Suggest one obsure album we all should hear

@whart

I fell hard for your recommendation of Kahvas Jute – Wide Open.

Have to ask if you have the OG and or the German Re-Issue. There is really not much out there hence my query..

@djohn- at this point, I have the German reissue, which is fine and gettable for around $60 or so US. The OG is a big leap--there is one on Discogs now, asking 4 figures. I usually don’t pay that kind of money for any record. I’ve found that if I’m patient, I can sometimes land such a record much cheaper-- but I don’t like noisy or scratched records. So, at this point, unless you won the lottery or similar, I guess I’d recommend the German reissue from 1994. You will see a comment on Discogs from someone who said the OG is far more vivid. That would not surprise me. Great record, eh? Good hunting. This is part of the fun. :)

PS: stay very far away from the Akarma reissue-- those records are of questionable provenance and are uniformly bad sounding. 

@whart

Thank You for the explanation. This is all that I desired to hear that the Geman Re-Issue is Fine. Off to the Hunt.

There is a typo in your rec since it should be Kahvas Jute - Wide Open. I found the LP using Wide Open solely on discogs to find it.

Thanks again.

My 2 cents: 'That's the Way I Feel Now', a Thelonius Monk tribute double album from the 70's. Most of the artists covering Monk tunes, or should I say re-imagining them, are well known (eg Joe Jackson, Todd Rundgren, Peter Frampton, Dr John, NRBQ), but the album appears to be a rarity. There is a good CD too, also OOP, but it omits some of the wilder efforts of John Zorn and others.

Tony Bird of Paradise

Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy

Kalabi - Bloomin

il:lo - Meliadi

Khruangbin - Mr. White

Eric Hilton - Who are You?

Tor - Floxglove

Gary B - Passengers

Tycho - Simulcast

Yppah - Eighty One

Mathew Halsall Joyful Spirits of the Universe

Brothertiger - Fundamentals, Vol. II

A Forest Mighty Black - Mellowdramatic

Goose - Ted Tapes 2021

Not really sure what qualifies as "obscure," as it is a relative term... but if you've only heard Springsteen's BTR and later albums, you're missing his best, imo:  The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle.

Or, when was the last time you heard John Denver...?  How about Rocky Mountain High album... 

Not really obscure if you're a Willie Nelson fan, but if you're not familiar, then: Red Headed Stranger or his gorgeous album Stardust... 

Simon and Garfunkle: Bookends.

And for you rockers, better than their BTO Greatest Hits album(s): Bachman Turner Overdrive: Not Fragile

T Rex: Electric Warrior

and I violated the question, which asked for one album.

Well, thanks, everybody, for the list... just mining this list is going to be a lot of fun.

one more, just one:

has a raw "spooky" quality >> Buddy Holly: From The Original Master Tapes

Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band (self-titled)

Within the Miles Davis catalog, “Get Up With It” is pretty obscure. And it’s awesome.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

Lots to choose from, these come to mind at the moment since I’m listening to Trentemoller right now…

Trentemoller - Late Night Tales

Bonobo - Late Night Tales

Phantogram - Eyelid Movies

Trifonic - Emergence

THE WORD OF LIFE  FURTHER AHEAD

To The Heart - Mark-Almond Band

Be careful - that is Billy Cobham on the skins and there are runs on this album that will blow you away. I'm on my third copy and still looking for one more...

Adrian Belew Young Lions....Randy Newman Good Old Boys an absolute masterpiece from start to finish

This should not be obscure but may not be widely heard by the general public: Astral Weeks by Van Morrison. Another favorite of mine, Hot Tuna, with Hesitation Blues. It was recorded live and at one point you can hear a glass breaking!

@wmbray123 

Thumbs up on Astral Weeks.  Much better album overall than Moondance.

@Almosthome

Thanks for the reminder about The Mark-Almond Band. Can't believe I forgot about them.

"Terence Boylan" and "Suzy" - Terence Boylan

Musical guests and top session players includes: Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Steve Luthaker, Jeff Pocaro, Don Henley, Tomothy B Schmit, Don Felder, Jeff Gordon, Victor Feldman, Jeff Baxter, Donald Fagen, Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Chuck Rainey, Jay Graydon, John Klemmer, Max Bennett, John Guerin and Al Kooper.  

@wmbray123 

That Hot Tuna album (first) is not only great music, but the remastered edition with all of the tape his s removed should really be on everyone's list of demonstration discs. Jack Casady's bass is the best sounding and most realistic bass that I have ever heard on my system. I listen to it frequently. 

@mitchagain - I got to see Russ Kunkel and Leland Sklar a few weeks ago backing Lyle Lovett here at ACL in Austin. I knew them from the old days, it was great to hear them. Still in top form. 

I'll throw one more down- Brian Davison, Every Which Way- it sounds like early Traffic, blues shouter, rock, jazz. The U.S. Mercury pressing is fine and shouldn't cost big. Davison was the drummer for The Nice and put this one and done together after Keith Emerson left to go to ELP. It is from the period, has the mojo and sounds good. 

The Hindu Love Gods eponymously named album. Warren Zevon backed b REM in a rather “relaxed” state laying down some standards in remarkable form. Really informal and never intended for release and all the better for it. Both Warren and REM show what they can really do when they cut loose.

Kansas City Jammers - Got Good If You Get It

Kinda hard to find but worth it. A local Maryland band from the early ‘70s, and this their only album.  But it sounds so polished.

Pete Townshend Secret Policeman’s Ball

We can’t forget Tom Lehrer, That Was The Year That Was.

I think if Frank Zappa and Kiss and maybe steely Dan had a kid it would be THE TUBES.  I'm thinking of Zappas humor and irreverence with Kiss stage theatrics with some fine smooth and tight musicianship of Steely Dan.  The album; NOW. Released 1977. Strung out on Strings,  Hit Parade and a cover of Sinatra's This Town...  Gooood and Snappy

Maybe not obsure but very good nonetheless

Joe Bonamassa Official - "The Rose" - Live At Carnegie Hall

McDonald and Giles.

King Crimson vets. Bailed to make their own album...

Can’t stop listening to Watertown by Sinatra (1970) the past few weeks. 
It’s more akin to Lou Reed’s Berlin than what most think of in regards to Sinatra.

Bob Gaudio (‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’ - and many other Four Seasons hits -  ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Any More’ by The Walker Brothers among his many songwriting credits) and Jake Holmes (‘Dazed and Confused,’ one of the many songs Jimmy Page plagiarized in his career) are the songwriters.

Simultaneously sounding like Scott Walker late-‘60s pop-rock and every bit Frank Sinatra, it is a Berlin-esque “concept” album (but much more focused and linear in its narrative than Berlin) that chronicles a small-town, middle class guy’s life after his wife leaves him and their two young boys to go live in the big city.

Insanely great music, tremendous lyrics, and an ‘actor’ as good as any at completely inhabiting the role to the marrow, Sinatra.  Empathy, dignity, beauty, it’s all there.  It’s amazing that he was so willing to make such a dramatic departure, and have it sound like not a departure at all.  What an artist.

Lucifer's Friend - Banquet

@16f4 - Where in MD are they from? I'm asking because I'm originally from Silver Spring.... 

Not really sure. One source says they were from Ohio, another one says they performed in MD. I heard one of the band members taught at UMD for a while. But again, not much out there about them. Good album, though. And it is on Qobuz. 

Andrew Gold - Greetings from Planet Love - Fraternal Oder of the All.

Each song sounds like a different supergroup: Beatles, Beach Boys, 

Byrds, The Doors.  Absolutely brilliant,. 

Bruce  Willis  return of Bruno 

Hirth Martinez: Big Bright Street

"Pure" by The Golden Palominos 

Obscure to me anyways.

They released a dozen or more albums and were known for never having a consistant "sound".  They were headed by a drummer and most members played a few months or years...being rotated out.

This album,  released in 1994, sounds like a 70's, psychedelic, porno movie score. For some reason I really like it.

"Pure", "No Skin" ... and the following tracks on through the end of the album are great.

The Headboys eponymously titled album. 

@jrosemd: Yeah, Greetings From Planet Love is one of the most amazing albums I’ve ever heard (I nominated it earlier in the thread), and by far the best parody of Psychedelic music ever done. Very creative, and spot on. Andrew Gold was a very talented guy, but not a real pleasant one (I made his acquaintance in the late-90’s). Though the album is the work of Andrew, the album is officially credited to "The Fraternal Order Of The All", a name perfectly suiting the album ;-) .

Sorry @slaw, CD only. I doubt VMP will be issuing THIS album on LP!

Black Kangaroo by Peter Kaukonen. He is Jorma's little brother and only released one full studio album, but it is INCREDIBLE! 

@16f4 ​@larsman  - About Kansas City Jammers...

I did a google search and there is a YouTube video of KCJ doing a reunion concert at Gray Chapel at Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, Ohio). Here's the description from YouTube. Looks like they are from Ohio...

Jan 21, 2010 The Kansas City Jammers reunited Jan. 16 to perform in Gray Chapel at Ohio Wesleyan University.

This video shows highlights of the bands concert. Members Jasey Schnaars (OWU Class of 1972), Geoff Grief and Bullet Bob Thompson (both OWU Class of 1971) decided to reunite after their early 1970s album gained popularity on the Internet. In April, the Jammers plan to auction a private concert on eBay, with proceeds going to Ohio Wesleyan.

The Both - Ted Leo and Aimee Mann. Genius.

@reubent - Thank you for that.... I was just interested in the Maryland connection, though; always interested in what's come out of my state of origin! 

Jonathan Richman's Jonathan Goes County - the best country album by a non country artist - and with absolutely hilarious cover art!

Mine is "Direct to Disc" by Toronto band FM. An instrumental electronic kind of Jazz fusion feel I've always loved for it's truly original and different sound. 2 tracks only,, "Headroom I Tyra Reflection" and "Border Crossing I the first movement and Ii do be second movement".

Michael Torsone's:  "Nail It!"  A rockin' boppin' organ playing extravaganza.

Little Feat (Waiting for Columbus) - Well recorded double live

Natalie Merchant (MTV Unplugged)

Dixie Dregs (Unsung Heroes) - All instrumental