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The Big Takeover > essays

15 Underrated Albums

by Greg Bartalos
13 February 2007


Goo Goo Dolls—Hold Me Up

This edgy but sweet power-pop treat was made in 1991—before the group turned into high fructose corn syrup.


The Godfathers—Hit by Hit

Not to be confused with clones of Marlon Brando, these Godfathers also make offers you can’t refuse. In the case of Hit by Hit it’s ten short and direct offers. Though better known for Birth, School, Work, Death, this powder keg smartly straddles the nexus where punk meets hard rock.


The Cavedogs—Joyrides for Shut-ins

I’m glad I wasn’t a talent scout when this record came out in 1991 because I would have urged the head of my record company to throw every penny it had at these guys. Although the Cavedogs never made it commercially, they delivered a fantastic power-pop debut, with great song writing and hooks galore. Joyrides is one of my faves from the nineties.


Jon Wayne—Texas Funeral

Humor and music don’t always mix well. But here inspired lunacy goes far, particularly on “Mr. Egyptian.” No go diggy die? Yep! (Listen to the record and that’ll make sense…or maybe it won’t.)


The Damned—Strawberries

Damned Damned Damned and Machine Gun Etiquette are deserving of their classic status. But 1982’s Strawberries is also remarkable. This record shows the band mixing energy, song writing, musicianship and mood impressively. Producer Hugh Jones helps make each member’s contributions sparkle. A Keith Moon-esque Rat Scabies drums like a man possessed, Captain Sensible shows off his wide range on guitar, Dave Vanian is at the top of his vocal game (see “Stranger on the Town”) and bassist Paul Gray belies his surname, playing with color and élan.


Leatherface—Mush

Acknowledged by those who know it to be a full-on juggernaut, I consider this underrated simply because so few know about it. I remember how in awe I was when I first heard its uncompromising rumble and roar fifteen years ago. What an impression it made. It was then a foregone conclusion that I would closely follow this band’s career and thankfully they have yet to disappoint.


Devo—Duty Now for the Future

While the spudboys’ first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, is widely hailed as their best, to me the band’s second record is more interesting as it captures the group at its manic and inspired experimental best, while making the keyboards an integral part of its sound. “Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA” is still as fresh, hot and tasty as a just served brick oven pizza.


Husker Du—Warehouse Songs and Stories

Like another great band from the eighties, The Smiths, the Huskers made their last effort a keeper. And they had plenty to say, offering up a double album on their way out. Unlike earlier albums where speed was a focal point, here the songwriting takes center stage.


Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians—Respect

Though not generally considered to be Hitchcock’s best, Respect does demand respect. From the soaring “Arms of Love” to the blissful “The Wreck of the Arthur Lee” this record mixes moods with cinematic clarity—aside from the irritating bookend tracks, which sully an otherwise splendid record.


Love—Four Sail

Talk about a tough act to follow! Conventional wisdom has it that after Love’s first three records, culminating with the brilliance of Forever Changes, Arthur Lee lost his creative muse. Not so! Four Sail is extremely good (as fellow BT blogger Matt Berlyant quite accurately pointed out recently) and is in my opinion better than Love’s much-ballyhooed eponymous debut. Influenced by Jimi Hendrix’s then rising star and brand of fiery guitar playing, Lee traded in the orchestral/folk majesty of Forever Changes for a more propulsive assault. A key reason why Four Sail succeeds is because it has fantastic songs and oodles of sweet melodies. Of note: “August,” which features George Suranovich’s machine gun like drumming and a wailing guitar that could attract a pack of alley cats in heat on a cold January night.


Rein Sanction—Mariposa

If your first reaction is “Rein who?” you’re not alone. But this band, sometimes compared to Dinosaur Jr., effectively conveys a mood of overcast skies and rainy weather in a pleasing package. What may initially sound sloppy becomes subtler and more complex with repeated listens, especially the nuanced guitar work lurking beneath.


Readymade—The Dramatic Balanced

Like Rein Sanction, Vancouver’s Readymade is short on name recognition but long on inspiration and mood. Shoe-gazey, warm and dark, the second half is truly fantastic.


The Stranglers—10

The Stranglers’ last album with Hugh Cornwell—released in 1990—is widely considered to be a stinker. Granted, it has duds like a pointless cover of “96 Tears” and the cringe-worthy “Let’s Celebrate,” but the record’s second half is comprised of five very good to excellent songs. “Man of the Earth,” “Too Many Teardrops,” “Where I Live,” “Out of My Mind,” and the prophetic “Never to Look Book” are all distinct pleasures. The album’s biggest problem is that it was grossly misproduced by Roy Thomas Baker of Queen fame. 10 was a forthright attempt at breaking the elusive American market but an overly commercial sound failed to showcase the band in a flattering light. In contrast, Martin Rushent, who produced the band’s earliest works, emphasized the group’s distinctive bass and keyboards.


Hugh Cornwell—Wolf

The general consensus is that Wolf bites. I disagree – though I concede that my hand has some scratches and tooth marks on it from playing this disk. Like 10, this 1988 record is often panned for sounding dated. That criticism is very valid but Cornwell’s inimitable soul for lack of a better word and yearning still shine through in his singing/crooning and for that I can always tolerate production shortcomings whatever they may be.


Robert Wyatt—Shleep

Rock Bottom is widely considered to be Wyatt’s best solo effort. While that is clearly a great record (see especially the devastating “Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road”), Shleep is an underrated gem. Though the quality of Wyatt’s work can be uneven, here he hits some amazing high points. A true shleeper!


What abums do you think deserve greater recognition?

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Comments

I always thought that Afghan Whigs “Black Love” should’ve been the kind of record that would’ve launched any band into the stratosphere. Unfortunately, it was released on the same day (I think) as the third Smashing Pumpkins record and was completely lost in all of that thing’s undeserved hype (I haven’t listened to that record since it came out and I don’t think that I’ll ever listen to it again). The playing is amazingly tight, but still funky and raw, and the artwork is amazingly sublime and appropriate to the music. Even if you don’t buy Greg Dulli’s vocals, they still flow with the music better than just about anything ever. “Summer’s Kiss/Faded” still kills me. A lot of critics still remember “Gentlemen” as their high point(which I still don’t get), but “Black Love” will always be in my top 10 of all time – yet – no one I know has ever heard it. Great record that will hold up forever.


— patrick clifford    2007-02-13 05:23    #

Hi Patrick. You can count me among those who haven’t heard “Black Love” too. But based on your comments and the near uninamous approval of it on Amazon.com, I’ll have to get a copy. Thanks for writing!


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-14 03:25    #

hi,
an album i would put on the list as underrated is “debt and departure” by those bastard souls.
it was a side project of dave shouse of the grifters and,imo, surpassed anything the grifters ever created.
released in ‘99; there isn’t a bad song on the cd. trust me, this is a must have!


— ed higgins    2007-02-14 11:51    #

Glad to see you giving props to Respect – that’s probably my favorite Hitchcock album. I actually can’t stand the opening and closing songs, but everything in between is the most gorgeous music he’s ever made.

I love Warehouse too. I know it gets a lot of crap from Husker diehards, but cut-for-cut I think it’s got the highest concentration of great songs.

And I would dearly love to find Hit By Hit on CD without it costing me my car payment.

I supposed now that I’ve commented on your list I should post one, huh? Maybe later, when I’m not procrastinating on the work I’m being paid to do…


— Michael Toland    2007-02-14 13:53    #

Nice to see the Cavedogs on your list. I think I have something of theirs on cassette in a shoebox somewhere.

Other underrated albums? I’ll take Captain Beefheart’s Safe as Milk over Trout Mask Replica any day. Technically, it’s not really underrated—it has garnered its share of praise from critics—but I’ve always thought it to be the “lesser” of the two. (Yeah, he’s got a few more that deserve attention, too.) It’s definitely an easier listen.


— Kathy    2007-02-14 14:44    #

Ed, I’ll check out “Debt and Departure.” Amazon has it used for a penny!

Mike, I’m glad to learn that someone else greatly appreciates “Respect.” It’d be great to see your picks when you have the time.

Kathy, the Cavedogs only released two proper albums so there’s a decent chance you have “Joyrides.” As for Beefheart. I only have Trout and The Spotlight Kid/Clear Spot. Thanks for the tip on Safe as Milk.


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-15 17:00    #

two of my favorites, which next to no one knows, so i guess that’s beyond ‘underrated’:

Engine 88 – clean your room (san francisco punk band from the 90s)

Mystery Machine – 10 speed (vancouver rock band with a britrock sound)

some mp3s of them are on my blog


— alternapop.com    2007-02-15 22:07    #

Flop’s “Whenever You’re Ready” should’ve been huge. Ditto ANYTHING by Joe Henry. I agree that “Strawberries” was the best thing that the Damned ever did save “Friday the 13th” (The Limit Club is UNBELIEVEABLE)!

I love the hell out of “Confessions of a Pop Group” by The Style Council. One star on Allmusic.com. One star?!?


— Eric Hamen    2007-02-16 08:39    #

100% agreement here about Warehouse (Hüsker Dü were my favorite band in high school and that was my favorite record by far), Shleep (a recent obsession but a brilliant record) and Respect (Radio Storm is my current favorite). I’ll echo love for “Black Love” as well, which I agree I always preferred to “Gentlemen.” For my money, an album which always got the short end of the love stick was “Come Pick Me Up” by Superchunk. I believe it was their sixth release, recorded by Jim O’Rourke at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and for some reason even Superchunk fans seem to hate it! I can’t for the life of me think why. Leaving aside the sonic glory (those guitars! They sound like molten scarecrows telling you it will all, after all, eventually, work out), the songwriting is top notch, among Mac’s best lyrics, and the b-sides were great too! Great essay!


— Devon Bryant    2007-02-16 14:28    #

Alternapop, Engine 88 and Mystery Machine both sound good. The two CDs you highlighted by them are also available used on Amazon for a penny.

Eric, I had “Flop and the Fall of the Mopsqueezer!” but never heard “Whenever You’re Ready.” The “Friday the 13th” EP is brilliant and has such a fantastic sound. The Damned made arguably four great records (including the “Black Album”) but they had loads of excellent songs that never were released on proper albums: Limit Club, Rabid, There Ain’t No Sanity Claus, Billy Bad Breaks, Disco Man, Nasty, Eloise, Fun Factory, etc. As for Allmusic.com they can sometimes be confounding. At times you’ll see a disconnect between the substance of a review and the number of stars assigned to it. That said, I love the site and consult it regularly.

Devon, good to hear from another “Respect” fan! I also have a sister CD by Hitchcock called “Spectre” that contains the full album and in between each song interview snippets of Hitchcock explaining the whys and wherefores of each tune on “Respect.” For most artists this would arguably be unnecessary but Hitchcock is such a smart, funny and original thinker that it’s always a pleasure hearing what he has to say. Thanks for the Superchunk recommendation and the kind words.


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-16 21:30    #

I’m happy to see you give props to Rein Sanction and especially their great Mariposa. If I made an underrated albums list it would be in my top 5. A few years back I stunned a bartender at the Ginger Man by asking him “Is this Rein Sanction?” when I recognized the guitar sound. He’s from Florida and is friends with them; he was playing some unreleased demos and couldn’t believe anyone (especially in New York) would recognize them. But that guitar sound is so distinctive! It was a good thing I spoke up; he burned me copies of the unreleased stuff.


— Steve Holtje    2007-02-16 22:24    #

“Warehouse” is definitely near the top of my Husker list. Granted, I’ve been known to find things like “Visionary” and “Bed of Nails” almost unlistenable, but the one-two-three-four punch of “These Important Years”, “Charity, Chastity…”, “Standing in the Rain” and “Back from Somewhere” made the top of every playlist I made two years ago. Not to mention the utter heartbreak of “Turn It Around” etc. It’s a great, great album.


— Alicia Enterman    2007-02-17 05:27    #

The A&R guy that signed the Cavedogs suffered greatly for his beliefs. Also, Patrick Clifford is a good dude.


— billy budapest    2007-02-17 16:26    #

Another Black Love fanatic here.

Strawberries is quite a reach however. Just drenched in keyboards, mostly ho-hum songs…a band without a direction. Apart from Dozen Girls, I don’t see much to love here. The Black Album or even Phantasmagoria make more sense as underrated.

Also, interestingly, MGE is somewhat underrated in it’s own sense, as many critics completely dismissed it at the time. of course, it’s a perfect record :)


— larry    2007-02-17 20:32    #

Steve, it’s nice to find another person who appreciates the group. I can also understand why someone would be surprised that you knew Rein Sanction. They’re pretty obscure. I will have to hunt down “Broc’s Cabin.”

Alicia, part of what is so impressive about “Warehouse” is that not only did the group manage to call it a day on such a high note but it manage to do so on a double album.

Billy, this page has some Cavedogs MP3s, but unfortunately not “Joyrides.” For fans, the live material would likely be of particular interest.

Larry, we’ll respectfully disagree on Strawberries. I think the diversity of styles on the record is a strength. Phantsmagoria is a very good album but its song writing and musical chops don’t measure up to Strawberries. The main reason: Captain Sensible had left the band to pursue a solo career. “Anything,” which followed “Phantasmagoria,” was the group’s low point and not surprisingly it was made sans Sensible. Then in 2001 the group released its first record in 15 years—this time with Sensible—and voila, you had a return to form. I agree that the Black Album is underrated. And MGE is indeed one of the greatest rock records ever made.


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-17 22:08    #

Off the top of my head: Sneetches -Blow Out the Sun (‘94 power-pop yum-yums); Starclub-Starclub (ditto, but circa ‘93); David Greenberger/Shaking Ray Levis-Mayor of the Tennesse River and, for major label releases that went “klunk,” Replacements-Don’t Tell a Soul. Granted, the very traits that we loved from the ‘Mats were gone, but tell me if “Achin’ To Be,” “They’re Blind,” and “Rock ‘n Roll Ghost” don’t just ooze pathos and pain.


— Scott Muncy    2007-02-18 01:12    #

Hi Scott. “Don’t Tell a Soul” did have some gems. “Achin to Be” is great. I’m also a big fan of “I’ll Be You,” which rightly received a lot of radio exposure back in 1989.


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-18 01:55    #

Different Patrick Clifford here (not the A&R guy) – I’d like to think I’m a good dude, too.

Does anyone ever reference Elvis Costello’s “Get Happy!!!” when they cover his greatest moments? “Temptation” is my favorite song by him by far. I used to put it on mix-tapes in high school three or four times becasue it was so short and so perfect. I love that record more than anything he’s done – before or since. I love every song on that record, but I never hear it referenced at all.


— patrick clifford    2007-02-18 07:00    #

I loved 10 Speed by Mystery Machine. It went absolutely nowhere, completely underrated here in Canada. I saw the band open for Pure in 1996 at a tiny bar here in town.

I agree Don’t Tell A Soul gets it bad for no reason. I love the feel of the whole album, for me (huge Mats fan) it’s behind LIB, Hootenanny, Tim, Sorry Ma. I like it better than PTMM.


— Trellick Tower    2007-02-19 17:19    #

I have to weigh in on a few topics of interest here.

1) As for The Damned, I’m definitely in the Strawberries fan club. In fact it may be my favorite album of theirs, though sometimes it’s The Black Album. Oh and Larry, are you sure you’re not confusing it with Music for Pleasure, which was (justly IMO) heavily derided at the time of its release? Machine Gun Etiquette was rightly considered their comeback and yeah it’s great.

I’m not much of a fan of the post- Strawberries period (though Phantasmagoria and Anything both have their gems), but some of the better material on Phantasmagoria was written by Captain Sensible (and uncredited) or at least I’ve heard that over the years.

2) Amongst hardcore Elvis Costello fans such as myself, Get Happy!! is referenced quite often and rightfully regarded as one of his best, if not his best, albums. My favorite song on their is “King Horse”, for what it’s worth. My favorite albums of his are that one, Trust and Imperial Bedroom personally, though any of his 1st 5 and Imperial Bedroom are completely essential IMO. Sure Get Happy!! isn’t as referenced as often as his 1st 2 albums, for example, but it was his 2nd highest-charting album on the U.S. charts.

As far as his underrated records go, it would make much more sense to put Blood and Chocolate or even All This Useless Beauty and When I Was Cruel on there. I regard all of them as underrated gems.

3) I’m not much of a Don’t Tell a Soul fan, but “Achin’ to Be” is defintely one of their best tunes.


— Matt Berlyant    2007-02-21 16:12    #

Matt, my understanding is that Sensible co-wrote “Is it a Dream.” I agree that All This Useless Beauty is underrated, especially “Poor Fractured Atlas.”


— Greg Bartalos    2007-02-22 14:02    #

Interesting choices, all. Sue me, but (though I reviled their later music) I loved the cover of ‘Never Take the Place of Your Man’ on ‘Hold Me Up,’ also ‘Out of the Red,’ and ‘Laughing.’ I hadn’t seen anyone chime in on that one yet. I really enjoyed that album when it first appeared.


— Jamie    2007-03-02 01:30    #

Nice to see props for my friends the Cavedogs. I remember hearing the demo of Taytor Valley in 1987 in Central Park courtesy of my friend Michael Krumper, who then worked at Relativity Records and wanted to sign them. He asked me whom I thought would be a good producer for them and I replied without hesitation “Ed Stasium” and I am pleased to say the hookup happened and they did quite nice work together.
Mark Rivers played in Poundcake after the Cavedogs and their album is good too. Today he is a comedy writer (they were always hilarious) and he did a truly great bit on a VH1 sketch comedy show a few years ago (the bit was about a wandering minstrel at a bus stop who sings for change and the songs he sings betray the deepest secrets of those at the bus stop so they pay him a lot of money to stop singing).
Brian Stevens did a solo album for Big Deal Records post Cavedogs that was quite good.
Todd Spahr was also in another band that was quite good but I cannot recall their name.
They did a reunion show a few years ago in LA but I was out of town at the time and missed it. I have to say one of the best things I have seen live was the Cavedogs doing “A quick one” by the Who.
Enjoyed your list—I’ll be seeing Hugh Cornwell in Austin at South by Southwest in a week or so—I’ll post on the BT site about that show.


— Michael Ackerman    2007-03-03 23:50    #

There are some great recommendations here. I recall several of these and added a few to the want list. A quick review of my music archive unearthed nine underrated albums that get regular spins on the home unit.

After several attempts to use words that aren’t tagged by the spam filter, I’ll just list the artists and titles and delete the coments.

Comsat Angels :: Waiting for a Miracle (1980)
Fingerprintz :: Distinguishing Marks (1980)
House of Freaks :: Tantilla (1989)
Aimee Mann :: I’m With Stupid (1995)
Material Issue :: Freak City Soundtrack (1994)
New Musik :: From A to B (1980)
The Balancing Act :: Three Squares and a Roof (1987)
The Weakerthans :: Everything Must Go (2000)
Ultravox :: Systems of Romance (1979)


— Eric Hansmann    2007-03-04 22:01    #

Jamie, I like the tunes you mentioned on Hold Me Up. I also think that Superstar Carwash was a good album but not at the level of Hold Me Up.

Michael, that’s a really interesting story. I agree that Ed Stasium was an excellent choice to produce the Cavedogs. The VH1 bus sketch sounds hilarous. It’s be nice if it appeared on YouTube (anyone???). You’re lucky that you’ll see Cornwell. In this interview with him (starts 2 minutes after “Down in the Sewer”) he says that he will be playing solo in Austin. I look forward to reading your review of the show!

Eric, I had long wondered if anyone else in the world liked Fingerprintz. I think Distinguishing Marks is vastly underrated. As far as I know none of the band’s material was ever released on CD. (Sorry to hear that the spell-check was too vigilant.)


— Greg Bartalos    2007-03-06 17:38    #

Hey Greg – very good list indeed. Lots of responses too!

No underatting “Strawberries” w/ my gang. Top Shelf from start to finish. Cavedogs & Godfathers!?!? You da man for even mentioning these bands. What’s next, the School of Fish debut?
Since you asked I am sitting here brainstorming as I type to mention some albums that should be heard by all BTO folks. How about “The Cave Comes Alive” by the mighty Lime Spiders? I can’t say “Guitar Romantic” by The Exploding Hearts now because Matthew has picked up their flag and is waving it deservedly high! Gotta get back to the family before they yell at me so I will plug the best band that never gets mentioned in BTO but should be on the front cover – THERAPY? Punk/Metal/Rock and smart lyrics continue to flow from them and the last time they made it to the states I observed to my horror the lack of people to see them. A first degree crime.
Take care Greg.
— Chris "Sgt.Rock" Bejgrowicz    2007-03-10 23:34    #

Hi Chris,

Good to hear from you. Which Therapy? record do you most recommend? I’d be happy to give them a listen.


— Greg Bartalos    2007-03-12 00:58    #

More underrated albums.

Well, I got the Cavedogs CD today in a Lala trade and I’m impressed. It’s pretty solid stuff. I vaguely recall a couple of tunes that got some college radio airplay back then. Seeing Ed Stasium as the producer of this reminds me of a few other forgotten albums that he produced. Do these ring a bell?

Translator – Translator (1985)
Translator – Evening of the Harvest (1986) This is my fave of their stuff.
Soul Asylum – Hang Time (1988)

The Translator titles were recently reissued on Wounded Bird. While Stasium didn’t helm the knobs on the following albums, these were jogged into memory after reviewing the archive.

Screaming Blue Messiahs – Bikini Red (1987)
Shakin’ Pyramids – Skin ‘em Up (1981) – Not on CD.
Rank and File – Sundown (1982) – Very rare on CD.


— Eric Hansmann    2007-03-12 20:17    #

Whoa Eric! Dropping a Translator reference always gets you past the door.

Greg, before I sit you down and start the Therapy? session I also agree on The Goo Goo Dolls selection. I have “Hold Me Up” on cd and if I am not mistaken the label is…......Metal Blade. That’s right you wimps – Metal F’n Blade! Fantastic crankeduppowerpop followed by Superstar Carwash and then someone must have hit them in the head with a brick – WTF.
Also – there is an album in my greatest of all-time that deserves a mention. Back in the 1st half of the 80’s there was this American band from ,of all places, Oklahoma City. I saw promise in their e.p., I never heard anything like that before. Then their first album comes in and “Hear It Is” by The Flaming Lips becomes an instant classic. What an album! I played “Godzilla Flick” to my college poetry class ( I got an “A” ).

As far as Therapy? goes I am going to recommend their latest. “One Cure Fits All” is their 13th full-length! There’s a paragraph about this cd on my “Best of 2006” list that I sent to Jack, Matt & Rachel. Maybe they can forward it to you or send me an email and I will.
Keep up the nice work Greg,
Chris


— Chris "Sgt.Rock" Bejgrowicz    2007-03-13 01:13    #