Turnabout being fairplay, let's see who you think are the most underrated band of all time?
My vote goes to the Byrds 
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Most Under-Rated Band of all Time?
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I'd have to say Depeche Mode. True, they had a pretty vapid beginning and most of their albums in the '90s were bland and lacking in interesting musicality, but in the mid '80s, they crafted some great dark pop and dance songs and in the later part of the decade, although their songs took a darker edge, they still managed to make strings of well written, diverse singles and album tracks: "But not tonight," "A Question of lust," "Shake the Disease," "Stripped," "A Question of time," "Black Celebration," "Strangelove," "Behind the wheel," "Things you said," "World in my eyes," "Policy of truth," "Halo," as well as others. The only song in that really doesn't live up to the others is "Personal Jesus." I kind of feel that paved way for the over-bearing guitars and hokey religious lyrics of Songs of Faith and Devotion.
A lot of people dismiss them as a vapid techno band. But, does techno have a melody? And, are techno vocalists any good? Both Dave Gahan and Martin Gore sound good in the studio and live.
This blue-eyed boy that wants to be wrote: I'd have to say Depeche Mode. True, they had a pretty vapid beginning and most of their albums in the '90s were bland and lacking in interesting musicality, but in the mid '80s, they crafted some great dark pop and dance songs and in the later part of the decade, although their songs took a darker edge, they still managed to make strings of well written, diverse singles and album tracks: "But not tonight," "A Question of lust," "Shake the Disease," "Stripped," "A Question of time," "Black Celebration," "Strangelove," "Behind the wheel," "Things you said," "World in my eyes," "Policy of truth," "Halo," as well as others. The only song in that really doesn't live up to the others is "Personal Jesus." I kind of feel that paved way for the over-bearing guitars and hokey religious lyrics of Songs of Faith and Devotion.
A lot of people dismiss them as a vapid techno band. But, does techno have a melody? And, are techno vocalists any good? Both Dave Gahan and Martin Gore sound good in the studio and live.
Well said.
Hillage on the Wing wrote:
That's funny
I would choose American Music Club, Mark Eitel - Fantastic lyrics
Hardly underrated, Mike: the press adored them. Just no fucker bought the record, 'cept you and me!! You catch them on the reunion tour recently???
merz
arcade fire
the dears
ben folds
bjork
prefab sprout
electronic
not so much underrated but if you tell someone you like them they give the look with the funny eye!
Yeah I agree with Bjork, especially the Sugarcubes, they were incredible. The song Birthday is perfect in almost every way
a few I can think of at the time...
Janes Addiction Husker Du The Pixies the guitarist Eddie Hazel The Isley Brothers
(The Good Doctor) Martin Fradley wrote:
Hillage on the Wing wrote:
I would choose American Music Club, Mark Eitel - Fantastic lyrics
Hardly underrated, Mike: the press adored them. Just no fucker bought the record, 'cept you and me!! You catch them on the reunion tour recently???
recently?
went to one of their dates about 15 months ago....
& why do people keep saying The Pixies.
there is no The in their name! 
good call on echobelly.
thedude wrote: merz
arcade fire
the dears
ben folds
bjork
prefab sprout
electronic
not so much underrated but if you tell someone you like them they give the look with the funny eye!
arcade fire are overrated imo - live they are great but the record hasn't lasted that well
Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson wrote: a few I can think of at the time...
Janes Addiction Husker Du The Pixies the guitarist Eddie Hazel The Isley Brothers
I second Hüsker Dü
also:
Angry Samoans Naked Raygun Fugazi
hibster wrote:
& why do people keep saying The Pixies. there is no The in their name!
Maybe there's an even more underrated band call THE Pixies... 
:lugh:
SHEDi xxx
Dam That River wrote: ACR
Agreed. A lot of new bands influenced by them, but when you ask some fans if they know ACR, they give you blank stares.
I'll cast my vote for two California bands: Oingo Boingo and Social Distortion.
Go get the "Boing Alive" double CD and you can see how impressive their catalog is (which is much more than the over-played "Dead Man's Party")
As for Social Distortion, one of the last true rock and roll bands and absolutely tremendous in concert.
Stone Roses, in Australia anyway no one has heard of them, though I'm sure it different in England. They should have been bigger than Oasis but no one has a clue who they are here.
I agree with Social D, as they got me through some difficult High School years and never got any airplay. Oasis gets a bum wrap here in the States as do most UK bands that dont sound like Artic Monkeys or Bloc Party.
good call on the the & american music club. I didn't think anyone on this board would have even heard of amc.
Speaking of them, a friend just turned me on to their Everclear album, im sold, never heard of them before and i thought of myself as well rounded. I really enjoyed them and am looking for more
This blue-eyed boy that wants to be wrote: I'd have to say Depeche Mode. True, they were pretty vapid .
most overrated of all time.
the minutemen bad brains the dog-faced hermans pere ubu the flamin groovies the modern lovers the shaggs
violaine wrote: good call on the the & american music club. I didn't think anyone on this board would have even heard of amc.
saw mark eitzel live about 5 years ago
Merkwurdichliebe wrote:
Dam That River wrote: ACR
Agreed. A lot of new bands influenced by them, but when you ask some fans if they know ACR, they give you blank stares.
I bought graveyard and the ballroom and have a recording of all night party from a peel session and really love it, especially the songs do the du, choir, and i feel. But I listened to some of their later work and didn't like it at all really (except shack up). I was expecting this after watching 24hrpp anyway. What other albums are there that are made in the same style of graveyard and the ballroom? It seems you have to tread carefully when going through ACR's back catalogue
dave soligo wrote: the modern lovers
Agree with you 100%, the original line-up's one album spans the gap between what the Velvet Underground was doing and the first real rumblings of punk better than most anything else (at least in terms of when it came out, 1976, which was the first real "punk year"). Jonathan Richman has gone on to have a strange but rewarding solo career, but that album will be his lasting contribution to music
spud wrote:
Merkwurdichliebe wrote:
Dam That River wrote: ACR
Agreed. A lot of new bands influenced by them, but when you ask some fans if they know ACR, they give you blank stares.
I bought graveyard and the ballroom and have a recording of all night party from a peel session and really love it, especially the songs do the du, choir, and i feel. But I listened to some of their later work and didn't like it at all really (except shack up). I was expecting this after watching 24hrpp anyway. What other albums are there that are made in the same style of graveyard and the ballroom? It seems you have to tread carefully when going through ACR's back catalogue
Of the early albums To Each... and Sextet are the most similar to TGATB, I'd Like To See You Again is more funk/latin-orientated, Force is much more funk-poppy (?)... After that I don't have all their albums, but Good Together is very polished and 'pop', Up In Downsville is similar - like M-People at times. The last album Change The Station is a bit more latin, I suppose, but with plenty of funk-pop moments... Go with To Each and Sextet, but I'd avoid the rest if you don't like the later stuff...
SHEDi xxx
Norm wrote: Oasis gets a bum wrap here in the States as do most UK bands that dont sound like Artic Monkeys or Bloc Party.
??? oasis were HUGE in the states in the mid-nineties.
hmmm...the judybats. pain makes you beautiful is a great album.
In America, anyway, here is my list:
Roxy Music Howard Jones Bork Saint. Etienne the Cardigans Bauhaus Garbage Sister Machine Gun Portishead Gus Gus the Fixx Sisters of Mercy Ministry Echo & Bunnymen Praga Khan Snake River Conspiracy Ultravox Smithereens Pulp
cocteau twins should ahve had number 1's if talking charts. GENE had 4 top 30's but amazed they are so forgotten
Dodgy for their first two albums, rather than Good E-bloody-nough of which I am and have been sick for so long that I'd quite forgotten how good Homegrown and The Dodgy Album are...
SHEDi xxx
And, of course, Felt... Ten albums, ten singles in ten years, moved effortlessly from post-punk to jangle to indieop to cocktail jazz...
SHEDi xxx
bansheeman wrote: cocteau twins should ahve had number 1's if talking charts. GENE had 4 top 30's but amazed they are so forgotten
Yea! The Cocteaus. I'd also chuck in Suede,Placebo,Dubstar,Inspiral Carpets.
