A criminally underrated band...

You have any nominations?

I know of a few. But one that came to me tonight is the Trash Can Sinatras. I bought their first album, Cake, way back around 1991 or so after hearing one song. It remains a favorite album. Brilliant musicianship, clever lyrics, and melodies that stay with you. When I listen to it now, it doesn't sound dated at all.

Here is a video from their most recent album, probably my favorite song off it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-FiS1yU8k

Sorry, getting ready to go to bed & couldn't resist :)

Tellin' the truth can be dangerous business...

because so many here think I am completely wrong.
But know they are very underrated, either way.

That is who you were thinking of right?

Exactly!!
( :eyes: )

http://www.wussymusic.com

better yet, here's a link to an mp3:

Airborne: http://audio.sxsw.com/2006/mp3/Wussy-Airborne.mp3

or listen on myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/therealwussy

And a video of Wussy live in Philadelphia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is-fmxCtx-0

and lots of review snippets:

Blender
Robert Christgau: 4 stars
"An unlikely seeming pair. They fit perfectly."
Village Voice Consumer Guide
Robert Christgau: Grade A
"11 three-minute songs, all about perfect. An ideal partnership - vocally and lyrically."
SkyScraper

"A wonderfully croaky, creaky, distorted folk-rock mess...exceptional." No Depression

"Whatever it is. Whatever they're doing, it works."
RollingStone

"A woozy melodic rush." Harp

"They hit you where it counts."
Big Takeover

"Bright like sunlight catching between Neil Young & Brigitte Bardot. Swampy Americana with west coast sighs." Public Radio (WNTI)

"A kind of musical moonshine in which high lonesome folk melodies & harmonies mesh beautifully with slash & burn punk guitar."
Village Voice

#12 on 2005 Pazz & Jop Dean's List WOXY Radio
97 Best of 2005
Amplifier

"Funeral Dress may be one of the finest albums of the year." Village Voice

"Their future-classic debut Funeral Dress... expertly honed."
Albany (NY) Metro

"These four musicians transformed the room; the rest of the world disappeared and nothing else mattered. That's how good they are." Chicago Reader

"Though Cleaver and Walker fantasize in raw harmony about finding easy answers, in real life they settle for exorcising their darkness with a band."
KEXP (Seattle)

"Rootsy pop-rock combining jangly guitars with quirky lyrics that carry a lot of emotional heft." Cleveland Free Times

"Damn-near-erotic tension. As sharp a musical coupling as any since Richard and Linda Thompson."
Punk Planet

"Twangy country rock with male and female vocals, reminiscent of X's more country days." Pop Culture Press

"An astonishingly diverse document of disparate but oddly interconnected influences."
Venus

"An inspiring and catchy romp." Village Voice

"The catchiest record of Cleaver's career."
Miles of Music

"Playful, but ominously dark songs enriched with lyrical poetry that expose small town disillusionment and tedium" Cincinnati CityBeat
"A breath of fresh Indie Rock in an atmosphere of stale Americana and rehashed Folk."
Amplifier

"Cleaver and his new mates map the dreary, the bizarre, and the broken-hearted in catchy fits of country gothica and low-fi rock and roll." Cincinnati CityBeat

"Wussy presented the kind of set Cincinnati audiences have come to expect and love from the quartet: raw, visceral and utterly real."
Columbus Dispatch

"Some of the finest, twisted folk-rock that owes equal debts to Dusty Springfield, X and R.E.M." Cincinnati CityBeat

because whenever someone hears them, they become converts.

I learned about them on DU in fact. Funeral Dress made my Best Albums Of 2005 list. I'm not a fan of music critics, but the reviews you posted say it very well. :thumbsup:

:eyes: :boring: :eyes: :boring:

listened to their fabulous cd.

Do 'em one better, then maybe I'll listen to your critiquin'.

they're great singers. The singing is one of the best things about them. It might not be to your taste, but they can sing.

I’ll just say it: there is an anti-Southern bias in this country particularly amongst so-called liberals. The criminal thing about liberals disdaining or ignoring Skynyrd is that they wrote some of the most potent protest music of all-time.

Long before sprawl became a buzzword they wrote the lyric: ‘I can see the concrete slowly creeping. Lord take me and mine before that comes.’, and included a plea for people to stop and think about the air they’re breathing.

They wrote about a man falsely accused of robbery who would rather die than continue being locked up in a barbaric prison.

They asked the question: ‘How much does money mean?’ in an indictment of greed where the song’s narrator offers his guitar to a banker, if he would just loan him the money to bury his father.

They wrote about befriending the dregs of society, because everybody has something to offer.

They pointed out the painfully obvious but rarely stated truth in the gun-control debate: “Handguns are made for killing. Ain’t no good for nothing else. So why don’t we dump em people, to the bottom of the sea. Before some old fool come around here, wanting to
shoot either you or me.”

They also just fucking rocked.

just garage band crap

Could you give me the names of the songs you were describing? I know I've heard the exact lyrics you site in their songs many years ago and was impressed. But when I went back and tried to figure out what songs they were- I couldn't. I know the last one is 'Saturday Night Special' though.

Skynard was to the rural south what the New York Dolls were to the urban east in the early 70s. The cool thing was that they were good friends despite their many differences!

They're all on the 2CD set The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd which is readily available in most stores

All I Can Do is Write About It: ‘I can see the concrete slowly creeping. Lord take me and mine before that comes.’, and included a plea for people to stop and think about the air they’re breathing.

Four Walls of Raiford: They wrote about a man falsely accused of robbery who would rather die than continue being locked up in a barbaric prison.

Mr. Banker: They asked the question: ‘How much does money mean?’ in an indictment of greed where the song’s narrator offers his guitar to a banker, if he would just loan him the money to bury his father.

The Ballad of Curtis Lowe: They wrote about befriending the dregs of society, because everybody has something to offer.

"Things Goin' On", which laments Vietnam and the Apollo program taking much needed money and resources away from fighting inner-city poverty and despair.

"Lend A Helpin' Hand", which decries hunger locally and globally. It's a wake-up call we're still not heeding.

"Cry For The Bad Man", written because of what their former manager did to them (all too common in the music business), it mixes anger and sadness with an ultimate forgiveness.

"Wino" and "Junkie" are two songs which follow the theme you mentioned of documenting the 'dregs' of society and the cost of ignoring their hurt and humanity.

"That Smell", the greatest anti-drug song (alongside Neil Young's "The Needle and The Damage Done") of all time, where Ronnie Van Zant gets his say without being preachy or cliched.


There was real depth to Van Zant's writing at times, and even in the fun, feel-good songs, there are bits of irony and an acknowledgment of mortality and vulnerability underneath the humor and bravado.

They were solid musicians too. The chemistry between guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Ed King, and later between Rossington, Collins, and Steve Gaines, is undeniably strong, each bringing their diverse styles and influences together seamlessly. Cream meets Free meets the Stones, meets Motown, R&B, country, and jazz. It's all there, and then some, with the blues of Son House and Howlin' Wolf not far away from the lonesone yodel of Jimmie Rodgers.

Billy Powell knew how to pound that 1928 Steinway grand piano, whether it was honky-tonk barroom runs or Beethoven-inspired fills to complement the maelstrom of guitars.

There were few rhythm sections as underrated as Artimus Pyle and Leon Wilkeson in the mid-70's. Check their playing on "One More From The Road", especially on the coda to "Crossroads", or the shuffle of "Travellin' Man".

Al Kooper called them the best natural arrangers he ever worked with, and he knew a thing or two about musicianship. Musicians as diverse as Steve Earle, Pearl Jam, Metallica, and the Drive-By Truckers cite them as major influences.

They have always been underestimated. There is far more to them than "Sweet Home Alabama" (no doubt a brilliant song) and "Freebird".

What a great band. Like I said earlier, I heard some VERY progressive lyrics from LS and could never place the song names- so thank you! Pretty sure they helped get Jimmy Carter elected too, along with Charlie Daniels and the Allman Bros.

I do think they've been riding the RW bandwagon since they reformed following the crash though. Perhaps the progressive spirit of the band died along with Ronnie. IDK

A great defense of my favorite band of all time. :thumbsup:

Jesus..."underrated?!" Turn on any classic rock radio station anywhere in the country and within an hour you'll hear a Skynyrd song. After Steve Miller and the Eagles, they're the most over-fucking-played band EVER on the airwaves.

I don't hate Skynyrd because of an anti-Southern bias. I hate them because EVERY GODDAMN SONG OF THEIRS HAS BEEN FUCKING DRILLED INTO MY HEAD THOUSANDS OF TIMES AGAINST MY WILL AND I SIMPLY DON'T WANT OR NEED TO HEAR "SWEET HOME FUCKING ALABAMA" FOR THE 76,939th TIME.

Sure, there were some broad-minded statements and themes in their lyrics. Just like Steve Miller! Check it out, dude: "Feed the babies/who don't have enough to eat/Shoe the children/with no shoes on their feet....Woah-oh, there's a solution..."

Come on, man! That's, like, total Kucinich territory!

namely Aimee Mann, Patty Griffin and Robbie Robertson

All music is a matter of ones' taste, but SOS fell off US radar in the late 80's. They have made some of the best music in the mold of Bacharach's 60's stuff that I have ever heard.

She has a fabulous voice.

Music ain't to shabby, either....

Take it fast, take is slow,
But it wont soften the blow
When its time to go
May be old, may be scared
But you'll never be prepared
For that final blow

Better use your wits or youll lose your mind...
Theres a world to discover and youre running out of time
Like a roller coaster ride
Took you by surprise
Now youre burnin up inside

Better make it better, yeah eah
Better make it better,
Better make it better,
Times running out fast
Make it last

You can scream you can shout,
But when your time runs out
Deep inside you'll know
May be rich, may be poor,
But when you knock on heavens door,
Well you have to go

Make the most of what youve got
cause its better than to not have anything at all.
Live each day as its your last
Or you'll find the futures passed and you're left with nothing at all

Better make it better, yeah eah
Better make it better,
Better make it better,
Times running out fast
Make it last

Cherish every day each hour each and every single minute
Theres no second chance to turn when they start again living your life

Better make it better, yeah eah
Better make it better, oooh
Better make it better,
Times running out fast
Better make it better now
Better make it better
Make it last
Better make it better now
Better make it better now

Better make it better, yeah eah
Better make it better, oooh
Better make it better,
Times running out fast
Make it last

Better make it better now

Better make it better
Make it better now
Better make it better now
Better make it better now

Criminally underrated in their time, yet have proven to be highly influential.

www.comsatangels.net

I am always trying to find videos on youtube from these guys...

Stupid copyright issues. There used to be a couple for "Independence Day" (a Dutch TV appearance, and the official video) and one for "The Cutting Edge", but I believe the both got deleted. :(

...at the Bedford Corn Exchange after "Sleep No More" came out. Very good show, but not so well attended, unfortunately. The opening band were Victorian Parents, if I recall. "Total War" was an early fave of mine by the Comsats...

They truly rock...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoTAJ7TsVqo&mode=related&search=

They've influenced every Death Metal band since...

RL

I feel they've grown into a pretty nice band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-FiS1yU8k

I love them.

:)

they've never gotten their full due.

English Settlement has to be one of my favorite non-zep albums. I probably listen to it once a week.

For me Crowded House would be on that list. Although they at least get more recognition than the Trash Can Sinatras.

They were probably hurt by their aversion to touring more than anything. I can't say I have kept up with their newer stuff, but their 80's work is outstanding. "Generals and Majors" is still just as appropriate today as when it was written...

Generals and Majors ah ah
they're never too far
from battlefields so glorious
out in a world of their own
They'll never come down
till once again victorious

Generals and Majors always
seem so unhappy 'less they got a war

Generals and Majors ah ah
like never before are tired of being actionless.

Calling
Generals and Majors everywhere
Calling
your World War III is drawing near

Generals and Majors ah ah
They're never too far
away from men who made the grade
out in a world of their own
They'll never come down
until the battle's lost or made

Generals and Majors ah ah
like never before, are tired of being in the shade.

"Senses Working Overtime" was getting MTV and radio play and it was predicted that the upcoming tour would have broken them in the US. But Andy's meltdown in Paris stopped it.

Twice, with "Dear God" and "The Ballard of Peter Pumpkinhead", I figured they make over the hump. Pity.

Very catchy.

So many great albums and songs...English Settlement is definitely in my top 10 greatest albums of all time.

And for criminally unknown, Thinktree, if you like "odd" music.

...Ocean Colour Scene. Both very solid bands.

Power pop glory in fact.

...I just saw them at the Black Cat in DC a few weeks ago. Had a blast...

:thumbsup:

Here's my favorite song of theirs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyERK55GlFc

:wtf:

Just a thought...

While technically, they're not bands, I think they're very underrated performers.

Jonatha's new album is getting bashed by critics, but it sounds good from what I've heard. I plan on buying it.

along with Johnette Napolitano

and the woman who does "I kissed a Girl" (I always forget her name...)

a couple songs. Jill Sobule did that song, and I should check her out more. :hi:

I can't think of many bad songs that she has writtten.

As far as Jonhatha, I think she has too many agents who are trying to make her "the next big thing" and failing to understand her skill.

Johnette has a wonderful, wonderful voice. I would love to see her live. Still in Hollywoord is a fave from Concrete Blonde, anohter under-rated band.

perfectly good from what I've heard. I think it plays to her melodic strengths. As for Johnette, her voice does have potential. She booms on the chorus of "Amazing," and sings well on the other song I like - the Velvet Underground cover "All Tomorrow's Parties." But too much of the new CD Scarred has experiments that go awry and have songs that make her into a weaker Patti Smith. Maybe I'd like her other albums more..

Anyone who has heard them knows.

I saw the Good Rats live when I was in high school. One of the guys on my high school baseball team was a huge Good Rats fan and we used to listen to them on the bus on the way to games.

Wow -- I never thought I would hear anyone mention The Good Rats again.

This is why I thought of them first for this thread. I still listen to the same old songs of theirs I did 20-25 years ago, just on CD instead of vinyl now. :)

two baseball bats. He was truly the first air guitarist.

DONT HATE THE ONES WHO GIVE YOU ROCk N ROLL. ROCK ON.

they were boss!

Their old records sound great. I love that true garage-band sound they achieved, probably in an actual garage. :)

I understand the DC5 movie "Having a Wild Weekend" was one of the best of the whole "Hard Day's Night" era. I've never seen it, but would like to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-FiS1yU8k

I'm going to keep trying until someone listens to this and says they like it.

:)

ABBA
The Corrs (in the U.S.)
Wussy
Aimee Mann
The Veronicas (in the U.S.)
The Pierces
Brandi Carlile
Patty Griffin
The Charade
Alison Ray
Kate Voegele
Sloan
Alexa Wilkinson
Stacie Rose
Abra Moore
Jo Davidson
Damone
Nina Gordon solo
Hem
Josh Ritter
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
The Weepies
Tilly And The Wall
Those Transatlantics
Lillix
Hope 7
Susan Cagle
Leslie Mills
Holly Brook
Kay Hanley/Letters To Cleo
Maria Mena
Fefe Dobson
Rilo Kiley
The Like
Jag Star
Adrienne Pierce
Bonnie McKee
Kim Richey
Kasey Chambers
Steve Earle
Cindy Alexander
Bon Jovi (he's much better than some people say IMO)
Amy Rigby
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Ellery
Neil Finn/Finn Brothers
Gretchen Peters

and more...

I think New Pornographers, one of my favs, has gotten a lot of attention. And too early to say if Mandy Moore's new stuff will be properly acclaimed. I was going to put Michelle Branch, but she has continued to be known with The Wreckers. Cheap Trick deserves to be more highly ranked, but they do have a justified following.

but at least they have a loyal following and can sell out venues. The first Chicago show for Crowded House sold out in 2 hours. A second show was added and is in presales now.

But the Trash Can Sinatras seem to be totally under the radar and I don't understand why. They have the musicianship, the lyrics, the vocals. Everything it seems. Except the acclaim.

not known enough. The Shins, Wilco, and Chantal Kreviazuk should be known more, but I wasn't sure if I should put them on THIS list.

In a way I'm glad that bands like the Shins, Wilco and Crowded House are where they're at. They make enough money to pay the bills and keep doing what they're doing, they're well-respected, they sell out shows. But you don't have to see them at some god-awful arena with 80,000 other people, and they don't have to deal being attacked while they try to buy milk at the store.

I don't know. I hope *they* are happy where they're at, but to me that seems like a good level of success.

I have never heard her music but I remember reading an album review a few years back. Can you describe her style?

Amy's music is 60s rock inspired with some singer/songwriter folk.

Sometimes I forget how great she is. She's even better live.

I highly recommend it. There's really no one quite like Amy..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGqprbDoh4g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU-pbIWaLkU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1ZGW9MdbI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLsrojus_7o

edited to add "Walk on the Ocean"

:thumbsup:

I still hear "Kill Your Television" on the radio every now and then.

There was a lot of good music back then. Do you remember this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRyvkdjoxWU

Much as I hate to say it, the 90's are my era.

There will be none other...

with "Did you miss NAD one one side, and on the back it says "The you fucked up" State side 1991.

I've had fundies about piss themselves when I wear it, so I've never been able to part with it, even thought the logo is getting a little raggedy. It's good high quality cotton though!

Great show!

i play Crank for friends and they think it is some current indie band.

as fsc has noted, 'black metallic' is one incredibly good piece of music.

No doubt about it.

I burned out on Toad the Wet Sprocket though. By the time Dulcinea came out, I didn't give a crud anymore.

Quit listening after their frist 2 albums.

i love that song.

i got to see catherine wheel 5 times when they were together and touring.

:D

first concert i ever went to

Specifically the Mindcrime Album (think Revolution Calling)

Released last year. Not as good as the original (no surprise, how could it be?), but still the best new CD I've bought since the turn of the century.

:(

find out the rest of the story. As for the music, if the first Mindcrime is a 10, the second is a 7.5.

Welcome to DU, by the way. :)

Yo La Tengo

I thought "Freak City Soundtrack" was a fantastic pop album. Their other albums weren't too bad either.

How you been? Long time no see!

:hi:

Good to see ya around here. I haven't seen ya much. :hi:


How have you been?

or in the Mod forum, etc. That's been an eye-opener, I can tell you!

can't complain, it's sunny here, and I've been busy with end of school stuff for my son. Plus I went to Chicago this past weekend and it was a lot of fun! My garden is full of cool flowers, and I work a lot less in the summer, so I am also looking forward to some pool time.


:party:

I was watching Thin Lizzy videos on Youtube the other day...this band absolutely kicked ass!! I know they had some success in the US, but they were never as popular as they deserved to be.

Phil Lynott went way too early. I still listen to these guys when I'm not listening to the Good Rats.

Another? Foghat.

I've only heard a couple of their albums, but I plan to check out more. I love the catchy guitar parts and the emphasis on telling a story in so many of their songs.

"Jailbreak" was the first Thin Lizzy album I bought waaayyy back when I was 13 or so. It is still one of my favorite albums to this day!!

It's a shame so many people never learned that Slow Ride wasn't their only song.

Rest in Peace, Lonesome Dave.

:thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-FiS1yU8k

:)

... the name changes depending on their mood. :)

Fronted by Mark Kozelek, the man behind the score for "Almost Famous". :loveya:

Between the Buried and Me
Threat Signal
Dir En Grey (huge in Japan)
In Flames ( Well known in Europe)
Amon Amarth
Green Carnation
Insomnium
Ankla

I could go on....

Why, why did the break up?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaOy6IBLt4o

great band :thumbsup:

The album "After the Snow" is a masterpiece. "I Melt With You" was a medium-sized hit (and has been used in way too many commercials), although the rest of their catalog sounds nothing like it.

...sounds like "154"-era Wire!

and Zebra, while we're on the subject

But what the hell is up with Peter Hook proclaiming the band dead? :shrug:

I don't care too much either way since the last album didn't have anything really special on it, although it wasn't a bad one and probably more consistently good than Get Ready, but it was sort of lackluster.

There's some rumor of them performing in Manchester mid-July, but we'll see if it is actually a New Order performance or just Bernard or Hooky DJing at the event.

Blue Monday
and
True Faith

To many they were tuneless Stones copycats with bad make-up, to me they were the very height of RnR. They stole everything from RnR's early days and combined it with the energy and furor of the punk rock that was still to come back in the early 70s.

The Dolls reformed a few years ago with 3 original members (well they had 3 until the bassist died- the other original members are all sadly dead) and put out a pretty good record last fall. But it was 'Too Much Too Soon' back in the 70's, and today I'm afraid that it's 'Too Little Too Late.'

Original NYDs lead guitarist Johnny Thunders was the single greatest RnRer in history IMO. He had a great combo of talent/charisma but also the fatal flaw of living the RnR lifestyle to the fullest. His post-Dolls band the Heartbreakers are my second favorite band and very much underrated themselves IMO.

Happy Trails

Calvary in particular is mindblowing.

They actually have the outfits and the rifle and shotgun from the back of the album art in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was really cool to see them.

They have influences from Appalachian revival camps, but their not about trying to spread a message really.

I particularly like "Fresh Air", "What About Me?", and "Flute Song." Apparently, I'm a big fan of mellow psychedelic rock. (I know much of QMS's work would not fall under the "mellow" category at all, but the favorites that I listed would.) A couple of other criminally underrated bands from the same era (and, roughly, the same genre) are It's a Beautiful Day and Orpheus.

Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, Little Wille, Action, Love is Like Oxygen . . . .
All great songs, they rock like a motherfucker.

Sorry for the potty mouth, I've been drinking.

Almost all of their songs were just delightful. They should have been much, much bigger.

Picasso Trigger, Skeleton Key

Uhhh, I'm sure I know more, but I can't think of them right now.

Spirit
Blind Faith
Doug Sahm
Flying Burrito Brothers
Small Faces

On edit, forgot this band-Hot Tuna

watch this video and give them a chance (and tell me what you think).

What's a girl gotta do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-FiS1yU8k

It's way different from the stuff I listen to,but it wasn't bad at all.I would think anyone with "normal" tastes in music could appreciate it a lot.I've heard their name a lot,but that was the first time I listened to them.I've heard far worse than that...even in my own collection of curiosities. :)

And no,you don't need to check out Nomeansno...but you might like the 16 Horsepower vid I linked to in post #113.

stuff, not that they get really wacky or anything. The lyrics are definitely more "normal" than they usually write. But I think it's just a lovely song.

Actually, my husband downloaded some Nomeansno but I haven't listened to it yet. I will check out both.

They're not a one listen band by any means.It took me a half dozen listens before they really started to click.Now they are my faves...probably of all time.And for guys who are now in their late 40's and early 50's their last CD smoked bands half that age.

My iPod has quite a disparate collection of stuff. My husband just shakes his head when I get on a Jonathan Richman kick. He's definitely someone that has to grow on you. I just love all kinds of music though (with a few exceptions).

Or so I've heard

a listen. :)

Maybe if I sent naughty pictures of someone else?

You're a liberal woman with exquisite taste in music. The odds are that lots of people on this site would enjoy seeing you in various states of undress, as long as you're over 18. But I understand your desire to be modest.

Give me about 6-8 months. I'm working on it and I'm about halfway to hottie. ;) Still don't know if I'd ever pose in any state of undress but I might at least consider posting my pic. :hi:

If you like that, then I wouldn't recommend my fave band the original New York Dolls.

My taste is all over the board.

I liked it. :thumbsup:

I just love them.

catherine wheel, curve...

I just finished listening to the Ocean Blue. Yep, they are criminally underrated. PT rocks as well!

I think they played with the Mighty Lemondrops.

steve wilson is an INCREDIBLE musician.

"One Part Lullaby" is one of the best albums of the early '00s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97RjuC9YeXg

disco duck

:headbang:

LOL!

A true crime but none of them spent a day in jail for it.

Big in Europe for a while, never made it big in America.

...debut is pretty cool also. "Mystic Queen" is sublime.

Back when Athens (GA, not Greece :P ) had one of the '80s scenes, you had R.E.M., you had the B-52's, and you had Pylon.

The first two you most likely have heard of, unless you've been living in a cave in Tora Bora for the past twenty years. And Pylon? As far as I know, they're still playing in Athens... :shrug:

They did a rock opera double album c. 1970, called "Preservation Act II" which was FAR better than "Tommy". Many different genres of music in it -- vaudeville, Salvation Army band, hard rock.

How can you not love these lyrics, backed by an anemic Salvation Army band?:

"Shepherds of the Nation"

Down with sex and sin
Down with vice, heroin
Down with pornography,
Down with lust,
Down with vice, lechery
And debauchery!

Put all the pervs in jail
Bring back the birch
And the cat-o-nine-tails
We're here to cleanse humanity
From the man in the raincoat's
Palefaced stare
Let sodomites beware!

We are the New Centurions
Shepherds of the Nation
We'll be on our guard
From sin and degradation
We are the National Guard
Against filth and depravity
Perversion and vulgarity,
Homosexuality!
Keep it clean, keep it clean, keep it clean!

I visualize a day when people will be free
From evils like perversion and pornography
We'll cast out evil and we'll set the sinners free,
The people of the Nation unite!

===============

Not to be confused with "Village Green Preservation Society". That's a different album.

I was just rocking out to "Do It Again" on the airplane tonight.

I could listen to Village Green Preservation Society every day and never tire of it. Likewise Face to Face, Something Else, Arthur, Lola vs. Powerman & the Moneygoround, and Muswell Hillbillies. Plus two wonderful compilations: Kronicles, a collection of singles and B sides that never made it across the Atlantic during their ban from the US, that gave me my first opportunity to hear Waterloo Sunset; and Everybody's in Showbiz, with boozy live performances of great songs like Alcohol.

I never got to see them live till their Low Budget era and was disappointed by the wall-of-sound treatment even the oldies received. But I did get to meet Ray Davies. :loveya: God Save the Kinks!

Some merely dismiss them as a bubblegum 70's power pop tossoff. But even their stuff since their Budokan heyday has been quite good. Not always great, but always entertaining.

It's an excellent CD.

Case closed.

...they weren't really known in their day, but are now generally regarded as one of the best and most influential bands ever. Deservedly so.

He put out 2 cd's I loved right away and still listen to occasionally. - Private Eyes and Teaser.

the album by the james gang- "bang", which, when you combine the album title with the cover art, it's sure to offend some people here as being overly and overtly misogynist....oh, well:



and you're very correct- Private Eyes and Teaser are both just incredible...he died before his time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWXiWbnQATU

Possibly the best US band that never made it big...