70's Humble Pie Faces Thin Lizzy 80's House of Love Dinosaur Jr. Sonic Youth Spaceman 3 90's Swervedriver Slowdive the Boo Radleys Mercury Rev Spiritualized
This thread is off the rails. Many of the examples are in the rock hall of fame (Cheap Trick) or they are critical darlings (such as Nick Drake). Neither qualify as underrated. ZZ Top underrated? Come on! A better example is Steely Dan. They had a bunch of hits back in the 70s. The critics liked them, but they're mostly ignored (in spite of still touring) and are never mentioned as potential hall of fame inductees. Smithereens and XTC are also good examples.
Can't argue with the Kinks, Smithereens, Replacements, XTC and many others already mentioned, so I'll just throw in a few of my old favorites: Steppenwolf James Gang Todd Rundgren/Utopia Mountain Gang of Four Yeh, I'm old...
Lee Scratch Perry (the truth) <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3YntPxjcf0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Hank Williams III (Lineage. Arguably made the greatest country album ever - Straight to Hell) <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BrUk1ua8ZqI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Live they suck huge balls tho, the singer cannot sing AT ALL! Great stage presence tho. A few more; Rainbow UFO
Most underrated rock band? My uncle says it's trapeze. You agree? he's a stoner! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QMJCVb3LlSU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Rundgren is/was an absolute monster. Something/Anything and A Wizard/A True Star are among the all time greats. And Utopia's run of early albums (Utopia, Ra, and Another Live) was the best American take on progressive rock, except for Zappa.
Definitively worth checking out. Just skip their live shows. They aren't able to recreate the great sound of their studio albums in a live setting.
"Unknown" is one thing. "Underrated" is another. I'm not saying the Kinks aren't widely recognized as great, but to me they're not on the level they should be. A lot of their albums and singles were largely ignored (at least, here in the States). Steely Dan? It's tough for me to put them in the underrated category, if only because Classic Vinyl (26 on Sirius XM) LOOOOOOOOOOOOVES the band, and plays them constantly (that station is a big favorite for me). But looking at the band critically? Yes, they should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Speaking of that word "Yes": THERE's a band that gets little love: Yes ("Owner of a Lonely Heart," "Roundabout", etc). Not even in the Hall of Fame. But then again, Deep Purple only just made it in, so hopefully good things come to those who wait.
Motor Ace 1998-2005. I can't understand why they never made it big. [youtube]lwrvr_kxBAw[/youtube] [youtube]_FD57_zyq0k[/youtube] [youtube]MQE-_3vaDYc[/youtube] Pretty good playist here, some amazing songs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJCbBq1qV4I&list=PLY21ytZmKVzxzP2YCqN5tFOTaVL7Tg_E3
Absolutely right about the sense of humor. It's key to a lot of the songs. You mentioned Lola, it's there in (I wish I could Fly Like) Superman, Apeman, Moneygoround, etc. The humor was a huge part, and like so much of the Kinks brilliance doesn't receive a lot of attention. It's strange because Ray Davies seems like he's pretty much tormented by wishing he could live a normal even super old-fashioned life, but also being unable to do that because of the talent, creativity and imagination bursting out of him. It's there in a lot of lyrics. Great stuff.
Ooohhhh good one. [youtube]8GU2eePZR1U[/youtube] I'll contribute with The Early November for the heart broken teens of 2000's
Yes is widely considered the cornerstone of progressive rock's "big four" (Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP). I would say that is right where they belong.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/ajgoldberg">@ajgoldberg</a> Seth's character not liking Steely Dan was a way to show how immature and not ready for a baby he was. Who could trust him?</p>— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) <a href="https://twitter.com/JuddApatow/status/564824624400064512">February 9, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>