The Best Albums You’ve Never Ever Heard (Well, PROBABLY Not, Anyway)
Okay, music fans, correct us if we’re wrong, but unless you’re one of those wannabe hipsters that only buys this week’s buzz album, we’re guessing that somewhere in your collection, you’ve got an LP, a cassette, a CD, or even an 8-track that you picked up on a whim, fell in love with, and absolutely love to tell people about… and your introduction usually begins, “Look, I know you’ve probably never heard of this person/these guys, and I don’t know why it didn’t sell a million copies, but, seriously, you’ve got to hear it.”
Maybe they’re a local or regional band who never made the big time. Maybe they did make it to a major label, but the musical climate wasn’t right…or the label didn’t bother to promote the album…or, heck, maybe the band broke up five minutes after the record was released. Whatever the case, far too many great albums have ended up selling far too few copies, which is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to try and rescue some of these all-too-unheralded releases from obscurity. We’ve also managed to get in touch with almost all of the artists whose albums we’re praising in this piece – the lone exception had the very good excuse of having died, but we did, at least, get in touch with one of the producers of his album – and asked them to answer a quick Q&A for us. So not only will you (probably) be introduced to several new albums, but you’ll also feel like you know a little bit about the person or persons responsible for recording them.
Here’s just one example:
The Argument: Your New Favorite Band (Self-released, 2000)
Recommended If You Like: Ben Folds Five, Barenaked Ladies, Toad the Wet Sprocket
The critics can go on and on about how quirky bands don’t last long unless they’re named Barenaked Ladies, and about how songs like “Inflatable Amy” are downright laughable…and, hey, the Argument’s lead singer, Scott Simons, can even say he’s “embarrassed” by his former band’s self-released debut. But when you burn an album into your iTunes and, even seven years later, you can’t stop listening to it, there’s a higher power at work – or, then again, maybe Simons and his band mates had something special that not enough industry types recognized. (Personally, I’m going with the latter.) This West Virginia quartet toured so much in a van pursuing “the dream of being rock stars” that, eventually, their van and their will both stalled with an empty tank. While the album is out of print, its endearing combination of pop, rock, jazz, soul and every other influence under the sun showcases a solid group of musicians who could string melodic hooks and harmonies together as well as anyone. – Mike Farley
Notable Tracks – “Grudge,” “Disappear,” “The Ballad of Ernestine Jackson”
Our interview with Scott Simons of The Argument can be found here.
Check out The Best Albums You’ve Never, Ever Heard (Well, Probably Not, Anyway) in its entirety by clicking here…then feel free to come back and offer up some of your own favorite unheralded albums!
Posted in: Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Country, Lists, Lost Bands, News, Pop, Rock, Songs
Catherine – Hot Saki & Bedtime Stories(good for Pumpkins fans)
Paw – Dragline (For anyone who liked the 90’s Seattle scene)
Failure – Fantastic Planet (no idea how this wasn’t a huge album)
Luna – Romantica (fantistic indie pop with Lou Reed esque vocals)
The Murder City Devils – In Name and Blood (organ use reminds me of a hard rock band mixed with some influence by the Doors)
Songs: Ohia – Axxess & Ace (Check out all of their stuff, particularly Magnolia Electric Co. and Lioness. All great indie stuff.)
Willy Mason – Where the Humans Eat (very nice indie folk rock)
Some of these may not be completely obscure, but all definitely worth a listen.
I bought that Failure album on the strength of the Depeche Mode cover, but the rest of it didn’t really do much for me. Luna is a band I know I would have loved if I had only given them the time.
Willy Mason. Didn’t he do that left-field cover of “Whip It”? He’s getting some airplay here in Columbus with his new single, so there’s hope for him yet.
In no particular order then
(other than the alphabetical),
Candypants “Candypants” (Ronnie Spector meets Peaches)
Johnny Dowd “Wrong Side Of Memphis” (SEVERELY alt. country!)
Fugs “It Crawled Into My Hands, Honest” (severely ALT.)
Jack Pedler “Jack Pedler” (go on… Trust in Jack)
Patrick Sky “Songs That Made AMERICA Famous” (The Death of Folk)
Tiny Tim “Rock” (Mr. Tim meets AC/DC …literally !!)
Zalman Yanovsky “Alive And Well In Argentina” (do You believe, like Zally believed ?)
If you like catchy, melodic pop, almost any album by Yazbek is instantly likable.
BTW, I recently started a blog to highlight a variety of musical tidbits that I think the “mass market” never heard of. IF you’re interested, you can find some mp#s at:
http://underheardmusic.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!
-RV
Shack – H.M.S fable
Found this on a best of 1999 list somewhere, it is one of the better albums I have listened to in a long time. You can hear a lot of influences in their music. I have been listening non-stop for a while now. A true Gem.
Kenna- New Sacred Cow.. I can’t even think of how to describe this music.. the best I can think of is electronic-ish but not really. and amazing.. “free time” is my fave.. “i’m gone” is a great stoner song!
Public Symphony- Public Symphony.. GREAT stuff, sounds kind of like Pink Floyd’s DSOTM at some points. really chill mellow album.. “break free” is the shiz!
OTT- Blumenkraft .. electronic chill music at its finest. “sommersettler” always makes me think of space-age reggae.. (a genre i invented in my head) hehe.. its rather awesome
Gary: what, no Ghost Rockets? (I still love that album.) By the way, I love that Candypants disc – “Cherry Picker” rules! – and I’m actually awaiting the arrival of three Tiny Tim reissues that I’ll be reviewing for Bullz-Eye…!
Lizzzz, our Senior Editor is going to giggle like a schoolgirl when he sees your first pick; he tried desperately to get ahold of Kenna to contribute to the piece! Fortunately, it appears that Kenna will be speaking with Bullz-Eye in order to promote his upcoming new album, so I’m sure we’ll be able to get his answers to the “couple of questions” we’ve been asking all our nominees…
Love Spit Love’s debut album with Richard Butler from The Psychedelic Furs on Imago Records. Right before Imago folded.
And thanks for picking HEAP for your article!!!
George –
While I love “Am I Wrong,” I much prefer the second (last?) Love Spit Love album, Trysome Eatone. “Fall on Tears,” baby!
And Will is right, I tried my hardest to get New Sacred Cow into the final piece, but…it didn’t work out. But I will be talking to him very soon, and I will make sure that Cow gets its due. (And for the record, yes, I was giggling like a schoolgirl.)
Thanks for these picks- I’ve requested many through Lala.com! Not to shamelessly plug it, but it’s a cool way to get CDs for only $1.75 each- check it out!
Right now I’m listening to the first CD I received, The Sighs. I’d forgotten about them, and they’re from practically next door-(I even went to college with the bass guitarist’s brother) and I’ve seen them play! Like the review states, they were really good, but their type of music just wasn’t in vogue at that time!
As far as good, obscure albums go, I recommend Vacationist League. Their last two records, Unjust Intonations EP, and Feed the Kitty are very different, yet each is complete in its worthiness for consideration as best you’ve never heard. In particular, the rocking Unjust Intonations EP has a song titled Skateboard In The Cemetery, that should be a hit. The folksier Feed the Kitty CD has one of the strangest and prettiest songs I’ve heard, Sweet Eliza. The lyrics throughout each of these fine records is poetic and wonderful– indeed, unbelievable!
I’ve owned over half of those albums at one time or another, and even still have a few of them. Good list. Here’s a few more:
Defenestration, s/t
Royal Court Of China, s/t
Stealin Horses, s/t
Divine Weeks, Through and Through
Not Drowning, Waving–Claim
Scruffy The Cat, Tiny Days
Walk The West, s/t
Das Damen, Mousetrap
The Fluid, Roadmouth
Peter Wells, Everything I Like Tries to Kill Me
Pete Morton, Frivolous Love
Jazz Butcher Conspiracy, Distressed Gentlefolk
Lay Quiet Awhile, Delicate Wire
Band Of Susans, Now
Roger Manning, s/t (not the RM from that other band, this one’s a nyc anti-folkie
Robert Mainwaring, CD EP
The Coolies, Doug
Swimming Pool Q’s, Blue Tomorrow
Abecedarians, AB-CD
I could go on, and on, and on,….but I’ll stop there for now.
the defog – “ebb and flow”
Spinto Band – “Nice and nicely done”
Fake Gimms – “Vivimus Metus”
These guys may be well known in Canada, but no one I’ve played this CD for knew who they were! Not Sloan; Sam Roberts! Their CD “We Were Born In A Flame!” came out in ’03. Highly recommended.
This happens to me all the time, but my friends all know my tastes are strange and so they never opt in to my suggestions.
Cracker – The Golden Age (Seriously, better than Kerosene Hat)
DA – Mr. Buechner’s Dream
Pinetop Seven – The Night’s Bloom
Brainiac – Hissing Prigs In Static Couture
Nice list! I especially like the inclusion of The Argument.
For my two cents I’ve made my own list of four albums:
http://hubpages.com/_spotcs/hub/The-Best-Music-Youve-Probably-Never
-Heard-Five-Cool-Albums
Here my contribution:
Simon Joyner – Room Temperature
Mousetrap – Lover
New Bad Things – Free Wheel
The Pop Group – Y
The Pastels – Sittin’ Pretty
Chris Kowanko – Kowanko
Davd Baerwald – Bedtime Stories (Probably the best album I’ve ever heard)
Chris Thomas (King)- Cry of the Prophets
The Devil Makes Three – (Anything they’ve recorded)
Kieran Kane – Dead Rekoning
Marshall Crenshaw – Good Evening
Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue