Most UNDER-rated musician/group ever

[Burma Jones]

I sometimes wonder why Stevie Wonder isn't up there with Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, etc. I think he's up there, but I don't see it as a universal thing.

[madrchsod]

1. for one thing

he doesn`t do the stones tour rip-offs, dylan can tour with a small band. i saw stevie wonder open for the stones in chicago. the stones sucked, stevie rocked and patty labelle and the bluebells were also there. stevie has a place all to himself in the world of music.

[Rabrrrrrr]

2. Brian Eno, Frank Zappa

Both highly regarded amongst people who know what they're talking about, but never mentioned in the mainstream.

Also will include Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew and Neil Innes.

[DBoon]

4. Yes, both aided other's careers

Zappa brought Alice Cooper and Captain Beefheart their initial notoriety. Heavy Metal would not be the same without Alice. Indy rock owes a great debt to "no commercial potential" Zappa.

Eno was the midwife of punk and new wave. Produced many albums, including Talking Heads.

Both were innovators who showed their musical versatility and expanded the range of popular music.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. And Eno keeps on cranking, making things possible for the bands

that get more notoriety than him, and whose fans would despise Eno music if they ever got out of their flavor-of-the-hour attitude and branched into something beyond what their corporate masters tell them is popular and what they should listen to.

Argh.

Brittney Spears' fans' heads would explode if they heard "On Land". or "Ship Arriving Too Late" or "Briefcase Boogie" or "The Black Page"

[Rooktoven]

5. I agree on both...

As being underrated...

I think that only Zappa's output approaches that of the above 3.

[Barad Simith]

3. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings

Though they write, produce, record and perform as a duo, they're mysteriously billed as "Gillian Welch" - almost like that's the name of their two-person band.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

7. Soundgarden or WEEN....

Oh yeah, did I mention Blue Oyster Cult?

[sendero]

25. Pure Guava...

... is just a great record. Even if they are laughing all the way through it. :)

And Eno was mentioned, he's always been a favorite. Besides his incredible solo work, it is no mystery that the 3 really great Talking Heads' albums were done with him producing. Or that some of Bowie's best, Low, Heroes, and Lodger had Eno on board. He coined the term 'ambient', although the term's meaning is not presently the same as his definition, it has been watered down. He's also a keen observer and essayist. Basically, if Brian Eno's name is on something, it will usually be exceptional.

[Bossy Monkey]

8. John Wesley Harding

As a general observation, if most people have heard of the artist in question, they probably don't rate as "most underrated".

[KissMyAsscroft]

9. Faith No More...

Anything Patton related...

[Cush]

42. second that

They were considered a one hit wonder in the states, but they continued to sell everywhere else

[mvd]

10. Love this kind of topic

Now I'll have disagreements in both the over-rated and under-rated topics, but I always have more disagreements on the over-rated ones. And I never feel the need to chime in when I disagree in under-rated boards. I assume you mean under-rated by the mainstream. I do like quite a bit in the mainstream, but here's a list of overlooked artists:

Kay Hanley/Letters To Cleo (possibly my choice for most underrated)
Abra Moore
New Pornographers
Shins
Nina Gordon solo (like Veruca Salt too, but they were known)
Laura Dawn
Jo Davidson
Jayhawks
Neil Finn
Sixpence None The Richer
Bree Sharp
Deep Blue Something
Merril Bainbridge
Creeper Lagoon
The Painkillers
The Wrens
Cat Power
Plumb (might move their 2003 album into my top 10 of the year)
Sugababes (in the U.S.)
The Corrs (in the U.S. and would be a newer group in my top 10 artists of all time - all their albums get A+ from me)
bleu
Cindy Alexander
Anna Waronker
Kim Richey
Sherrie Austin
Creeper Lagoon
Jennifer Paige (ok, her debut is better but her Positively Somewhere album also has very good songs even if it goes into lightweight pop sometimes - still a B/B-.)
Ron Sexsmith
Loreena McKennitt
Res
Chuck Berry
K's Choice
Kasey Chambers
Linda Thompson
Lucy Woodward
Lillix
M2M
Kina
Buddy & Julie Miller
Leona Naess

The list can go on..

[Bluzmann57]

11. Wilco

"Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was one the most acclaimed albums(ok ok cds) of last year, but unless one listened to a Public Radio Station or a college station, they didn't even exist. Another one at least in my opinion, is Little Feat.

[mvd]

13. You're right

It got decent sales, but it should have sold many more copies.

[gator_in_Ontario]

12. Ritchie Havens

largely a cover artist, true, but some of his interpretations are very good!

[Screaming Lord Byron]

14. Chris Bell, Jellyfish, The Associates, The Saints, The Go-Betweens

and of course, Chris Bell's first band, Big Star.

[FrankBooth]

24. I love Big Star

And Alex Chilton ain't too bad himself.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

44. Yeah. Alex too. God, Big Star were brilliant.

[kerryistheanswer]

15. the replacements

paul westerberg is a genius

[fudge stripe cookays]

27. Hear hear!

I saw them twice and loved them-- drunken revelry and all!

[aquaman]

16. Lungfish....

Great band.

[asthmaticeog]

21. omg

I LOVE Lungfish. Thought I was alone.

Ever try to get through a book of the singer's poetry, though? Impenetrable.

[woofless]

17. Shawn Phillips

I cannot understand why more folks haven't heard of this guy. Great musician, prodigious singing range and eclectic mix of styles from ballads to jazz to rocking guitar riffs. Who's Shawn Phillips you say? Thought so.

[chiburb]

53. THE BEST!!!!

There is NOBODY who compares to Shawn!
They'd have heard of him if he'd kept the gig as the original Jesus in JC Superstar...

http://www.shawnphillips.com

[acmavm]

18. John Hiatt, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder.

Off the top of my head.

Knopfler & Straits did a album called 'Love Over Gold'. Simply amazing.

John Hiatt has written songs that have been hits for so many people. Right now I'm listening to 'Have a Little Faith in Me' sung by Joe Cocker.

And speaking of Cocker, he's right up there in my books as well.

[fudge stripe cookays]

28. You and reprehensor need to go bowling...

He loves Hiatt and Cooder.

[Susang]

19. XNASA & his band

I just heard some of their new tracks and they are fucking great!

[XNASA]

52. Really? You enjoyed listening to Vendooza?

Wow!!

Maybe we've stumbled on to something??

I thought that the funniest comment on Friday, re: Vendooza, was when Johnny said, "You guys rock for a bunch of old farts."

[Bundbuster]

20. Roy Buchanon & Leo Kottke

Roy could do things on electric guitar only dreamed of by his peers, then died early.

Leo Kottke is simply the best acoustic guitar player ever.

Both had voices like sick frogs, and retiring personalities - never a help.

[asthmaticeog]

22. Mountain Goats

Been around for something like 10-12 years, a great many of their (his, really, it's mostly just the one guy) releases were on cassette only or else on now out of print micro-label CDs, but damn, what amazing songwriting. They're (he's) on a major now, and their last two records have been killers, so hopefully they'll be uprated soon enough.

[DoctorBombay]

33. the college station I listen to plays them all the time!

KXLU, Los Angeles.

[RandomKoolzip]

49. Hear Hear!

John Darnielle deserves his own magazine. This guy's output has been prolific and uniformly excellent for the longest time, and yet nobody seems to know who he is. Probably, lyrically, one of the strongest, most affecting songwriters of his generation. And his "Going to" songs are hilarious. I especially like the "Sweden" LP.


Some others:

Karate
GbV (by SOME people)
The Jam
James Carr
Hampton Grease Band
The Heptones
Glass Eye

[NashVegas]

23. Michael Penn

Stevie Wonder is under-rated by strictly-rock fans. I wouldn't worry about it.

Meanwhile, Penn is churning out pop gems and no one notices.

[Edge]

26. New Kids on the Block...

JK.:) :hi:

[fudge stripe cookays]

29. The Posies

One Seattle band that never got the recognition that all the grunge bands got, since they weren't in the same niche.

"Frosting on the Beater" is freaking brilliant.

[FrankBooth]

32. Posies are fantastic

Truly underrated.

[Bertha Venation]

30. Jill Sobule and Dar Williams come to mind. eom

[fudge stripe cookays]

47. I love Jill Sobule.

I saw her play with Lloyd Cole in Dallas several years ago. She was in his band for his last album, and it's one of my favorites of his.

[Norbert]

31. Michael Penn, Amiee Mann, Eliza Gilkyson and Steve Earle

[mvd]

35. Oh yes

I remembered Aimee and Dar (mentioned by another poster,) but decided to put ones who get the least attention in my mind. Those two are wonderful and certainly deserve more. You reminded me of Steve - he doesn't get much attention from the mainstream at all these days. Great choice!

[fudge stripe cookays]

48. I always hated country music growing up....

because my uncle and aunt used to listen to Dave and Sugar and Lynn Anderson and that crap.

Then I heard "Copperhead Road" and saw how grey the lines could be between country and rock and roll.

"Perhaps I've overlooked something," I thought. Steve opened the door to me liking Patsy Cline, Dwight Yoakum, Johnny Cash and all the other classics.

Thanks Steve!

[DoctorBombay]

34. Sleater-Kinney

Six albums, and they are all terrific. Not only that, they get better!

And, they are very liberal ladies!

[mvd]

38. Agreed

They are pretty pure punk in musical style, but I like them quite a bit.

[Mrs. Venation]

36. John Prine

Songwriter extraordinaire and a wonderful entertainer.

[Dogmudgeon]

37. The dBs

The dBs.

With and without Chris Stamey.

Peter Holsapple married Susan Cowsill (yes, that Susan Cowsill) and started a new band, The Continental Drifters with Bangle Vicki Peterson.

dBs drummer Will Rigby's (ex-) wife Amy Rigby is also quite a talented musician and has had several critically-acclaimed CDs out lately.

--bkl

[CanuckAmok]

39. Jim Thirlwell.

The man behind "Foetus", "Wiseblood", and "Manorexia". He'll be regarded as being as innovative and experimental as Zappa or Stavinsky, but I'm afraid it won't be until long after he's dead (isn't that the way with most geniuses?!)

[Runcible Spoon]

40. The muthafukkin PIXIES

although if they were ever mainstream I might not like them as much. Breeders were OK, but there was something extremely electric about Frank Black and the Deal sisters

[NNadir]

41. John Abercrombie

An unparalelled genius.

[ronzo]

43. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit

Sick stuff.

[vi5]

45. Husker Du

Great songwriting, grea melodies, great lyrics all awashed in the sounds of one of the most pummelling power trios ever. They did the Nirvana thing years before and 1,000 times better and to little or no aclaim or recognition.

[bif]

46. Pentangle

This band was easily 25 years ahead of their time.

[Loonman]

50. The Godfathers

Birth. School. Work. Death.

[fudge stripe cookays]

51. I'm somewhere in the video for a song off their 2nd album

They filmed it at the Back Room in Austin.

"I'm Lost and Then I'm Found" I think...I was drunk, after all.

[Westegg]

54. I think Wonder's universally respected...

And I remember, in the mid '70s, how Stevie dominated many Grammy Awards ceremonies with albums like "Talking Book," "Songs in the Key of Life," and his many Top-Ten singles. And this was in an era when people like Starland Vocal Band and Christopher Cross were pulling down many Grammys---in other words, when the awards were even more slanted towards one-hit pop-crap wonders than they are today.

No serious fan of funk, soul, Motown, etc.---or just plain musical brilliance---will ever think of Stevie as anything less than one of The Greats.

[Westegg]

55. Bert Jansch, Roy Harper and Townes Van Zandt...

...also Richard and Linda Thompson, Fairport Convention, Gram Parsons, and Fripp and Eno. To say nothing of Roxy Music and Todd Rundgren.