Recommendations: Non-Canonical

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Recommendations: Outside the Canon!

(notice I avoided any 'Rockist' terms such as 'best', 'greatest' or 'favorite')
Preamble: Although I am usually a mean-spirited cynic, I just want to say for the record, that what you are about to read is written (and is meant to be read) in a polite voice of sincere inquiry.

As an olive branch/mea culpa to those who think I'm some sort of Rockist Prick...let me state my Mission Statement:
I do understand why Sterling Clover and everyone else thinks my blasphemous List is a blinkered, mind-narrowing tool which will prevent me from finding truly new and interesting music. I really do. You magnanimously want to steer me away from the same stale canon and toward truly unappreciated music. Thank you. I gots lots of love for the 'Madness Method' People. And I'm hoping that their completely free-spirited "whatever-tickles-my-random-whim-of-the-moment" explorations have been fruitful for them. And your discoveries will help me. Now...I'd like to know about any NON-CANONICAL, NEVER BEEN ON ANY SMUG MUSIC CRITICS TOP 100 OF ALL TIME LIST albums. So...my little self-inflicted "audio guinea pigs"...what cool things NEVER get respect when Rockist Snobs gather like bacteria? To give you an idea of what I mean...I've already nominated the utterly obscure Wishlist by the Falling Joys. And I'd also like to nominate whichever Tom Tom Club album contains the wonderous forgotten single "Suboceana" Okay. Now a non-diplomatic aside... rem diplomatic mode=off Oh, and whoever the Anonymous Coward is that sent me that unprovoked nastygram yersterday can bite my ass like a rabid doberman. Lighten up, spanky...it's just pop culture. It's not worth having an embolism over. rem diplomatic mode=on Now that we are all friends again...let the games begin!

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

so many threads, which should I reply too..

― Jeff, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lord, you should check out the Chameleons. Their first album 'Script of the Bridge' is straight-through incredible, and I cannot believe they're not talked about more than they are. Melancholic but uplifting post-punk-y stuff with great guitar layering. I think you'd really like it.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've no idea what Sterling thinks of your threads in general Lord C - BUT I do know that he shares my irritation that after comparatively excellent 60s/70s/80s threads your 90s overrated/underrated thread turned so monotonous. That was hardly your fault though!

― Tom, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Clarke, stealing my thunder like that. I shall therefore abuse you. ;-)

Disco Inferno haven't been talked about enough. Neither have Menswe@r, for very different reasons. Hie thee hence.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I was going to say Disco Inferno are a bit of an obvious choice for ILM, but you're right, Ned, they don't seem to get talked about that much on here. I have a feeling they might not even have had the C or D treatment yet.

― RickyT, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mebbe it was still too early to do a 90s thread. I guess that it was still too recent, and not enough time has passed to see what will "stand the test of time."

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

why does everything have to stand the test of time? we're not in the fucking dark ages here, if you want to hear some new music you go buy some new records.

― ethan, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mebbe it was still too early to do a 90s thread.

Maybe, but I think the problem was that most posters couldn't think past Beck and Radiohead.

I have a different problem with this question, in that it seems identical to me to the underrated half of your over/under threads. So, whatever I said in those...

And what is this obsession with albums?

― Jeff, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"We Can Do It" - the Rubettes

"Mud Rock" - Mud

"Cucumber Castle" - The Bee Gees

― Dr. C, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Posit a list of all non-cannonical items. By virtue of its uniqueness, the list itself is non-cannonical. However, if the list were to be in a list, then it would become part of a canon. Therefore, is the list a member of itself?

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...And what is this obsession with albums?

Because singles are a waste of space and money and are a nightmare to keep track of.

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...as we disappear into our own navels...

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

why does everything have to stand the test of time? we're not in the fucking dark ages here, if you want to hear some new music you go buy some new records.

Because albums that "stand the test of time" tend to stay in print, and are therefore easier to find, buy and enjoy.

― Lord Custos, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

here's a few records that no one has heard that should be heard more:
Andy Kim - Baby I Love You & How'd We Ever Get This Way - practically unknown bubblegum/softpop records from guy who later had big hit with "Rock Me Gently"

Claudine Longet - Run Wild, Run Free, We've Only Just Begun, & Let's Spend the Night Together - her albums got weirder at the end. I suppose she does have a cult following, but these haven't made any best of's most likely...

Astrud Gilberto - Astrud Gilberto (September 17, 1969) & I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do - farily hard to find pop outings from the bossa nova queen. If you like her voice you will like these, if you like the Longet records above you probably will like these two. Rad version of "Light My Fire" on the former lp.

This is just late 60s early 70s bizarre stuff that I dig. It's certainly non-canonical. I can probably dig out some gems from the 80's and 90's too if you want...

― g, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

someone mentioned mud, I guess they are more well known/hated in the UK, but their cover of Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy!" is great. It sounds kind of like spiritualized...

― g, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

another one for ya - Bay City Rollers. All the Bell stuff (first five records or so) have their moments. Worth checking out.

― g, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Custos if we say it's good it's just a new canon you're adhering to. Right?

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Whatever you do, don't buy a Bruce Willis album!

Some of my faves, that are not usually mentioned (and remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder):
*Go-Betweens - Tallulah (OK, sometimes mentioned)
*Hamell on Trial - The Chord is Mightier than the Sword
*Scrawl - Travel On, Rider
*John Cale - Walking on Locusts
*Chris Smither - Small Revelations
*Tin Huey - Disinformation
*New Rob Robbies - Pure Whore
*XTC - The Big Express
*My Dad is Dead - The Taller You Are, The Shorter You Get
*Gun Club - Mother Juno
*Opal - Happy Nightmare, Baby
*Golden Palominos - This is How it Feels (Amazing CD highly recommended)br>

There are tons more - but they may be considered part of the canon.

― Dave225, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't think there is such a thing as non-canonical music anymore because the chances are that any artist that anyone mentions will have already been canonised on a website or in a book or magazine. There are already established canons for strange music, bad music, obscure music etc. etc. Ever since the easy-listening revival of the mid-90s it has been possible to justify listening to absolutely anything.

Here's some of my favourites that used to be non-canonical. 1. The "Space Age Pop" series compiled by Irwin Chusid. 2. Jacques Dutronc's eponymous album from 1968 which includes the song "Il Est Cinq Heures, Paris S'Eveille". 3. A compilation on the Magic label of records by a 1960s French singer called Pussy Cat.

― Mark Dixon, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

1. "The Last Days at The Ranch" by The Romans. LA "alt country" before "alt country", except good. From '86, supposed to be reissued in some form.

2. Everything The Geraldine Fibbers ever put out.

― dan, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Custos if we say it's good it's just a new canon you're adhering to. Right?

No, because we aren't famous music critics. Nobody -- not even each other -- takes us seriously.

― Lord Custos, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And thus you inscribe yourself out of the discourse of culture. Semantic suicide, if you ask me.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's one of my many magickal powers.

― Lord Custos, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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