Well I saw the overrated guitarist thread and so I started this one.

My choice would definitely be The Band. They released some of the greatest tracks ever recorded and some of the most unique sound. They had five musicians who played their instruments exceptionally, and with Robbie Robertson songwriting, the vocal talents of Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel,and the crazy music that Garth Hudson made, I can't see how this band gets no love.

I think Styx were much better than they get credit for.

Also, Pink Floyd due to the fact that the are never mentioned in any top 5 lists. The Floyd truly demolished the Stones in both quality and lack of quantity.

quote:

My choice would definitely be The Band. They released some of the greatest tracks ever recorded and some of the most unique sound. They had five musicians who played their instruments exceptionally, and with Robbie Robertson songwriting, the vocal talents of Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel,and the crazy music that Garth Hudson made, I can't see how this band gets no love.

Maybe its the name. I can imagine what conversations about them would be like:

"Did you see The Band last night?"
"I saw lots of different bands last night, which one are you talking about?"
"The Band"
"I know, which one?"


Ok, that conversation probably never happens, but it'd be kinda funny if it did.

quote:

"Did you see The Band last night?"
"I saw lots of different bands last night, which one are you talking about?"
"The Band"
"I know, which one?"

"I don't know. Third base."

I think Triumph are pretty under rated, I mean along with yes they pioneered the prog rock sound, but Yes have seemed to of grown famous and Triumph have well kind of disappeared.

Nazareth are another one, there sound can sound very Zeppelinish, but they also released 'broken down angel' a class rock tune too. The Hair of the dog albujm was very blues infused, I think theyre very under rated.

Rainbow again like Nazareth although produced a hard rock, metal sound, they also created 'Since you been gone' a classic rock tune. Created by Ritchie blackmore, a versatile and amazing guitarist and with Dio on vocals, the band was bound to make the quality music it made.

Gentle Giant. Everything that was good about prog rock and none of the lame-ass things (20 minute D&D-themed songs, etc). Plus some of the best, most musical (as opposed to wanky) musicians in rock history.

Bartleby

Underrated rock band of all time:
The Band and The Kinks stick out in my mind, simply because when you mention the "greatest rock bands" you usually here about 4 or 5 different artists, but never these two.

I always thought that the Halo Benders were super ignored in their time and continue to be. I cant imagine why this considering the decent amount of press Built to Spill receives.

Another one is Gun Club, an amazing post-garage band that came out in the 80's. Check out "preaching the blues" or "she's like heroin to me" and you'll see.

I dont know if everyone is gonna agree with this one but I find that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of those bands that everyone just thinks are good and leave it at that. Just kind of left in a positive light but never really respected.

Also the Foo Fighters, because they've never been amazing, nor terrible. Just always kinda okay, which is an amazing achievement. Almost ten years and still avoiding any sort of extreme opinions. Good going guys, keep up the middle of the road work!

I would concur with your statement, Chris, about the Foo Fighters. This is a point I make with all of my friends. We can't seem to find anyone that actively doesn't like the FOOS, but I don't know anyone who says they are their favaorite band. I love the Foos (have four of their albums) but I can think of about twenty bands I like better.

Without thinking very much, I say the most underrated [u]rock[/u] band is The Clash because although they've been dubbed "the only band that matters" I think when it comes to punk music (which they more or less belong to), people tend to think of The Ramones or the Sex Pistols before they think fo The Clash. And they think of them even less when it comes to rock.

I like to think The Clash were a genre all their own, melding a sophisticated punk into rock and alternative which is quite something for the time (1977-1982).

It also kind of frustrates me that their most famous song is "Rock the Casbah", probably the biggest misconception people would have about The Clash. Personally, I hate that song because it totally misrepresents them as some kind of cheap rock act. But I absolutely love The Clash for their much better work, generally pre-Combat Rock. From their debut to Sandinista!, I think that body of work has done a lot more for alternative music today than it has for the current "punk rock" bands, ironically. Green Day can cover "I Fought the Law" all they want, but The Clash were about so much than a measly cover song that doesn't even begin to showcase their true talent.

But that's just me.

What's wrong with "Rock the Casbah"? I think it's a pretty cool song.

(I Think Rock The Casbah is a good song too, maybe not their best, but it's very "The Clash").

A big underrated one is a band named Buffalo Tom. It's a FM radio-type band that never had the success they could have get. The melody, music, voices, and overall sound are really good. The commercial potential is absolutely there. For people who don't know about them, they sound like Bryan Adams meets the indie rock scene. It's nothing new, but it rocks very well!

for interested people, let me suggest you the following titles:

Big Red Letter Day (1993)
Sleepy Eyed (1995)

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
What's wrong with "Rock the Casbah"? I think it's a pretty cool song.

Maybe I've heard too many pop renditions, but compared to the rest of The Clash's work, I find 'Rock the Casbah' very weak...and irritating.

Two rock bands I thought were underrated are Brownsville Station and the J.Geils Band. They often released fun, straight ahead rock-n-roll albums that were great party records. Nothing innovative, just damn fun stuff to rock to.

Brownsville Station was more than just "Smokin' In the Boys Room". Most of their albums had great hard rockin' boogie tunes. Even if they played a lot of covers, Cub Koda and company injected humor and party attitude into almost every song.

J.Geils- pre-"Centerfold"- were amazing live and their albums were also great party records (the Brownsville influence, perhaps?). I loved that blues-rock sound they did, even if they became too big for their britches. I prefer "Must Of Got Lost" and "Give It to Me" to the "Freeze-Frame" era stuff but it's still good to me.

The Kinks. Innovative, creative, clever, and great to listen to. And ALWAYS overshadowed by The who, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, et al. Arthur Or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire is especially good and especially ignored.

By the way, check out this great blog (not mine): stalincola.blogspot.com

i think the most under-rated (or maybe theyre time has just passed) bands of all time is Smashing Pumpkins. each member was great, not just one or two frontmen. and they never lost momentum, they werent 80's or 90's, but something strange that they completely made up.I think they would have been alot more recognised if mass produced, hollow grudge bands like nirvana , and alice in chains hadnt come along. if your interested id start out with their 1st and my favorite album, Siamese Dream, and songs: soma, mayonaise, quiet, and hummer

While I certainly love Siamese Dream, it came out two years after the almost-as-good Gish.

I still hold this band in the highest regards, even though they fell hard after Mellon Collie. Gish - Lull - Siamese Dream - Pisces Iscariot - Mellon Collie are all valued portions of my album collection. I think at this point, this band is better left in the past due to the lack of creative potential. Nothing can take away from their high water mark though.

I am not sure these bands are so much under-rated as these seem to be forgotten about.
Boston: amazing debut album still worth listening to.
Foreigner: A great 70's early 80's band that no one talks about for the amount of really good music they put out. head knocker was a great rocker as was double vision.
Police: When was the last time you even heard them mentioned in conversation? yet during the 80's there were few bands that were bigger or had more influence.
Alice Cooper: he is not so forgotten about as I think he is underrated. His stage performances were so amazing and ground breaking. Welcome to my nightmare is such an over looked album in my opinion.
The Cars: once again another strong 80's band that has been forgotten about. Candy O and their debut album "the cars" were both fine efforts.
Live: I think once they fell off the charts they also fell off the radar. "Lightening crashes" is one of the best singles from the 90's
Talking Heads: One of the most original bands from the post punk era
Wallflowers: I dont think everbody will agree with me on this one, but I think they were a great band that put out two very good albums.

quote:

Originally posted by redavenger:
Talking Heads: One of the most original bands from the post punk era

I'm currently listening to a Talking Heads mix in my car. They may just be the most influential band on the current wave of indie rock. If I had never heard them before today, I would probably say, "Wow, these guys sound kinda like The Arcade Fire meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah meets Modest Mouse." Brilliant and way ahead of their time. They do get a lot of acclaim, but maybe more is due.