Hidden Treasure


What albums do you have that the band or artist just never got the attention or airplay to take off. But you still play all the time. A couple of mine are Henry Gross Plug Me Into Something, Elf Elf, and Robert Johnson Close Personal Friend. Not “The” Robert Johnson. Love these albums are play them at least once a month. What are your Hidden Treasures?
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I've been listening to the Budgie album "Bandolier" since 1975. My sister had it on 8-track and I used to listen on the family console stereo. I have it today on CD and vinyl LP and I listen to it a couple of times a year and still love it. Is it nostalgia, or is it good? You tell me.....
Misunderstanding, sorry, I was referring to Jonatha Brooke, not Shawn, when I mentioned ballet dancing.
@david12 ,

I did not that about SC. I've been a huge fan for years. Saw her in a local club years ago, she was alone and acoustic.
I know she had her demons early with alcohol. She was married to John Leventhal, right? Who is now Rosanne Cash' husband.

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I have ordered two of them.

My suggestion,

Jonatha Brooke, any album at all.

I saw her on a whim a few years ago and along with Shawn Colvin, it was one of the best concerts I've been to. great songwriter and voice, sings with real heart. She started life as a ballet dancer, believe it or not.

Greg Kihn Band "Kihntinued"

just take my word for it

@boxer12,

BTW,. your mentioning LOW recently, had me pulling out my lps. I realized this band is needs much more of my attention. I think I have 4 or 5 of their lps in my cart.

Happy Listening!
Thanks slaw, Rituals sounds like the type of music I love & is now on my "must purchase" list. 

Another hidden gem is a band called "Forest for the trees". I just bought this one yesterday afternoon & it is incredible if you're into a "kind off" psychedelic alternative rock band. Unfortunately it looks like they only put out one album.   
Other Lives. An interesting band. I own three of their lps. I’m listening to "Rituals" now. Hard to describe them. I’ll say this, when you sit down to listen, you my be tempted at first to take the lp off, but before you know it, the side is finished and you wonder what just happened? On "Rituals", you become immersed in the music as it washes over you.
"When I Get My Hands On You" from the album The New Basement TapesBased on Bob Dylan's lyrics :)
@ghosthouse ,

I bought The Blue Nile "Men With Hats" when I flew to Texas to visit my brother a long time ago. I had to visit record stores while I was there, of coarse.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Orenda Fink "Blue Dream"
Tanita Tikaram "Closer To The People"
Starflyer 59  (anything)
Joan As Policewoman (anything)
Amanda Shires (anything)
Thanks ghosthouse, I'll check out  David Baerwald
Another gem is Mirah. Listening to her album "Advisory Committee" right now. Beautiful & creative at the same time. 
In observance of the passing Aretha Franklin, I heartily recommend an album produced by her early Atlantic Records-period producer, the great Jerry Wexler. Wexler took Lou Ann Barton down to Muscle Shoals to record her Old Enough album, and it is mighty fine. Wexler was aided by an unlikely partner, Glenn Frey. Lou Ann is a white singer who has a real feel for Rhythm & Blues, and she works quite a bit with Jimmie Vaughan.
bdp24
+1 
"high performance gear is---for me at least, the means to an end. The deeper, more profound connection with and appreciation of music, not toys to play with" 

I’m not surprised ghosthouse, you’re one hip music lover! Hanging around hi-fi stores as I have since discovering component audio when I was 18 (I met a guy who had a Rek-O-Kut transcription table with a Shure M44 cartridge, H. H. Scott integrated amp and 2-way bookshelf speakers. I put together an AR table with M91e cartridge, Fisher X-100 integrated amp, and AR 4X speaker system), I soon realized that though I shared a passion for the high quality reproduction of music, my taste in music didn’t much align with many of the guys I met in hi-shops. My taste was that of a musician, and none of the players I knew/know gave/give a damn about hi-fi.

For me, the greatest thing about AudiogoN is that it’s participants are not just passionate about the high quality reproduction of music, but also very sophisticated and informed about music itself. I don’t like to see audiophilia referred to as a hobby; high performance gear is---for me at least, the means to an end. The deeper, more profound connection with and appreciation of music, not toys to play with.

@bdp24 
Check out the 4th entry (back on May 12) after the OP kicked things off.

A great topic! I could name a few hundred, but off the top of my head:

- Julianna Raye: Something peculiar. An album of great pop songs produced by Jeff Lynne. Really cool.

- Michael Kelsh: Well Of Mercy. A great singer/songwriter, produced by Rodney Crowell.

- The Fraternal Order Of The All: Greetings From Planet Love. The group name and album title is a tip-off to the tongue-in-cheek nature of this incredible album. A really well done pastiche’ to the unintentionally laughable late-60’s Psychedelic period of Rock music. Expertly done by Andrew Gold.

- The Flamin’ Groovies: Shake Some Action. Not that obscure, but if you haven’t heard this album, you NEED to! The Groovies combined the basics of 50’s Rock ’n’ Roll and 60’s British Invasion to create a sound all their own. Produced by the incredible Dave Edmunds.

- Speaking of Edmunds, his early albums are insanely great. Rockpile (album title, not his later band with Nick Lowe) is pure 50’s Rock ’n’ Roll, Subtle As A flying Mallet a collection of delicious Pop (and some R & R) produced in Phil Spector Wall-Of-Sound style. His 3rd album---Get It (the title, not an order ;-)---is his masterpiece. Absolutely fantastic, in my Top 10 albums of-all-time list.

- The Dwight Twilley Band: Sincerely. Their debut album, the best melding of Elvis and The Beatles you’ve (probably) never heard. The great trio of Twilley on vocals and rhythm guitar and piano, Phil Seymour on vocals and drums, and Bill Pitcock IV on incendiary lead guitar (playing a Gibson 335 into a pair of Fender Deluxe Reverb’s on 10. FANTASTIC tone!). If you like Tom Petty, you should love this. Tom can be seen playing bass in the videos The DTB made for the album.

@boxer12
FWIW (you might already know)...one of the Davids (Baerwald) has some solo stuff that is worth checking out. The other David (Ricketts) has been musically active (as per Wikipedia) but more of a behind the scenes guy with some impressive production and co-writing credits to his name. You are right, however, no follow up to their excellent Boomtown album.

ghosthouse
I bought David & David also when it came out. Love that album. Shame they didn't follow up with anything.
The Blue Nile - Men With Hats
The whole thing here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=(PLgtOYAIvc8d3ll0OzJHU-TzL2WigTsJsq

The Good Rats - from their S/T debut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-mCsE4fhuM&frags=pl%2Cwn

The Standard - Swimmer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kshmTeZy1Rc&frags=pl%2Cwn
(also their albums Albatross and Wire Post to Wire)

@boxer12 - Thanks for bringing this thread back to the surface. Agree with your David & David. Lived in Houston when Boomtown was getting some airplay. Talk about timely social commentary. Great song too.
Pretty much all of Mark Lanegan's  offerings. Very talented musician that knows how to put a band together. 
Thea Gilmore. I recently discovered her and looking at he discograpy she has been around a while. Of the two lps I now own, she seems to have the respect of artists that are willing to work on her projects. She definately has the (voice) and song writing capability. Check out "The Counterweight"
Godley & Creme - Consequences

Well worth hunting down and listening to the whole thing.  A great "radio play" musical.
Here are a few:   :-)
Clem Snide
Lambchop
Bardo Pond
Jason Molina
The White Fronts
David & David
Stereolab
Sea and Cake
A Minor Forest
Acid Mother Temple
Grandmothers
Starless and Bible Black
Do Make Say Think
Windsor for the derby
Mono
The Barr Brothers
Brightblack Morning Light
Barn Owl
Green on Red
Jack Waterson
Akron Family
Apse Climb Up
Monroe Mustang
Lone Justice
The Lucksmiths
Hangedup
The Knitters
Maximilian Heckter
High Places
The Gentle Waves
Sue Garner
Pavement
Opal
Tanakh
Kiln
The Baptist Generals
Fluke
Dig
Frente
French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson
Eddie from Ohio

Good to see you - slaw.it was rumored that Dave Matthews helped Jack break into the music business. Not quite sure why DM did not provide JJ with his PR and AR people? Anyway, we have excellent albums from Jack.

Happy Listening!
@jafant 

I own his first 3 lps as well. For one reason or another, I stopped there.
 My lp copy of "In Between Dreams" is a stunner in SQ!
 reubent I too love Americana. I will follow up with your recommendation of The Rainmakers. Thank you.
@jafant - I love Jack johnson. He's just so natural........

@slaw @bander - The BoDeans live album is a true gem. I think I prefer every one of the live versions to the original studio track. But, I heard the live versions first, so that might be the reason.

Here's a good one for you - The Rainmakers - "The Good News and the Bad News". I love Americana and this is one of my favorite Americana/Midwestern records. 

And here's one of my all -time favorites that did not gain major exposure - dada - "Puzzle" Just a fantastic rock album.
I know I own a Bodeans lp, just having trouble locating it at the moment..
@waltersalas

The Timbuk 3 is a GEM!!!

I had mentioned it around a year ago on a music thread.

You may be my other brother in music...…….
Hirth Martinez: Big Bright Street
Robinella and the CC String Band 
Roseanne Cash: Rules of Travel
Supertramp - "Brother Where You Bound?"

Easily my favorite Supertramp album, for both music and sound quality. This album has drive and dynamics that are missing from the other Supertramp albums. It sounds absolutely fantastic. And it doesn't have that girlie voiced, whiney, wimpy sounding Roger Hodgson, so that right there is an improvement.

Anyway, It rocks! and It's just a great record. If you can find the 45 rpm 12" direct to disk single of Cannonball, get it! It's truly remarkable.
Well...

Allman Brothers  "Enlightened Rogues"

Why? Their most unrelated, their most (not talked about) GREAT record!

That's why.

Hell yeah! Cleaning it now.
The album Tantilla by House of Freaks.  Bare-bones rock duo with some incredibly vivid lyrics and some inspired musical composition and energetic performance.  Tragically the guitarist and lead singer Bryan Harvey was brutally murdered along with his family in a random attack, cutting the group’s work far shorter than it should have been.  
Ruffner opened for Page at Starplex in Dallas September of 88. He was billed as Mason Ruffner and the Tailgaters I believe was a long time ago. 
If I recall correctly (without digging out the record) Jimmy Page produced the Gypsy Blood album.  Didn't know Mason toured with JP.  

Second Mason Ruffner saw him open for Jimmy Page in 85 or 86 in Dallas. Was great. 
Not enough attention, plaudits, respect, love, airplay, $ - at least in my O-pinion:
Dwight Twilley
Greg Kihn (The Greg Kihn Band)
Mason Ruffner - Gypsy Blood
Shawn Phillips - Faces
Smash Palace