Underrated Albums By Well Known Bands

[Alex]

There are some well known bands out there who have released critically acclaimed albums that loads of people own. But what about the albums that they released that aren't that well known or looked upon in a bad light.

What are the albums from a well known band you like.

For me one of them would be this one

One Hot Minute-Red Hot Chili Peppers

I was tempted to put one of their first four albums (and I may later) but this one sticks out a lot because it was made when they were red hot (pardon the pun) after Blood Sugar Sex Magik and before Californication (both critically acclaimed) yet this album doesn't really get any love. Heck the band themselves haven't played any songs from this album since the initial tour. Part of the reason seems to be that Dave Navarro (of Jane's Addiction) replaced John Frusciante and a lot of people where butt hurt over this.

The sound changed sure, but it had been changing with all the previous albums (and continued to do so) Its a shame to, because this is the closest the Chili's have gotten to heavy and I quite like it (Warped, One Big Mob) but the funk influence can still be found (Deep Kick, Coffee Shop) and they did nice slow songs as well (My Friends, Tearjearker, Trancending)

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[SorgFamily]

I was tempted to put one of their first four albums (and I may later) but this one sticks out a lot because it was made when they were red hot (pardon the pun) after Blood Sugar Sex Magik and before Californication (both critically acclaimed) yet this album doesn't really get any love. Heck the band themselves haven't played any songs from this album since the initial tour. Part of the reason seems to be that Dave Navarro (of Jane's Addiction) replaced John Frusciante and a lot of people where butt hurt over this.

I was one of these people. I'm definitely not a fan of Navarro although I'd say he has more talent than he's given credit for.

As for my choice:

I think the main problem here was that Axl was still using the Guns N' Roses name. If he'd called it anything besides G N' R I think people would have still been disappointed but maybe not as much. Pile on top of that the fact that he refused to promote the album and has been touring sporadically since it came out and you had the recipe for poor sales. Personally I thought the album was at the very least solid. Great opener (Chinese Democracy) followed by six more songs that were either solid (Shackler's Revenge) or very, very good (Street of Dreams). The guitar playing was done by some of the best shredding guitarists in the world (Buckethead, Bumblefoot) and I'm personally a fan of orchestration which was added to a lot of the songs. After looking up a few videos of them playing live Bumblefoot really grew on me as a guitarist and it's pretty clear that the man has some chops.

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The guitar is so reminiscent of Slash in this one. To the point that it almost seems intentional.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Wow, I didn't even know that Chili's album existed. I have literally NEVER seen it on sale anywhere, even in good music shops or on Amazon! I like the sound of it being the heaviest thing the Chili's have ever done. Will have to check it out.

Damm, Sorg picked the album I would have chosen!

"Chinese Democracy" immediately sprang to mind for me too. I totally agree that if the album had been released under the name "Axl Rose" or just a new band name then the album would have avoided alot of the criticism that it received. Because it was the Guns n Roses name, people had been waiting for a new Guns release for many years, all the critics shit all over it because it wasn't as good as "Appetite For Destruction". It was never going to be, you can't recreate genius like that.

I think its a good album, not amazing, but a solid effort. Most of the songs are pretty good, especially the title track, "Better" and the incredible "There Was A Time"- a magnificent track- if you haven't heard that, get it downloaded right now!

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Good turnout here. And TWAT is fiiiiiine. For me it would be 'Versus' by Pearl Jam.


I haven't heard this album as acclaimed as Ten or Yield but this is a phenomenal album.

Songs like Daughter, Animal and Rival just showcase how Pearl Jam can ease into any tempo, style or beat and make it super. It was the first PJ album I bought and I still cherish it to this day.


Great Album!

 

[Amarillo del Bosque Verde]

Weird. Right when I saw the title I was gonna post One Hot Minute and Chinese Democracy too. xD

So I'll add a couple.

Incesticide: Nirvana
Pretty much Nirvana's B-Side album, it has so many gems on it. Sliver, Molly's Lips, Aneurysm, New Wave Polly, etc. One of the best full of songs I'm surprised didn't make it to the actual albums.

Fungus Amongus: Incubus
Their debut album from like '97 or something. The songs on it are great. Like You Will Be A Hot Dancer and Take Me To Your Leader.

Any of the Twilight soundtracks

Seriously, before I get any hate for this, hear me out. These soundtracks have been full of incredible songs by the top indie and Alt bands. Many original songs for it, like, Eclipse by Metric, Meet Me on the Equinox by Death Cab For Cutie, and Friends by Band of Skulls were awesome. So, yeah, check them out. Most people hate the soundtracks just because they're for Twilight.

 

[This Is My Name Thank You]

To me it has to be St. Anger by Metallica. This album is hated by mostly everyone that I know who has listened to it. Yes, I was disappointed when I bought it, totally let down along with the thought of where the fuck are the solos!

After I gave it a few listen to I started to enjoy the album. I like the raw heavy live sound the captured. The double bass is epic, the guitar work is solid and heavy and to me it's and all around jam album. Not in my top five Metallica albums but it is one of those albums I like that not a lot of people do.

 

[SorgFamily]

I thought of another album to add to the thread. An album that I already touched base on in another thread a while back. The Stone Temple Pilots:

Shangri La Dee Da

This is a solid album that was not given a fair chance which was bound to happen as after this album singer Scott Weiland went straight to rehab and STP didn't tour to support it. The album featured the awesome ballad "Wonderful", that classic style of rock that STP perfected "Hollywood Bitch" and the psychedelic jam "Long Way Home". There was also a song called "Too Cool Queenie" about Courtney Love. I couldn't find a good version on youtube but the lyrics are quite clear. The albums did include a few dull songs but the good far outnumbered them. "A Song for Sleeping" and "Hello, It's Late" are classic STP songs that don't quite fit a genre but flow perfectly with their catalog. The albums worth a buy if you can find it moderately priced.

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This version has a sweet solo that wasn't included on the album version:
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[GI Cake]

Minutes to Midnight

This is the most underrated Linkin Park in their catalog. Despite the overall change in tune, this album still has plenty of hits like No More Sorrow, Bleed it Out, What I've Done, Given up, and Shadow of the Day. What really made people turned off from this album is that Linkin Park went from pioneering music to sounding like the average Alternative rock band. But if fans gave it a fair chance to listen to the lyrics and the message behind them, you can see their is clear evidence that Linkin Park still strives to make deep, powerful tracks. And they tend to also forget the reason why they became Linkin Park fans in the first place.

 

[SorgFamily]

This is the most underrated Linkin Park in their catalog. Despite the overall change in tune, this album still has plenty of hits like No More Sorrow, Bleed it Out, What I've Done, Given up, and Shadow of the Day. What really made people turned off from this album is that Linkin Park went from pioneering music to sounding like the average Alternative rock band. But if fans gave it a fair chance to listen to the lyrics and the message behind them, you can see their is clear evidence that Linkin Park still strives to make deep, powerful tracks. And they tend to also forget the reason why they became Linkin Park fans in the first place.

I love this album. Like you said "Given Up" and "Bleed It Out" were really good hits but I think my favorite song off the album was "The Little Things Give You Away". That song kind of retained there old style with the industrial type sounds but incorporated an acoustic guitar. I love topical songs and this one was about Hurricane Katrina. Like you said they dug deep for this album and it kind of turned their fans off. It's sad that when a band veers too far from what they made their name with their fans get upset. People change and evolve. Get over it.

 

[Davi323]

To me it has to be St. Anger by Metallica. This album is hated by mostly everyone that I know who has listened to it. Yes, I was disappointed when I bought it, totally let down along with the thought of where the fuck are the solos!

After I gave it a few listen to I started to enjoy the album. I like the raw heavy live sound the captured. The double bass is epic, the guitar work is solid and heavy and to me it's and all around jam album. Not in my top five Metallica albums but it is one of those albums I like that not a lot of people do.

Funny thing is, after I bought U2's No Line on the Horizon, didn't like it, and the way that I chose to describe how disappointing it was to my brother was to label it U2's St. Anger. He is a huge Metallica fan, and understood exactly what I meant when I called it that.

Now, like you, I have been listening to it more carefully, and now it's finally starting to grow on me.

As for my pick of an underrated album by a well known band, I am going to go with

This is seriously the greatest rock soundtrack to any movie, ever. The movie was incredibly campy, and as a result, the Queen soundtrack isn't as well known. But the tracks are simply amazing, with dialogue and sound effects included. I love listening to this album when going out walking, it's very high energy.

 

[Cracka Jack]

It seems like Rush of Blood gets basically all of the praise as far as Coldplay's work goes, but I've always preferred their debut to anything else they've done. Songs like "Yellow", "Trouble", "Sparks", and in my opinion their greatest song of all "Shiver", this album is loaded with great songs. It may not have the notoriety or acclaim some of their other albums do, but it's the one I find myself going back to the most.
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[THEKEVINBRAND]

Van Halen's new album has had alot of people criticizing it because of its lead off single Tattoo:

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[Dmbfantomas]

Everyday - Dave Matthews Band

You wanna talk about one of the most divisive albums ever for a fanbase? Everyday is still seen by many hardcore DMB fans as the work of Satan (Glen Ballard). "Where are the jams?" "Why is there so much electric guitar?" "Why is it all pop music?" "What happened to the DMB I loved?" None of this was helped by The Lillywhite Sessions being leaked a few months later, and being some of the most dark, harrowing, and amazing songs Dave has ever written. (The Lillywhite Sessions were later released as Busted Stuff.)

Sales wise, Everyday was a major success. It sold millions of copies, and is probably the band's most successful album outside of North America.

Some critics compared it positively to other pop/rock works of the past few years (U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind being the main comparison, and anyone who has heard it knows that is a damn fine album), while others were very harsh towards it when comparing it to DMB's radically different past. The critics became harsher after The Lillywhite Sessions leaked, because this was an album that many felt could have been their best.

Some songs from Everyday, followed by some from Lillywhite Sessions...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcWF1Qtuqd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO0L4CbNm0s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r76UVw3V8Wc
LWS...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKFnkqHDF8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cBNUk750Pg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQv85_jYjLs

 

[Australia's Finest]

To me it has to be St. Anger by Metallica. This album is hated by mostly everyone that I know who has listened to it. Yes, I was disappointed when I bought it, totally let down along with the thought of where the fuck are the solos!

After I gave it a few listen to I started to enjoy the album. I like the raw heavy live sound the captured. The double bass is epic, the guitar work is solid and heavy and to me it's and all around jam album. Not in my top five Metallica albums but it is one of those albums I like that not a lot of people do.

I find most people would change their opinion of the album if the name 'Metallica' wasn't on the cover. It's definitely not their best album but i still didn't mind it. I mean they were pretty fucked up at the time and atleast it was heavier than what they put out during the 90's.

 

[HailTheGillberg]

I am certainly going with Survivor's Caught in the Game. Released in 1983, it had the misfortune of following Survivor's commercially successful Eye of the Tiger and preceding the critically acclaimed Vital Signs. It was also the last album to feature Dave Bickler as the lead vocalist.

As a result, this AOR gem has become largely forgotten by the general audience. Still, songs like the catchy "Jackie Don't Go," the chorus-driven "Slander," and the hauntingly beautiful "Santa Ana Winds" make this heavier, but less polished album my favorite of theirs.