Probably so, more’s the pity. Though I think that’s less true over here – it did get quite a bit of college radio play in the States.
I think the Three O’ Clock are sufficiently obscure for an SDMB music thread. They’d probably make the Rolling Stone all-music guide though, since they were the main band of the Paisley Underground. In a different, better world, however, we would be wrong and Kendra Smith would be Madonna. I live in hope.
On a whim I hit CDnow after reading y’alls take on the Three O’ Clock and oddly enough, they actually have the Sixteen Tambourines/Baroque Hoedown CD in stock, so that’s what I’ll start with. If CDnow has it, I bet I can find it here in Houston someplace tomorrow. Don’t worry rackensack, I’ll probably end up buying everything I can find : ) ruadh made the dissenting rec because she knows how I’m wired.
-fh
Nicko, not only do you share a name with Iron Maiden’s drummer, you’ve proven to be the only other person in the world to mention Conway Savage, one of the greatest unsung artists in the world. I don’t know if you’ve heard his solo EP from 1992, but it sheds light on why Nick Cave signed him up - it was the only way to get rid of his #1 competition! Contact me if you want to find out where to get a copy.
Oh, by the way, my favourite obscure record is The Urinals’ compilation ‘Negative Capability’ - the best punk band ever (IMHO), and the missing link between the Jetsons and the 13th Floor Elevators.
HenrySpencer
I thought I had seen it on CD not too long ago. I love that album. I used to use a line from “Accidents” as my sig line a while back.
“Life is just a game, you fly your paper plane, there is no end …”
I’d recommend David Byrne’s Belleza Tropical
This is a compilation of Brazilian classics, but done
in that spare, modernist Byrne style.
Victor Mecyssne’s Personal Mercury–This album has excellent songwriting, and consists of blues-like songs sung in Mecyssne’s rich, highly expressive voice.
For those of you who speak Spanish, I’d recommend almost
anything by Les Luthiers. (These guys are Argentinian, so they don’t follow the “political correctness” rules we do. But they are incredibly sharp, both musically and in their writing.)
–Scribble
Wasn’t Townsend “credited” on Thunderclap Newman’s album as “Bijou Drains?”
MrVisible, I thought I was the only person who had a copy of Lincoln (by Lincoln). I like it, but I’m not sure if I’d put it all the way up in the “wonderful” category.
My nominations:
No Borders Here by Jane Siberry.
Even when the music is fast, her lyrics seem to come out a little bit slower than I want them, and that works to draw me in rather than let the songs wash over me where I am.
Saturday Morning: Cartoon’s Greatest Hits (compilation)
“Spider-Man” by the Ramones. “Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)” by the Violent Femmes. Liz Phair can sing the words “Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snork” and make it sound sexy. The only track I have a problem with is “Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sun Shine In” by Frente, which is so sickeningly sweet it’s like taking a bath in children’s cough syrup while being flagellated with Pixy Stix (but that may have been the only way to do that song, really). The standout on the album, though, is the Reverend Horton Heat doing the theme from Jonny Quest, which he turns into a thrashing, rough-edged, surf-guitar epic.
The Inessential Uncle Bonsai and Myn Ynd Wymyn by Uncle Bonsai.
Uncle Bonsai was a folk (for lack of a better word) trio from Seattle in the '80s, but they picked up a few fans in the rest of the country, too. It’s probably true that a song about a guy who commits suicide when he finds out The Love Boat has been cancelled is going to have a limited shelf life, but they don’t deserve to be dismissed as a novelty. As with Tom Lehrer, good satire can be done with enough literate wit that it deserves to live on longer than what inspired it.
Live Noise by Moxy Früvous.
I heard about this band from a website that called them the Canadian They Might Be Giants. That’s not a perfect comparison, but they do have similar traces of joyful geekiness (On this live album, one of the intros spins into a discussion of Kasparov’s match against Deep Blue). From four-part harmonies to a Tom Waits cover, what more could you want?
Box of Hair by Cub.
The final disc from a cuddlecore punk trio from Vancouver. They were a lot like Sleater-Kinney, but a little more refined musically, without losing any of the intensity. “Magic 8 Ball” bows to the altar of pop culture irony, and “Main and Broadway” is the best bitter breakup song I’ve ever heard.
A hearty second on this one Zenster. I fondly recall back in ‘72 hearing a DJ introduce “Whammer Jammer” with something like “All you have to know about this new song is that it’s by the J. Geils Band and it’s called ‘Whammer Jammer.’ Enjoy.” We certinly did.
As for my own ancient selections…
[ul]
[li]**United States of America ** released only one self-titled album, but it was an oddly compelling mixture of jazz and psychedelic influences, featuring strings, keyboards and, as allmusic.com puts it a “pioneering use of the ring modulator, a primitive synthesizer later popularized by the Krautrock sound.” One of the cuts was a haunting melody titled “Love Song for the Dead Che” and another, “Hard Coming Love” attempted, through an ever-increasing tempo on the ol’ ring modulator, to simulate the rushing tempo of sex. Pretty hot stuff for 1968, and I wouldn’t have even known of it if I hadn’t been a DJ in a small town station constantly writing to record companies to beg for new free records.[/li]
[li]Quicksilver Messenger Service also from 1968. They never matched the popularity or the bucks made by fellow San Francisco Artists Jefferson Airplane or the Grateful Dead, but they had a unique take on the psychedelia and some interesting contend. “Pride of Man” is a post-Apocalyptic attack on human vanity and “Dino’s Song,” which stretches singer Dino Valenti’s voice just a little more than it’s capable of on some of the high notes, is a highly hummable tune with a nice recursive hook.[/li]
[li]Love Chronicles by Al Stewart. Yes, I know he went on to considerable success with “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages” but they were from 1976 and 1978, while Love Chronicles, his second album, was released in 1969. It was one of my early treasures as a DJ and I was delighted when he later broke into the big time. Among other things, the title cut is a long one, detailing his loves from childhood on, and was the first I ever heard to use the dreaded “F word.” The record company even sent a cover letter suggesting that we listen to that cut carefully before airing it. When I saw that, I took the album home immediately because it would have been destroyed on the spot had our program director seen the note, to prevent anyone from accidently playing it. It wasn’t until many years later that I happened to notice that the really high quality lead guitar lines on the album were courtesy of the soon-to-be-huge guitar ace Jimmy Page.[/li]
[li]Frummox with “From Here to There” The two-person country/folk duo of Steve Fromholz and Dan McCrimmon released this album in 1969 to only minor airplay, which is a crying shame, bucause the lyrics, musicianship and vocals all should have pushed it to the top of everyone’s list. A three-song suite, “Texas Trilogy” paints a vivid picture of life in Bosque County, Texas. I probably couldn’t quote more than half of the lyrics at the drop of a hat. Wonderful stuff. Fromholz later went on to write “I’d Have to Be Crazy,” a decent hit for Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett recorded four of his songs on 1998’s “Step Inside This House.” If you’re a fan of fun, intelligent country/folk, you might want to chase down this one or 1982’s Frummox II or the several Steve Fromholz solo releases.[/li]
[/ul]
Hometownboy
Geez-o-peets, where do you guys find some of these names? I’ve only heard of a handful of them.
Here are my picks and they aren’t even that obscure:
[ul]
[li] Down Here by Tracy Bonham. Man, this is an awesome album. She’s a great songwriter and the music is outstanding. She rocks. I play it ALL THE FREAKIN’ time.[/li][li] Hot House and Spirit Trail by Bruce Hornsby. Y’all thought he pooped out in the late 80’s, didn’t ya? Well, he didn’t. Bela Fleck joins him on a song on Hot House. He’s an excellent songwriter and an even better pianist. Jazzy, pop-y, just plain cool. Plus, he uses the word prestidigitation in one of his songs (“Spider Fingers” on Hot House). It’s true! Going to see him in August.[/li][/ul]
plnnr wrote:
That’s what I’ve always read. I have the LP, which was a 1973 reissue, and the compact disc, and haven’t found that “Bijou Drains” credit on either. I do not have the 1969 UK LP, where Mr. Drains no doubt originally resided.
I know I’ve made two previous posts to this thread, but I was looking through my collection again and found…
Summer in the Yukon - Jane Siberry
I admit, I bought this for her duet with kd lang, but the rest of it ain’t so bad. Tinkly piano pop with quirky lyrics.
Eye of the Beholder - Brendan Perry
I love the track ‘The Captive Heart’ the best. Short, dark and sweet. Perry’s voice is tops.
Flight Paths - Paradise Motel
Its dirge-like pace takes a little getting used to. But the lyrics are intelligent and the treatment soft and whispery.
Southside - Texas
I know they’re big now but this twangy debut is actually pretty good in all its rawness. Sharleen Spiteri’s vocals and looks weren’t that polished then. Most people I know started with their ‘White On Blonde’ album, but this remains my favourite.
Don’t Try This At Home - Billy Bragg
Another Bragg. This was actually one of my favourite pop albums in the early 90s. Lots of clever lyrics. I love his cover of ‘Dolphins’. Even while he’s doing his political schtick, he actually manages to sound sweet.
Eye of the Beholder - Brendan Perry
I’ll second this, although I think you mean Eye of the Hunter? : ) Been playing your gold box SSR games?
I love this album. I’ve been listening to it over and over the last couple of nights. His voice is amazing, and you may kill me for this, but it reminds me of Neil Diamond sometimes. In a good way.
My favorites are track 4 and track 8… don’t know the names.
-fh
D’OH! Of course it’s Eye of the Hunter. Thanks for pointing that out.
The 4th and 8th tracks are ‘Sloth’ and ‘Archangel’. Brilliant.
“Sometimes when I’m sad
I drink to the health of my torment
And dance at the altar
To the tune of a drunken black tango”
And another one for the OP - Sky Motel - Kristin Hersh
In the eighties, I bought a vinyl album by Immaculate Fools. Nobody else that I’ve ever met (in the U.S.) has heard of these guys, but they are fantastic. The music is grown-up folk-pop. The record I bought was “Dumb Poet.”