“William Blake” Thomas Phillips, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
There will be no review this week because my Director handed me a very interesting assignment a couple of weeks ago. She asked me to meet with a group of European far-right activists she had assembled and engage them in dialogue concerning their objections to LGBTQ rights and opposition to laws designed to reduce domestic violence. She stressed that I should not approach the meeting from a “know thine enemy” perspective but a genuine attempt to understand their position so we know where they are coming from and can plan accordingly.
The meeting will have taken place by the time you read this, and with the need to prep for the meeting, the travel, and the likely travel delays, I realized that I wouldn’t have enough time to pull off a review, but I was determined to adhere to my weekly schedule. The obvious choice for a substitute was to provide a more detailed explanation of my decision to stop reviewing American artists, but I’m sick of thinking or writing about that fucked-up mess of a country.
As luck would have it, I remembered an incident that took place a few weeks ago that gave me an idea about how to fill the gap in publication. While taking care of a few weekend chores and singing along to the tunes in my melodic playlist, the XTC song “The Disappointed” popped up. If you’re not familiar with the song, one of its notable features is the repetition of the title to begin each of the five verses.
Anyway, I immediately joined in with Andy Partridge, largely following the melody but occasionally trying to add harmonies to the mix. Tasking myself with double duty may have led to a brain fart, because on the fourth verse, instead of singing “The disappointed,” I sang “The underrated.”
“Why did you do that, Ari, you dumb shit?” I asked myself. After mulling it over for a few days, I came up with a logical explanation: my brain must have switched to subliminal mode and exposed my belief that XTC is a highly underrated band.
Hooray for me! I don’t have early-onset dementia!
That memory gave me an idea: why not do a Chick Riff on underrated musicians? I knew I could pull that off because I hate it when a great musician is underappreciated, and I already had a working list in my head. I talked things over with Alicia, and that conversation sparked another idea: why not make this a learning experience and let my readers share their lists of underrated musicians? I am blessed to have many readers who know a lot about music, and I’m 100% sure that I am unaware of hundreds of great artists whose work has gone unnoticed or shoved into the background.
I feel very strongly about this issue because history is full of artists in every field who received scant attention during their lifetimes, and artists do more to make life worth living than any politician you’d care to mention. I chose William Blake as my icon for the underrated because he was largely ignored while he was alive and would not receive the recognition he deserved as one of the greatest poets in the English language until thirty-plus years after his death. The closest analogy in our time is Nick Drake, but I have other plans for Nick.
Here’s how I created my list of the underrated, but feel free to follow your own methods and selection criteria:
- I limited the list to rock, folk, and soul/R&B genres because those are the genres my readers are most familiar with. Underrated jazz musicians are a whole other story. I skipped some sub-categories if I couldn’t come up with a musician I felt was underrated. I also omitted members of the so-called “Wrecking Crew” because they were obviously underrated until recently. I suggest you consider this a starter list that allows y’all to fill in the gaps.
- I used two criteria to determine “underrated.” The first step involved googling “Great XXXS” and eliminating those musicians from consideration. The second step was to check the corresponding list of greats on Rolling Stone (if there was one) and cross those folks off the list. Casual listeners may not recognize some of the musicians who appear on those GOAT lists (like James Jamerson), but that’s beside the point. If they’re there, they’re not underrated.
One note of caution: during my research, I stumbled across several articles by fans arguing that their favorite musicians were underrated, most notably Ray Davies. Since Ray is #18 on the list of Rolling Stone’s greatest songwriters, he is obviously not underrated. You may think he’s underrated in comparison to Dylan or Lennon-McCartney, but that is not the point of this exercise. Please choose musicians who, through bad timing, poor luck, or the deafness of the listening audience, failed the receive the attention they deserved. Another possibility is to choose musicians who have achieved success in one area or another but are unrecognized for a particular talent that has been overlooked.
Here’s my current list of The Underrated, and I’d love to hear yours! This is your opportunity to rescue great musicians from oblivion and strike a blow at the Establishment!
- Lead Singer (pop-rock): Allan Clarke
- Lead Singer (hard rock): Alejandra Guzmán
- Lead Guitar (rock): Martin Barre
- Lead Guitar (blues-rock): Sonny Landreth
- Lead Singer (alternative rock): Harriet Wheeler
- Lead Singer (punk): Brody Dalle
- Bassist (rock): Colin Moulding
- Drummer (rock): Bev Bevan
- Drummer (progressive): Barrimore Barlow
- Drummer (alternative rock): Phil Selway
- Drummer (pop rock): Bobby Elliott
- Drummer (hard rock): Stephen Jo Bladd
- Drummer (eclectic): Anika Nilles
- Acoustic Guitarist (alternative): Ani DiFranco
- Pianist/Keyboard (multiple genres): Nicky Hopkins
- Pianist/Keyboard (soul/R&B): Aretha Franklin
- Multi-Instrumentalist (rock): Dave Gregory
- Chordophonist (guitar, banjo, mandolin): Tony Hicks
- Songwriter (rock): Andy Partridge
- Songwriter (folk): Phil Ochs
- Songwriter (folk-rock, country): Jimmy Buffett
- Songwriter (soul/R&B): Bill Withers
- Rock Band: XTC
- Punk Band: Swingin’ Utters
It just so happens that my next review features three of these underrated musicians. See ya next week!
Blues rock guitarist: Kim Simmonds, of Savoy Brown
Bass, rock/blues: Jack Cassidy, Hot Tuna, Airplane
Oh man…this is fun. So let’s start with…
Ben Vaughn, a man who wears his roots on his plaid sleeve. All that and beloved in France…check out this short film…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ObqMd3aExk&t=1434s
Joseph Reinhardt…everyone loves Django, but without those chords being plunked down by his brother, what effects would those lovely arpeggios have had on us?
Lowman Pauling…guitarist for the Five Royales, who absolutely ripped it on “Slummer The Slum”. I know how much you like kick-ass guitars ARC…check it!
Taj Mahal…without whom the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers would have been left scratching their long-haired heads.
Finally…Slim Harpo. He just does not get the credit he should, given all the songs he wrote that others covered.
The list goes on and on. Thank you so much for helping get the credit out to where it’s due.
Wow! Pauling’s style is way ahead of its time, which may explain why he’s flown under the radar. I am planning a Django review once I get through his biography and yes, I’ll play close attention to Nin-Nin’s supporting Roll. I’ll put the others on my “When Trump Goes Away” list.
Lead Singer (pop-rock): Paul Young – always loved his voice.
Lead Singer (hard rock): Steve Walsh, Kansas – a phenomenal talent
Lead Guitar (rock): Bill Nelson, first with Be-bop Deluxe, then long solo career, still in progress — though I love Martin and he is underappreciated.
Lead Guitar (blues-rock): (Johnny Antanopoulos, “Johnny A” – my favorite guitarist not named Jeff Beck. Since I’m from DC, I really should have put down Danny Gatton. But there’s now two movies out about him. And calling him blues-rock is like describing a bird as a creature that walks on two legs.)
Lead Singer (alternative rock): Joe Jackson, though I think Joe is pretty appreciated.
Lead Singer (punk): OK. The Jam was HUGE in the UK. As huge as anyone ever was. But in the US their popularity is such that Paul has only toured the US maybe four times, and I think only once with The Jam. So with that argument for underappreciation, I’ll say Paul Weller.
Bassist (rock): John Wetton of many bands, though XTC is fine by me.
Drummer (rock): Simon Phillips of many bands.
Drummer (progressive): Chad Wackerman, mostly with Zappa, though I love Barrie and he is underappreciated.
Drummer (alternative rock): David Houghton of the first iteration of the Joe Jackson Band.
Drummer (pop rock): Ritchie Hayward of Little Feat. Master of the ‘fractured mosaic’ style Lowell George developed.
Drummer (hard rock): I’ll give a shout out to Ian Paice. He played EVERY song in EVERY rendition of Deep Purple, and there were a lot of both in the last 55 years. By and large, I think Deep Purple is overlooked, even though they’re in the HOF. “Machine Head” with “Smoke on the Water” was their 6th LP. Luv the Stephen Jo pick.
Drummer (eclectic): This is a bit of a stretch, but ‘eclectic’ allows for stretching, does it not? I’ll say Zakir Hussain, of Shakti. He is the greatest tabla player of all time. To hear him is to love him, but outside of India, he’s unknown.
Acoustic Guitarist (alternative): I must find a place to put Tommy Emmanuel, the “Wonder From Down Under”, and while he is not necessarily what most consider ‘alternative’, given his affinity for his mentor and idle, Chet Atkins, there is nobody else who can do what he does on a six string acoustic guitar. If alternative means out of the ordinary, that’s him.
Pianist/Keyboard (multiple genres): Love Nicky, but I’ll say Eddie Jobson, who in the space of seven years was a member of Curved Air, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa’s band, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and then he formed UK. He’s also handy on the fiddle. However, Spotify describes him thusly, so I guess I disqualify myself with this one. Edwin “Eddie” Jobson is a world-recognized music icon.)
Pianist/Keyboard (soul/R&B): Aretha Franklin (Interesting pick. I worked on several shows with Miss Franklin. She took her piano playing very seriously.
Multi-Instrumentalist (rock): Kerry Minnear of Gentle Giant.
Chordophonist (guitar, banjo, mandolin): Larry Campbell – the ultimate Swiss Army knife
Songwriter (rock): Joe Jackson, though I have no beef with the Andy Partridge pick.
Songwriter (folk): Phil Ochs Richard Thompson – yes, he sells out shows to people who revere him, but they’re small venues.
Songwriter (folk-rock, country): Hoyt Axton.
Songwriter (soul/R&B): Bill Withers is in the Hall of Fame. Doesn’t that disqualify him? (I’d suggest the team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. They’ve written a trillion award winning, million selling songs, but even the people who bought the records they wrote and produced have no idea who they are.)
Rock Band: Mott the Hoople – in my lifetime XTC got lots of recognition and appreciation, especially from me. Mott had put out seven albums before “All The Young Dudes” made them any kind of rep in the US). It was also the last album that sold worth a damn in the US. And Mick Ralphs was in it, splitting to join Bad Company. “Ready for Love” was a Mott song.
Punk Band: Swingin’ Utters (See note above about The Jam)
Thanks so much for doing this and for all you are doing. Maybe one day, like Frank Zappa, you’ll be asked to serve as the cultural minister for some European state that appreciates the arts and liberal values.
Great list! I’ve added the non-American names to my list of possibles. No, the Hall of Fame didn’t disqualify anyone, because their primary concern isn’t musical excellence but success in the music industry. I chose not to mention Richard Thompson because I thought I’d already identified him as my favorite songwriter. I did review All the Young Dudes, but the Mott album turned my off when they used the pejorative word “spade” to describe a black man on the opening track. I think it’s more likely I’ll go backward with them and do Brain Capers. I’ve had a few requests for Gentle Giant, so I’ll probably get to them next year unless I do wind up as Ireland’s Director of the Ministry of Culture.
I’m sure I could go on for a while, but here is a quick list of favorites:
Bass: Danny Thompson; Tony Levin
Debut Albums: Rickie Lee Jones, Marshall Crenshaw
Drummer: Kenny Aranoff; B.J. Wilson (Procol Harum)
Electronic Pop: Thomas Dolby
Folk: Brewer & Shipley
Keyboardist: Terry Adams (NRBQ)
Guitarist (Blues/Rock): Rory Gallagher
Guitarist (Folk): Guy Van Duser
Guitarist (Rock n Roll): Al Anderson (NRBQ)
Prog Rock Band: Hatfield & The North
Psychedelic Jam Band: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Retro Artist: Leon Redbone
Singer-Songwriter (alternative): Juliana Hatfield; Kirsty MacColl
Singer-Songwriter (folk/pop): Thea Gilmore
Lead Singer (alt-country): Maria McKee
Lead Singer (Rock): Johnette Napolitano
Lead Singer (Alternative Rock): Gaz Coombes (Supergrass)
Live Band: NRBQ
Rock/Pop Group (21st Century): The Fratellis
Great list! I’ve added the non-Americans to my list of possibles; Kirsty is already on it.
Was just listening to “Murder of the Universe”, and realized I missed a really important one. My favorite drummer of the 21st century.
• Drums: Michael Cavanagh: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Songwriter/Acoustic guitarist (folk): Mary McCaslin
Songwriter/Acoustic guitarist (folk/country): Paul Siebel
Songwriter/Vocalist (folk): Moira Smiley
Songwriter/Fiddle/Banjo: John Hartford
Love your writing, Ari!!!
Thank you! I’ve placed the four on my “Possibles When Americans Get Rid to Trump” list.
Dear Rebel Angel,
Although I am sorry that Sandro’s review is delayed, I am extremely pleased to know that you were involved in a very fascinating work meeting.
I hope you held back and didn’t hit any of them?
I hope the meeting went well for you!
Your list is very attractive. I only know Alejandra Guzmán and XTC.
The rest is new adventures to explore!
here is mine, I hope you can hear some artists!
Leadsinger (pop rock): Freddie Garrity
Leadsinger (music hall, pop and dance bands, and jazz): Alan Klein
Leadsinger (post-punk/new wave): Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri)
Leadsinger (experimental post-punk): Linder Sterling
Songwriter (folk): Connie Converse
Songwriter (jazz): Pinky Tomlin
Songwriter (rock): Johnny Tedesco
Songwriter (rockabilly and country): Hank Davis
Songwriter (folklore): Zulma Yugar
Singer (French chanson): Lucienne Delyle
Singer (pop, romantic ballads): Sandro
Singer (traditional pop): Lee Lawrence
Singer (pop): Sonia Lambrini
Singer (pop): Jahny
Singer (rock): Eddie Pequenino
Singer (pop and rock): Vince Eager
Singer (music hall, vaudeville, jazz): Gracie Fields
Singer (pop): Tammy St. John
Singer (chanson, pop, folk): Liesbeth List
Pop band: Los TNT
Rock and pop band: Plastic Penny
Cajun band: The Sundown Playboys
Folklore band: Los Jairas
Pop band: The Orchids
The meeting went very well and they even invited me to have drinks with them afterwards. One of the guys tried to hit on me but I flashed my wedding ring (without revealing that I’m married to a woman). My goal was to understand where they were coming from on an emotional level and I think I managed to pull it off.
I’ve added all the non-Americans to my list of possibles. I almost included Freddie and the Dreamers on my British Invasion series but for some reason all their compilation albums are overloaded with fillers. Freddie does have a nice voice, though.
What a challenge! I’m a huge XTC fan so can’t argue with your listings in that regard.
Living down here in the antipodes, I have often thought some of the local artists would have had a different trajectory if they were born elsewhere so probably “underrated” because of geography.
In my opinion (not as humble as it probably should be), New Zealand’s most outstanding songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is Don McGlashan with his performances in various line ups: try “Don’t fight it Marsha, it’s bigger than both of us” by Blam Blam Blam; “Andy” by The Front Lawn; “Anchor Me” by The Mutton Birds) and solo (starting with the “Warm Hand” album). These are a treasure trove of melodies and lyrics that are unparalleled. He would also have a special niche award for “best use of a euphonium in modern music” although he seems to be able to play just about any instrument or turn non-instruments into musical sources.
Another local who hides below the 45th parallel is self-proclaimed guitar rock god Shayne Carter who came to prominence in the Dunedin Sound alt scene with The Straitjacket Fits (try “she Speeds” or “Randolph’s Going Home”) and matured into Dimmer (the whole “I believe you are a star” album is untouchable) and solo work (where he also took himself off on a crowd-funded vacation to learn the piano).
So many others that are on the fringes (mostly not NZ)…Joan as Policewoman, Beta Band/Steve Mason, Cake, Arab Strap, Strawpeople.
Then when you wander off the beaten English-speaking path there are untouched worlds to experience.
Life is rich!
Thank you! I haven’t reviewed a single artist from New Zealand, so I put all of your suggestions on my possibles list. I’ll be doing more non-English albums in the future, beginning with Argentina in a few weeks.
Not a bad list, even though I don’t recognise all the names. Your next review wouldn’t involve the Hollies, would it? If it does, mucho kudos to you.
Yes, it would!
Lead Singer : Eric Burdon
Band : Spirit
Punk Band: The Mutants
Songwriter : Stew/The Negro Problem
Right Hand Man: Lenny Kaye
Solo : Hugh Cornwell
Guitar: Randy California
I do suffer from ‘right on time’ dementia but will supress later in the day ‘esprit d’escalier or revision to all Tull and stick with these first thoughts.
Thank you for you work, salaried and not. My 20 year old daughter sent me a picture of recent purchases ( hot rocks, american beauty, blue) and i thought about how proud your parents must be of your music gene.
This is a tricky subject because so many obscure musicians have been rediscovered since the 90s and have gotten their due, at least to some extent. They all seem to have their little corner on the Internet, and their names get mentioned by better-known musicians. But it’s all relative, and there are some who still don’t get the recognition they deserve.
The one that jumped out at me as soon as I started reading your post is David Ackles. He was a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter from the late 60s and early 70s who made four albums. The songs are piano-based, and he has a deep voice. He had a background in musical theater, and his songs tend to be dramatic and theatrical. American Gothic is the album that most people regard as his best, but my favorites are his self-titled debut and his second album, Subway to the Country. A lot of his songs are about down-and-out people living on the fringes of society. He did a song called “Candyman” about a war veteran who lost an arm in battle and opens a candy store when he comes back home. It doesn’t go well.
A guitar player who I think is underrated is Elliot Easton of the Cars. I know he was in a popular band, but I’m still going to put his name out there every time I get a chance. I love his solos, which were always carefully composed to fit into the songs. The new Cars bio by Bill Janovitz mentioned something I hadn’t really been aware of, which is that Easton followed the chord progression of the song when playing his solos, which meant that he changed keys, rather than just wailing away in the same key. He had to change his fingering position at various times during his solos. He wasn’t the only one who did that, but he did it consistently, and he did it well. The “Touch and Go” solo is his masterpiece, as far as I’m concerned.
Power pop is a fun subgenre of rock and roll that I enjoy, and although its boundaries are not perfectly defined (and why should we expect them to be?) one band that is right square in the middle and that I think is the quintessential power pop band is Shoes. Yet when I read about power pop, Shoes are often not mentioned or are treated as a fringe group. They did not sell many records, but they were consistently great. They had three equally good singer-songwriters whose talents blended perfectly, and the guitar playing was wonderful. They were also way ahead of their time with the DIY thing, recording music in their living room in the mid-70s. When they got to a major label, they recorded their two best albums, Present Tense and Tongue Twister. Their songs are loaded with hooks. The lyrics are mostly boy-girl stuff, but they kept it interesting.
A singer who I think is underrated is Linda Thompson. I loved her work with Richard Thompson. Richard wrote the songs, but the way she inhabited those characters he created was really remarkable. I don’t know or care how technically good she was, but she had so much personality. The Hokey Pokey album is a good example of her singing–sassy in some songs and melancholy in others.
I think Felt continues to be an underrated 80s band. They occupied some of the same emotional territory as the Cure, who I also love, but they never got popular at all. One-named singer-songwriter Lawrence had a distinctive worldview, and the music was always well-crafted. In their early days, they had an excellent lead guitarist, and later they had a great keyboard player.
House of Love is an underrated late 80s/early 90s band. You reviewed one of their later albums (from the 2000s) here. I think House of Love flew under the radar because they did not fit the musical narrative of their time. They were a loud, moody rock band, but they definitely were not grunge. Their overall feel was maybe a little bit like the Doors, although they didn’t really sound like anybody else.
When I was a college radio DJ in the late 90s and early 2000s, I got into a lot of indie-rock type stuff that I still listen to, but I don’t know if it’s underrated or if it is just niche-y music that I happen to like. Some favorites are Luna, Mojave 3, Elf Power, Brazzaville, Elliott Smith, Silver Jews, Richard Davies (and Cardinal), Black Box Recorder, the Clientele, the Go-Betweens, and the Ladybug Transistor.
Okay, this is too long. Interesting to see Bev Bevan on your list. When listening to ELO, I don’t notice him much because there is so much going on in their music. I will try to pay attention to him more. I know he’s good. You are probably basing your opinion partly on his work with the Move, but I haven’t listened to them much.
Thanks for giving this plenty of thought! It is tricky indeed, and I think it’s likely that many music fans will search for music from decades past because today’s music is so unfulfilling. I’ll check out the non-American artists you mentioned and see if they inspire a review.
The two albums that feature Bev at his best are The Move’s Shazam and ELO 2.
Thank you for drawing attention to Elliot Easton on “Touch and Go.” I’ve long loved the song, but listening to it again, I realize I never appreciated how delightful his solo is! And now I love the song even more.
Thanks for the tip of the hat to Elliot Easton. For me, he was the saving grace of The Cars. Pithy and melodic. Loved it, even if the songs were a bit grating.
Would love to read a report on that meeting, very intriguing!
Unfortunately, sharing the details would violate my confidentiality agreement which will continue to apply after I’m gone. I will say that the participants appreciated someone listening to them without judging them or trying to change their feelings and opinions. I managed to keep my opinions to myself (which wasn’t easy) and when the meeting was over we all went out for drinks together!