Richard Thompson: Rumor and Sigh (1991)
Richard Thompson is one of those musicians that have been around forever and you've probably heard his name mentioned once or twice before but can never seem to recall why you recognize the name. Thompson was a founding member of Fairport Convention and left the band with his wife Linda in 1971. Richard & Linda Thompson recorded a pair of wonderful albums, Shoot Out The Lights and I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight, which would be on this list but for the fact that the two albums are critical darlings. Without the angst and turmoil provided by his ex-wife, Thompson's solo career never skyrocketed. However, the karmic forces aligned when he recorded Rumor & Sigh. His songwriting, always sharp, is at its best here. There is swagger on Feel So Good, British charm on God Loves A Drunk and wizened confusion on Grey Walls and Read About Love. The album's masterpiece is the bizarrely romantic love story of James and Red Molly that centers on a 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. I defy anyone to listen to Thompson’s delivery of James' final words to Molly and not feel a chill down their spine as he gives her one last kiss and dies, but gives her his Vincent to ride.
Traveling Wilburys: Volume 1 (1988)
In 1988, George Harrison started work on a new album with producer Jeff Lynne in Bob Dylan's garage. Over the course of the recording sessions, neighbors Tom Petty and Roy Orbison drifted over and common interests being what they were, they all started recording together. Adopting pseudonyms and declaring themselves all Wilbury brothers, they recorded an album that brought out the best in all of them. The Wilbury songs expressed fragility (Handle With Care), reflection (End Of The Line) and a sense of humor (the Springsteen "homage" Tweeter & The Monkey Man). The alter-egos seemed to give the Wilburys, especially Dylan, the freedom to relax and the songs possess a freewheeling sense of fun often missing in their "real-life" recordings. The spontaneous feeling prevails throughout the album, which is also notable for being one of Roy Orbison's last recordings before his death. Given the star power here, it is amazing that the Wilburys aren't a staple of what's left of classic rock radio.
SideBar: The Most Underrated Benefit Show: Farm Aid 1985. At some point during his unintelligible set closing the Live Aid show in Philadelphia, Bob Dylan told the crowd that he thought it would be nice if we gave a million dollars or two to the American farmers to help pay off the mortgages on their farms. As might have been expected, this pissed off Bob Geldof to no extent. However, it caused John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Neil Young to coordinate Farm Aid, the first major follow-up to Live Aid. Taking place on September 22, 1985 in Champaign, Illinois, without heavy promotion and without even a major TV deal, (the fledgling Nashville Network had no penetration back then), Farm Aid boasted a pretty serious line-up. In addition to the founding musicians, Billy Joel, Tom Petty and Lou Reed appeared as did the major country musicians of the time including Alabama, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and the Charlie Daniels Band. Of course, Bob Dylan lent a hand and more satisfyingly played a relatively coherent set. Don Henley, who was huge at the time following the release of Building The Perfect Beast, closed the show with a set that eschewed Eagle classics and featured The Boys of Summer and Sunset Grill. Most noteworthy from the show was Van Halen's first public performance with new lead singer Sammy Hagar. Unfortunately, the conclusion of their set was only seen and heard by the live crowd as radio and TV abruptly cut away when Hagar uttered a curse word from the stage. Hagar did however, leave both breasts covered.
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.