Goo Goo Dolls: Hold Me Up (1991)
Before the Goo Goo Dolls began one of the most horrific descents into mediocrity and morphed into the sappy lite-rock charade of a rock band they are today, they were one of the best garage bands on the planet. I kid you not. Though it may be hard to believe now, this trio from Buffalo, New York used to be favorably compared to the Replacements. Spin magazine paid this album the highest compliment it could think of when it called Hold Me Up the album for the pathetic loser in all of us. Quite frankly, there is no better album to get you through an ugly break-up than this one. The album consists of mostly of three minute songs with Johnny Rzeznik's thrashing guitar dominating throughout. Knowing that the Goo Goo Dolls were capable of "fuck you" lyrics like Two Days In February's "I know you're living way out west/don't get me wrong I'm not impressed/ with you/ no more," three chord sonic assaults for the defeated like Laughing, There You Are and Just The Way You Are (absolutely no relation to the Billy Joel song) and kick-ass covers of the Plimsouls Million Miles Away and Prince's Never Take The Place Of Your Man, makes their MTV friendly, mopey soft rock like Isis and Name that much more maddening. Given what they became, Hold Me Up may go down as the most underrated album ever.
Stone Roses: Stone Roses (1989)
This was the album that brought the Manchester sound to the forefront of musical culture. Although bands like The Soup Dragons, Jesus Jones and Inspiral Carpets tried, none got it better than the Stone Roses. Starting with a fundamental base of psychedelia, the Roses mixed it with danceable funk (Fools Gold), cascading guitar riffs (Waterfall) or flat out U2 like pomposity (I Am The Resurrection). Immediately following Waterfall, the band reverses the audio track and creates a new song, Don’t Stop, over the reversed loop. The album also possesses a wicked sense of humor, calm soothing melodies come complete with some of the most frightening and threatening of lyrics. On Shoot You Down, Ian Brown, with the emotional range of a serial killer, gleefully describes that he'd "love to do it and you know you always had it coming." One of the album's highlights, an adaptation of Simon & Carbuncle’s Scarborough Fair that transforms the innocent ditty into an ominous ode to assassinating Queen Elizabeth. Oh yes, they could also play it straight (I Want to Be Adored). Sadly, this album is the only worthy testament to the greatness of The Stone Roses. Shortly after its release, the band became involved in numerous lawsuits that frustrated the release of their follow-up album for close to 5 years. By the time the pompously named Second Coming was released, the magic was gone. Indicative of the group’s importance, without the Roses at the forefront, the Manchester movement withered and died. Unlike the albums of their Manchester brethren, the Roses debut album holds up years later and deserves proper recognition.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Randy P
U got me hooked mentioning Hold Me Up by the Goo Goo Dolls. Lots of catchy pop tunes. A lost gem. Also agree with R.Thompson, Wilburys, Body Count, Jake and Ellwood, Van, Sting, Tin, Jimmy,Stone Roses, Big Head, George. The others I have not heard yet
2 - Randy P
I meant lots of catchy pop punk tunes. It was a harder album than their recent yawn fests.
3 - Barry Stoller
All Things Must Pass "underrated"? Jeez, it was nominated for a frickin' Grammy and sold a kazillion copies; My Sweet Lord played 24-7 for years. Pink Floyd, Elton John, Traveling Wilburys, Pete Townshend - "underrated"? How 'bout Terry Knight & The Pack, Klaatu or The Cramps for underrated? The "underrated" music you listen to, mac, is as common and corporate as Coca Cola.
4 - JR
Hey, great list!
Thanks especially for having the 'nads to list the Elton John album. That album is amazing - the ensemble musicianship reminds me of small combo jazz and it rocks like nobody's business. Ben Folds built a career off of that album.
5 - Nick S.
Hold Me Up is a great album. I remember picking it up simply cos it had the Prince cover on it. I instantly got hooked on this group and picked up Jed a few days later.
What a shame they're such a crap group now.
6 - Douglas Mays
Oh goodie, I like this sort of list. Great list. One I would add to the list is a Townsend creation also. Townsend/Lane "Rough Mix". Pete and Ronnie came up with this outstanding piece of personal statements from the heart and soul in a rock/folk music type way.
Good pick on White City also. "Judge the Judge"...lyrics I like from that album.
peaceloveguidance
7 - Douglas Mays
Let me add Joy Division "Closer" to that list.
Oh gosh, here comes the long thread...I'll think of more as the coffee kicks in.
PLG
8 - Tan The Man
I second the Stone Roses.
9 - Eric Berlin
Interesting list -- lots of stuff here that I've never checked out (or given more than a passing glance).
I love the Wilburys -- and have heard them on the radio a fair amount (on classic rock revering Long Island), particularly "End of the Line." It's been a while since I've been a radio hound, so perhaps they've slipped.
Anything Jimmy Cliff-related is brilliant.
10 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
great stuff, Ear, but i simply cannot watch as The Stone Roses is declared "underrated". Wonderful as that record is, it most certainly ain't underrated. Sweet lord in heaven, a fella can hardly open a music magazine without finding some corner of some article or other reeling on about how transcendental the whole affair is. Every student bar in the country is STILL throbbing along to Fools Gold. in no way or no how is The Stone Roses underrated. The Second Coming, however, may well justifiably be included in such a list, but the ammount of critical jissom flung in the direction of that debut in the past decade could fill the marianas trench. but fine reading here, thats for sure.
11 - Eric Olsen
what an interesting and varied list, David, thanks. I especially like All Things (not sure how underrated it is, though), Stone Roses (certainly not underrated in the UK, but is here), Wilburys, Dread ZEp (!), They Harder They Come (one of the great albums of all time), Sting, and Blues Brothers
12 - Eric Olsen
oh, and Meddle
13 - Russ
Huzzah for your choice of Richard Thompson's 'Rumour and Sigh'. And I do love 'Meddle' by Floyd . The other choices ...may be underated for a reason...? But , just because they are not in my CD library doesn't mean they're not great...but then again... But you can never say enough good about RT !
14 - Rob
Couldn't agree more with the Alman Brothers Band, Blues Brothers, Kinks, Pink Floyd and Pete Townsend albums. Actually, the entire list is great. Some of the albums I don't own, but I always enjoyed. Fits right in there with your criteria.
15 - BRICKLAYER
You are so right about the Goo Goo Dolls. They totally stink now, but their first two records were golden. And this album was on Metal Blade! Also, live, they were fantastic in their club days. Sadly, I don't believe they ever toured with Cannibal Corpse.
16 - SFC Ski
Not much to argue with above. Overall, a great underrated album is one which has stood the test of time and you seem to be the only one who owns it, or has ever heard of it.
I'd add the entire Smithereens collection to this list, but choose "Green Thoughts" if I had to pick one album.
17 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Two most under-rated albums I can think of are:
Riverdogs: s/t
Thunder: Backstreet Symphony
18 - Al Barger
Rumor and Sigh!
Rumor and Sigh!
Rumor and Sigh!
I could come up with a BUNCH of underrated albums, but just for starters you really, really need to hear TTD's Vibrator.
19 - Maynard
Good call on the Tin Machine, a most excellent disc all the way through.
add "The Reality of my Surroundings" by Fishbone
"not a pretty girl" by Ani DiFranco
"The End of Silence" by Henry Rollins Band
There are plenty more. Too many good bands get overlooked because they are not "hooky" enough, or don't fit mainstream concepts.
20 - Al Barger
This live Kinks album seems like somewhat a weak choice for this list. For starters, it's not all that particularly outstanding, besides the fact that it's a platinum album- at which point it's hard to really label it underrated.
There's PLENTY of great underrated Kinks albums, though- particularly some of them concept album from the 70s. Your life is not complete without Schoolboys in Disgrace most especially, but also Soap Opera and Preservation, Act I.
21 - Mark Saleski
ah fooey! it's a great Kinks album...with an absolutely killer version of "Low Budget".
22 - wvmcl
"Their Satanic Majesties' Request" by the Rolling Stones
"Wild Tales" by Graham Nash
"Spirit of '67" by Paul Revere and the Raiders
23 - Eric Olsen
agree on Their Satanics!!
24 - Rodney Welch
Thriller by Michael Jackson, Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen, and Synchronicity by the Police -- three "lost" classics, all well worth seeking out in the bargain bins of your better record shoppes.
25 - Michael J. West
Good list, all of it. And I don't care how hard any Lennon-head argues: All Things Must Pass was, and remains, the best Beatle solo album. Period.