Even though the notion of the "album" is quickly going the way of the dinosaur, the demographic here at SimHQ is old enough to appreciate a well made album in its entirety.


What are examples of some albums where you were pleasantly surprised by how much you liked the more obscure songs?


1. Genesis -"Foxtrot" I only knew about "Supper's Ready" when I first listened to this album but I ended up really liking "Watcher of the Skies" as well.

2. Genesis - "Nursery Cryme" I knew about "The Musical Box" but I was very happy to discover both "The Fountain of Salmacis" and "Harlequin".

On my recent Top 100 thread I have several deep cuts listed such as:

1. Steve Miller Band's "Sacrifice". Their 1977 album "Book of Dreams" is fantastic (hits: "Jet Airliner", "Swingtown", "Jungle Love", "The Stake"), but several of the album's deep cuts are every bit as good, IMO.

2. Heart's "How Deep It Goes" from their 1976 debut album "Dreamboat Annie". Again, what a great album (hits: "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You") and also fantastic deep cuts.

That's not to say I don't like the hits as much, just that they've been overplayed so they don't get nearly the rotation as some lesser-known songs that I enjoy off the same album.

I actually have a playlist of overplayed songs ("Stairway to Heaven", "Freebird", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Hotel California", "Bohemian Rhapsody", etc. - the usual suspects) that I don't keep in regular rotation and seldom listen to (maybe once a year or so). But every time I do listen to them, I'm reminded why these songs were such big hits in the first place! To me, a really good song can never completely be worn out, it just gets shelved for a while.

Back to my recent Top 100, so many songs weren't listed because, like almost everything from Boston, Styx, Alan Parsons Project, Rush, Pink Floyd, Eagles...just to name a few), I almost always listen to the entire album, hits and deep cuts (including the B-sides of "2112" and "Hemispheres").

Ha! I know where you are coming from exactly. I would add "More Than a Feeling", "Blinded by the Light" and "Hey Jude" to your overplayed songs list.

And then you have those WTF moments when you hear a song on an album that's just so unusual (not even counting some of the weird #%&*$# the Beatles did)...

1. Pink Floyd's "Seamus" on "Meddle". My two Jack Russells love it. Or hate it. I can't decide.

2. The Police's "Mother" on "Synchronicity". W...T...F???

I still listen to them though, lol.

Yeah, those two songs are just bizarre and while I understand that you sometimes take creative risks as a musician, those two songs just make me think "what the hell were they smoking"?

Here are a few albums I enjoy listening to the whole album and love it when I hear some of the non-hits pop up on radio/Pandora etc . . .

Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry and Pyromania

U2 - Boy, War and Joshua Tree

R.E.M. - Reckoning, Lifes Rich Pageant and Green

Prince - Purple Rain

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska

I've always enjoyed PJ Harvey but up until a few weeks ago her last album I heard was 'White Chalk' (2007).

Her latest 2 albums, 'Let England Shake' (2011),for which she won a Mercury Prize and 'The Hope Six Demolition Project' (2016) are both fantastic from start to finish and there are some obscure tracks on both. I'm playing both a lot lately.

She is the only artist to have won a Mercury prize twice and yet she isn't mainstream. She's never had a top ten single. I think she's awesome of course

Not even in the UK? She had some notoriety in the US back in the early to mid 90's. One of her videos was even shown on an episode of Beavis & Butthead!

I was basing that on her performance in the charts. Her last single placing was in 2004,position 45. Her highest chart position was 25 (1998).

Her albums place much better with a No1 in 2016. Maybe she is more mainstream than I think,I'm not sure what criteria to go by. Until around mid 2000-ish I didn't really know her or her music.

I had to go find that Beavis and Butthead video

B&B fan here, I think I remember that, wasn't it this video?

PJ Harvey - Down By The Water...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbq4G1TjKYg&feature=emb_logo

I got this chick confused recently with the Mazzy Star chick, was looking for a Mazzy Star video with the red dress.

I checked as well. The video I posted was just one of the PJ Harvey videos they watched, it looks like there were three.

Yup, that's the one!

Both Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return by Kansas.

Chicago Transit Authority.

The Who, Who’s Next expanded edition.

Led Zeppelin III

Asia

Aerosmith, Toys In The Attic

Most pre-Cornerstone Styx albums.

Speaking of Beavis And Butthead. Winger blames them for their downfall.

LOL!! I have not watched the video but I can tell you that Winger as well as all of the other big hair rock bands were already on their way out when grunge and alternative rock hit the mainstream.

Yeah, for sure PM. The late 80's early 90's were not a good time for Rock music. Big hair and way too many ballads.
Grunge/Alternative was sorely needed.

Loved 80's Rock ballads.
Loved 80's Metal, especially Metallica (now more into Cold War Iron Maiden).
Loved late-80's Rock, Guns N' Roses and Living Colour.
Loved 90's Grunge/Alternative, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden (virtuoso musicians...many impressive guitar solos).

Still think 70's Rock rules all, but 80's to early-90's were great!

Except Nirvana. Meh. Rockified Punk. I still liked them enough to purchase their CDs, though.

I watched the B&B Winger video above and it's not as bad as the title would imply.
I was supposed to see Winger (with Night Ranger) in 3 days!

Personally, I think the band Poison was the beginning of the downfall of "metal". And the clones that followed. Hair Metal seemed to pander to the females imo.
Metallica survived, no question, arguably the greatest hard rock band of all time. Guns n' Roses were a rare bright spot in 1987. But I was thankful for bands like Pearl Jam, Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers to come along.

Well, arguably Metallica was "Metal" only up through "And Justice For All".

But still all 80's!

You consider them Hard Rock after that ?

THE HEADBANGING EIGHTIES!

Ozzy Osbourne Bark at the Moon...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr8_wBwHVHg

Correct. I know the lines often get blurred between what is "metal" and what is "hard rock" but their style definitely went through a noticeable change starting with the "black" album in 1991.

Of course Ozzie had a lot of great songs in the 80's. I absolutely love the bass in "No More Tears".

BTW, whenever someone says, 'Every decade of music had good and bad, we only hear the filtered good!'

Fine. Let's forget the crap (although subjective) and compare the best of the...

60's
70's
80's
90's
2000-2009
2010-2019

All history now, and history will decide. Personally, I think when comparing the very best (quality and quantity), it's all been a downhill run. But then I'm 52.

Age most definitely influences our music tastes but I can't think of a single band or artist who started after the year 2000 who will have or has a lasting legacy on the same level as what some of the artists from the previous decades have had.

The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Police, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Rush, etc. I can't think of any band or artist today who comes close to any of those bands.

I agree 100%
The music industry post 2000 is drastically different than previous generations. Pop Music, Rap, "New" Country have dominated. Rock is not big business anymore.

As albums, I guess that goes for tapes too. Which brings the below video and man (Mike the Mike) to mind...


Just learned about him today, and I think it´s worth a mention. We all listen to a bootleg one time or another didn´t we? Not that I was a fan of bootlegs but thanks to them, we can now remember some of those events/recordings.



Red

I'd like to throw Steely Dan's "Aja" out for consideration, it's one I can put on and just mind meld with.

Sade "Promise" is also outstanding.

Earlier in the thread, "Blinded by the Light" was mentioned - I like the Manfred Mann version, but I really prefer the Bruce Springsteen original - it's a bit more raw and has a great feel to it.