Name an obscure (ish) classic album!

[Nick C]

Right let's get things moving.

 

I reckon we should start looking through a few of our collections.

 

Try and find an album either on CD or even vinyl which you personally consider a classic or slipped under the radar of acclaim.

 

Maybe post a picture of the sleeve (if you can) and then write a review or synopsis on why to you it's so cool.

I've said obscure but it doesn't have to be something that no-one else has heard of, just an album that you feel hasn't receieved the coverage or praise that you think it deserves. Maybe even something reasonably well known that you think deserves a re-appraisal.

 

Feel free to add more than one over a period, but I'd say only throw one in at a time.

 

Just don't forget to review it, don't just name an album or do a list.... we want to know what makes it great for you or why you think it deserves more kudos.

 

I'd kick it off but I'm at work right now. I'l have a dig around over the next few days , but I'm away on hol soon so don't feel I won't participate, I've plenty of stuff I think has been somewhat overlooked.

 

And don't be offended if folks take the p*ss out your choice...I'm expecting plenty of folks to laugh their socks off at some of the stuff I consider to be classic I can tell ya!

[Swazi]

Good idea, Nick !!

 

This one will most likely not appeal to a lot of folks over here, especially the metalheads, but I love it to pieces and consider it to be a classic.

 

Gravy Train - (A Ballad of) A Peaceful Man

 

 

This is Gravy Train's second album, released at the end of 1971. Basically it is Prog-Rock, or a mixture of Prog-/ and Folkrock with some unusual instruments that were used in those days such as flutes and violines.

Back in my school days in South Africa, maybe '77 or '78, a friend of mine (Wouter Mol) gave me this LP to listen to and I was hooked immediately. Many years later I found it reissued on CD.

 

I am not so good at finding comparisons, but these guys really know how to play their instruments and that raspy voice will drive shivers down your spine.

 

Tracks:

1. Alone in Georgia

2. (A ballad of) a peaceful man

3. Jule's delight

4. Messengers Reinhören

5. Can anybody hear me?

6. Old tin box

7. Won't talk about it

8. Home again

9. Alone in Georgia (Single Edit)

 

Musicians:

Norman Barrett - vocals, guitar

Barry Davenport - drums

J.D. Hughes - woodwind, keyboards, vocals

Les Williams - bass, vocals

[Kim_Hp]

Great topic, I'll play...

My pick:

 

APOCA-LIPS - "1"

 

 

I'm a collector of rare AOR bands, but I don't collect vinyl, so obviously I don't own this. (think it's impossible to get anyway). But when it comes to obscure 80's AOR/Pomp, this album is one of my top favourites. Sometimes it's hard to put a finger on why you like a band, but this band has that certain "something" that I look for. It is great AOR with pomp moves (or the other way around), with excellent vocals and tight musicianship. IMO there is not a bad track on the album, and it has a fine production for a indie release.

 

Comparisations to other bands are hard to make. The review over at AOR-fm mentioned Straight Lines, Sneaker and Journey as comparisations, and yes stylewise that might give you an idea although I still think they have a sound of their own.

 

I really recommend all AOR/pomp rock lovers to give this forgotten gem a listen. It can be downloaded here.

 

I follow Swazi's example and write the tracks and band members below.

 

1. You dont owe me reasons

2. Bright eyes

3. Tonight

4. I can hardly bring myself

5. Baby why you have to be

-B-Side-

1. Can you see

2. Give your love tonight

3. Not somewhere in the sky

4. City lights

 

Amaury Lopez - Vocals/keys

Fernando Rosado - Bass

Jorge Labay - Guitars

Marcos Huertas

[Nick C]

Wow! 2 great posts there chaps, I'm intrigued by both and they each sound right down my street - interesting stuff, the Apoca-Lips sounds cool I'll try downloading it when I get a minute at home.

Nice touch adding the download link - it gives folks the chance to see what it's like and make they're own judgemnt. If you can find links folks add em too...as long as it's hard to find stuff that isn't available I guess.

Plus as long as it's okay with Dan too!

[Nick C]

My 1st pick

 

Brad Love - Colours

 

 

After posting this topic I spent a good bit of time pondering what I would put up first. I thought of loads of albums I think are absolutely brilliant and yet didn't get their day in the sun or the full recognition they deserved (IMO). But this one album stood head and shoulders above the rest, it's truly one of my favourite albums of allllll time.

 

Brad Love was originally the vocalist in pomp gods Aviary who released one self titled album while they were up and running and another, called Ambition, long after they split (although there is apparently more stuff it's yet to see the light of day). This was Brad's 1st solo release after Aviary's demise (can I call you Brad? It's much more informal).

I came across this album in a record shop in Manchester at a knock down price, now I used to go into the shop all the time and religiously go through each section and had never seen it before. Anyway although at the time I knew Brad Love had released a solo album I wasn't sure it was him as the painting on the front showed a guy with short(ish) hair and Brad Love had dead long thick heavy metal look hair. I scoured the sleeve for a clue and luckily the name Paul Madden jumped out from the back of the sleeve.....also an ex-Aviary member.

I got the album home and was immediately captivated by the songs, beautiful, strange, sad, funny, not a million miles away from Aviary but still not your usual 23 year old rockers fayre. The next spin I banged it on to tape and went around to my mates telling him what a great album I'd picked up. I can still see this austin mini car packed with hairy arsed rockers barrelling towards some pub and this on my mates cassette player. Especially when Warrior came on - they looked at me like I was a proper knob-end!

 

Comparisons...that's tough obviously a touch of Aviary's quiter moments, a touch of Kate Bush on Hot Cinders, I can't really put my finger on anything as I've not really ever heard another album quite like it!!

It's a very keyboard dominated album, which I guess isn't surprising considering Brad's virtuosity in the keyboard department but the songs are just beautiful, carried by Brad's wonderfully lilting yet at the same time dramatic voice and fluent keyboard interplay. I can just get lost in this album it carries the listener along in it's current and wraps you in warm layers of melody, the songs coming across as so simply and easily put together that they just flow effortlessly, yet dig a little deeper and you'll find the arrangements are amazingly complex, but it's put together so well it all seems so open and honest, almost naive in it's simplicity and beauty. Beauty is a word I use a lot when I talk about this album, it's maybe appreciated more when sat with a loved one in the evening, it's not an arm out of the window rockin' album. There's songs on here that have moved me to tears many times like Let Go and My Boat...both together in the running order so get the mop and bucket out. But again stupid as it sounds the beauty (there's that word again) of the album truly moves me, the lyrics, the feel. Warrior the afforementioned track is a funny upbeat song about offering love, loyalty and protection to someone, but at the same time moving in it's almost childlike innocence in the way that it is being offered to the person in question - maybe that's another aspect of the album, a feel of innocence in many of the songs.

It's an album that 25 years on I've never tired of and has captivated me ever since!

 

The album finally saw light of day on CD in 2004 and it's the CD cover that I've scanned, the album cover has slightly different lettering and my original vinyl doesn't mention anywhere that the album is called Colours and strangely the CD cover doesn't on the main booklet face, but I have seen album cover scans that have the album title in the corner of the sleeve. In fact it was only just prior to the CD release that I realised it was even called that.

Brad Love so far has released another 2 albums, Through Another Door which is I would dare to say is as good as this but maybe not as off the wall it's a little more straightforward if that is a word you could ever rally associate with Brad Love's songwriting, and the album Soaring Solo which is an instrumental album, just the great man sat at the piano, no vocals, playing some new tunes and some new takes on older songs.

 

It's easy to pick up, so I'm not going to drop any download link but you can hear a few snippets over at CD Baby - surprisingly with a short review I posted there I dont even remember doing.

 

 

1 To Be In Love

2 Colour Me

3 Warrior

4 When I'm With You

5 Midnight By The Sea

6 Living Once Again

7 Let Go

8 My Boat

9 Hot Cinders

10 Turning Of The Earth

 

 

Brad Love - vocals, piano, synthesizer

Paul Madden - synthesizer, programming

Michael Boddicker - vocoder, synthesizer

Ed Greene - drums

Craig Kramph - drums

Steve Forman - percussion

John Hug - production, guitars

Rick Wilson - flugelhorn (yes flugelhorn!!!)

[Swazi]

My 1st pick

 

Brad Love - Colours

 

 

Wow, long and great review ! And an awesome release !!

[Kim_Hp]

Cool review Nick. I will have to check this one out.

[martinsane]

I've enjoyed this album/cd for many many years. Some solid songwriting and musicianship.

Released in 1973 on Polygram Records.

The Rolling Stone reveiw sums up the artist and the album, but to me it is period rock n roll, kind of proggy, kind of Dylan-esque, kind of Sgt Pepper era Beatles and just good.

http://www.elliottmurphy.com/downloads/rsaquashow.pdf

[Swazi]

And here I go again ...:

 

This is another one that I came across back in South Africa, 3 centuries ago. It has never let me go.

 

Shawn Phillips - Second Contribution

 

 

Released in 1970, it is in a similar genre as the one I posted above, proggy folk-rock. When I bought it on CD in 1988 I paid a bloody fortune for it, but now you can get it pretty cheap.

Shawn Phillips has a phantastic voice, his lyrics are poetic and he sure knows how to play his guitar. But read the reviews on Amazon !

 

Tracks:

1. She Was Waitin' For Her Mother At The Station In Torino And You Know I Love You Baby But It's...

2. Keep On

3. Sleepwalker

4. Song For Mr. C.

5. The Ballad Of Casey Deiss

6. Song For Sagittarians

7. Lookin' Up Lookin' Down

8. Remedial Interruption

9. Whaz'zat

10. Schmaltz Waltz

11. F Sharp Splendor

12. Steel Eyes

[phaffas]

Great Thread! this is what this forum needs again.

[All Nights Reserved]

Nightingale - The Closing Chronicles (1996)

 

 

Nightingale is one of the projects of Dan Swanö, who made a name for himself in the (Swedish) death metal scene as the frontman of Edge Of Sanity. The style of the first Nightingale album was goth rock a la Sisters Of Mercy and he recorded it all by himself, but at that time when this second album came alive he asked his brother to help him with the solos and stuff. The musical style here changed to a fine mix of progressive rock, goth rock and AOR. The band now is completed with two other musicians and is an ordinary hard rock band imo, but 'The Closing Chronicles’ is one of the most unique albums I’ve ever heard. And – of course – still a big favorite.

 

1 - Deep Inside Of Nowhere

2 - Revival

3 - Thoughts From A Stolen Soul

4 - So Long (Still I Wonder)

5 - Steal The Moon

6 - Intermezzo

7 - Alive Again (Part I: The Release)

7 - Alive Again (Part II: Shadowland Revisited)

7 - Alive Again (Part III: Breathless)

 

Dan Swanö: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums

Dag Swanö: Bass, guitars, keyboards

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvvOd7ADGY

[LV KIX]

 

 

SHOOTING STAR ~ "Shooting Star"

 

Released in 1980

Melodic Rock / AOR

 

This may be one of the most underrated releases by an American band ever. I remember picking this one up in early/mid 1980. I was the only one in my high school that was into Shooting Star. I remember thinking that this was going to be the next big thing. I then remember a few months later REO Speedwagon released "Hi Infidelity". After hearing "Hi Infidelity" I had a feeling that SHOOTING STAR would fall under the radar.

 

I wouldn't really even know where to start when reviewing this Shooting Star release. I usually prefer my music a little heavier than this... but this release has it all. You listen to the first 4 songs and thing that this a a very strong release if you like AOR.. Then, the fifth songs kick in and you forget about the AOR part and realize that this is just a all-round kick ass release. "Bring It On" is elevates Shooting Star from that AOR band to a all out Rock-N-Roll band. As the release continues... there is not a weak song to be found. And what a way to end a release... "Last Chance" (at least on the original vinyl). What a killer song that is. Hard to find any faults at all with this release.

 

I usually don't like keyboards in my Rock.. but like bands such as Kansas, Styx, and later Night Ranger, Shooting Star is able to pull it off. Actually, the keys add to the overall listening experience (Did I really just say that?).

 

This is just a great Rock Release...

[heaven&hell]

So obscure does this have to be?

Can we include some of the rare indies that have been talked about before if we feel it's a classic or is this more for bands or albums that aren't on the main site at all?

[LV KIX]

So obscure does this have to be?

Can we include some of the rare indies that have been talked about before if we feel it's a classic or is this more for bands or albums that aren't on the main site at all?

 

Yeah... well... I wasn't sure if SHOOTING STAR (Above) was obscure enough.

[heaven&hell]

So obscure does this have to be?

Can we include some of the rare indies that have been talked about before if we feel it's a classic or is this more for bands or albums that aren't on the main site at all?

 

Yeah... well... I wasn't sure if SHOOTING STAR (Above) was obscure enough.

 

Well if it makes you feel better Dave I've heard of them but have never listened to one of their albums before so I guess it's obscure to me.

[Nick C]

So obscure does this have to be?

Can we include some of the rare indies that have been talked about before if we feel it's a classic or is this more for bands or albums that aren't on the main site at all?

 

Yeah... well... I wasn't sure if SHOOTING STAR (Above) was obscure enough.

 

Well if it makes you feel better Dave I've heard of them but have never listened to one of their albums before so I guess it's obscure to me.

 

Yeah, it doesn't have to be mega obscure, just something that you feel got passed over or slipped under the radar or you think needs a re-appraisal as it were so the first Shooting Star is a good 'un.

 

When I get back off hols I'm gonna throw up one that wasn't obscure as such, in fact if you go onto Amazon.Com it had about 70 reviews last time I looked (only 4 reviews on .co.uk and ones mine ha!), but I know for sure it's barely heard of in the U.K. although a couple of songs have been hits for other artists.

[Blue Charvel]

Still Rain - s/t

 

These guys all went on to bigger and better things, but this got very regular spins in my CD player for several years, some really fine songwriting and musicianship. Still have the CD somewhere... maybe I need to break that out one o' these days...

[Jez]

Dear Mr. President - S/T 1988

 

 

 

 

 

This features on the main HH site and has been mentioned by a few people before, not very favourably in some depts. At the time of it's release, it seemed to completely go under the radar - it was a major label album on Atlantic, had Mick Jones of Foreigner in the production seat and obviously had some $'s thrown at it, as it sounds a million dollars. Very hard to pigeonhole this band and probably one of the reasons why they never took off, as image wise they had the sort of sleazy thing going on, but musically were alot more eclectic than that. I first heard the track 'Flesh And Blood' and absolutely loved it (still do and definitely the highlight of the album)and 'What's The World Coming To', 'Hey Daddy Have You Ever Been Arrested?' and the creepy 'Who Killed Santa Claus', which are also good. They changed their name to 'Flesh And Blood' and re-released the album in slightly edited form as 'Dead White And Blue'. Anyway, I think it's a cracking disc if you are looking for someting a little different.

[JamesEagle]

Nightingale - The Closing Chronicles (1996)

 

 

Nightingale is one of the projects of Dan Swanö, who made a name for himself in the (Swedish) death metal scene as the frontman of Edge Of Sanity. The style of the first Nightingale album was goth rock a la Sisters Of Mercy and he recorded it all by himself, but at that time when this second album came alive he asked his brother to help him with the solos and stuff. The musical style here changed to a fine mix of progressive rock, goth rock and AOR. The band now is completed with two other musicians and is an ordinary hard rock band imo, but 'The Closing Chronicles’ is one of the most unique albums I’ve ever heard. And – of course – still a big favorite.

 

1 - Deep Inside Of Nowhere

2 - Revival

3 - Thoughts From A Stolen Soul

4 - So Long (Still I Wonder)

5 - Steal The Moon

6 - Intermezzo

7 - Alive Again (Part I: The Release)

7 - Alive Again (Part II: Shadowland Revisited)

7 - Alive Again (Part III: Breathless)

 

Dan Swanö: Vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums

Dag Swanö: Bass, guitars, keyboards

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvvOd7ADGY

 

Sounds interesting, I'll be checking that out. Does he resist the temptation to have a little DM-style growl here and there?

[Dead Planet]

Die Krupps - Paradise Now

 

I have loved this release for many years now. It's not for everyone unless you're into industrial metal although it is very accessible metal IMO....I checked online for reviews but they were few and far between unless you read German, not a release I hear much about...definitely a classic in its genre....

[Swazi]

Dear Mr. President - S/T 1988

 

 

 

 

 

This features on the main HH site and has been mentioned by a few people before, not very favourably in some depts. At the time of it's release, it seemed to completely go under the radar - it was a major label album on Atlantic, had Mick Jones of Foreigner in the production seat and obviously had some $'s thrown at it, as it sounds a million dollars. Very hard to pigeonhole this band and probably one of the reasons why they never took off, as image wise they had the sort of sleazy thing going on, but musically were alot more eclectic than that. I first heard the track 'Flesh And Blood' and absolutely loved it (still do and definitely the highlight of the album)and 'What's The World Coming To', 'Hey Daddy Have You Ever Been Arrested?' and the creepy 'Who Killed Santa Claus', which are also good. They changed their name to 'Flesh And Blood' and re-released the album in slightly edited form as 'Dead White And Blue'. Anyway, I think it's a cracking disc if you are looking for someting a little different.

 

Agreed ! Great disc !

[All Nights Reserved]

 

Sounds interesting, I'll be checking that out. Does he resist the temptation to have a little DM-style growl here and there?

 

Yes, he does. But if you check out his solo album 'Moontower' you can hear an awesome combination of Scandinavian death metal and Marillion style prog rock - with death growls! Another great album btw!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3k9R5Zsno

[Jez]

Neil Norman/ Bobby Sexton - Facing Destiny 1990

 

 

If a bit of bombastic Pomp/ AOR is your thing, then look no further than this. This was only released on the small GNP Crescendo label back in 1990 and bar the odd mention here and there, seems to have sunk without trace - it's not even on the HH main pages, so I will add it over the next day or 2. If Arcangel/ Canatta/ Asia are your thing, then you could do a lot worse than check this out. There's loads of Keys and plenty of guitar moments and the songs are really very good indeed. I've only had a cd-r of this for donkeys years, and to be honest, until a couple of weeks ago, even I had virtually forgotten about it, until I flicked through a pile of cd-r's that were lying about. I snagged a nice shiny new copy on amazon fairly cheaply, so it should be fairly easy to get hold of and if the above mentioned bands are your 'Thang' then I strongly suggest you do, as it's a little beauty.

[Kim_Hp]

It's on the main pages Jez : http://www.heavyharmonies.com/cgi-bin/glamcd.cgi?BandNum=3033&CDName=Facing+Destiny

 

Great album nevertheless! Is it true that one of these guys are blind ?! I think I read that somewhere.

[Geoff]

Neil Norman/ Bobby Sexton - Facing Destiny 1990

 

Damn you guys is old! A lot of pretty ancient discs here, but an awesome thread. This one looks like one I need to check out asap.

 

One from me:

 

Silly Fools - 'The One'

http://www.myspace.com/sillyfoolsmusic

 

 

 

I have tried to not make this album a stranger to the forum and I have posted threads etc, but only a few of the brave took a leap on it. As far as I know, everyone who did take the leap did enjoy the album a lot. It does have a slight modern touch, but it's melodic hard rock at it's purest and simplest. The guitarist - when he lets rip a few times on the disc - is Pete Lesperence at his best-esque and quite simply brilliant. And the songs are just so simple and purely written (the band is from Thailand and English is not their forte), but deliciously emotive and heartfelt. Anyway, not much more I can say about this I haven't said in other threads... I just see this album as utterly essential to anyone.