that will shatter windows and distort faces. Powerfull, grating, and well produced EBM.
Assemblage 23-Contempt A perfect mix of ebm, synth-pop, and electronica, with good lyrics to boot.
Skinny Puppy-Ain’t It Dead Yet? A live cd that shows the power of SP live. Great set list, good sound quality, and an amazing experience.
Einsturzende Neubauten-Haus Der Luge One of their most aggresive works, yet at the same time on of their most accessible(aside from Tabula Rasa and End Neu).
Lustmord and Robert Rich-Stalker One of the best dark ambient cds. Ominous drones, swirling ambience and a suffocating dark atmosphere make this pseudo-soundtrack a must listen.
Doubting Thomas- Infadel Cevin Cey and Dwayne Grottel produce an amazing work, filled with sample saturated instrumentals that paint a surreal realm of fantasy and grim future landscapes.
If ruadh is doing it, I will too, even if I mostly have seconds…
Felt The Splendour of Fear A second… because it has “A Preacher in New England” and “The World is as Soft as Lace.” Maurice Deebank makes all other guitarists sound like lepers playing tennis rackets.
Lovejoy: Songs in the key of Lovejoy. Full steam ahead timeless indie-pop… majestic, elegant and sad with melodies that will have you smiling and crying in your beer at the same time.
Scarlet’s Well: Strange Letters. Music for children, pirates, and anyone else utterly dissatisfied with the trappings and plot devices of the modern world. Has accordions and sea shantys and train songs; something along the lines of Alice in Wonderland and Agatha Christie set to music.
Moose: Highball Me!. More delicious pop… elegant and overflowing with love and care, with (they tell me) a twinge of country. It breaks my heart what’s on the radio and nobody will ever hear this record.
Ataraxia: Lost Atlantis. Italian group with an operatic bent… farther out from the center than Dead Can Dance’s Lisa Gerrard, so if you don’t think you could sit through an opera, this will annoy you within minutes. But it’s the tale of Atlantis set to music and it’s OK to cry. Sweeping, haunting, etc.
I’ve restricted myself to records released in the last year or so (the Felt is from the early 80’s but it’s been re-released on CD), on the outside chance anybody follows up on these recommendations. I know I will be doing so (it’s time I got something by The Three O’ Clock).
Oh yeah, third the Disco Inferno… they are all over the place (I usually can’t make it all the way through DI Go Pop, for example), but the Summer’s Last Sound/Love Stepping Out single (I never did figure out which song was which) is breathtakingly beautiful. Shimmering and warm but with lyrics that will make you laugh if you have an evil streak. Poetic, too.
-fh
“Soon Will Be Tomorrow” - Suzie Higgie & Conway Savage
Probably only known in Australia, and even there it would still count as obscure, but my god, it’s worth the hunt. Suzie Higgie was the lead singer/guitarist/songwriter for the Falling Joys, and Conway Savage is the keyboard player (and very occasional vocalist) for Nick Cave’s band, The Bad Seeds. This is a one-off collaboration with Suzie on guitar, Conway on piano, both of them on vocals, and a few strings fluttering delicately about the place. Gorgeous melodies and a sparse, gentle atmosphere. Sure, it feels like something the two of them recorded in their living room late one night, but that intimacy is part of what makes it so beautiful.
It got about 5 minutes of airplay in 1990. Not a bad song on the entire record.
October Project - October Project and Falling Farther In
Incredible ethereal vocals, great melodies, and some pretty good lyrics, too.
"Hollywood Dream" by Thunderclap Newman
Thunderclap Newman was a strange pack of cards assembled by Pete Townshend. Unfortunately, most people know the group only by their 1969 UK megahit “Something in the Air”. But that song fails to showcase the amazing guitar playing of the late Jimmy McCullough - sixteen ears old at the time the album was recorded. And while “SITA” has a great piano solo by Andy Newman, the song fails to showcase his talents on saxaphone and kazoo (yes, kazoo!). Drummer/vocalist/songwriter Speedy Keen rounds out the group, along with an uncredited Townshend on bass. In addition to Keen’s ‘Something In The Air’, the album contains the group’s second single, ‘Accidents’ and third single ‘The Reason’, as well as a very nifty cover of an obscure Dylan tune, “Open the Door, Homer.”.
It is well worth seeking out, although it is sadly now out of print
Funky Kingston (or almost anything) byToots and the Maytals. These guys should be as big as Bob Marley.
Definitely. However, I can’t agree with Arrive Without Travelling. The tunes on it are pleasant enough and some of them are fab, but the production is far too slick for my liking and I suspect it would be for you too. Try to pick up 16 Tambourines instead, especially if you can still get the CD version that includes the Baroque Hoedown EP.
[sub]P.S. Postcard’s on its way ;)[/sub]
“Loosen Up Naturally”, by The Sons of Champlin–late '60s soul-jazz-rock. I thought I owned the only copy (which I’d lost long ago) until one of the Doobie Brothers put it on his list of 10 best albums of all time.
Found its best cut, “Get High”, on Napster, which made my day.
I realize this ain’t Great Debates, but the OP did say “obscure”. If you’ve got one Three O’Clock disc, it probably is the Sixteen Tambourines/Baroque Hoedown CD reissue. It’s well known enough among music afficionados. Arrive Without Travelling and the follow-up to it, Ever After, are not. Both are excellent albums that are unjustly (IMHO) neglected in favor of the earlier stuff – and that’s why I included AWT on my list. That said, Sixteen Tambourines/Baroque Hoedown is definitely the place to start for someone new to the band.
I don’t think slick production is essential – I do have Black Vinyl Shoes, recorded in a living room, on my list as well. But I do think it’s a shame to dismiss something solely on the basis of it.
You want obscure?
Claudia Christian (Susan Ivanova of B5): Taboo. She has an amazingly rich singing voice that at times is reminiscent of the famous Eartha Kitt purr.
Oh, man. rowl
Some of the musical arrangements could have been better, but I find they just fade into the background once she starts singing.
er, rackensack, I think 16 Tambourines qualifies as “obscure” by any objective measure.