Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard Of

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Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard Of

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

While listening to Gaudacanal Diary Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man today I got a bug up my butt to listen to Pylon Chomp. While listening to that record I wondered how many people had ever heard this masterpiece? For that matter how many people have even heard of Pylon? For a certain segment of music fans Pylon is considered the greatest band to ever come out of the Athens, GA music scene, but it's also possible that if that segment had a meeting they wouldn't fill the average Starbucks (Peter Buck and Micheal Stipe would both be there though as both have said they felt that way publicly). Chomp is an amazing collection of songs that hints of the jangle that was to come from R.E.M., has pop hooks you could drive a truck through and also has an ethereal quality that sounds like nothing else largely due to Vanessa Briscoe's unusual but powerful voice. In some alternate universe Chomp would be one of the ten greatest records of all time, but in this one most people have never heard of it.

I'm sure others have records they can think of not unlike the sadly obscure Pylon. At one point Big Star belonged here but after a documentary and a lot of publicity I think that ship sailed. So what do you got?
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Iowan »

The majority of Bloodkin's discography.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by linkous »

A pedant writes.

Shouldn't this be "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Few People Have Heard Of", or "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Most People Haven't Heard Of"? The original title would render this thread redundant, ie we would be talking about records that have been heard by nobody. And while I have never heard of Bloodkin, I have heard the Pylon record.

Mine would include

Image

Image

Image

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

linkous wrote:A pedant writes.

Shouldn't this be "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Few People Have Heard Of", or "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Most People Haven't Heard Of"? The original title would render this thread redundant, ie we would be talking about records that have been heard by nobody. And while I have never heard of Bloodkin, I have heard the Pylon record.


Smart ass. ;) :lol:

I was referring to the more global use of no one. I can't tell you how many time people have said to me "no one has ever heard of the music you listen to". Once, in my twenties, a girl told me "sooner or later you're going to have to listen to Journey and Foreigner because no one likes people who listen to music no one has heard of". True story.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by RevMatt »

I concur with both Bloodkin and Pylon.

Moving up north to my neck of the woods there are a few great albums by bands who aren't well known outside of here.

Spiral Jetty -- Arts Sand Bar and Dogstar -- Today Adam Potkay is an English professor. He formed Spiral Jetty in upstate NY with two local guys, a bass player and drummer. As he was working on his PhD his two band mates followed him, first to Johns Hopkins then, after they complained about the music scene in Baltimore circa 1983, Rutgers. The guys in Spiral Jetty were huge fans of The Feelies and their early sound was kind of Feelies meets Buddy Holly but as their music progressed they developed a harder sound and worked with Martin Bisi. Arts Sand Bar remains my favorite. This record was released in 1984 or 1985. It still features their earlier sound but you can hear the direction they were going in.

Here are a couple of videos. The first is a live show from one of their summer reunions. The second is a cut from Arts Sand Bar. The third is from their Martin Bisi produced album Dogstar.





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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by beantownbubba »

linkous wrote:Shouldn't this be "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Few People Have Heard Of", or "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Most People Haven't Heard Of"? The original title would render this thread redundant, ie we would be talking about records that have been heard by nobody. And while I have never heard of Bloodkin, I have heard the Pylon record.


I think I can safely pass on my title as pedant in chief to mr linkous.

Howard Tate, Get It While You Can
The Wild Tchoupitoulas
The Mekons Rock n Roll
Nick Drake, Bryter Later (not sure if this still qualifies as unknown)
Pulp, Different Class (US only)
Shoes, Black Vinyl Shoes, Present Tense, Stolen Wishes

Do bands like Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub qualify? What about Los Lobos?

On edit: What about Dexateens?
Last edited by beantownbubba on Tue May 20, 2014 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by linkous »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:
linkous wrote:A pedant writes.

Shouldn't this be "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Few People Have Heard Of", or "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Most People Haven't Heard Of"? The original title would render this thread redundant, ie we would be talking about records that have been heard by nobody. And while I have never heard of Bloodkin, I have heard the Pylon record.


Smart ass. ;) :lol:

I was referring to the more global use of no one. I can't tell you how many time people have said to me "no one has ever heard of the music you listen to". Once, in my twenties, a girl told me "sooner or later you're going to have to listen to Journey and Foreigner because no one likes people who listen to music no one has heard of". True story.


Fair enough TC. I was only pulling your plonker anyway ;)

Sure hope that translates over the pond or I'm in big bother!

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by linkous »

beantownbubba wrote:Do bands like Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub qualify? What about Los Lobos?



Certainly not in the UK.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Tequila Cowboy »

beantownbubba wrote:
linkous wrote:Shouldn't this be "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Few People Have Heard Of", or "Greatest Albums in the History of Rock Most People Haven't Heard Of"? The original title would render this thread redundant, ie we would be talking about records that have been heard by nobody. And while I have never heard of Bloodkin, I have heard the Pylon record.


I think I can safely pass on my title as pedant in chief to mr linkous.

Howard Tate, Get It While You Can
The Wild Tchoupitoulas
The Mekons Rock n Roll
Nick Drake, Bryter Later (not sure if this still qualifies as unknown)
Pulp, Different Class (US only)
Shoes, Black Vinyl Shoes, Present Tense, Stolen Wishes

Do bands like Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub qualify? What about Los Lobos?

On edit: What about Dexateens?


I had the great pleasure of seeing Shoes play many times, once in steakhouse where a man stood up from his table yelled "play some Zeppelin assholes" and then passed out face first in his baked potato.

I'm not sure of Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub because they've had a a lot of publicity from larger bands not unlike Big Star, plus Yo La Tengo actually sold some records. Los Lobos actually sold a lot of records, particularly Will the Wolf Survive and Kiko, so I don't think they qualify.

Dexateens is a good one.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by beantownbubba »

linkous wrote:
beantownbubba wrote:Do bands like Yo La Tengo and Teenage Fanclub qualify? What about Los Lobos?



Certainly not in the UK.


Yeah, but people in the UK say things like "pulling your plonker" so I'm not sure what the credibility level is :lol: :lol:
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Iowan »

I was definitely thinking of the Dexateens. How much of "3DD Music" qualifies music "No One Has Heard Of"?

I'd add this one
Image

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by tinnitus photography »

beantownbubba wrote:The Mekons Rock n Roll



great record, but it was on A&M! i think some people heard it.


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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

I know, it was on a major label and now it's been reissued, but still:

Image

And this one, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't:

Image
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by dogstar »

RevMatt wrote:I concur with both Bloodkin and Pylon.

Moving up north to my neck of the woods there are a few great albums by bands who aren't well known outside of here.

Spiral Jetty -- Arts Sand Bar and Dogstar -- Today Adam Potkay is an English professor. He formed Spiral Jetty in upstate NY with two local guys, a bass player and drummer. As he was working on his PhD his two band mates followed him, first to Johns Hopkins then, after they complained about the music scene in Baltimore circa 1983, Rutgers. The guys in Spiral Jetty were huge fans of The Feelies and their early sound was kind of Feelies meets Buddy Holly but as their music progressed they developed a harder sound and worked with Martin Bisi. Arts Sand Bar remains my favorite. This record was released in 1984 or 1985. It still features their earlier sound but you can hear the direction they were going in.

Here are a couple of videos. The first is a live show from one of their summer reunions. The second is a cut from Arts Sand Bar. The third is from their Martin Bisi produced album Dogstar.







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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

And this one. She's still at it, after all these years. "Covered Up In Aces" is a hell of a song:

Image
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Kudzu Guillotine »

Tequila Cowboy wrote:I can't tell you how many time people have said to me "no one has ever heard of the music you listen to".


Same here and not just in the present day or online. One friend used to say, "where do you get this shit from?" which wasn't exactly an insult. In direct reference to Guadalcanal Diary, I was once told I was trying to be purposely obscure. When I was still new to Guadalcanal Diary, I was told, "you only like bands that sound like R.E.M." I've heard the same thing in reference to alt.country. There may be more than a hint of truth to those accusations but to anyone that's paying attention, they'll soon discover that I also like a lot of other kinds of music and bands but it's easier to pigeonhole people's tastes.

Here's a few favorites I've mentioned in the past that are of a local flavor which have proved to be very important to me over the years.

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Various samplers comprised of local and regional artists from the early and mid-80's which were instrumental in introducing me to the likes of Southern Culture On the Skids (original lineup), The Woods (who did "Battleship Chains" pre-Georgia Satellites), the Connells, the dB's, Don Dixon, Let's Active, Fetchin' Bones, the Spongetones, etc. Mondo Montage and More Mondo along with WQDR (now a country station) and The Spectator (which got absorbed by IndyWeek, it's archives can still be accessed) helped to lay the groundwork for the environment in which I would discover R.E.M., Guadalcanal Diary, Arrogance (the band Don Dixon played in), etc.

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Released 35 years ago, The Bounty Hunter still manages to make my top ten lists of favorites all these many years later. Another local artist, Mike Cross is known well beyond the borders of North Carolina but has never risen above cult status. After a somewhat private battle with Lyme disease, he re-emerged just a few years ago with Crossin' Carolina, his first new album since At Large In the World in 1999. It's presently a pipe dream of mine to stage a celebration of Mike's music involving Don Dixon (who played on and produced some of his records), Chatham County Line, Mandolin Orange, John Howie, Jr., the Super Grit Cowboy Band, etc. If any local artist deserves such a tribute, it's Mike Cross. He's not only adept at the fiddle, bottleneck guitar, mandolin, etc. but also plays a wide variety of music from folk, blues, country, bluegrass and rock but has also shown an affinity for some reggae-tinged sounds in his music. He is definitely one of a kind and not just for his instrumental prowess, he's also one hell of a songwriter.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by RevMatt »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
Tequila Cowboy wrote:I can't tell you how many time people have said to me "no one has ever heard of the music you listen to".


Same here and not just in the present day or online. One friend used to say, "where do you get this shit from?" which wasn't exactly an insult. In direct reference to Guadalcanal Diary, I was once told I was trying to be purposely obscure. When I was still new to Guadalcanal Diary, I was told, "you only like bands that sound like R.E.M." I've heard the same thing in reference to alt.country. There may be more than a hint of truth to those accusations but to anyone that's paying attention, they'll soon discover that I also like a lot of other kinds of music and bands but it's easier to pigeonhole people's tastes.

I know of many bands who formed before or around the time of REM who were later accused by ignorant people with tiny record collections of "ripping off" REM. It used to piss me off almost as much as people who accused Peter Gabriel of "ripping off" Phil Collins.

Truth is, around 1979 - 1980 so many bands from many different scenes formed that had the whole Velvets/Byrds/Big Star thing going on. REM may have been the band from that era who went onto have the most success but bands like The Feelies, The Bongos in NJ, The Swimming Pool Cues, Let's Active and The Db's in Carolina, Green On Red and The Dream Syndicate in California and a host of other bands got the jangle going left of the dial. Athens wasn't the only town where that sound was happening. Steve Fallon booked REM into Maxwells in Hoboken and REM was embraced in NJ. When I first heard about REM I actually thought they were a Hoboken band because of their sound and the fact that the played there so often.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by 4sooner »

Ten Hands-The Big One Is Coming
Denton Tx about 10 years before Centro matic & Slobberbone

Love Tractor-This Ain't No Outer Space Ship
Pylon contemporaries from Athens

Mason Rufner-S/T
tremendous Texas Guitar slinger

Tenderloin-Bullseye
Fronted by the great Ernie Locke

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by beantownbubba »

Elizabeth Barraclough??!! Holy moly is that a blast from the past. Haven't thought about her or her music in years. May have to remedy that.

Nice call on Love Tractor & Mason Rufner, 4sooner.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Smitty »

Joey Kneiser All Night Bedroom Revival
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by tinnitus photography »

i found out about this record a few weeks ago, and it lives up to the hype:
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PICCHU 1
ANONYMOUS - "INSIDE THE SHADOW" LP/CD

OUT OF STOCK AT THIS TIME.

"Close to the perfect album; each element has been drawn from the best possible source, yet somehow Ron Matelic manages to fuse these massive building blocks into personal, deeply human music." - Patrick Lundborg, THE ACID ARCHIVES

Originally released in 1976 in an edition of 300 copies, the sole album by Indianapolis' ANONYMOUS stands today as a high-water mark in rock 'n' roll, combining the adventure of west coast ballroom groups, the 12-string majesty of Byrds, and breathtaking multi-part harmonies to forge something inimitable and one-of-a-kind, with powerful songs that pushed the limit and raised the bar at the same time. Long time top ten favorite with almost every head we know, a true classic recommended for everyone into amazing rock records of all varieties.


Restored to its original glory for the first time since its initial release, this is the definitive INSIDE THE SHADOW!

- First officially licensed reissue of this classic in almost twenty years; issued with the group's full cooperation and assistance

- Remastered and restored by Warren Defever for best-ever sound

- Sleeve notes from Aaron Milenski (co-author of the essential reference guide The Acid Archives), and recollections from Ron Matelic, Anonymous' visionary songwriter.

- LP is sleeved in a tip-on jacket, with a reproduction of the original lyric insert

- CD is sleeved in a digipak, with 8 page booklet with complete lyrics and notes

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Post by Smitty »

Gene Parsons Kindling
Terry Allen Lubbock (on Everything)
Trailer Bride High Seas
The Moaners Dark Snack
Dashboard Saviors Spinnin on Down
The Drams Jubilee Dive
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Post by Smitty »

David Olney Through a Glass Darkly
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

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"Catch All " by Swag

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Flea »

Kudzu Guillotine wrote:
Image
Released 35 years ago, The Bounty Hunter still manages to make my top ten lists of favorites all these many years later. Another local artist, Mike Cross is known well beyond the borders of North Carolina but has never risen above cult status. After a somewhat private battle with Lyme disease, he re-emerged just a few years ago with Crossin' Carolina, his first new album since At Large In the World in 1999. It's presently a pipe dream of mine to stage a celebration of Mike's music involving Don Dixon (who played on and produced some of his records), Chatham County Line, Mandolin Orange, John Howie, Jr., the Super Grit Cowboy Band, etc. If any local artist deserves such a tribute, it's Mike Cross. He's not only adept at the fiddle, bottleneck guitar, mandolin, etc. but also plays a wide variety of music from folk, blues, country, bluegrass and rock but has also shown an affinity for some reggae-tinged sounds in his music. He is definitely one of a kind and not just for his instrumental prowess, he's also one hell of a songwriter.



And a super nice guy, very personable and willing to interact with his fans. I've got an autographed copy of this disc from a convention show he did several years back.
Now it's dark.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by dime in the gutter »

good thread.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by John A Arkansawyer »

When I saw this guy open for Mark Olson, he didn't blow me away, but I liked him, so I bought this record. It has since become a constant companion:

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It just kills me, every time. I say buy the physical copy when you book him in your town, but if that occasion doesn't arise, you can get it here or here.
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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by roland »

Wouldn't classify it as "rock", but John Moreland's "In the Throes" is in my top 10 records of all time, personally.

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Re: Greatest Albums in the History of Rock No One Has Heard

Post by Slipkid42 »

These great albums flew mostly under the radar:

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And sadly this one too;

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