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Journal elmegil's Journal: Your favorite fantastic band nobody's ever heard of 42

Journal by elmegil
So what's the best band/album you absolutely love, but only a few of the cognoscenti have actually heard of, or they dismiss them as nothing?

The Vapors brought this topic to mind--of course everyone's heard Turning Japanese but they are so much more than a one-hit-wonder. Both albums they released are fantastic (sorry sielwolf, I don't have your critic's turn of hyperbolic praise). And there's the Buggles, with Video Killed the Radio Star--the entire Age of Plastic album just kicks all kinds of ass. Boomtown Rats are similar with I Don't Like Mondays. The fact that The Fine Art of Surfacing is out of print is a crime against humanity. But then there are the more obscure ones. Prefab Sprout's Two Wheels Good (aka Steve McQueen across the pond), produced by Thomas Dolby, is a slice of pure confessional heaven, and I think I know of one other person who has ever brought them up independantly (author of a partial online novel called "She Hates My Futon" which has apparently gone missing, but can still be found in google's cache). Brave Combo won a grammy for one of their polka albums, but no one ever seems to have heard of them unless through me. Fatboy Slim was da shit on the radio a little while back, but nobody ever seems to mention his previous incarnation in Beats International. Information Society's head man (name escapes me now) managed to do something altogether more obscure with his Trip Hop project Brother Sun Sister Moon, which I rate right up there with Portishead. Christmas' Ultraprophets of thee Psychick Revolution is excellent fun. RL Burnside, Danielle Dax, Dimensional Holofonic Sound, Dogbowl, Fortran 5, Horizon 222, JD Blackfoot, Bill Laswell, the real LFO (not the American posers with that stupid summer song), the Moog Cookbook, Ohi Ho Bang Bang, Bally Sagoo, Shellyan Orphan, Suns of Arqa, Emeliana Torrini, Webb Wilder, the Wolfgang Press... (yes, I have an alphabetical listing of all my 1500 or so CDs, why do you ask? :-).

So that's a hit parade of bands that most people I talk to would probably say "huh" to. Some of you may know segments of this list (hi Siel), but I'll be really impressed if anyone can say they have heard music by every single one of them.

But more importantly, what are the bands or particular albums that YOU like that don't get proper recognition?

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Your favorite fantastic band nobody's ever heard of

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  • Moog Cookbook

    Would that be the weird electronic type music that is on some of my parents' old mixed tapes?

    One band that I love, that is usually scoffed at by my peers, is The Beach Boys. I grew up listening to them, and my dad probably has every one of their albums on records (yes I know what records are, unlike most of my contemporaries).

    One song that I think has been totally overplayed is Enrique Iglesias' "Hero." I adore the spanish version, but utterly loathe the english version. Let's just s

  • That double album they made which has Jesse James bolero on it is great.
    All the critics in Sweden loved them back in the day, here in the US they're completely unknown.

    Back in the 80s I liked a band called the Twins, Scritti Politti also for a while and the Triffids. SPK, Visage and DAF in my dark clothes and somber mood era.

    • Ah, Deutsche Americanische Freundschaft. What ever happened to that...er...them :-). I never was much for SPK, a bit harsh for my tastes.

      So tell me about the Twins and Visage, they're the ones I haven't reard of.

      • Here's something on Visage [musicfolio.com] Midge Ure went on to Ultravox.

        Can't find much on the Twins, I have them on vinyl somewhere. DAF tried a comeback last year and released a weak album.

        I'm hoping my all-time favorite band Depeche Mode will get back in the studio for one more before they retire.

        • my all-time favorite band Depeche Mode

          Not very obscure though :-). Nothing like Dave having to sing all those songs about what an asshole he was on heroin, huh? That's always amused me & my wife....

          • I've always separated the music from the artists. I think Michael Jackson is a genius in spite of his freakishness and thought the people demanding money back for Milli Vanilli cds were out of their minds. Did the music somehow change when they found out it wasn't Rob and Fab singing?
            Anyway, DM has been my favorite band since I first saw the Black Celebration Tour 1986.
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      • speaking of Italo Disco there was a band called Scotch that had one hugely successful album back in Sweden. Listening to it now is painful, it's not good.
  • As discussed on several occasions in my journal.

    Here is their website [sonicbids.com] (note: I suggest you open in a new window).

  • Aimee Allen signed up with the Elektra Label and recorded an excellent album, but she managed to get the management pissed enough at her to be dropped from the label. The album "belongs" to Elektra and they are planning to sit on it until the copyright expires, so the only way to get it is via p2p.

    She's not exactly indie -- her Revolution track was used as the theme of the short-lived Birds of Prety tv show -- but I don't think she's manufactured either. I like the demos she's released since then.
    • The album "belongs" to Elektra and they are planning to sit on it until the copyright expires, so the only way to get it is via p2p.

      When the revolution comes, after we kill all the record executives slowly and painfully, when we are re-writing the constitution we need to define copyright law such that the artist has certain rights that cannot be sold or taken away, such that if a company "owns" a song, album, book, or whatever and just sits on it that the artist can seek other publishers.

      Among other th
  • Tim Hardin pretty much rocks.
  • Some of these aren't really bands, but they all deserve more recognition:
    Senor Coconut
    Camera Obscura
    Blueprint
    Massimo
    Calexico
    The Goodyear Pimps
    Magnum Opus (too bad they broke up)
    Harmony Riley (much better before they dropped their organist...)
    Lackluster
    Copywrite
    Aesop Rock
    Mr Lif
    (yeah, there's a lot of hip-hop in there...everyone needs more of it in their lives)

    Everyone should know them, most already do:
    RJD2
    2 Many DJs
    Underworld
    Uncle Tupelo
    A Tribe Called Quest
    Cornershop (second two albums, 1st & 4th suck i
  • Lately I have been listening to Faithless a lot - They're that band that had that techno song, Insomniac that got a lot of radio play several years ago, you know "I can't get no sleep...", but that's one of their worst songs (IMO). They finally released a new album in June after a 3 year lull called No Roots which is just amazing. They have a few albums out, but all of their stuff is very interesting. The guy that talks over the top of their music, his name, is Maxi Jazz, seems to have a very "soothing"
    • The guy that talks over the top of their music, his name, is Maxi Jazz, seems to have a very "soothing" Ghandi-like quality to his voice which brings me inner peace and enlightenment...

      You should try some Ultramarine if you haven't already. Particularly Every Man and Woman is a Star. K&D kick ass, and I liked the Sarah Mc. Delerium song, but my wife is a bigger fan than I am of their other stuff. Thanks for the other recommends, will have to check them out (as many of the others posted by other peop

      • You should try some Ultramarine if you haven't already. Particularly Every Man and Woman is a Star. K&D kick ass, and I liked the Sarah Mc. Delerium song, but my wife is a bigger fan than I am of their other stuff. Thanks for the other recommends, will have to check them out (as many of the others posted by other people).

        I'll definitely have to check Ultramarine out. I forgot to mention Massive Attack, but they're really becoming more mainstream. I especially like their album Mezzanine.
        • Eh. I liked the previous album much better than Mezzanine, and the Mad Professor remix album of that album as well. But I just can't get enough brain cells engaged to remember what the titles were.
  • I've had the New Clear Days tape by the Vapors since 1980. Have both of their vinyl albums, but no turntable anymore. The tape finally wore out, so I just purchased the CD Vaporised.

    I have three Information Society tapes, which will probably be the next things I get on CD. After that, I will get my Lean into it (Mr. Big) tape on CD.

    And for something completely different, I liked Cardiac Party by Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. Betcha didn't see that one coming. ;-)

  • The Legendary Pink Dots [brainwashed.com] are my favorite project, but I don't feel they are quite obscure enough for what you are talking about. Oh, and I just wrote a JE about Skinny Puppy [slashdot.org], and they are an RIAA, or at least their label got bought out.

    Oh, and I should mention that I recently saw LPD again. It has been 4 or 5 times, not counting seeing Edward KaSpel's solo project earlier this year (or late last). It was a good show but I just didn't get as into it. They played a lot of the same songs as they did the l
    • I kept my eyes open for them whenever I went music shopping. I was in San Francisco I found a few at Amoeba Music among a lot of other really kewl finds. Definately check it out if you are in SF.

      OH yeah. Amoeba is one of my "must go to" destinations when I'm in the bay area, though I ususally go to the Bezerkely location rather than Haight street. Telegraph is a little easier to navigate to and find parking.

      I'll have to check out Art Zoyd too, sounds interesting.

      One other band I hadn't mentioned is the

  • See, that depends on whether you are Canadian or not.

    There is this whole slew of bands that every Canadian has heard 50,000 times, and when the bands play in Canada, they play stadiums. Then they go to America, and play at the corner pub... the top bands are still around & touring, if you get a chance to see them when they pass through the states, you won't regret it.

    Here's a list for those of you who don't have any canuck influences:

    Tragically Hip - Download "Little Bones" or "New Orleans is Sinking

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      • Extra points for you!

        The Rheostatics are great, but I have also never heard anything else about the Waltons, so I think they're done.

        You've reminded me of a few more though: The Odds, The Arrogant Worms (what a great name) and Captain Tractor... The arrogant worms are like 3 Dead Trolls, here is their website [arrogant-worms.com]...

        The Odds are quirky too, but fun. Here are the lyrics to one of their first hits, called "Wendy under the stars" (swearwords bleeped, just in case anyone out there is easily offended)


        I was

        • Heh. Makes me think of another band I completely spaced on: New Duncan Imperials. "trailer trash punk" is the best I can think of to describe them. Their signature tune is "Jaegermeister (blows your head off)".
          • Nice, I'll have to check that out!

            References to trailer trash punk remind me of Fish Karma (not Canadian btw)... he has to be the only artist whose work cannot be downloaded over the internet, I swear! You can't even find the lyrics!

            The hard part is picking a favorite -- "Let's be Methodists Tonight", "Swap Meet Women", "God Save the NRA (for the fate that it deserves)"... whoo, it is tuff.

            BTW - Jagermeister is nasty nasty stuff. I fully and unswervedly blame the Jagermeister shots for my Stanley-cup-g
            • I don't think anyone would drink Jaegermeister except that at the NDI concerts, they have what essentially are "hooter girls" walking around hawking shots of it. So of course you do the manly thing and challenge your buddy to have a shot with you.... Heh.

              Some of my other favorite NDI titles are Oh My God We're F***ing, Velour (think Tequila here, it's mostly an instrumental), and Home Sweet Mobile Home. The website's at http://www.newduncanimperials.com/Tunes.html [newduncanimperials.com]

              • Nice! I'll be downloading a trial song or two, for sure. The snips they had on the website were 5-7 seconds long (?!) so I'll need a bit more of a listen before I pull out my credit card (-:

                Most of the girls I know won't drink Jager at all, because it is too easy to hide rufies in.... what a nasty world it is becoming, blech.

                Pixie
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        • Comment removed based on user account deletion
          • Wow, you are well informed. I bow to you, oh knower of northern things... Sloan rocks too...

            Actually, maybe I know a band that you'll hear of one day - their name is McQuaig, they were the headliners at the Solstice Festival up in YK. Scottish bagpipe rock'n roll, I danced until I thought I might fall over... they have a lot of potential, I think.

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    • full of pop gems

      Richard Nixon Sees You, Richard Nixon Sees Through You....

      Love it.

      As for Webb...if you didn't like DooDad, and you don't like country as a general rule, you probably won't like his other stuff. He really has only two speeds: edgy rockabilly and countryfied. Though how anyone could not love Sputnik is a mystery to me :-)

      You should give Vaporized a chance, it's got all of their second album Magnets which, while it doesn't have the same sound as New Clear Days, is actually a better written a

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