Little known great albums

[Jermei]

Some Canadian music from BC, Canada:
- "Natural Progression" by Sweatshop Union
- "Say Something" by Kyprios
- Any album by Mathew Good Band

 

[RawHawg]

Be Bop Deluxe, a UK band in the 70s, with their leader Bill Nelson are not that well known, especially in America, but had some great albums. Sunburst Finish is probably my favorite, but they all have their moments. Very eclectic style, covers everything from rock to jazz and classical. Bill Nelson is an amazing guitarist and for fans of Randy Rhoads, Bill's playing with his long, legato style solos was a big influence on Randy.

 

[JAGDPANZER209]

Toasty

 

[Flemmy Stardust]

The Broadways - Broken Star
Cursive - The Ugly Organ/Happy Hollow/Mama, I'm Swollen

 

[Fraz]

Television - Marquee Moon

 

[FadeLess]

 

[AnGrYcRoW]

A personal fave from Neutral Milk Hotel

 

[IIIIIIII]

there's a music forum on this site, now. you may want to move it over there.

 

[irish_thug]

Gwar - Hell-O

Classic first record by Gwar that is under appreciated but contained I'm in love with a dead dog which was the first song I heard by them and how can you not like a band then

I love that album. I miss GWAR.

 

[Pixelated Porn]

I love that album. I miss GWAR.

I still listen to them a lot. It is upsetting how much the band hates this album. It is their best one followed by scumbdogs followed by american must be destroyed.
Pretty upsetting metallica got to play antarctica and GWAR did not

there's a music forum on this site, now. you may want to move it over there.

nah, fuck that noise

 

[irish_thug]

I still listen to them a lot. It is upsetting how much the band hates this album. It is their best one followed by scumbdogs followed by american must be destroyed.
Pretty upsetting metallica got to play antarctica and GWAR did not



nah, fuck that noise

Gwar isn't in regular rotation for me any more, but I still dust them off every now and then, or throw on a few YT vids at work. It's been so long since I got covered in fake blood and bile.

And on that note

 

[Jackonfire]

Probably my favorite album by these guys

 

[Seano]

Do you have any relatively unknown, solid, or nearly solid albums with great lyricism,
instrumentation, engineering, musical innovation, theme, or concept to share?

All music welcome.


We have all had that moment in our lives when we are transcended to a higher place through great music. This is the place to post all those solid albums and hidden gems that for what ever reason, didn't make it to the forefront of our global collective conscience, or perhaps they did for only a brief instance and were swallowed by time once again to be a mere obscure pleasure for those that rediscover it in the recesses of their minds and attics. Maybe the album is only appealing to a micro genre, or perhaps it was buried under the releases of major hit pop albums and groups that pushed it to the fringes of the industry, perhaps they had poor distribution, or had major success in a small region of the world but nowhere else, or had no entry into the market, and just maybe they were ahead of their time.

For my first contribution to this thread, I present you with;


Tales of Mystery and Imagination Edgar Allan Poe is the debut album by the progressive rock group. The Allan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The lyrical and musical themes – retelling's of horror stories and poetry by literary genius Edgar Allen Poe. The title of the album is taken from a popular title for a collection of Poe's macabre tales of the same name, Tales of Mystery & Imagination, first published in 1908.




Album Reception & Legacy:

Critical reception of the album was mixed at the time of release, and it quietly achieved gold status pushed forward by "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" that peaked at No. 38 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Feather" peaked at No. 37 on the Pop Singles chart. On July 2010, the album was named as one of Classic Rock Magazine's "50 Albums That Built Prog Rock"

Major Album Contributors:

• Allan Parsons Organ, Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards, Recorder, Vocals, Producer, Engineer, Projectron
• Eric Woolfson– Synthesizer, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (background), Executive Producer

Factoids:

• Although termed a "group" this album was intended to be a "one off" studio project, and is a collaborative work between 44 top notch artists and musicians, that doesn't include any of the other studio & sound engineers.
  
• Parsons was also known to have been "the" engineer & director of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon LP. He later declined the invite to do the same for Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" in favor of pursuing his own project.
• In October 1967, at the age of 18, Parsons went to work as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios, where he earned his first credit on the LP Abbey Road, He became a regular there, and later ran the studio in its entirety. He also engineered many projects for Paul McCartney, five albums by The Hollies, Pilot, Ambrosia, and for Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" which he received his first Grammy Award nomination.
• Orson "Fucking" Wells provides narrations to a few songs.
• The song "The Raven" was the first rock song to feature a digital vocoder. (according to liner notes)

Allan Parsons, Awards and nominations

Spoiler

• 1973 – Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1975 – Ambrosia – Ambrosia – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1976 – Ambrosia – Somewhere I've Never Travelled – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1976 – The Alan Parsons Project – Tales of Mystery and Imagination – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1978 – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1979 – Ice Castles – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
• 1979 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eve – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1981 – The Alan Parsons Project – The Turn of a Friendly Card – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1982 – The Alan Parsons Project – Eye in the Sky – Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
• 1986 – The Alan Parsons Project – "Where's The Walrus?" – Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
• 2007 – Alan Parsons – A Valid Path – Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album

Allan Parsons Billboard Top 40 hit singles (US)

Spoiler

No. 37 – "(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether" (1976)
No. 36 – "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" (1977)
No. 27 – "Damned if I Do" (1979)
No. 16 – "Games People Play" (1980)
No. 15 – "Time" (1981)
No. 3 – "Eye in the Sky" (1982)
No. 15 – "Don't Answer Me" (1984)
No. 34 - "Prime Time" (1984)

Main References

Spoiler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination_(Alan_Parsons_Project_album)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons
Also myself and Kenny Florian.

@BAM

Wow, I'm a pretty big fan of APP. Never thought I'd see a thread on sherdog about them. Was just listening to Eye in the Sky a little while ago.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

Terrifying and Amazing.

 

[Exi]

Group/Band
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, jazz, hip hop and alternative rock. Their lyrics range from the personal to the political, in some cases attacking Euro-centrism and racism in America.


Official Website http://livingcolour.com/


Album
Time's Up is the second studio album by the band Living Colour, released on August 20, 1990 through Epic Records. It was the follow-up to their successful 1988 album Vivid. Time's Up features a wide range of genres and also includes cameo appearances by Queen Latifah, Little Richard, Doug E. Fresh, Maceo Parker and James Earl Jones. After the album was released, it reached gold status, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and later won a Grammy for best hard rock album of the year.


Factoid & Fun:

• The band's song "Cult of Personality" received fresh exposure from 2011, as it was used as the entrance music for professional wrestler CM Punk. In 2013, Living Colour performed the song live during Punk's entrance at Wrestle Mania 29.

• On August 19, 2016 the band released a cover of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Who Shot Ya?", from an upcoming EP entitled "Mixtape" which is set to be released on September 9. It features appearances from Chuck D, Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, Prodigal Sunn, and Kyle Mansa.

• In early 2009,WWE used "Cult of Personality" in the video promoting the induction of Stone Cold Steve Austin into its Hall of Fame

• In 1989 The band gained further exposure as an opening act, along with Guns N' Roses, for The Rolling Stones'Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour.

• On July 2, 2014 Living Colour announced on their official website that they are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming albumShade due in early 2017

• "Cult of Personality" was part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas repertoire of radio songs in Radio X. It was also the first song to be confirmed for the track list of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The version featured in Guitar Hero III

Awards, Acclaim & Legacy

Spoiler

MTV Video Music Awards

· They were named Best New Artist at the 1989MTV Video Music Awards

· 1989 - Best New Artist ("Cult of Personality")

· 1989 - Best Group Video ("Cult of Personality")

· 1989 - Best Stage Performance ("Cult of Personality")

Grammy Awards

· 1990 - Best Hard Rock Performance (won) ("Cult of Personality")

· 1990 - Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (nominated) ("Glamour Boys")

· 1991 - Best Hard Rock Performance (won) (Time's Up)

• In October 2006, "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" was ranked and voted 303 out of the 2006 songs featured in theTriple MEssential 2006 Countdown.

• Rolling Stone have called the band "funk metal pioneers."

Band Members

Spoiler

· Vernon Reid – lead guitar, guitar synthesizer, backing vocals (1984–1995, 2000–present); lead vocals (1984–1985)

· Corey Glover – lead vocals, occasional rhythm guitar, occasional tambourine (1985–1995, 2000–present)

· Will Calhoun – drums, percussion, keyboards, samples, loops, backing vocals (1986–1995, 2000–present)

· Doug Wimbish – bass, guitar, drums, programming, backing vocals (1992–1995, 2000–present)

Former
· Alex Mosely – bass

· Jerome Harris – bass

· Carl James – bass

· Greg Carter – drums, percussion

· Pheeroan Aklaff – drums, percussion

· J.T. Lewis – drums, percussion

· Geri Allen – keyboards

· D.K. Dyson – lead vocals

· Mark Ledford – lead vocals

· Muzz Skillings – bass, backing vocals (1986–1992, one-off show in 2006)

Track Listing

Spoiler

All tracks written by Vernon Reid, except where noted.

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Time's Up" Reid, Muzz Skillings, Corey Glover, Will Calhoun 3:05
2. "History Lesson" 0:52
3. "Pride" Calhoun 4:55
4. "Love Rears Its Ugly Head (ft. Little Richard)" 4:19
5. "New Jack Theme" 3:30
6. "Someone Like You" Skillings 3:47
7. "Elvis Is Dead" 3:50
8. "Type" 6:26
9. "Information Overload" 6:11
10. "Under Cover of Darkness (ft. Queen Latifah)" Glover 4:17
11. "Ology" Skillings 1:07
12. "Fight the Fight" Calhoun, Glover, Reid, Skillings 4:32
13. "Tag Team Partners (ft. Doug E. Fresh)" Glover 0:48
14. "Solace of You" Glover, Reid 3:38
15. "This Is the Life" 6:23

Track 1

Track 3

Track 4

Track 5

Track 6

Track 7

Track 8

Track 9 & 10

Track 11 &12

Track 14

Track 15

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

 

[ArchGoat]

Runic - Liar Flags

Very underrated band.

 

[squeezewax]

Before Slade became huge in the early seventies they released an album named 'Slade Alive!' This was before they used to dress up in silly clothes on top of the pops and sing their hit singles.
This was the first lp i ever owned, back when i was only around 13yrs old or so. It's the best live album i've ever heard, actually this is the only live album i own, just don't like live lps in general.

Years after this i've read that Kiss, Cheap Trick, and others absolutely loved this album and played the thing over and over on the tour bus and before a show.
Actually i was reading an interview that mentioned that southern rock band Blackfoot used to play it on their tour bus' as they went across America as it go them ready for the shows. Surprizing that a Southern Rock band would be into it actually.

I contains a few covers including an incredibly powerful version of 'Born to be Wild.'
You can find concert footage on youtube of them doing the songs back then, but i'd suggest not to watch as it just looks so old and it's in black and white i think. It can date the actual music.
It's great hard rock!

 

[Lucifer Alpha]

 

[BeardotheWeirdo]

The album sounds better than these live recordings, but it's not online...