We all have a thing for great artists. But many of us also dig artists that never got their due or never really found their niche in music history. These artists made some extraordinary stuff, but it either just fell on deaf ears or was only popular among its cult fans. Some examples are Essential Logic, Red House Painters and The Pop Group. Whos else can name some?

I'll give you another group. This post-punk/funk bacn from Scotland called APB. They might've had some notoriety with the college rock crowd, but no international success as New Wave heores. Shame too cuz they made some pretty funky and danceable punk.

I don't know too many old bands or artists from way back
like that. Perhaps Bauhaus but eventhough no one
seems to know about them anymore now, I think they were
pretty well known back when they emerged.

Recent great artists that never really made it are:

Ann Pierle

She's from Belgium and she made an incredible debut
with "Mud Stories". If you like Tori Amos, then you
can't go wrong with this album. Although, it's the
kind of comparison that shouldn't be made. Ann has
her own sound. Mostly accompanied only by her piano
she sings deeply emotional songs in a heavenly with
her heavenly vocals and uses weird abstract imagery
in some of her songs. Absolutely spellbinding stuff.
It took ages for her second album to be released and
I haven't heard from her since.


Katja Maria Werker

From Germany. Her debut "MusicIsTheOnlyLanguageIKnow"
is another great example of singer songwriter with an
amazing talent being overlooked. Her album sounds so
intimate and beautiful. Her voice is quite raspy and
"smokey" for such a small young woman. The album is
not incredible but it does have some incredible trax
on it, "Carried The Cross" is certainly one of the
most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Also "Naked",
"Streets Of Africa" and "What The Bird Said" are a
couple of exquisite tunes.


Ed Harcourt

From Australia has just released his second full cd
and has yet to make anything of a real impact on an
international chart. His debut "Here Be Monsters" is
a well crafted darkly brooding album which features
perhaps the best song I've heard since 2000, with
"God Protect Your Soul". Critics raved about it and
said it was a masterpiece. Yet, for some reason he
just plunged into obscurity. Although, I did see one
of his video's on mtv, once.

Juliana Hatfield doesn't get enough props as a great songwriter.

The Associates.
Billy MacKenzie's voice seduced the devils of Hell while seranading the angels of Heaven's choir.

mrdespues said:

With you on that one.

BMX Bandits.
Bev. Knight
High Llamas

NWF said:

I'm surprised anybody here has heard of them. I still have the 12" of Danceability.

Number23 said:

An all time Top Of The Pops classic clip was Billy miming to Party Fears Two whilst sat on a stool wearing an airline pilot's uniform. Hilarious and cool at the same time.
R.I.P. Billy!

pacey68 said:

They were so awesome. I'm trying to get more info on them. I don't even know what they look like.

1p1p1i3 said:

I'm listening to Snowbug right now...this album is absolutely sublime on every level, and it doesn't hurt to have Latitia from Stereolab along for the ride either...this is one of my favorite winter albums - delicious...

Another great unsung band was a group from the early 80's called The Higsons. They were a punk/funk/new wave group from Norwich, U.K. and were briefly on the 2-Tone label. They are one of the best and most underrated punk/funk/dance bands I've ever heard. They were also considered the British equivalent of the Talking Heads. Anyone whose ears, minds and hearts are open will be interested.

I don't think Killing Joke gets enough mention when it comes to discussion of 80's postpunk Brit outfits... a few of the music review books I have omit them completely.

Maybe they're talked about a little more now that people like Dave Grohl are going on record as being big fans/playing with them... but I don't know.

pacey68 said:

NWF said:

LOOK AT MY SIGNATURE!!!

Anxiety said:

Damn right!

Add Stereolab to the list

NWF said:

I remember them well. I have a couple of singles by them. Charlie Higson went onto bigger things with The Fast Show comedy series on BBC ( If you didn't know that already )

Here are some artists who never made it big but should've (and some that are up-n-coming who need some extra promotion).

Daniel Johnston

Roky Erickson (lead singer of the 13th Floor Elevators)

Damien Rice (he hasn't caught on in America yet but he's huge in Europe. This cat's album is simply...beyond words.)

Neko Case (the love of my life.)

Pale Saints (4AD's forgotten masters of shoegaze)

CJ & Co. (These guys perfected disco. Plus, their lone hit was recorded in the town where I live [Dearborn, MI])

Reagan Youth (one of the best hardcore bands...and I only know a few people who've heard of them)

I've gotta mention Tragic Mulatto, a weird art-punk band from the late '80s that had album titles like "Hot Man Pussy" and "Chartreuse Toulouse", and had an enormous lesbian lead singer named Flatula Lee Roth who screamed like a banshee and played tuba. The band used to end shows by having sex with each other onstage until the venue owners got wise to it and then Tragic Mulatto would always have to perform with a police escort. I have no idea why they broke up, they seemed like such a stable band......but the music was fantastic, especially their supersexy cover of "Whole Lotta Love".

Mercury Rev... adored by their fanbase of critics, but have yet to be revealed to the public at large.

Vanessa Daou
Ephraim Lewis
Dead Can Dance -- very loyal insular following, but should have enjoyed the crossover appeal that other groups (less interesting ones, in my opinion) like Enigma garnered

I think I've mentioned Killer Pussy before. They were a cheezy New Wave band from the early 80's. Think of them as a more perverted, twisted version of The B-52's. Y'all gotta listen to their track, "Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage".

Stephen Malkmus

Whether it is for his work as the frontman of Pavement, or as leader of his new band The Jicks...this man deserves loads of credit for his songwriting, guitar-play and singing!

steve earle
the screaming trees
the smithereens
sir douglas quintet
uncle tupelo
izzy stradlin

and about a million different blues artists...

EllisDee said:

Number23 said:

He had a great voice.

And then he died.

IstenSzek said:

AaronUniversal said:

Jeff Tweeney ---> YES!---> WILCO!

What about Imani Coppola? She had this Alternative hip-hop album back in '98 but she never really took off with it. Shame too, because I liked her album, Chupacabra. I thought it was destined to be a worldwide smash, but it only earned her cult status.

I'd say Gil Scott-Heron, Digable Planets, Downtown Science, Fleming & John, Shuggie Otis (his recent resurgence notwithstanding), off the top of the dome.

EllisDee said:

I just bought that Izzy Stradlin tape (yes. TAPE. it was on sale. One Buck.) And I was thoroughly unimpressed. I really expected more, but the mix is intentionally burying his voice behind a wall of other stuff. I felt like every song was a good idea that just got ran through the studio before getting worked into a full song.

Andy Taylor's solo effort impressed me more - the songs were full songs and he was mixed in front of everything.

And Keith Richards voice was mixed loud so everyone could hear how bad he was singing... which made HIS solo record all the more endearing, um, if you dig guys that sing bad, and, uh, if you do, then CHECK OUT MY SHIT!

www.soundclick.com/ultrasound