Underrated albums that you absolutely love

Dana Anderson4 said:So, Gall gave him three stars.🤣

You really found a real one there. 😬

Dana Anderson4 said:So, Gall only gave him three stars. Honestly? I guess that's about it.🤣

Is this straight out of an encyclopedia or something? I mean, if you look at that book, I don't think they even have albums rated with less than three stars—it’s like everything is just legendary in there. Honestly, Zlatko just puts good music in the encyclopedia and calls it a day. 😘

A few of the ones mentioned:

The Pogues - Peace & Love - my absolute favorite. I see AllMusic gives it 4 stars, looks like people are finally starting to realize the Pogues were actually killer even when they weren't leaning into that folksy vibe (copyright by Žika živac)
The Rolling Stones - Black & Blue - solid choice. Really great album
The Clash - Sandinista - a masterpiece
Pink Floyd - Animals - the guitar work from David Gilmour is arguably his best ever (specifically in Dogs), but as a whole, it’s probably not sitting among the top tier of classic Floyd albums
Santana - Havana Moon - pure perfection, zero flaws. This is one of those desert island albums. For you, for me, for my brother—and probably for nobody else...
Animals - Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted - a personal favorite, really good stuff
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town - underrated? Well, if you look at AllMusic, sure, it only has 4.5 stars, making it the only one of his first seven albums that didn't hit a perfect five. In that sense, maybe, though it might be my most intimate favorite Springsteen record
Led Zeppelin - Holy - the first sign that someone doesn't consider it a masterpiece
Čorba - Osmi nervni slom / Idoli - Čokolada - I agree, but let's not get bogged down in American domestic stuff...

Here are two of mine to throw in the mix:
Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - WTF? Everyone trashes this album just because "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is his "most commercial" track, completely forgetting that a) it's an awesome song anyway, and b) the rest of the material, including the instrumentals, is top-notch. Even more underrated is Dylan, where he took some liberties with covers, but that's just a good album, not a great one, so I won't go on about it...
Neil Young - Dead Man - easily one of the greatest soundtracks ever made; I get chills every single time I play it. And Time Fades Away is way too underrated compared to the spam of other albums from the early seventies...

Townes van Zandt
I honestly feel like his entire body of work is criminally overlooked.
Maybe I'm off base here? But seriously, you can't go wrong with any of his studio albums or live recordings!

Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner
Old Tom is right in his element here—glass in hand, cigarette dangling, just entertaining the crowd... it’s a total cult classic among fans.

Buckley - Lorca
This one isn't for everyone, but personally, I really leaned into it.

Čorba - tonight musicians who drink will entertain you
The only Čorba album recorded for Columbia Records... and hands down my favorite!
I genuinely don't get what anyone could dislike about this record. Indifferent to the crying? When Walking? Žika živac?

Jethro Tull - Minstrel in The Gallery
Musically and conceptually, this is their most convincing work. Honestly, it blows the more mainstream hits like Stand Up and Aqualung out of the water.

Bob Dylan - Street-Legal... such a fascinating transitional record. It's the only Dylan album where he brought in a full big band (including Stephen Douglas on sax and some female backing vocals). I don't think Dylan's songs have ever sounded so "airy"—I'd even say they sound danceable!
Changing of the Guards, Senor (Tales of Yankee Power), and Where Are You Tonight are just a few of my favorites from this unfairly underrated gem...

stormyviper11 said:Here are two of my own takes:
Bob Dylan - Pat Garret and Billy the Kid - WTF? Everyone trashes this record just because "Most Likely You" is arguably his most commercial track, completely forgetting that a) it’s actually a great song, and b) the rest of the material, including the instrumentals, is top-tier. Also, the self-titled "Bob Dylan" gets way too much hate for him dipping into covers; it’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely a solid album, so I won't dwell on it too much.
Neil Young - Dead Man - one of the best soundtracks ever made; I get chills every single time I listen to it. And Time Fades Away is such an underrated gem compared to the rest of his early seventies output.

👍 ...I totally agree with everything said here!

Lonesome Hobo said:Čorba - Tonight You're Being Entertained by Drunken Musicians
The only Čorba album recorded for Columbia Records... definitely my absolute favorite!
I honestly don't get what anyone could possibly dislike about this record. Are people just indifferent to the raw emotion? What about Hodžaš? Or Žika živac?

👍
I’d probably throw in that one album by the band featuring Tif into the mix too!🙂

Lonesome Hobo said:Čorba - tonight you're being entertained by musicians who drink
The only Čorba album recorded for Columbia Records... my absolute favorite!
I honestly don't get what there is to dislike about this record. You're indifferent to "Crying"? Or "When Do You Walk"? How about "Žika živac"?

Look, it’s a solid album... but let's be real, it doesn't hit as hard as their first four. Between "A Minute of Silence" and "Don't Tell My Boyfriend," you've got two of the weakest tracks from that early Čorba era. Toss in "Besan Dogs" and "Mangup" which aren't exactly masterpieces either, and you end up with about four total fillers on the record. Even if everything else is killer, having that many skips is a bit much for a band that usually holds themselves to a higher standard...

Mansun - Six
I haven't met a single soul who isn't either obsessed with this album or—at best—completely clueless about it. To me? Absolute masterpiece...

Ministry - Filth Pig (you really have to sit with this one for a while before it clicks, but once it does, it’s an absolute blast)

Ministry - Twitch (hands down the greatest dance record ever made)

Therapy? - Infernal Love and Semi-Detached

Pulp - Separations (solid 4.5/5)

Jesus Lizard - Blue (honestly, these guys just don't release bad albums)

Alice Donut - Revenge Fantasies of the Impotent (such a beautiful record)

The Saints - Prehistoric Sounds (personally, I dig this more than their first two)

Pearl Jam - Yield (their best)

Ultravox - Vienna (a total masterpiece)

Killing Joke - Night Time (the definitive pop-rock album of the 80s)

XTC - English Settlement (everyone pretends to hate it, even though they know deep down it's great)

Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart (I'll eat my hat... this actually rocks)

analogharbor442 said:XTC - English Settlement (everyone pretends to hate it, even though they know it's actually great)

That is so true. I'm swapping records if anyone is interested! 😁

When people start rambling about 80s synth-pop, they always fall back on the same old names—Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and those kinds of bands. They completely overlook the fact that Talk Talk was actually the premier synth-pop outfit. Tracks like "Such a Shame," "Dum Dum Girl," "Give It Up," and "Life's What You Make It" are easily among the greatest synth-pop singles ever recorded. Then there’s the album *Spirit of Eden*, which even the most hardcore devotees of the band tend to dismiss, though I find it quite good. At that point, we aren't even talking about synth-pop anymore; it's pure avant-garde. The whole thing was recorded in a church, featuring a rotating door of guest musicians from all walks of life, ranging from free jazz players to someone like Nigel Kennedy.

Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind

This album doesn't have a single bad track... 😍

stormyviper11 said:A few of the ones mentioned earlier:

-

Here are two from my side:
Bob Dylan - Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid - WTF? Everyone trashes this record because it features what they call Dylan's most "commercial" track, totally ignoring that a) it’s actually a great song and b) the rest of the stuff, including the instrumentals, is top-tier. Also, Self Portrait is way too underrated—he took some liberties with covers there, making it more of a solid listen than a masterpiece, but I won't get into it.
Neil Young - Dead Man - one of the best soundtracks ever made; I get chills every single time I play it. And Time Fades Away is such an underrated gem compared to the rest of his early seventies stuff.

Yeah, I agree.😁I think that Pat Garrett track is some of the best work Dylan ever did, which you already know, but I honestly had no idea that specific album was considered underrated.😁

ruggedcrane22 said:When people chat about 80s synth-pop, everyone immediately starts raving about Depeche Mode, OMD, and those kinds of bands. But I think people often overlook the fact that Talk Talk was actually the absolute best synth-pop group out there. Tracks like "Such a Shame," "Dum Dum Girl," "Give It Up," and "Life's What You Make It" are easily some of the finest synth-pop singles ever released. Now, they eventually put out an album called "Spirit of Eden" that even their most die-hard fans seem to struggle with, but personally, I think it's quite good! At that point, they had moved away from synth-pop and into pure avant-garde territory. They actually recorded the whole thing in a church, and they brought in all sorts of guest musicians—everyone from free jazz players to someone like Nigel Kennedy.

I haven't actually sat down with "Spirit of Eden" yet, but their follow-up, "Laughing Stock," is an absolute masterpiece! 🙏
Though, I suppose that’s moving pretty far away from synth-pop, isn't it? Maybe we're talking post-rock now?

ruggedcrane22 said:When people bring up 80s synth-pop, everyone immediately starts shouting about Depeche Mode, OMD, and those types of bands—but they totally overlook the fact that Talk Talk was actually the best synth-pop outfit out there. Tracks like "Such a Shame," "Dum Dum Girl," "Give It Up," and "Life's What You Make It" are easily some of the greatest synth-pop singles ever recorded. Fast forward to their record "Spirit of Eden"—even the most hardcore fans of the band tend to struggle with it, but personally, I think it's solid. At that point, we aren't even talking about synth-pop anymore; we're looking at pure avant-garde. They actually recorded the album in a church and brought in all sorts of guest musicians, ranging from free jazz players to someone like Nigel Kennedy.

I love all five of Talk Talk's albums... though I'll admit the first one is a little weaker for me. But those singles? Absolute bangers. Honestly, they're the most fascinating band ever—every single time they put something out, it was good. To my mind, "After the Flood" from Laughing Stock might just be among the best nine minutes of music ever captured.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Talk Talk during their synth-pop era, though they don't quite hit the same way Depeche Mode does. I haven't really dug into their later stuff yet, but you guys have definitely piqued my interest. Honestly, if bands like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran could pivot toward a bluesier sound later in their careers, I’m betting this could turn out to be pretty interesting too...

As for Depeche Mode, their absolute best work is arguably Some Great Reward... it’s one of those albums that somehow never gets the credit it deserves in these discussions. It’s basically EBM-lite... "Something to Do" and "Master and Servant" are pretty much the only two tracks I’d actually dance to if I were some goth girl decked out in black eyeliner and heavy makeup... and then you’ve got "People Are People," which—alongside "Blue Monday"—is THE definitive disco anthem.

stormyviper11 said:I've always had a soft spot for Talk Talk during their synth-pop era—even if they don't quite hit the same level as Depeche Mode for me. I haven't actually delved into these later records yet, but you guys have definitely piqued my interest. Honestly, if bands like DM and Duran Duran could pivot toward a bluesier sound later in their careers, I'm betting this evolution is just as compelling.

Comparing the first album to the last one from Talk Talk? There’s really no logical way to bridge that gap... I tried to find some common ground, but it's a lost cause. It’s like most standard bands would need something like 45 albums to pull off a progression that massive... and even then, some truly LEGENDARY acts couldn't manage to move that far away from their debut. 😁

p.s. Speaking of drastic shifts, if you know anything about Radiohead... the jump from "Pablo Honey" to "Kid A" is nowhere near as huge as the leap between Talk Talk and "Laughing Stock"—and I still love all four of those albums. 🙂

El Rodeo said:Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind

An album where not a single track misses the mark... 😍

I find myself in complete agreement—I was just about to type that myself, but it seems someone beat me to the punch.😈 😈 😈 😁

Honestly, "Missing Pieces" is practically redundant in the TT discography. It feels more like a glorified outtake session from the "Laughing Stock" era—just a collection of unreleased scraps from old tracks. If there’s any redeeming quality to the record, it’s the track "piano," which Mark Hollis actually released under the pseudonym John Cope on the Allinson Brown album "AV1." It’s essentially 14 minutes of pure piano indulgence, stuff that even the most pretentious Radiohead infants would find overly avant-garde.

Then there’s another one often dismissed as a weak entry—though nowadays, the consensus seems to be that the whole band was mediocre, a view I don't share—which is "Synchronicity" by The Police. If you can overlook the songwriting lapses from Summers and Copeland (specifically regarding "Mother" and "Miss Gradenko"), then Sting was clearly at the absolute peak of his creative—and, frankly, sexual—power here.
"Every Breath You Take", "Synchronicity II", "King Of Pain", and "Wrapped Around Your Finger"... these are the heavy hitters. Interestingly, this is one of those rare albums that actually sounds superior on CD compared to vinyl; that clinical production style—where the bass, which anchors the entire sound, is EQ'd almost entirely into the mid-range frequencies—is much more striking on digital.

Shellac's Terraform.
People seem to really drag this one, but honestly, the album is fantastic. In my opinion, it actually holds up much better than the overrated "1000 Hurts." :2up: