most under-rated bands/performers in rocks
soulsinging
Posts: 13,202
im not talking about your favorite obscure indie band that nobody has heard of. im talking about bands that are well known but given short shrift for some reason. maybe a one-hit wonder taht was forgotten and shouldn't have been. or a band that outlived its scene and was quickly forgotten. id give 10, but i cant think of that many:
1. silverchair
dismissed as baby grunge wannabes, they have made 2 of the best albums of the past 10 years (neon ballroom and diorama) that almost nobody seems to have heard.
2. blind melon
the bee girl video band. it's criminal what happened to these poor guys. soup was a brilliant album, but people didn't want that... they wants 'even less rain.'
3. flaming lips
she dont use jelly was a minor hit, and i accept that they were maybe a little too weird for the mainstream, but these guys have more creativity and 'alternative' in their little finger than most bands will have in their career.
4. elliott smith
a lot of people know his name and know that good will hunting song and seemed sad when he died, but i dont think they realized just how genius he could be at writing songs that were genuinely catchy while still being so intelligent and honest.
5. black crowes
nothing brilliant or innovative, but as far as a bluesy rock band playing it old school, few people do it better. sure they've had a few hits, but i don't think many people realize just how good this band is in terms of musicianship.
6. oasis
this is kind of a weird one. from what i hear, they are horribly over-rated in england. but stateside, i dont thnk anyone knows a song but wonderwall. sure, they're not the next beatles as the brit press says, but they're not the one-hit wonders most us fans hold them to be.
7. sloan
has anybody had such a consistently strong catalogue in recent memory? rock and roll as fun as it comes.
8. creedence clearwater revival
yeah, they're well respected and everyone owns chronicle... btu why is it when people talk about the greats of that era it's all dylan, beatles, floyd, etc? ccr's albums were as uniformly strong as any of them. simply amazing, yet they always seem to end up in the second tier.
9. elton john
everyone knows him, and to be fair, to this generation he's the oddly flamboyant guy on the lion king soundtrack... but he is a phenomenally good singer and has written some of the best songs in rock history.
10. tragically hip
how these guys are virtually unheard of outside canada is beyond me.
1. silverchair
dismissed as baby grunge wannabes, they have made 2 of the best albums of the past 10 years (neon ballroom and diorama) that almost nobody seems to have heard.
2. blind melon
the bee girl video band. it's criminal what happened to these poor guys. soup was a brilliant album, but people didn't want that... they wants 'even less rain.'
3. flaming lips
she dont use jelly was a minor hit, and i accept that they were maybe a little too weird for the mainstream, but these guys have more creativity and 'alternative' in their little finger than most bands will have in their career.
4. elliott smith
a lot of people know his name and know that good will hunting song and seemed sad when he died, but i dont think they realized just how genius he could be at writing songs that were genuinely catchy while still being so intelligent and honest.
5. black crowes
nothing brilliant or innovative, but as far as a bluesy rock band playing it old school, few people do it better. sure they've had a few hits, but i don't think many people realize just how good this band is in terms of musicianship.
6. oasis
this is kind of a weird one. from what i hear, they are horribly over-rated in england. but stateside, i dont thnk anyone knows a song but wonderwall. sure, they're not the next beatles as the brit press says, but they're not the one-hit wonders most us fans hold them to be.
7. sloan
has anybody had such a consistently strong catalogue in recent memory? rock and roll as fun as it comes.
8. creedence clearwater revival
yeah, they're well respected and everyone owns chronicle... btu why is it when people talk about the greats of that era it's all dylan, beatles, floyd, etc? ccr's albums were as uniformly strong as any of them. simply amazing, yet they always seem to end up in the second tier.
9. elton john
everyone knows him, and to be fair, to this generation he's the oddly flamboyant guy on the lion king soundtrack... but he is a phenomenally good singer and has written some of the best songs in rock history.
10. tragically hip
how these guys are virtually unheard of outside canada is beyond me.
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2. Soundgarden
3. North Mississippi Allstars
4. deus
5. Bjork
♪♫♪♫♫
2. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion- Probably one of the best shows I have ever seen
3. Iron Maiden- Still doing it after all of these years, and just as loud
4. Sonic Youth- Only seen em once in a small theater but they blew me away
5. Black Crowes- The shows I have seen have been great, but I have head from others they can be hit or miss.
6. Reverend Horton Heat- The guy constantly tours.
And that failure's no success at all."
"Don't ya think its sometimes wise not to grow up."
"Cause life ain't nothing but a good groove
A good mixed tape to put you in the right mood."
Doves
Jimmy Eat world
The Charlatans
The Bluetones - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oZRxAmQYZk (love this song)
I think all of those bands are pretty well known, either in the UK or US, or both, but dont get the credit they deserve. The Bluetones have been around for ages and im sure most people in the UK at least will have heard of them, but they have produced some fantastic stuff.
Underrated in America, horribly, horribly overrated in England.
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. A genious that is virtually unknown in America.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
Never heard of them. Give me some songs to youtube, please, since they sound pretty great.
Totally agree. Amazing band.
Great band, not as well-known as they should be, though they are up for a grammy against Thom Yorke, lol.
Though they are INSANELY overrated in Britain, no one else really knows anything else about them. I somewhat agree.
Oh shit, I forgot to add them to my must-get-CD list because I've been meaning to check them out. In what order do you suggest I get all their albums in (unless some suck, leave those out lol)
Made a thread suggesting CDs and once I picked some up, I definitely agree. Such a great band and people need to start listening to them but when people in my school hear Tragically Hip they go "never heard of them so they suck." dumbasses.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
3 Decibels Doubles the Volume
2006
Have we lost our way tonight?
Have we lost our hope to sorrow?
Feels like were all alone
Running further from what’s right
And there are no more heroes to follow
So what are we becoming?
Where did we go wrong?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XojRovYf6T8
That clip was recorded in 1972.
14) Sonic Youth - take me to the Teenage Riot
13) Sugar (Bob Mould) - amazingly catchy pop tunes (love Copper Blue)
12) Doves - one of the best live bands i've ever seen
11) Eric's Trip - my FAVORITE band for many years
10) Flaming Lips - it doesn't get much better than this band
9) Slowdive/Mojave 3 - I could listen to these bands forever
8) the Dandy Warhols - hope they get back on track with their next album
7) Faith No More - so much more than "Epic" ....Mike Patton is insane
6) Sloan - "Twice Removed" should be required listening for everyone!
5) Cranes - I LOVE this band and nobody has heard of them, beautiful stuff
(opened for the Cure on the Disintegration tour)
4) Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space!!!!
3) Sarah Harmer - one of the best songwriters i've ever heard......go download "Lodestar" and you'll be hooked
2) the Rheostatics - maybe Canada's BEST band, ever!!!!
1) Sebadoh - Lou Barlow is a genius
and they all eat rainbows and pooh butterflies!
1. Everclear - Sure they were a big band for a while but the Sparkle and Fade and World of Noise albums were some of the finest rock releases of the Nineties.
2. Ben Harper - Not really that well known outside of the Pearl Jam/Jack Johnson crowd. One of the most genuine performers in today's music.
3. The Roots - A critics favorite, but they get no airplay. They've even won a grammy without much exposure. The best live Hip-Hop band ever, potentially best Hip-Hop band period. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mkTPw-ZRvg
I also agree that Sugar, Oasis, Elliott Smith, & Eric's Trip are all great underrated bands.
Sugar / Bob Mould
Primus (somewhat famous but deserve more recognition for their influence)
cheap trick
barenaked ladies
todd rundgren
prince
fabulous poodles
warren zevon
fountains of wayne
nick lowe
they might be giants
http://www.myspace.com/brain_of_c
This post may go down in history. The 1st ever regular font Brain of C post?
edit- damn he fixed it
hell ya. sparkle and fade is classic. and i don't think anyone could re-create the sound of world of noise. fire maple song is the best. and then every other cd after that was really, really, really bad.
definatly agree with elliott smith.
idk if you would consider this "rock" but i would say john mayer just cuz he gets this rep of "singer-songwriter" and just writing cute love songs, when he really should go down with legends like clapton, hendrix, and stevie ray vaugh.
"i am the first man to shit my pants ya whew!"
its no crime to escape..theres still time to escape...theres still time so escape...
"yellow ledbetter is like the smoke after a 3 hour fuckfest" - 62strat
st.louis 04, chicago 06, and counting...
Totally agree with these ones! If I may, I'd like to add a few thoughts:
Hayden- the guy is a fantastic songwriter. Simple, understated, and beautiful. "Everything I Long For" is one of my favorite albums of all time.
Sloan's "Twice Removed" is simply one of the greatest albums ever made, period.
Sarah Harmer- Totally agree regarding "Lodestar". That tune is songwriting perfection. In terms of craft, melody, lyrics, and hooks, it doesn't get much better than that.
The Rheostatics- What more can be said about these guys that I haven't said already in other threads. They're so unique that they're almost an alternative to the alternative...if that makes any sense.
-Tom Waits
goo goo dolls
linkin park-these fuckers put on a dam good show
kings x
tragically hip- cant wait to see them live
Sammi: Wanna just break up?
I loooove Sloan and think that they are definetly underrated! And I agree with what you said about them being so fun which they really are. And they always surprise me with some pretty good lyrics here and there too which I dont usually expect at first. So yay for Sloan.
I couldn't agree more. They've been kicking my ass for 20 years now, and it doesn't look like they're slowing down anytime soon. Not only are they great songwriters, but Gord Downie is easily one of the most brilliant lyricists of our generation. Their live show is arguably one of the best on the planet (right up there with Pearl Jam, Springsteen, and U2.) They rock harder than most bands half their age, and it's a travesty that they're not more well known in other parts of the world. Over the next couple of weeks they'll be opening for The Who, so perhaps that will help raise their profile south of the border. I highly recommend checking them out when they come through your town:
http://thehip.com/touring.html
-Tom Waits
i think he'd definitely fit into what i had in mind for the thread. he does get dismissed as the original pussy daniel-powter thing. ive heard im selling him short and that his work with the john mayer trio is pretty amazing. i might have to give it a chance sometime... i just cannot stand his voice usually and the lyrics ive heard from him are atrocious.
no way am i dropping $75 to see a 45 minue hip set followed by some old fossils pretending they can still rock despite only having half their band left alive. ive seen the hip twice, and an opening set would simply not be enough
Primus is virtually unknown unless you're into weird music..
Harper could use a little more recognition..
Sonic Youth has ALWAYS been underrated and I don't see that changing.. Brilliant music that's wayyyyyyy too weird for the average joe.
http://www.wishlistfoundation.org
Oh my, they dropped the leash.
Morgan Freeman/Clint Eastwood 08' for President!
"Make our day"
♪♫♪♫♫
Fugazi - one of the few truly "indie" bands. Ian MacKaye has done more for music than people realise.
Alvin Youngblood Hart - He seems famous for his acoustic blues albums, but he's a rocker at heart. Besides his own tunes and blues numbers, he's known to bust out tunes from Jimi, the Stones, Neil Young, Thin Lizzy, Free, and early ZZ Top on any given night. His latest disc, Motivational Speaker, is an amazing roots rock album with a version of In My Time of Dying that puts all others to shame.
Corrosion of Conformity - Hard rock/metal done right. These guys throw down a blend of metal with equal doses of hard core and southern boogie rock influences. They had some recognition in the mid 90's with Clean My Wounds and some tunes off of Wiseblood, but the radio soon left them behind. Their last album had Stanton Moore of Galactic doing some amazing work on the drums.
Local H - Guitar and drums duo from Chicago. They had some airplay in the mid-90's, but fell off the popular radar even though they continued to crank out solid albums. Any band that can pull off AC/DC, Chicago, Guided By Voices, Ramones, and Brittany Spears covers, with only two guys, and still rock, deserve more reknown. Go to archive.org and check out some of their live shows.
As mentioned above, the Black Crowes, Iron Maiden, and North Mississippi Allstars would all be on my list.
How about Frank Zappa?
2 Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Ben Harper
4. Blind Melon
5. PEARL JAM!!!
6. Primus