wendersfan

http://www.earvolution.com/2005/07/t...ck-alblums.asp

George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970)
Pete Townshend: White City – A Novel (1985)
Big Head Todd & The Monsters: Midnight Radio (1990)
Goo Goo Dolls: Hold Me Up (1991)
Stone Roses: Stone Roses (1989)
Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991)
Traveling Wilburys: Volume 1 (1988)
Allman Brothers Band: Back Where It All Begins (1994)
Robert Randolph & The Family Band: Live at the Wetlands (2002)
Ted Hawkins: The Next Hundred Years (1994)
Dread Zeppelin: Un - Led - Ed (1990)
Jimmy Cliff: The Harder They Come (1973)
Pink Floyd: Meddle & Animals (1971/1977)
Tin Machine: Tin Machine (1989)
Sting: Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
Van Morrison: A Night In San Francisco (1994)
The Kinks: One For The Road (1980)
Elton John: 11-17-70 (1971)
Blues Brothers: Briefcase Full of Blues (1978)
Body Count: Body Count (1992)

I really don't see how you can call the Stone Roses debut 'underrated'.

dick_grayson

Body Count was genius.

auto

...and All Thing's Must Pass?

wendersfan

I guess maybe they were thinking that a lot of people had forgotten about it.

Giles

I agree, what's up with that inclusion. I think that can be attributed to the fact that US radio really didn't how to market their sound and style

cungar

Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991) is widely regarded as his best solo album.

The Kinks: One For The Road (1980)? Rote, arena rock versions of their most commercial material. I'll stick with their late 60's classics.

ThickAsABrick

My vote is The Zombies - Odyssey and Oracle. That album is just 100% pure unadulterated awesomeness. Everyone has heard Time of the Season, sure, but how many people know its the Zombies? One of the greatest albums ever created, IMO, and yet its hardly ever heard of.

auto

Great album. I wouldn't say it's underrated though. Maybe underappreciated.

Hiro11

The George Harrison, Stone Roses and Jimmy Cliff album are widely seen as classics, dunno what they're talking about.

I'd say:

1. Ride: Going Blank Again (shoegaze but catchy and poppy, Twisterella is one of my favorite songs of the 90s)

2. World Party: Goodbye Jumbo (retro-60s rock from the early ninties, lots of great songs.)

3. Makers: Rock Star God (excellent garage/punk album with an early 60s Sonics sound. Like a sleezy and scary Hives without the kitchy image)

4. The Dismemberment Plan: Change (eclectic set of songs, sort of like Spoon's later work but a little more jagged and post-punk. Too bad they broke up...)

5. The Flying Burrito Brothers: Guilded Palace of Sin (a classic and mostly recognized as such, but still far too few people have heard these songs.)

6. Mission of Burma: VS. (a very famous underground album but so many bands are influenced by it. It's one of the best albums of all time, IMO.)

7. The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms (once again, recognized as a classic in underground circles, should have much broader mainsteream exposure. It's a new wave guitar masterpiece, IMO.)

8. Duran Duran: Rio ( a truly great pop album, IMO, should be recognized as more than just a kitch 80s signifier. Without them, there would be no Killers, for example.)

9. Black Sheep: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, mostly forgotten these days. It sounded incredible when it came out, now you never see it on best-of lists)

10. Graham Parker: Howlin' Wind (forgotten as Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson went on to bigger and better things, this is an excellent slice of pub rock and one of the better rock albums of the mid seventies, IMO)

11. The Who: Sell Out (everyone sites Tommy or Who's Next as their best, but IMO, this is the peak of their powers.)

12. The Black Dog: Spanners (amazing electronic album, like a combination of the Orb and Aphex.)

13. Faith no More: Angel Dust (probably the quintessential underrated album. Underheard classic, IMO. Sounds just as good today as it did when it came out)

14. The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come: (everyone talks about the excellent Queen is Dead as the last word in Smiths album, I think this is right up there with it. It's also a little more inventive thanantyhing else the Smith's did)

15. The Clean: Compilation (IMO, an absolutely terrific collection of punk singles. Should be up there with the Buzzcock's "singles going steady". Crashing, surging garage rock played at maximum volume)

16. Syd Barrett: The Madcap Laughs (classic compendium of late 60s psychedelia, a great follow-up to Piper)

17. Supergrass: I Should Coco (trashy little thrash-fest that is slowly being recognized as a seminal album)

18. Freedy Johnston: Never Home (IMO, the best singer songwriter album of the late ninities, every song is great. He's also a damn good guitarist)

19. Prodigy: Dirtchamber Sessions (the greatest thing Prodigy ever did, IMO, my favorite mix album.)

20. Big Black: Songs about Fucking (a nasty little shit of an album, probably the most corrosive thing I've heard. Classic, beginning to end, IMO.)

BinaryTB

I wish they would do these "Most [blah blah]" lists split up by decade. Would make adding/critiquing a lot easier.

wendersfan

My comments:

1. I never liked this album as much as their debut singles and their first album.

5. It's hard for me to think of this as Underrated, simply because too many people I know regard it as a masterpiece, which it most clearly is.

6 & 7. Great albums, lesser known but highly regarded by anyone truly knowledgable about rock music.

8. A really great album, perhaps underappreciated simply because it's so popular.

10. Another fantastic album, but I prefer Squeezing Out Sparks.

11. My favorite Who album.

14. Probably my favorite non-compilation Smiths album. Very underappreciated, IMO.

ThickAsABrick

Perhaps not underrated by critics and music lovers, but it definitely faded into obscurity before its time, just like Love - Forever Changes, Nick Drake - Pink Moon, Steely Dan.. etc.

Great, great musicians that dont get their dues nowadays.

SAShepherd

"Underrated" lists are even more difficult than most lists because nobody can agree on what "underrated" means.

2. Great album; definitely underrated popularly, probably critically as well.
8. I actually think this is getting increased critical cred and always was a popular favorite. While I agree there are some great songs on there, using their influence on the Killers is hardly an airtight argument. (And this is from someone who really likes that Killers CD.)
18. Never Home had a couple good tracks but wasn't anywhere near the level of "This Perfect World" or "Can You Fly". Those two definitely weren't critically underrated, though. Personal tastes, though.

The Bus

I really don't like Allman Brothers, but I have to say Back Where It All Begins is an awesome album.

And depending on whether or not you would consider Basehead's Play With Toys rock, I think it's criminally underrated.

nodeerforamonth

AC/DC's "Powerage" certainly deserves to be on that list. Doesn't really have any of their big hits on it ("Sin City" being the most popular song on there), but every song on it is just incredible. Totally underrated.

Soul Asylum "While You Were Out" is another album that should be on there.

I agree with the Goo Goo Dolls "Hold Me Up" being on that list. They were ahead of their time.

auto

Except by real music lovers. The only people who matter anyway.

Lokimok

George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970)
I think this could just as easily go on an overrated list. It's got some good songs, but I could never get into the sound. I like the demos. I'll have to give it another try sometime.

Pete Townshend: White City – A Novel (1985)
I've never heard this album because I always hated the singles from it. My candidate would be the "Rough Mix" album he did with Ronnie Lane. I LOVE that album!

Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991)
Thompson should definitely be better known. This is the album that turned me onto him. I've heard some people complain about the production, but I love it.

Traveling Wilburys: Volume 1 (1988)
If this is underrated, it's only because it's been out of print for years. It was pretty huge when it came out. Holds up very well.

Pink Floyd: Meddle & Animals (1971/1977)
Eh. both highly regarded by Floyd fans. & Animals does get some radioplay. I nominate Obscured By Clouds. NOBODY talks about that great album.

The Kinks: One For The Road (1980)
The Kinks are just underrated. You don't need to pick an album. This is far from their best though.

Blues Brothers: Briefcase Full of Blues (1978)
I don't know if this is underrated or not, but it was important to me. One of my first introductions to blues, r&b, soul. It helped open a door to a lot of great music - from classic Chess & Stax records back to Robert Johnson & Son House. I still play this record occasionally. It's a good time. The band is fantastic & Belushi brings more than most pro singers.

ThickAsABrick

Hehe, right on

wendersfan

Damn straight.

Elldubtoo

The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle is the most underrated album ever. The fact that it's never mentionned in the same breath/sentence as Sgt.Pepper's, Pet Sounds or even Forever Changes makes it underrated.

auto

That is my point. It is often mentioned when critics are talking about great albums but underappreciated amongst the masses.

Geofferson

I was going to make the same comment. It's truly a great and yes, underrated album whose only claim to fame is that it's Keith Richards' favorite album of the 70s.

The Bus

I wouldn't say Pink Moon faded to obscurity. It's (almost) in Amazon's Top 1000 for album sales and its popularity was greatly helped by that VW commercial.

cdollaz

Did that original list really have Tin Machine on it? Ugh.

Fielding Mellish

I'm actually pretty impressed with this list. Okay, maybe not the Tin Machine part. But still...

Any ranking that gives Dread Zeppelin their props gets a big from me!