CABers favourite underrated albums or recent underrated albums?

[willbo]

coming from a rock fan background, I've read some CABer's giving love to some albums I've never really heard of or seen discussed before, like the Human League's Dare and the recent Sparks stuff. Can I hear about some loved under-discussed albums?  Either from the last couple of years or all time? Just stuff I might have missed relying on bbc6/amazon recommendations/Q magazine etc?

[SpiderChrist]

Lost In The Former West - Fatima Mansions

https://youtu.be/f2T0078rTg8

[Pauline Walnuts]

The American track listing version of Lost in the former West is the better one, the substituted songs are simply better.

[DrGreggles]

Is Swagger by The Blue Aeroplanes underrated?
I love it regardless.

[SpiderChrist]

The American track listing version of Lost in the former West is the better one, the substituted songs are simply better.

Sorry to derail the thread so soon, but what? Not aware of this...

[phantom_power]

Is Swagger by The Blue Aeroplanes underrated?
I love it regardless.

I think it is probably fairly obscure now. They seem to be a band that have been lost to the mists of time a bit. I love it thought. Best opening line of an album I can think of - "Pick a card, any card - wrong"

[Egyptian Feast]

Swagger is fucking great. Not an album you see cited very often, then three of us do it within a few posts.

I'll probably think of loads, but as I was listening to it earlier, I'll go for J Beez Wit The Remedy by Jungle Brothers. Their first  album is a classic and Done by the Forces of Nature a flat-out masterpiece, but their first attempt at a follow-up Crazy Wisdom Masters was such a bizarre left-turn it was rejected by Warner Bros and unreleased until a couple of years back. It was so genuinely odd, with occasional barely intelligible high-speed rants from new member Torture and music veering towards the avant-garde at times, it probably would've flopped if it came out in 1991, but it had no hope when a slightly watered down version came out in 1993, post The Chronic. The compromised version is not that much more commercial, retains a couple of the more out-there tracks and even adds a couple of new ones just as weird as the tracks Warners rejected. The original is a better album, but either way it's a lost gem. I still prefer their earlier stuff, but few artists in hip-hop have taken such a leap into unknown territory and I'll always admire them for that.

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

i think in the early 80s Fall canon, room to live is often left out and seen as a rushed follow-up to hex enduction hour, but it's mint

[Egyptian Feast]

It is mint. It's perhaps not on a par with the albums on either side, but they needed to get it out of their system. Since you mentioned The Fall, may I add Levitate and the last few albums & EPs?

[jobotic]

Swagger is fucking great. Not an album you see cited very often, then three of us do it within a few posts.

I'll probably think of loads, but as I was listening to it earlier, I'll go for J Beez Wit The Remedy by Jungle Brothers. Their first  album is a classic and Done by the Forces of Nature a flat-out masterpiece, but their first attempt at a follow-up Crazy Wisdom Masters was such a bizarre left-turn it was rejected by Warner Bros and unreleased until a couple of years back. It was so genuinely odd, with occasional barely intelligible high-speed rants from new member Torture and music veering towards the avant-garde at times, it probably would've flopped if it came out in 1991, but it had no hope when a slightly watered down version came out in 1993, post The Chronic. The compromised version is not that much more commercial, retains a couple of the more out-there tracks and even adds a couple of new ones just as weird as the tracks Warners rejected. The original is a better album, but either way it's a lost gem. I still prefer their earlier stuff, but few artists in hip-hop have taken such a leap into unknown territory and I'll always admire them for that.

Great post and I totally agree about J Beez Wit The Remedy. I mean listen to this

https://youtu.be/9fB8NgUaAig

But I've never heard of Crazy Wisdom Masters. You mean it's an earlier more out there version of J Beez or am album in its own right?

[sevendaughters]

the middle 4 Labradford records (A Stable Reference, Labradford, E Luxo So, Mi Media Naranja) and the TFUL282 records from Lovelyville onwards beat the hell out of their 90s peers and yet remain desperately out of print and fetch silly sums on Discogs.

a recent record I didn't see anyone talk about was the one-and-done by Autotelia. one of Tomaga and one of the Oscillation make droney sci-fi techno-ish jams.

[non capisco]

If you like bald men playing aggressive mutant surf on unconventionally tuned guitars then check out 'Breakfast Of Failures' by The Blind Shake.

The OP mentioned Sparks, I will go to bat for 'Introducing Sparks' which seemingly both the fans and the Maels have little time for but it's got 'Occupation' on it which is my favourite song they've ever done.

Also their self titled album and 'Live From Camp X Ray' are considered sub-par Rocket From The Crypt albums by some but do not listen to such mewling from wretched whelps.

[GoblinAhFuckScary]

It is mint. It's perhaps not on a par with the albums on either side, but they needed to get it out of their system. Since you mentioned The Fall, may I add Levitate and the last few albums & EPs?

i fucking love levitate i should have mentioned that. it's the only one smith produced by himself, right? brilliant fucking trainwreck album

[Egyptian Feast]

Great post and I totally agree about J Beez Wit The Remedy. I mean listen to this

https://youtu.be/9fB8NgUaAig

But I've never heard of Crazy Wisdom Masters. You mean it's an earlier more out there version of J Beez or am album in its own right?

It is essentially an earlier more out-there version of the album created with Bill Laswell (he's seemingly not credited on my copy of J Beez, but the handwriting is pretty difficult to decipher on the back cover graphics anyway). The tracks that remain from the original have mostly been remixed and a few of the stranger tracks, such as 'Battle Show' and 'Ra-Ra Kid' were dropped.

Laswell released it on his Bandcamp a couple of years back, but the version I downloaded has extra tracks, including a bizarre version of '40 Below Trooper' (which wasn't on Crazy Wisdom Masters), and feels more like a complete album.

I mostly prefer the original mixes of the tracks that made it to the released album, especially 'Simple As That', but it's a fine and very odd album in it's own right.

[Egyptian Feast]

'Occupation'...which is my favourite song they've ever done.

BANGER.

i fucking love levitate i should have mentioned that. it's the only one smith produced by himself, right? brilliant fucking trainwreck album

I'm pretty sure it's the only album he produced, at least by The Fall anyway.

[Rev+]

Lost In The Former West - Fatima Mansions

Can take or leave that one - they were trying too hard because they were forced to. Valhalla Avenue got a lot of 3/5 reviews, which is pure madness.  It's a bit scrappy but the gold shines so brightly.

[Famous Mortimer]

This might be beloved, I admittedly don't know a ton about their best, but

Tangerine Dream - "Hyperborea"

Mostly due to "No Man's Land", which might be my favourite thing of theirs ever. It's in the middle of a lot of rubbish and I don't like anything they did after this, but "Hyperborea" is a belter.

[Ferris]

i think in the early 80s Fall canon, room to live is often left out and seen as a rushed follow-up to hex enduction hour, but it's mint

I oscillate on Hex Enduction Hour between "brilliant!" and "dog eggs!". A strange album, I just can't form an opinion on it. Mind you, my favourite fall record is I Am Kurious Oranj which I think puts me in the minority? I never see it talked about on here anyway.

I have nothing to contribute to this thread, but as per usual I'm enjoying the CaB recommendations as they're usually bands I've never heard of and very good.

[willbo]

For me I really like Margaret Glaspy. I'm not sure how highly rated she is in the music world. But I don't see much mention of her online.

[Egyptian Feast]

I was reading the latest Mojo piece on Funkadelic and marvelling at the group having such influence despite only ever recording one album, Maggot Brain. I swear every time I've read an article in the music press about them, it always focuses on that one record and skims over everything else they did, which is totally unfair. It's one of their best for sure, but just once I'd like to see their later stuff acknowledged. I've heard that story about Eddie Hazel's mother enough times, thanks.

Their most underrated is probably America Eats It's Young, their ambitious double-album follow-up to the one Mojo likes. It's flawed ('We Hurt Too'), but full of brilliance (and also includes the tune Chris Morris frequently uses as a background in his R1 shows).

[jobotic]

Room to Live is brilliant, I probably play it more than Hex. Solicitor in Studio is one of the classic Fall Tracks and the others are all very very good indeed (okay maybe not Papal Visit).

[Art Bear]

the middle 4 Labradford records (A Stable Reference, Labradford, E Luxo So, Mi Media Naranja)

Seconded.

Also from the nineties, "Gideon Gaye" and "Hawaii" by the High Llamas. Neither have been reissued since '98, vinyl copies go for stupid prices but CDs more affordable. If you like Smile and immediately post-Smile Beach Boys these are an absolute must.

[phantom_power]

Swagger is fucking great. Not an album you see cited very often, then three of us do it within a few posts.

I'll probably think of loads, but as I was listening to it earlier, I'll go for J Beez Wit The Remedy by Jungle Brothers. Their first  album is a classic and Done by the Forces of Nature a flat-out masterpiece, but their first attempt at a follow-up Crazy Wisdom Masters was such a bizarre left-turn it was rejected by Warner Bros and unreleased until a couple of years back. It was so genuinely odd, with occasional barely intelligible high-speed rants from new member Torture and music veering towards the avant-garde at times, it probably would've flopped if it came out in 1991, but it had no hope when a slightly watered down version came out in 1993, post The Chronic. The compromised version is not that much more commercial, retains a couple of the more out-there tracks and even adds a couple of new ones just as weird as the tracks Warners rejected. The original is a better album, but either way it's a lost gem. I still prefer their earlier stuff, but few artists in hip-hop have taken such a leap into unknown territory and I'll always admire them for that.

Yeah J Beez is a great oddity. Some of it is a bit much for me but overall it is an interesting, creative album. It is a shame that its failure seemed to make them go completely the other way and go all big beat with Raw Deluxe

Another in the "forgotten rap classics" series is Bulhoone Mindstate by De La Soul. It is easily their second best album and on some days I even prefer it to Three Feet High and Rising. At least there aren't loads of annoying skits. I Am I Be might be the best thing they have done

[Jockice]

Lost In The Former West - Fatima Mansions

https://youtu.be/f2T0078rTg8

If you're going to become a Fatimas fan (which I am. Very much so), it's best to start at the beginning with Against Nature, Viva Dead Ponies and Bertie's Brochures. The later stuff's good (superb in places) but it didn't have as much impact. On me anyway.

My two favourite underrated albums are from the same year. 1983. OMD's Dazzle Ships and The Undertones' The Sin Of Pride. You could probably add Elvis Costello's Punch The Clock to that as well. Just a 'pop album' apparently.

From later Baby Bird's There's Something Going On is also probably the best stuff he/they ever did. And this century saw Pony Club (not the New Young variety. The old old ones) release Home Truths, which went almost unnoticed but is still a regular play in my home.

[Jockice]

i think in the early 80s Fall canon, room to live is often left out and seen as a rushed follow-up to hex enduction hour, but it's mint

Most underrated Fall ever is Are You Are Missing Winner. Followed directly by their most overrated one, The Real New Fall LP.

[The Mollusk]

Also their self titled album and 'Live From Camp X Ray' are considered sub-par Rocket From The Crypt albums by some but do not listen to such mewling from wretched whelps.

Not wishing to turn the mirror on you too hard here as I know they're your faves, but I do recall telling you once I'd been listening to "Camp X Ray" a lot and you replied something along the lines of it not being very good or at least not up to the standard of what the band can do best. But it was a hot day, we'd had a couple of jars, and I'm certainly not one to talk when it comes to being overly defensive or opinionated about their favourite band. Someone told me once that Gene Ween's processed vocals on "Push th' Little Daisies" sound like Eric Cartman - were they wrong? Not entirely. Did they have any fucking right to be saying it? ABSOLUTELY NO THEY DID NOT, GET TO FUCK.

Either way, I really like "X Ray" a lot, and I think "I Wanna Know What I Wanna Know" is one of my fave RFTC songs!

[phantom_power]

I love Trompe Le Monde and am not afraid to say it

Between 10th and 11th and Up To Our Hips are both good albums that have been forgotten between The Charlatans' baggy debut and brit-pop fourth album

[non capisco]

Not wishing to turn the mirror on you too hard here as I know they're your faves, but I do recall telling you once I'd been listening to "Camp X Ray" a lot and you replied something along the lines of it not being very good or at least not up to the standard of what the band can do best.

Ha ha, did I? What a load of shite I talk sometimes.

I certainly think it's some way off their best (kicks a little less harder than something like Group Sounds) and tails off a bit on side 2 but you can't argue with that opening salvo.

[The Culture Bunker]

My two favourite underrated albums are from the same year. 1983. OMD's Dazzle Ships and The Undertones' The Sin Of Pride. You could probably add Elvis Costello's Punch The Clock to that as well. Just a 'pop album' apparently.

I think Dazzle Ships has been 'officially' reclassified as a lost classic these days, to the point it'll soon swing round to being overrated.

[non capisco]

I love Trompe Le Monde and am not afraid to say it

Same. Alec Eiffel and Motorway to Roswell are two of my favourite Pixies songs.