ADVERTISEMENT

Who is your most underrated Rock band of all time

kc78

Seminole Insider
Nov 25, 2002
26,281
1,832
853
I'm just curious who others think. One of my absolute favorite bands is a band who's been around for 20 years or so, has a huge following, but has never had a gold record that I'm aware of. All of their music is incredible though and they're an amazing band both live and on record.

I'll share my answer later, but I'm curious what others think as I'd like to look into some of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lemon Thrower
1396298223000-KISS-KISS-BAND-JY-0718-62187918.jpg
 
In terms of the one person who should be known but isn't it almost has to be Arthur "Big Boi" Crudup. Practically half of Elvis Presley songs were Crudup covers and the other half were Little Richard's (who I didn't include because he's pretty well known now). But Arthur Crudup is the true father of rock.

As far as obscure bands I like that others really don't. Maybe the Toadies, I still listen to them all the time, most people know at least a couple of songs off of Rubberneck like Possum Kingdom but I like their Followup as well especially Jigsaw Girl and Little Sin.
 
Last edited:
Blue Oyster Cult is a good one.

Def Leppard is very good but hard to say underrated - they were selling out stadiums at one point. Ditto Kiss. High and Dry was underrated.

I would add Everclear - very good band, hardly any hype.
 
I'm mostly into 1960s music, so that's all I can really speak on. Off the top of my head, I'd say Paul Revere and the Raiders. While the British Invasion dominates the era, the Raiders should be in the mix of the elite U.S. bands of the era, with groups like CCR, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, etc. They shouldn't be a "I might have heard of them, maybe?" They should be American rock and roll royalty.

I would also say Spanky and Our Gang. The Mamas and the Papas are pretty household names, and they are great, I love them. But the three Spanky and Our Gang albums have a similar co-ed, folk-tinged harmony, and escalated it way beyond the Mamas and Papas creatively. They're on an entire other creative level, with stronger male voices in my mind. In that folk-rock, sunshine pop genre, Spanky and Our Gang was more in line with Sgt. Pepper or Pet Sounds to the Mamas and the Papas' Surfin USA. Spanky and Our Gang may be my favorite artist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: noleology
I'm mostly into 1960s music, so that's all I can really speak on. Off the top of my head, I'd say Paul Revere and the Raiders. While the British Invasion dominates the era, the Raiders should be in the mix of the elite U.S. bands of the era, with groups like CCR, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, etc. They shouldn't be a "I might have heard of them, maybe?" They should be American rock and roll royalty.

I would also say Spanky and Our Gang. The Mamas and the Papas are pretty household names, and they are great, I love them. But the three Spanky and Our Gang albums have a similar co-ed, folk-tinged harmony, and escalated it way beyond the Mamas and Papas creatively. They're on an entire other creative level, with stronger male voices in my mind. In that folk-rock, sunshine pop genre, Spanky and Our Gang was more in line with Sgt. Pepper or Pet Sounds to the Mamas and the Papas' Surfin USA. Spanky and Our Gang may be my favorite artist.
I had to google Paul Revere - I remembered the name (I may be younger than you - born in '65). Indian Reservation was a great song. I did not know the other songs listed on their wiki page, but considering they were a bit before my time....
 
Nole Lou is spot on. Also in that time, The Young Rascals as well. The Stooges never got credit for how good they really were, and Iggy pop should have had much more press and kudos than he's ever gotten.

Good call above on Marillion; and although they're fairly well know, I always thought Dire Straits deserved better.

Great thread, OP. Who's you're pick(s)?
 
Nole Lou is spot on. Also in that time, The Young Rascals as well. The Stooges never got credit for how good they really were, and Iggy pop should have had much more press and kudos than he's ever gotten.

Good call above on Marillion; and although they're fairly well know, I always thought Dire Straits deserved better.

Great thread, OP. Who's you're pick(s)?
HUGE Dire Straits fan here, but would disagree they were under-rated.

They were all over the place in 85/86 after the release of "Brothers In Arms" - that video was on MTV non-stop at the time....and I REALLY hate that song (money for nothing)!
 
I had to google Paul Revere - I remembered the name (I may be younger than you - born in '65). Indian Reservation was a great song. I did not know the other songs listed on their wiki page, but considering they were a bit before my time....

Haha, no I'm seven years younger than you. But 60s music is my thing...it's what I grew up on as a child by my father. As a teen I got into the popular music of the time, and then "classic rock". Then an early adherent of hip hop and gangster rap. So far, normal enough. But already by the end of college I was finding myself drifting back to the groups of the sixties. I like a smattering of things from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but the sixties music is far and away the music that moves me the most. I basically have the musical tastes, and musical knowledge, of someone in their late sixties. Maybe more knowledge/recall than most, because of how into it I have been. I have a pretty broad recall of any sixties music or bands that got regular radio play. I don't claim to have much visibility on more underground/psychadelic/non-commercial stuff, but I'm probably more versed in the popular music of the sixties ("who sang what") than almost anyone my age (early 40s).

It's a useless skill. Even more useless however, is that I am fairly sure that my kids know far, far more about the same era of music than anyone in the U.S. their age, having been raised in the same thing.

But anyway, Indian Reservation is a great song, I love it. But it's pretty late mode Raiders, not too representative of their prime. Their mid-sixties hits (and they did have hits) are great garage band rockers with catchy hooks.
 
Haha, no I'm seven years younger than you. But 60s music is my thing...it's what I grew up on as a child by my father. As a teen I got into the popular music of the time, and then "classic rock". Then an early adherent of hip hop and gangster rap. So far, normal enough. But already by the end of college I was finding myself drifting back to the groups of the sixties. I like a smattering of things from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, but the sixties music is far and away the music that moves me the most. I basically have the musical tastes, and musical knowledge, of someone in their late sixties. Maybe more knowledge/recall than most, because of how into it I have been. I have a pretty broad recall of any sixties music or bands that got regular radio play. I don't claim to have much visibility on more underground/psychadelic/non-commercial stuff, but I'm probably more versed in the popular music of the sixties ("who sang what") than almost anyone my age (early 40s).

It's a useless skill. Even more useless however, is that I am fairly sure that my kids know far, far more about the same era of music than anyone in the U.S. their age, having been raised in the same thing.

But anyway, Indian Reservation is a great song, I love it. But it's pretty late mode Raiders, not too representative of their prime. Their mid-sixties hits (and they did have hits) are great garage band rockers with catchy hooks.
Sorry for the assumption....
 
Nole Lou is spot on. Also in that time, The Young Rascals as well.
I like the Rascals quite a bit, another really good American band. Saw Felix Cavieleri's version a few times on the oldies circuit. They do one of my 10 or 15 favorite songs of all time, "Not Gonna Eat Out My Heart Any More." I really like their early blue eyed soul period...they lose me a bit as they got more hippiesh. Although "How Can I Be Sure" is a beautiful song, stuff like "A Beautiful Morning" and "People Got to Be Free" don't do as much for me.
 
Mine is King's X. Almost every musician loves them and they have an extremely loyal following, but they never had any real commercial success. I just watched their Live in London concert on youtube today while working and they're just as amazing live as on album. I'm still angry that I missed their show in Tallahassee about 7 years ago. Jerry is probably one of my bigger influences as a drummer.

 
Kiss? Someone put Kiss for UNDERrated and not overrated? SMH.

The Monkees should win if we're talking all time. People think they're just a made up band for a TV show now, but they put out a ton of popular music in the 60's and at one point were outselling the Beatles and the Stones.
 
Kiss? Someone put Kiss for UNDERrated and not overrated? SMH.

The Monkees should win if we're talking all time. People think they're just a made up band for a TV show now, but they put out a ton of popular music in the 60's and at one point were outselling the Beatles and the Stones.

The Monkees absolutely can qualify. Not many "bands" produced as much golden pop goodness as that outfit. And they had serious songwriters behind them, including Neil Diamond, Carol King and Boyce and Hart. The sad fact is that what was being done with the Monkees was NO different than almost every other band of the era, and nearly every American band. That was the way music got made...see the great documentary "The Wrecking Crew."

The same guys that shamefully played the instruments for the Monkees also played the instruments for Pet Sounds and many others. They were brilliant musicians, and the songs were BETTER for it. Three Dog Night didn't write a song in their career.

It's a total shame the Monkees got burned for it, and there's really no reason for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FSUTribe76
I'm just curious who others think. One of my absolute favorite bands is a band who's been around for 20 years or so, has a huge following, but has never had a gold record that I'm aware of. All of their music is incredible though and they're an amazing band both live and on record.

I'll share my answer later, but I'm curious what others think as I'd like to look into some of them.
OK - not sure how I did not think of this prior to my first post:

Little Feat - not sure there has ever been a better band that an awful lot of people don't know about. "Waiting For Columbus" is certainly one of the greatest live albums ever.
 
I'm not sure if my list would qualify as underrated, because most people wouldn't think they were good at all. I grew up in the 80's and loved The BulletBoys, Dirty Looks and Rhino Bucket. I loved all of their albums from start to finish.

If I think of a band that was underrated, The Stone Roses. I love them.

Can Dream Theater be underrated with a bunch of Berkeley musicians?
 
  • Like
Reactions: dmm5157
Dream Theater: Pictures And Words=one of the greatest albums by any artist I have ever heard - so I would not call them under-rated.

I actually picked up this album a few years ago from a suggestion on a similar topic - I believe it was about under-rated prog bands.......I owe a debt of gratitude to the poster that suggested this album. I have a few other albums of theirs and though they are pretty good, pictures and words is one of those albums that once you hear the first song you have to hear the whole album.

Incredible music from a group with some of the most talented players (all of them) around.
 
The Church. Unique psychedelic rock band from Australia with two amazing guitarists and a great lyricist/poet. Been steadily making records since 1980.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BelemNole
The Zeppelin is aight, but they didn't write the greatest song in the universe nor did they cross the Devil's plain on steeds besides kings, walked with Jesus and his cross, climbed K2, stopped a moving train nor traveled through space and time like the greatest band of all time, Tenacious D.
 
I'd say Chicago. When most people think of them, the stuff that comes to mind is the horrible, sickeningly-sweet mush ballads that they put out in the 80s & early 90s. Prior to Terry Kath's death they were as good as any band ever - three excellent singers, great horns, Cetera was damn good on the bass, topped off with Kath's blistering guitar work.
 
The Monkees absolutely can qualify. Not many "bands" produced as much golden pop goodness as that outfit. And they had serious songwriters behind them, including Neil Diamond, Carol King and Boyce and Hart. The sad fact is that what was being done with the Monkees was NO different than almost every other band of the era, and nearly every American band. That was the way music got made...see the great documentary "The Wrecking Crew."

The same guys that shamefully played the instruments for the Monkees also played the instruments for Pet Sounds and many others. They were brilliant musicians, and the songs were BETTER for it. Three Dog Night didn't write a song in their career.

It's a total shame the Monkees got burned for it, and there's really no reason for it.
All great points in your 3 main posts. We grew up on Shindig and Hullaballoo.

The Association and the Dave Clark Five were pretty talented too.
 
The Amazing Rhythm Aces
Traffic
JJ Cale for the win
...and props for the recognition of Little Feat by a previous poster
 
  • Like
Reactions: 62Nole
Buffalo Springfield
Poco
New Riders of the Purple Sage
The Continental Drifters, their CD release party in New Orleans about 15 years
ago was maybe the best concert I've ever been to. Three hours of original and
some classic covers. Google them if you've never heard of them. Amazon used to
have their CDs, maybe still do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: billanole
One of my favorite "regional bands" from several years back is/was Peabody from New Orleans.
Kind of a jazz alternative rock sound, hard to label. Great vocals from Karen, their lead vocalist and very intelligent meaningful lyrics. Amazon has some of their CD either in CD form or digital.
Check them out. I saw them do a cover of "Dear Prudence" (Beatles) that was A+++.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT