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Sleeper albums


Cugalabanza

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Here are a few of mine...

 

Skip Spence - Oar (1969) He wrote the songs during a six month stay at Bellevue. On the day of his release, he drove a motorcycle, dressed in only his pajamas, directly to Nashville to record this, his only solo album.

 

Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam (1991) I don't like anything else this band has put out, not even a little. But this one, their first album, is one of my all time favorites.

 

Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights (1963) Really nice laid-back jazz record. I like Gerry Mulligan and this is my favorite. Nothing really ground breaking, it just sounds amazing.

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Facing Future by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ... Wikipedia Page

 

400 pound Hawaiian guy with a great voice, not as crazy about the hawaiian music, does nice covers of What a Wonderful World and Over the Rainbow and a great cover of Take Me home country roads by John Denver.

 

Also, Dread Zeppelin ... a reggae band with an Elvis impersonator singing Led Zeppelin songs.

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Here are a few of mine...

 

Skip Spence - Oar (1969) He wrote the songs during a six month stay at Bellevue. On the day of his release, he drove a motorcycle, dressed in only his pajamas, directly to Nashville to record this, his only solo album.

 

Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam (1991) I don't like anything else this band has put out, not even a little. But this one, their first album, is one of my all time favorites.

 

Gerry Mulligan - Night Lights (1963) Really nice laid-back jazz record. I like Gerry Mulligan and this is my favorite. Nothing really ground breaking, it just sounds amazing.

 

 

I have been playing the hell out of this new Willie Nelson tribute by Phosphprescent...even if you aren't a Willy Nelson, or county music fan..it is an really great, textrured album...doesn't sound at all what you might think it would.

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Great topic!

 

I nominate Fly to the Rainbow, by the Scorpions (here) -- psychedelic hard rock from 1974 with traces of Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, and Black Sabbath

That's funny. I almost included the first album by the Scorpions, Lonesome Crow. It's a completely different sound for them--nothing like what they came to be known for. Michael Schenker was in the band and his guitar playing is pleasingly frantic, ridiculous and excellent. I used to have Fly To The Rainbow too, on cassette. I remember liking it.

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Sebadoh- Bubble and Scrape

Superchunk - On the Mouth

Archers of Loaf - Icky Metal

Death From Above 1979 - You're a Women, I'm a Machine

Blind Blake - Ragtime Guitar's Foremost Fingerpicker

Reverend Gary Davis - Harlem Street Singer

The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen

Adorable - Against Perfection

Blind Willie Johnson - Complete Works

Buffalo Tom - Big Red Letter Day

Bukka White - Fixin to Die

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Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports - "Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports"

Credited to the Pink Floyd drummer, but all songs are written by Carla Bley (remember "Escalator over the Hill"?) and most are sung by Robert Wyatt (ex-Soft Machine). Need humor in music? Here it is.

 

Robert Wyatt - "Rock Bottom"

Beautiful and haunting.

 

Cardiacs - "Songs for Ships and Irons", "Sing to God"

Enigmatic lyrics at speeds between punk and hymn.

 

The United States of America - "The United States of America"

Early (1968) psychedelics with electronics and strings instead of guitar. Some funny songs ("Wooden wife").

 

Frank Zappa - "The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life "

While Zappa is not really "obscure", this recording includes some gems. I especially like the stripped-down cover version of "Purple Haze" (recorded during a sound check), which actually includes the line "excuse me, while I kiss this guy", together with smooching sounds.

 

The Flock - "The Flock", "Dinosaur Swamps"

While most credit for early Rock/Jazz/Pop fusion goes to Chicago (Transit Authority) or Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Flock had their unique style featuring Jerry Goodman on violin.

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remember the first Mother's Albums and the covers ect and thinking what hilarious looking people. Changed really quick just hearing a few tunes. Zappa and those he played with really great musicians. Remember in 1969 working as case worker in downtown Toronto, seeing the Mothers play at the Rockpile . This not the famous Buffalo Rockpile , but one similarly named in Toronto that for a short while some the greatest of rock played at.. Hendrix, Cream, ect. Often bands after playing at Rockpile would get together and jam at small Toronto coffee houses. Interesting times....

 

 

Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports - "Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports"

Credited to the Pink Floyd drummer, but all songs are written by Carla Bley (remember "Escalator over the Hill"?) and most are sung by Robert Wyatt (ex-Soft Machine). Need humor in music? Here it is.

 

Robert Wyatt - "Rock Bottom"

Beautiful and haunting.

 

Cardiacs - "Songs for Ships and Irons", "Sing to God"

Enigmatic lyrics at speeds between punk and hymn.

 

The United States of America - "The United States of America"

Early (1968) psychedelics with electronics and strings instead of guitar. Some funny songs ("Wooden wife").

 

Frank Zappa - "The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life "

While Zappa is not really "obscure", this recording includes some gems. I especially like the stripped-down cover version of "Purple Haze" (recorded during a sound check), which actually includes the line "excuse me, while I kiss this guy", together with smooching sounds.

 

The Flock - "The Flock", "Dinosaur Swamps"

While most credit for early Rock/Jazz/Pop fusion goes to Chicago (Transit Authority) or Blood, Sweat and Tears, The Flock had their unique style featuring Jerry Goodman on violin.

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You sir have excellent taste in music- and football teams!

 

Likewise, my friend.

 

Here are a couple more of mine:

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - God Fodder

Small Factory - For If You Cannot Fly

Band of Horses - Everything All The Time

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C.

Stone Roses - S/T

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I'll vote for:

 

Captain Beyond (S/T) Former members of Deep Purple and Iron Butterfly lay down some heavy guitar rock back when all the best albums seemed like they only had 1 song per side... so perfect were the segues. They shuffled their lineup for their next two releases and neither were as good as their freshman effort.

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