Some unjustly neglected records

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I suppose i am what is termed as a lurker on I love Music- i read all the questions and am enthralled by the responses, and by how trendy and knowledgeable people are, so i am somewhat afraid of my timid comments. So I hope you will permit me to mention a few records I think have never been mentioned and which I think have some merits, indeed I love these all actually. Forgive me as this is my first English attempt at music criticism. I would be very gratified to see if anyone enjoys these records also, and have any comments to make!

1. Monochrome Set-Eligible Bachelors
This is purely great entertainment rather than great music-but full of goood tunes and inimitable singing by Bid a perfect English gentleman though indeed I think he is Indian. Its lovely and I can nearly sing along to all of it-its that type of feel good sound. Its quite saucy too I believe.

2. Its Imaterial-Lifes Hard
THis is extraordinary I feel-the singing is deep and half spoken the rhythms are jerky and unusual, and its really well produced-plenty of space and silences to bring out the darkness of thhe sound. I would recommend this a lot!Even harmonicas make sense in this context!

3. Generation X-The Valley of the Dolls
Now I am the last person to like Billy Idol, but this is really excellent-a perfect mixtyure of glam and mod and punk, and Billy sings as if he really means every word. Its like a vision of teenage delusion. Its got some lovely guitars too, acoustic mixed with electric, and some lovely popppy songs -eg Fridays Angels, English Dream. tHe group look sexy too on the sleeve. I bought their first LP too on the strength of this but its awful heavy metal so I'll stick to this.

4. Felt-Me and a Monkey on the Moon
Now Felt are rightly praised as the perfect post punk confection, but this LP has been neglected. Trust Felt to go against the grain but this is a country rock LP with guitar solos, and all the songs are completely gorgeous, lovely harmonies and very honest and sad lyrics. THis is a perfect end to the Felt story-how could they top this so they split up? SAd but wonderful. Some of the Denim first Lp sounds like outtakes from this, but this is perfectly self contained as it is.

5. Trembling Blue Stars-Her Handwriting
Now this has been termed stalker pop-I'm not exactly sure what it means but it is the sad cry of a broken relationship-and all the songs are delightful, and completely different-Cure type pop, languid St Etienne style trance, jangly guitars, Beatles style arrangements. Wonderfully produced by Ian Catt, a real neglected genuis if there was ever one, i think every one whose ever been dumped should listen to this. Is Bob Wratten the best songwriter of the nineties? This Lp proves it.

6.Teardrop Explodes-Kilimanjaro
Very underated, you never see this in critics lists, but every song is a gem, urgent rhythms, sweet melodies, earnest singing, lots of enjoyable moments. I can sing every song of this too "BRAVE BOYS KEEP THEIR PROMISES"-VERY TRUE!

What could be finer? LOvely rich guitars
Other great groups that are never mentioned om ILM-Fantastic Something, Razorcuts,Blueboy, Comsat Angels, Mojave 3, Predfab Sprout, The Porcupine Tree, I guess theres a pattern developing here so I'll stop! PLease someone post something aboit these groups. Any comments gratefully devoured! I have no one to talk to about music..

― Liliya, Thursday, 24 October 2002 19:10 (twenty-one years ago) link

unjustly neglected classix:

AZ, Music for Scattered Brains (SG Research, SGR001) LP
Babylon Dance Band, Four on One (Matador, OLE-033-1) LP
Chris Burn/John Butcher, Fonetiks (Bead, 24) LP
Crain, Speed (Auomatic Wreckords, 1) LP
Harley Gaber, The Winds Rise in the North (Titanic, Ti 16-17) 2LP
Metamatics, s/t (Dischord/Slowdime, DIS 105.5/Slowdime No. 1) LP
Ovary Lodge, s/t (RCA, SF 8372) LP
Pylon, Gyrate (DB Recs, db54) LP
Ios Smolders, No Is E Monocle (Quiet Artworks, 07) LP

― hstencil, Thursday, 24 October 2002 19:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

Felicity to thread!

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 24 October 2002 19:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

This is Ukranian Liliya, right? I always love your posts. I'm a big fan of the 2nd Generation X album, too. It's got a little Springsteen in there, too.

― Arthur (Arthur), Thursday, 24 October 2002 20:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

"The Blind Leading The Naked" Violent Femmes, which is so ignored so much because of the debut album, but its still their finest work. No other piece of music made before or since sounds anything like it.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 24 October 2002 21:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

I love the way that Cope sings "you" and "few."

― Aaron W, Thursday, 24 October 2002 21:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

You don't hear a lot about "Peggy Suicide" nowadays, but by my lights it's a work of genius. As were his autobiographies.

Bless my cotton socks,
TMFTML
http://intonation.blogspot.com

― TMFTML (TMFTML), Thursday, 24 October 2002 22:23 (twenty-one years ago) link

her handwriting is a wonderful wonderful record, it's stalker because one could see how his ex-girl would feel uncomfortable listening to bob open up their relationship to the world(especially when he went to do another record about her). it is a beautiful expression of sadness.

― keith (keithmcl), Thursday, 24 October 2002 23:45 (twenty-one years ago) link

Indeed, Her Handwriting is Bob Wratten's best work.

Another criminally neglected record is The Dukes Of Hang-gliding's My Cinema. This is a brilliant record.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 24 October 2002 23:53 (twenty-one years ago) link

This is Ukranian Liliya, right? I always love your posts.

Let me second that. Great to see you around here again! I very much like your takes on the albums, even if I've not heard some of them in particular. :-)

This week I've been obsessing over the Chameleons, but rather than picking out one of theirs -- it would almost seem too obvious to me at this point! -- let me suggest No-Man's Returning Jesus. As suffused with all the delicate restraint and beauty of, say, late Talk Talk without specifically sounding like it -- it's the type of record that is as much a vocal-piano duet as it is an ambient orchestration masterpiece -- it's miles away from where the band started and helped confirm with me that Tim Bowness is the most underrated English singer of the nineties. Everyone over there now who wants to be Jeff Buckley is as nothing compared to him.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 25 October 2002 01:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

Never got the Chameleons - they just seem to lack any essential something that makes me want to ever hear them again, quite unlike Kilimanjaro which is a great album. Sadly the enst Teardrops one was mainly lame apart from Passionate Friend and the Great Dominions.

Much as I like Felt Me And A Monkey never really grabbed me - though maybe I'll go back to it based on your recomendation.

― tigerclawskank, Friday, 25 October 2002 10:32 (twenty-one years ago) link

Always pleased to see Blueboy mentioned on ILM. Wonderful crystalline pop with the sweetest girl vocals you’ll ever hear. Another Sarah band that never gets mentioned is the Orchids. And damn, I still need to get that Trembling Blue Stars record.

― JC (JC A.), Friday, 25 October 2002 17:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

and am enthralled by the responses, and by how trendy and knowledgeable people are

True, how true, thanks for noticing.

― Sean (Sean), Friday, 25 October 2002 17:43 (twenty-one years ago) link

'Her Handwriting' is very pretty but I find it just a tad too much on the dewy-eyed, 'my perfect girlfriend's gone' bottom-lip trembling side for me.

― DavidM (DavidM), Friday, 25 October 2002 17:54 (twenty-one years ago) link

The Orchids are great, especially their singles, which is probably why I much prefer Epicurean to Unholy Soul.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 25 October 2002 22:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

i think another important "unjustly neglected record" is jawboxs' "for your own special sweetheart". still one of the most brilliant albums i've ever heard. i must admit that, unfortunately, i know little/nothing about the bands mentioned in the original question.

― dyson (dyson), Saturday, 26 October 2002 00:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

the Metamatics ! Did that ever get put on CD? I want to hear that again.. Speaking of Dischord, I vote for Circus Lupus and the Warmers s/t as both unfortunately overlooked & really quite excellent. I was a huge, huge fan of Six Finger Satellite's Severe Exposure.

Kristen Hersh's first solo record Hips and Makers is gorgeous too.

― daria g, Saturday, 26 October 2002 03:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

the Metamatics's discog was reissued this year by Troubleman.

― jack cole (jackcole), Saturday, 26 October 2002 03:27 (twenty-one years ago) link

Don't get me started on the gloriousness of various Sarah bands... suffice to say that "Her handwriting" took over from "Skywriting" as my favourite album of all time at some point during the late 90s, though I've not listened to it for ages - I find it too intense. (And hey, my copy's been signed by Bob Wratton).

― Rob M (Rob M), Saturday, 26 October 2002 09:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

Hey yes its me-Liliya-thanks for endowing me with a new name-Ukrainianliliya-I like it! I think I shall use it on my checquebook. I allways like to read critics lists of albums and am always disappointed when my favourites don't appear (eg Neds top records of the nineties) . I want to try to listen top the Voiolent Femmes, and the Chameleons too-I like in Shreds and On the Beach, the early gothy stuff really. Its really gratifying at least to know that people like some of these records-how about Monochrome Set or King of the Slums-more fascinating sounds from nineties (my erra). THanks for your responses. I do realise this makes me sound like sad girl from back of beyond without being trendy, but i'm quite nice and groovy really.

― Ukrainianliliya, Saturday, 26 October 2002 11:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

B-b-but doesn't everyone love The Comsat Angels? I seem to remember them mentioned frequently (and quite rightly so) on the top ten albums ever list we did recently.

Actually - is there anyone here who actually dislikes The Comsat Angels?

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Saturday, 26 October 2002 11:44 (twenty-one years ago) link

Until about 2 years ago, I didn't like them, based on having heard them just in the late 80s - something that sounded like, oh, Psychedelic Furs in decline. Now that I've heard their first 3 or 4 albums, I'm full of Comsat love just like everybody else.

― Curt (cgould), Saturday, 26 October 2002 16:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

i have never heard them. does that count?

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 26 October 2002 17:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

We shall free you from this ignorance. Weren't we doing a disc swap of something anyway?

Oh, before I forget, Tim -- the Chameleons shows this past week were glorious. Wish you coulda been here!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 26 October 2002 20:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

Julian Cope's work is unappreciated with The Teardrop Explodes and solo. Cope put out a couple of really good solo albums that went unnoticed.

Cluster 71, is also undervalued. What a great album. Yet many critics overlook Cluster when ever Krautrock/Space-Rock is mentioned.

Also the Soft Boys are overlooked. They were a fantastic band, with Hitchcock and Rew trading guitar lines and Morris pounding out a ridiculously muscular beat. Good times.

― juan, Saturday, 26 October 2002 20:54 (twenty-one years ago) link

I think Loop are highly, highly undervaluded, for the most part.

― Clarke B., Saturday, 26 October 2002 21:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

They might even be undervalued, too!

― Clarke B., Saturday, 26 October 2002 21:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

No, your original post does make more comparative sense. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 26 October 2002 21:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

I remember liking the Comsats back around 7 Day Weekend and Chasing Shadows, as they were the only records I could find of theirs in me ol hometown, but apparently neither of them are their best...and I so far haven't been bothered to track down the earlier and supposedly better stuff. But I still have happy memories of "Believe It", "The Thought That Counts" and a couple more.

Also, Jawbox's For Your Own Special Sweetheart r0X0r. I must go and get it again.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 26 October 2002 23:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

atta boy.

― dyson (dyson), Sunday, 27 October 2002 20:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

King of the slums - 'Barbarous English Fayre'
great screeching violins all over it.

― James Ball (James Ball), Monday, 28 October 2002 16:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

Hi, liliya! 'Kilimanjaro' (version with "Reward" on it) is fantastic! I also like The Monochrome Set, but I think by 1982 they'd started to lose it a bit. I much prefer 'Strange Boutique'.

But yeah, both bands' records are great to sing along to. Those other records sound good too.

― Jeff W, Monday, 28 October 2002 17:34 (twenty-one years ago) link

one year passes...

Colourbox 2 - Colourbox

― flowersdie (flowersdie), Wednesday, 16 June 2004 12:09 (nineteen years ago) link

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