Ten Best Albums No One's Ever Heard (from the non-prog world)

[Magic Mountain]

I will try to limit my list to bands that I believe maybe unknown to a Prog Fan:

Dada - Puzzle
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime
Josh Joplin - Useful Music
Dust - HArd Attack
Buffalo - Volcanic Rock
The Posies - Frosting on the Beater
Television - Marquee Moon
Over the Rhine - Good Dog, Bad Dog: The Home Recordings
Bang - s/t

[Yesspaz]

Originally Posted by Magic Mountain

I will try to limit my list to bands that I believe maybe unknown to a Prog Fan:

Dada - Puzzle
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime
Josh Joplin - Useful Music
Dust - HArd Attack
Buffalo - Volcanic Rock
The Posies - Frosting on the Beater
Television - Marquee Moon
Over the Rhine - Good Dog, Bad Dog: The Home Recordings
Bang - s/t

I have Puzzle and Marquee Moon, and while I have no Over the Rhine, I really like them too. Not a fan of the Posies or Matthew Sweet, but the rest are unkown to me. Now I've got new stuff to check out. Thanks, MM.

Originally Posted by artw

Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

Never heard of them, but again, something to check out. Thanks, artw.

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by Yesspaz

Not a fan of the Posies or Matthew Sweet

Yaz, I would normally agree with you on The Posies, but for that one album they caught lightning in a bottle.

Regarding Matthew Sweet, I'm surprised you don't like "Girlfriend" given that you like Television. I believe that the same guitarist plays on both. FWIW, "Girlfriend" is a desert Island cd for me. Matthew Sweet went through a rough breakup during this time. Isn't it great when artists go through intense emotional crises?

Another great album around the same time is CANDLEBOX - s/t. Another instance of a band whose other albums blow chunks, but who caught lightning in a blottle for that one lone album. IMHO, of course.

Karl

[lamour]

Originally Posted by Magic Mountain

Regarding Matthew Sweet, I'm surprised you don't like "Girlfriend" given that you like Television. I believe that the same guitarist plays on both.

ok, so Richard Lloyd played on Girlfriend, not Tom Verlaine. I don't remember Matthew Sweet sounding much like Television at all, but I can't say that I listened to a lot of it.

Marquee Moon was fabulous. Adventures was ok. Television's third album was pretty average except for a couple tracks too. (all IMHO)

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by lamour

ok, so Richard Lloyd played on Girlfriend, not Tom Verlaine. I don't remember Matthew Sweet sounding much like Television at all, but I can't say that I listened to a lot of it.

Marquee Moon was fabulous. Adventures was ok. Television's third album was pretty average except for a couple tracks too. (all IMHO)

I was actually replying to a comment from Yesspaz. I never head any of the other Television albums b/c I heard they weren't that good. That is why I just listed Marquee Moon as a top album.

Actually the guitar is quite good on the Matthew Sweet album "Girlfriend." There is the duel guitar attack of Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Quine ). His other albums are not near as good ("Altered Beast" coming the closest), and that is why I didn't list them on my top 10 list.

Karl

[lamour]

Originally Posted by Magic Mountain

I was actually replying to a comment from Yesspaz.

right. and I was replying to that comment. you said that you couldn't believe he liked Marquee Moon, but not Girlfriend, and I said that I didn't remember them sounding alike.

I never head any of the other Television albums b/c I heard they weren't that good. That is why I just listed Marquee Moon as a top album.

yeah, I just figured I'd add the extra info, since I was already here. The other albums aren't terrible, but they aren't as good as Marquee Moon.

Actually the guitar is quite good on the Matthew Sweet album "Girlfriend." There is the duel guitar attack of Richard Lloyd and Robert Quine.

I haven't heard it since it came out. I just remember not being terribly impressed by it at the time. perhaps it's worth another spin...

[Magic Mountain]

Originally Posted by lamour

right. and I was replying to that comment. you said that you couldn't believe he liked Marquee Moon, but not Girlfriend, and I said that I didn't remember them sounding alike.

I never said that the two albums sounded alike, as they are from different genres (Punk vs. Power Pop). What I believe made Marquee Moon great, which is its angular guitar solos, is also present on "Girlfriend." There are some very unique guitar parts on "Girlfriend" which I would think that if someone liked Marque Moon they would like these (with the added benefit of sharing a guitarist). This is only my opinion and you may not agree. However, there are some ballads on "Girlfriend" (guitar played by Matthew Sweet) which I think are very well done, but others may hate them.

Girlfriend is kind of a concept album as it takes you through Matthew Sweet's first meeting his girfirend, dating, getting married and the slow deterioration of that marriage until finally a divorce (if I remember there are one or two non-related songs at the end that should have probably not been included. Not that they're not good, they just don't fit the concept). The album is a very emotional car ride that I believe is done very well.

Remember, these are non-prog albums and will not be liked by some/most progressive rock listeners. If you'll note, my list is very guitar centric (a few exceptions: Josh Joplin and Over the Rhine), as my favorite music has tended to have a harder edge. I do enjoy dynamics though, and the heavy/soft contrast in "Girlfriend" is something that I look for in music.

[schupdoggy]

Originally Posted by Magic Mountain

I will try to limit my list to bands that I believe maybe unknown to a Prog Fan:

Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime
Dust - HArd Attack

Magic. Both of those albums are classics. Great choices!

[schupdoggy]

Bull Angus - Bull Angus
Trapeze - Medusa
Nutz - Hard Nutz
Wiggy Bits - Wiggy Bits
Dirty Tricks - Night Man
Neil Merryweater - Space Rangers
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Tomorrow Belongs To Me
Ursa Major - Ursa Major
Hydra - Hydra
Moxy - Moxy
Budgie - Budgie
Baker Gurvitz Army - Elysian Encounter
Babe Ruth - First Base
Captain Beyond - Captain Beyond
Cactus - Cactus