Most underrated songs ever?

[hexagon_sun]

Now we've all bemoaned the appalling Virgin Radio list, what songs do you think don't get enough love for whatever reason? For me, it probably changes every week but if push came to shove this week I'd say;


Led Zeppelin - The Rain Song
always overlooked in favour of "Stairway..." but this has always been my favourite Zep song

The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
an extremely underrated band (in this country at least) - this has to be their finest hour

Big Star - Thank You Friends
the best band of the 70s that never made it - their 3rd album is a masterpiece and this is the best track on it

 

[Firestorm]

Slade Far Far Away ( it seems its only me and Mr Gallagher who rate this)

Star Jets War Stories (The Undertones with Bite....)

The Chords Maybe Tomorrow (Brett Ascot - the best drummer the world has never heard of)

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
OK, so he's Wacko Jacko.  Put that to one side, and ask yourself the question: does pop music get any better than this?  The other day, TMF on Freeview was doing a "Best Ever" compilation on pop-songs, and had this at No. 29.  I almost choked on my cornflakes.  They're wrong; Billie Jean is the apogee of pop.

Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S
A revolutionary song in terms of educating the mainstream about scratching and sampling... yet is criminally underplayed for reasons which elude me.

New Order - Blue Monday
Again, whilst lots of people "rate" this number - how often do you hear this on the radio?  Yet, this track was years  ahead of its time... it's not often that you hear a piece of music and can identify it as a watershed, as the creator of something new - which Blue Monday was for me in terms of creating the sound template for modern dance / rave music in the UK.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Child of the Universe - Barclay James Harvest

Comin' Home - 10 Year After

Shine on you Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 12 2006,12:10)]New Order - Blue Monday
Again, whilst lots of people "rate" this number - how often do you hear this on the radio?

It was on Xfm this morning

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Jan. 12 2006,12:17)]

Quote[/b] (Matt the Shrimp @ Jan. 12 2006,12:10)]New Order - Blue Monday
Again, whilst lots of people "rate" this number - how often do you hear this on the radio?

It was on Xfm this morning  

Oh well, there's my theory blown out the water...

 

[Firestorm]

Matt,

How on earth can anything Michael Jackson have done be underrated ? Over hyped yes, underrated no.

Blue Monday has been re released a couple of times as well as getting loads of airplay at the time of release and later

Both performed highly in the charts as well, so underrated may be pushing it a bit.

Perhaps "did well despite many people thinking they were s*** " may be a better discription

 

[Napster]

anything by Leroy Hutson, Johnny Guitar Watson

and the Buzzcocks' Harmony in my Head

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ Jan. 12 2006,12:30)]Matt,

How on earth can anything Michael Jackson have done be underrated ?   Over hyped yes, underrated no.

Blue Monday has been re released a couple of times as well as getting loads of airplay at the time of release and later

Both performed highly in the charts as well, so underrated may be pushing it a bit.

Perhaps "did well despite many people thinking they were s*** " may be a better discription  

No. 29 in a poll of best pop songs for Billie Jean is seriously underrated!

I've definitely got it wrong with Blue Monday... it's clearly not underrated!

Matt

 

[gazzacat42]

Freebird Lynnyrd Skynnrd , haven't heard this in ages, seems these southern boys are out of favour.

 

[Shrimper James]

Transmission by Joy Division.

One of the best songs i've ever heard. Massively under-rated.

 

[Upminster Blue]

Quote[/b] (gazzacat42 @ Jan. 12 2006,12:42)]Freebird  Lynnyrd  Skynnrd , haven't heard this in ages, seems these southern boys are out of favour.

Ooh yes, picked up the Best of Lynnyrd Skynnrd in HMV for about a fiver last year. Some absolute classic tracks.

I'll throw another name in, Ian Dury and the Blockheads. A couple of big hits (that don't get played as often as they should) but apart from that were unfairly seen as a bit of a novelty group.

 

[Guest]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ Jan. 12 2006,12:06)]Slade Far Far Away ( it seems its only me and Mr Gallagher who rate this)

That's a quality track. Definitely one of Slade's best, it's a shame that most people never seem to get past Cum On Feel The Noize / Coz I Luv You etc.

I agree with the person who quoted 'The Band' as well, their cover of "This Wheel's On Fire" was good as well, although my favorite by them was 'The Weight'

As a band, I've always though Supergrass were under-rated, they produced some excellent stuff (especially in their first three albums) - and recorded 'Moving', one of my favorite songs yet very few people I speak to seem to know it

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Jan. 12 2006,13:39)]I agree with the person who quoted 'The Band' as well, their cover of "This Wheel's On Fire" was good as well, although my favorite by them was 'The Weight'

"This Wheel's on Fire" was actually written by Dylan with Rick Danko (bass player from The Band) so it's not technically a cover version. Of course it's more complicated than that - the 'original' version (or the first to be released anyway) would have been learnt from a "Basement Tapes" acetate making it a cover version while the first recorded version eventually saw an official release in 1976, some 8 years later

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Jan. 12 2006,13:39)]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ Jan. 12 2006,12:06)]Slade   Far Far Away ( it seems its only me and Mr Gallagher who rate this)

That's a quality track. Definitely one of Slade's best, it's a shame that most people never seem to get past Cum On Feel The Noize / Coz I Luv You etc.

I got the film on DVD at Xmas !!!

Personally I preferred their more mellow stuff, Everyday and How does it feel for example.

Now their really early stuff is different....

 

[Napster]

Quote[/b] (Upminster Blue @ Jan. 12 2006,13:17)]I'll throw another name in, Ian Dury and the Blockheads.  A couple of big hits (that don't get played as often as they should) but apart from that were unfairly seen as a bit of a novelty group.

i've seen them play loads of times- great live and my favourite band.

oh another one - Wreckless Eric

 

[Guest]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Jan. 12 2006,14:04)]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Jan. 12 2006,13:39)]I agree with the person who quoted 'The Band' as well, their cover of "This Wheel's On Fire" was good as well, although my favorite by them was 'The Weight'

"This Wheel's on Fire" was actually written by Dylan with Rick Danko (bass player from The Band) so it's not technically a cover version. Of course it's more complicated than that - the 'original' version (or the first to be released anyway) would have been learnt from a "Basement Tapes" acetate making it a cover version while the first recorded version eventually saw an official release in 1976, some 8 years later

Wasn't it recorded and released by Julie Driscoll and the Trinity in the late '60's?
Never knew that Dylan co-wrote it though!

 

[hexagon_sun]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Jan. 12 2006,14:24)]

Quote[/b] (hexagon_sun @ Jan. 12 2006,14:04)]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Jan. 12 2006,13:39)]I agree with the person who quoted 'The Band' as well, their cover of "This Wheel's On Fire" was good as well, although my favorite by them was 'The Weight'

"This Wheel's on Fire" was actually written by Dylan with Rick Danko (bass player from The Band) so it's not technically a cover version. Of course it's more complicated than that - the 'original' version (or the first to be released anyway) would have been learnt from a "Basement Tapes" acetate making it a cover version while the first recorded version eventually saw an official release in 1976, some 8 years later

Wasn't it recorded and released by Julie Driscoll and the Trinity in the late '60's?
Never knew that Dylan co-wrote it though!

It was written by Dylan/Danko while he [Bob] was recuperating from his motorcycle accident in 1967, demoed by Dylan & The Band at Big Pink and then recorded/released by both Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & Trinity AND The Band, both in 1968 - not sure who was first but Driscoll's version was a single so it received more exposure and is always considered to be the original. The Big Pink version (with Dylan vocal) was released on "The Basement Tapes" in 1976.

 

[Song of the South Upper]

Single Girl by Lush.

Written off by most people as annoying, paperthin rubbish. It's actually the perfect 'indie pop' song, knocking the likes of Felt, Orange Juice et al into a cocked hat. If it had been released on Sarah Records anorak sales around the country would have gone through the roof.

 

[Ulysses]

Does anyone remember a song by Kirsten Hersh called Your Ghost. Brilliant song, had Michael Stipe on backing vocals think it only made top 40.

Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (should of been number one for ten weeks!)

and..... Carter USM - Sherrif Fatman!