Obscure Albums That Deserve to be Heard

Some rock, some of what we'd call "singer-songwriter" or perhaps folk, and an orchestral mini-opera.

Pete Townshend wrote some really quirky songs, mostly recorded by The Who, but "Misunderstood" must be one of the quirkiest: "I wanna be misunderstood/Wanns be feared in my neighborhood...". Worth the price by itself, but the rest of the album is good-to-great as well.

This is one of those recordings that's almost impossible to categorize--or rather, it's in a category all by its lonesome. This is Renaissance Rock, and it's much better than you think it would be from that description.

The actual front-jacket attribution is, mock-seriously, "Mr Philip Pickett with Mr Richard Thompson and the Fairport Rhythm Section" (That's Simon Nichol, Dave Pegg & Dave Mattacks). Pickett plays medieval/renaissance woodwinds, his wife plays early keyboards, and the Fairporters play the modern instruments for which they're known. The tunes are all medieval/renaissance pieces as well, but they're treated here as the basis for stretching out.

This album is traditional English folk music, but the performances are still fresh more than 30 years later. Of the 13 tracks, only Cyril Tawney's "Grey Funnel Line" has an attributed composer. Three are Child Ballads. Instrumentation is all acoustic when it's present at all, and tempi range from dirge-like to bouncy (though always appropriate to the material).

The duo adopted the name of the album as a band name for a much later follow-up, "No More to the Dance", but I don't know that album (yet...).

Lap steel wizard and multi-instrumentalist David Lindley leads a killer band through this romp of mostly covers, putting his own stamp on every one. There's a mild reggae feel to most, but the slide-driven "Mercury Blues" just might ignite your listening apparatus.

Those who only know Lindley as a sideman (for Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon and Linda Ronstadt, anong others), owe it to themselves to give this record a listen.

Following a pattern noted elsewhere, the band then took the name of the debut album for additional projects. These are also recommended, but this one is the place to start.

In this case, the band name came first. This is the debut (and, so far, only), American release the Australian band. There are others available as imports, but I've not heard them.

This is my all-time favorite "bought for a buck on spec" album. It's soaring pop music, with well-crafted melodies and bold choruses. And they use a mandolin as more than just a novelty....

It may seem a bit of a stretch to call any R.E.M. album "obscure", but this one is not nearly as well known as later work. Their third, this is the epitome of their early sound. The production is crisp and clear, there's a drive to even the slow songs and while there's an introspective feel to it they're not yet totally self-indulgent.

Hedningarna is a mostly Swedish band with two Finnish women on vocals. This album explores tunes collected in the Karelia region that straddles the Finnish/Russian border. It's definitely contemporary folk music--not traditional, but not rock, either. Dark, dreamy and dense, this is music for non-stop replay.

I'm probably going to do a lens on contemporary Nordic folk music. when I do, I'll add a link here.

The Proclaimers, Scottish twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid, had a minor hit off of this album with "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", partly due to its inclusion in the film Benny and Joon. Such prominence can work to an album's disadvantage, however, because many people will assume that the hit is the only good song on the album. That is emphatically not the case here.

The brothers wrote all the songs except "My Old Friend the Blues" (by Steve Earle). There's half a dozen love songs, ranging from bouncy to meditative, a paean to drunkenness and a Scottish -independence anthem. All are worthwhile, and then some.

Ukulele jazz of the '20s and '30s, with unusual arrangements featuring the unique fingerstyle uke playing of Del Rey and the arco bass work of Matt Weiner. Reed player Craig Flory thinks modern but sounds traditional. The big voice and ingenuous rhythm playing of leader Mike Daugherty provides The Yes Yes Boys' intricate instrumental and vocal arrangements with reckless energy.

(Above text is the Product Description from Amazon)

Their Artist Representation page is here

Melodic pop with a dark twist. The playing is adventurous yet accessible, the lyrics just a bit warped.

Guitarist Belew has worked with many in the firmament of intelligent rock, including David Bowie, King Crimson and the Talking Heads. The Bears formed around the time that his solo career was starting to take off.

Good luck finding this one--Amazon doesn't even have used copies of the CD (though they do have the LP--go figure). Get this CD back in print!

The band has a website (shared with spin-offs and solo projects) here.

Mandolin virtuoso David Grisman teams up with long time friend Jerry Garcia (lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead), for just under an hour of acoustic bliss. They're backed by members of the David Grisman Quartet (or was it the Quintet...?).

The album starts off with my all-time favorite version of "The Thrill is Gone"--no disrespect to B. B., but Garcia's vocal captures the perfect combination if ennui and anguish. Other standouts include an amazing version of "Friend of the Devil", an old Clarence Ashley tune called "Walkin' Boss", and the album's closer, a 16-minute jam called "Arabia". Even at that length, it's not a second too long.

If you're a Deadhead, you probably already know this album--if not, find it IMMEDIATELY. Even if you hate the Grateful Dead, find this album soon.

This was the first--or at least the first-released--of several collaborations between the two. All are recommended, but this is the best starting point for those who don't know the range.

Trashcan Joe perform Swing Jazz standards & originals on instruments that include washboard, muted cornet and "trashcanjo" (a homemade instrument featuring a banjo neck on a sheet metal body that incorporates a
Dobro-style resonator).

I bought my copy of the album directly from the band where they were playing beside the path at the Oregon Country Fair. Haven't regretted it for a moment....

The Amazon listing doesn't contain much information, so I've included a link to a later album that has more in the listing. I haven't heard that one yet, but I'll be going out on a limb for it soon.

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were both active members of Jefferson Airplane at the time this album was recorded. They'd been playing acoustic blues in their hotel rooms for months, and done a few sets as part of JA concerts. This setting allowed Casady to take his bass playing into melodic territory, complementing Kaukonen's fingerstyle guitar.

This album was recorded live at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, CA. Will Scarlett helps out on harmonica.

Carnahan (guitar) and Petrie (hammered dulcimer) share vocal duties on this rock-tinged folk album, backed by percussion and stand-up bass. There are four Carnahan originals, a traditional instrumental and five covers including the Garcia/Hunter song "Loser" and what may well be my favorite Richard Thompson song, "Dimming of the Day."

A fine example of ska revival. 'Nuff said.

This is by the orginal Manfred Mann group. It "features" their hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", which is an annoying piece of fluff that would be eminently forgettable if it didn't have such a penchant for becoming an earworm. HOWEVER, the rest of the album is a fine collection of classic British blues.

This is currently available as a reissue, paired with a later album called "My Little Red Book of Winners". I don't know that album (I have the vinyl), but I expect it's more of the same--which is not a bad thing....

Power Pop tunes in Metal tones. There's a definite edge of distortion laid on top of the basic guitar jangle, but the songs are pure gems of melodic pop music and the vocals are definitely sung, not screamed. One of the best albums of the 1980s.

This album is a bit hard to categorize--it sits somewhere between the best of fusion jazz (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever), and the best of progressive rock (early Yes, King Crimson). No vocals, so there's no language barrier.

My (vinyl) copy has been AWOL for some years now--I'll definitely be picking this CD up soon myself.

Fatal Mambo is a French salsa band. Yes, really. They play Afro-Cuban music with a distinct French accent (as well as singing in French...).

Wasserman plays upright bass on all tracks, with different guests on each (two at a time). A follow-up to his earlier "Duets", this is a more successful album (IMHO).

Guests include Willie Dixon, Mick Jagger, Edie Brickell, Robert Hunter, Elvis Costello, Jerry Garcia, Bruce Hornsby and more.

Anderson identifies herself as a performance artist rather than as a musician. This comes through more clearly when there are visuals (such as in her concert film Home of the Brave), but there's a flavor of it in her music. The rhythms are angular, the instrumentation largely synthetic, and the vocals more spoken than sung.

I find it to be great housecleaning music....

In the Amazon section below, I've listed the CD, then MP3, plus Home of the Brave....

A collection of classic songs by such writers as Chester Burnett, Blind Willie McTell and the oh-so-prolific "trad.", performed with rip-roaring energy in an old time/trad jazz/jug band fusion style. Mississippi juke joint music at its finest.

Again, Morrison is hardly obscure--but this particular album I only know about because I stumbled across it in a thrift store.

Linda Gail Lewis has a high alto/low soprano voice that complements Morrison's perfectly, and a piano style that comes from the same roots as that of her brother Jerry Lee. On this album they do one Morrison original and a slew of classics by such writers as John Lee Hooker, Otis Blackwell, Terry Thompson and Hank Williams (three times!).

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