Can't believe I forgot these guys... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jlbunmCbTBA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
No offense, but you're way off. First, Steely Dan is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they get regular airplay on radio- and their albums Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill always rank high on critical lists. Yes isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but if you ask people who the great progressive rock bands are, they're almost always going to mention Yes along with Rush, ELP, The Moody Blues, and Pink Floyd. Cheap Trick hardly ever gets mentioned as one of the great bands of all time. Matter of fact, and I've been reading these articles for over 20 years, they're often referred to as a bubblegum act who had 2 hit songs. Go read the comments on the Rolling Stone FB page on Cheap Trick. Tons of comments like "Cheap Trick? Why are they in the RRHOF? They suck. They have, what, one great live album and they get in on that???" There are a LOT of people who call them a 2-hit wonder band. A lot. All those bands I mentioned in the previous posts are usually not in the discussion of "great all-time bands." They're not. Whether on critic's Top 500 lists, random articles, etc. I agree with you on ZZ Top- absolutely not underrated at all. But Cheap Trick? I don't ever have to defend how great a group is when I'm talking about Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, Rush, etc. The Kinks and Cheap Trick??? All the time.
Agreed with past posters that have listed Big Star, Swervedriver, Love, etc. To me those are popular nominees among music purists just like Joy Division or the Kinks or the Zombies or Suicide or Pavement or Liz Phair or Emitt Rhodes or Nick Drake, etc. The question of "underrated band" is unique because it requires that a band be both known by more than a few people, then sequestered into a definition or label that is simply inadequate for their quality. You can't just pick the most obscure stuff for example, or whoever is your personal favorite band. Example A: Band that is dismissed as a one-hit wonder by most of the people that has heard of them, but has put out easily four or five solid, stacked albums of great music over their career, unbeknownst to many. Tabbed as a slapped-together radio-ready fly-by-night band, but really much much more: The Cardigans <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7bK5EPjGri4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Other examples of the "one-hit wonder": Queens of the Stone Age, Nada Surf, Moloko, Scott Walker, Gil Scott Heron. Example B: Band that is lumped into a category, movement, or genre because of the musical landscape when it first came out. Oftentimes may even be juxtaposed as an inferior imitation of another band (Oasis! Christ...). In reality, the band far outstrips any in its "wave", transcending that time and musical period to place itself in the pantheon of bands. Blur: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gghFPavXE7Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Other examples of the "the genre transcender": Missy Elliott, Janelle Monae, Stone Temple Pilots, Todd Rundgren, Depeche Mode, and hell, Stevie Wonder because he's just better than Michael Jackson and it's not close. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pEoE2UQXduA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Disagree strongly? Good! That means that there's a chance I'm right. A true underrated band must elicit a visceral reaction, one that is wrong at first glance. Any band on this "underrated" list that makes you shrug your shoulders and go, "meh, maybe" cannot be it. Again, these aren't my favorite bands. These are just good bands that I feel have more to offer than meets the eye.
Love some of the choices, some of which among my favorite artists (Ricki Lee Jones, Warren Zevon, NGDB, O'Jays). When I was young I really like a band called Pablo Cruise. And a country singer named Charlie Rich. A jazz trio called the Jazz Crusaders (later shortened to The Crusaders) with Joe Sample, Wilton Felder and Stix Hooper. And while pretty well known, I think Tower of Power is very underrated (both having survived multiple lead singers and by the number of groups that had them back up songs). While also very well known, I think Lou Rawls, Miss Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Night with and without the Pips) don't get the recognition for what they contributed to great music.
Yeah, I didn't think to include them, because they had so little output. But man, Marque Moon may be the best, most perfect guitar album ever. Just about every second of it is filled with some catchy guitar "doohickey" for lack of a better word. I guess you'd just call them guitar hooks, but they're so brief and continuous that doesn't seem to do it justice. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4f3d5ZdE4vY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted is such a great album. I think Silver Jews were criminally underrated. Also have to throw in Slowdive. The late 80s, early 90s are the golden era of underground music for me. Love that period.
DEVO are most often lumped in with "post punk" or "new wave," but they predate not only the Sex Pistols...but even the lofty Ramones. Out of the ashes of the Kent State massacre in Akron Ohio in 1973. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mvQcZFPB8H4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
While this was true about The National years ago, the past couple of times I've seen them, they have been on point, including Matt.
I think we should clarify what we mean by underrated. The OP specifically stated that The Kinks are underrated in regard to their contemporaries The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who otherwise The Kinks were a very successful band with a lot of hits and who still get a lot of airplay. In the same way I feel The Pogues are underrated even though they are the seminal band when it comes to the genre of Celtic based punk, really the idea of ethnic based punk. Compared though to many other bands during their heyday they never had the commercial success or name recognition that bands from the same time did. More people know who A-ha is than The Pogues and among just Irish acts from the late 80's and early 90's The Pogues are far behind people like Sinead O'Connor or The Cranberries even though their influence is far greater.
Since Nick Cave was brought up here is Nick Cave doing a Pogues' song. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_2rYFxml6A8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
^^ THESE 2 ^^ also like to add these guys who were a big influence on Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins. One of the greatest songs ever written.. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWz0JC7afNQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> and these guys..this song was easily about 5yrs ahead of the times (originally released in 1979) <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y43XLVqjytQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The resurrected Led Zeppelin thread reminded me of how Spirit should make this list... <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k7MQ5rxUZsc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
