Bands that rocked that few people really ever heard of ...

jst5150 · Nov 28, 2007

I have two:

Lillian Axe. They were from Massachusetts and had one GREAT CD, Poetic Justice. ETA: "True Believer" the prime cut.

The second, Y&T, was a bit more well known. However, never made it main stream. ETA: "Rhythm or Not" my fave cut there.

Any others you'd like to add. And note that "rocked" is a variable term. It can mean just "rocked your world," but if you bring up John Tesh, we'll riot.

jt

III · Nov 28, 2007

My favorite overlooked band is King's X. They're huge among musicians but not well known among the mainstream. They also put on the best live performances ev-uh. Unfortunately their albums have gone steadily downhill in recent years, but they're still one of the best rock bands of all time.

Shadow_Ferret · Nov 28, 2007

Captain Beyond. A hard rock prog band that was signed to Capricorn Records, a country label (Rhino, the lead guitarist was friends with Gregg Allman), which didn't know what to do with them.

Hawkwind. When Syd Barrett went insane and Pink Floyd went more mainstream, Hawkwind stepped into the void of space rock. Michael Moorcock wrote some of their songs and was known to perform with them. Their heaviest stuff was while Lemmy of Motorhead was their bassist.

Digital Ruin. With a sound like Dream Theater but more emphasis on guitars than keyboards, this band had one decent album, Dwelling in the Out, then disappeared.

Man. A Welsh prog rock band from the 70s.

Armageddon. Hard prog rock band with Keith Relf (Yardbirds) as lead singer and Bobby Caldwell drums (Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer). Put out one great album then Keith Relf died in a freak accident.

Gentle Giant. A prog rock band with an almost medieval tone to it. Odd timing signatures. Strange harmonies. Probably what might be called a musician's band.

I can also think of some bands that might be better known but aren't really. Uriah Heep. Everyone has heard Easy Livin'. However they have some excellent metal prog albums. BOC. Everyone has heard Don't Fear the Reaper but in my eyes, that's when they went pop. Their best metal stuff was on "Secret Treaties" and before.

III · Nov 28, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
Hawkwind. When Syd Barrett went insane and Pink Floyd went more mainstream, Hawkwind stepped into the void of space rock. Michael Moorcock wrote some of their songs and was known to perform with them. Their heaviest stuff was while Lemmy of Motorhead was their bassist.

Michael Moorcock of Elric fame? That's too cool.

ChunkyC · Nov 28, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
Gentle Giant. A prog rock band with an almost medieval tone to it. Odd timing signatures. Strange harmonies. Probably what might be called a musician's band.

Very cool band.

How about Atomic Rooster? Their original drummer was Carl Palmer, who went on to co-found Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

KTC · Nov 28, 2007

By rocked, I'll go by Rocked My Socks Off...

Hayzi Fantayzee
Nightmares In Wax
Forgotten Rebels
Tenpole Tudor
The The
Romeo Void

Oh Man...I have tons.

RG570 · Nov 28, 2007

+1 on the Hawkwind. Michael Moorcock's album is pretty far out. The first time I listened to it I was like WTF but after a while it grows on you. I'm not sure if Cynic qualifies as unknown. I guess if King's X does then Cynic will too. It's one of like three heavy bands I'll still listen to, because it's sheer genius.

dolores haze · Nov 28, 2007

The Vaselines, Teenage Fanclub, Stiff Little Fingers, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Waterboys.

Are these even obscure? They're superstars to me.

poetinahat · Nov 28, 2007

KTC said:
By rocked, I'll go by Rocked My Socks Off...

Hayzi Fantayzee
Nightmares In Wax
Forgotten Rebels <-- "In Love with the System": YES! "Surfin' on Heroin": Not so much...
Tenpole Tudor <-- Wunderbar!
The The <-- Lord, yes.
Romeo Void <-- *nods*

Oh Man...I have tons.

dolores haze said:
The Vaselines, Teenage Fanclub, Stiff Little Fingers, Jesus and Mary Chain, The Waterboys.

Are these even obscure? They're superstars to me.

I loved SLF, and the J&MC. And the Jam.

(Have you heard the SLF from when Bruce Foxton was playing bass?)

I'd add the Suicide Commandos. Fast, intelligent, talented, wry punk band from Mpls (I think). "Make A Record", ca. 1980, is the only record of theirs I've ever found, but it's brilliant.

jst5150 · Nov 28, 2007

III said:
Michael Moorcock of Elric fame? That's too cool.

He talks about it a lot on his Web site:

www.multiverse.org

He's a total rocker, Jay.

jst5150 · Nov 28, 2007

Band called Hurricane, a little metal band with groove, from LA in the early 1990s. Great stuff.

Oh. And how could I forget -- Hardline with Neil Schon. Rhythm from a Red Car. Yeeeeeeeah, bayb-bee.

KTC · Nov 28, 2007

Hey Poet. Forgotten Rebels are from my town. Saw them aplenty. It is impressive that you even know of them. I didn't know they got outside of Ontario, let alone Canada... Wow!

jst5150 · Nov 28, 2007

Treat her Right from Boston. I Think She Likes Me was the single.

robeiae · Nov 28, 2007

KTC said:
By rocked, I'll go by Rocked My Socks Off...

Hayzi Fantayzee
Nightmares In Wax
Forgotten Rebels
Tenpole Tudor
~~The The~~
Romeo Void

Oh Man...I have tons.

Fixed that list for you, Kev.

Anyway...

UFO.

We're talking real rock, right?

aka eraser · Nov 28, 2007

Love w/Arthur Lee
Beacon Street Union
The Electric Prunes
Wet Willie
McKenna, Mendelson Mainline
Crowbar
Bush

The latter three were Canuck blues/rock bands who were (much) better live, than on record.

Nolita · Nov 28, 2007

Bush? Sorry but that might confuse some folks.

Don Allen · Nov 28, 2007

Focus comes to mind, though I think they had a hit with hocus pokus, But the group that even Led zepplin stole from that nobody knows was an early 70's heavy rock, acid rock, devil rock band called Lucifers friend... They put out one record that I remember and they kicked ass! No one remembers these guys.

KTC · Nov 28, 2007

robeiae said:
Fixed that list for you, Kev.

Anyway...

UFO.

We're talking real rock, right?

But The The is an awesome band...and I thought they were relatively unknown?

robeiae · Nov 28, 2007

KTC said:
But The The is an awesome band...and I thought they were relatively unknown?

They su-suck.

Unknown? As much as Squeeze or The Smiths, maybe...

kristie911 · Nov 28, 2007

In the mid-90's there was a band called The Gear Daddies...Geez, I LOVED those guys. I still have three of their cassettes because I can't bear to part with them.

I have no idea what happened to the band...

benbradley · Nov 28, 2007

Mother's Finest. Perhaps the finest in funk rock. They were popular here in the Southeast USA where the local rock station(s) played some of their songs, but overall they were a lot more popular (and toured a lot more) in Europe than in the USA.

Two more that just happen to have been from the Southeast:
The Dixie Dregs, later just The Dregs - they played jazz-rock instrumentals, generally leaning more toward rock. Their guitarist Steve Morse has since made many solo albums, but they're a little to "intense" hard-rocking for me - I prefer Jeff Beck's earlier "Wired" and "Blow by Blow" albums, though even what I've heard of Jeff's more recent stuff is also a bit too "intense" for me.

Sea Level: former Allman Brothers members, more good jazzy instrumental stuff, their first self-titled album is by far the best.

I mention a few band in this post, and I still want some WPLO playlists from the period:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1362292&postcount=7
I heard Atomic Rooster's title song to "Death Walks Behind You" somewhere, almost certainly on WPLO, and so many other not-quite-top-40 bands that I can't remember the names of. I do remember two folk-progressive-experimental-rock band names that WPLO played, Renaissance that many may have heard of, and Curved Air, that I'd guess a lot fewer have heard of.

III · Nov 28, 2007

jst5150 said:
He talks about it a lot on his Web site:

www.multiverse.org

He's a total rocker, Jay.

Wow! I had no idea. Elric got me through Jr. High

. I'll have to check out his music.

triceretops · Nov 28, 2007

Four Wheel Drive.

Mama Lion. Fell in love with Lynn Carey in 1973, when I saw her in Long Beach. She was known for the most controversial album cover at the time--breast-feeding a lion cub. Had breakfast with her, and instantly proposed marriage. Turned down flat, but it was a great experience. We were friends after that.

Tri

Mjollnir13 · Nov 28, 2007

I Mother Earth had two great CDs. I also loved Neds Atomic Dustbin...although they were kinda popular. A band that never got the credit/popularity they deserved...Testament.

Ohh...and I forgot TNT...I loved the album Tell No Tales... a bit cheesy but cool.

Cassiopeia · Nov 29, 2007

Cutting Jade

They are a South African band. You can hear a sample of their music here. But this isn't my favorite album of theirs. I prefer Between Two Lives.

Bands that rocked that few people really ever heard of ...

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

rockin the suburbs

Court Jester

rockin the suburbs

It's hard being green

Stand in the Place Where You Live

international guttersnipe

say it loud

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Vorpal Comics. Weekly Podcast. Twitch Artist. Vet

Touch and go

Fish Whisperer

Seeking a Sanctuary of Intelligence

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Touch and go

Happy to be here

It's a doggy dog world

rockin the suburbs

I am the Meatlump King!

Otherwise Occupied