Most UNDERRATED bands?

[Brother Dave]

The late great Chicago Blues-man Son Seals. An acquired taste to be sure, but a soulful Blues voice and piercing guitar tone. His album "Live and Burning" captured Blues club vibe and intensity for me. The early Alligator albums were more funky in my mind, especially the track " No, No, Baby" Son Seals is also awakened me to the playing of Johnny B. Gayden who played with Seals.

 

[39-Bassist]

Wow there are alot of bands...but off the top of my head is:
Riot & 707 are 2 bands that had very good music but not really as big as they could have been.

 

[the harp unstrung]

H

...saw The Mule with good friends and family at the Tabernacle in Atl last Autumn!
...got the bumper sticker to prove it...
They were Faaaaantastic!

Fastball.

Awesome songwriting.

...brought my nephew and a car Full of his buds to their first-ever concert to see Fastball open up for Blink 182.(Hey, I didn't make that call, or buy that ticket...but I did buy a ticket to fly from Atlanta to Pittsburgh to serve as chauffeur/extremely-sober-on-sight-guardian...That's the kind of Cool Uncle I am! )
Fastball was Great!
Blink 182 was pretty great, too.

 

[AztecViking]

As for prog in it's classic era the American band Happy The Man were way further under the radar than they deserved.

 

[Tony In Philly]

Curved Air (they're still at it!):

 

[MrLenny1]

One of my FAVS was YES.
The writing and playing are just superlative to
the same old 1,4,5, crap that saturates most rock music.

 

[vegas532]

Going back to the 90's for this one: Mindfunk. They should've been huge at the time and it just sort of went nowhere.

 

[Londo Molari]

One of my favorites: Alamaailman Vasarat

 

[Reuben Hernandez]

RIOT, great band, great music, great musicians, great guys. From the original line up to the current line up.

My band had direct support for them last year and all the guys were humble and genuine.

The bass player Don Van Stavern is from San Antonio, my home town, and was the original bassist for my current band Seance still lives here.

In the picture in the left Nacho Vara (Seance guitarist) middle Don Van Stavern (RIOT bassist) right me (Seance bassists)

 

[Biggbass]

I'm like @bassdude51 ..... I gotta go way back to Uriah Heep. And that would be the 1970's version of Heep. Such incredible musicianship and stage presence. Filled stadium upon stadium but was lost too soon before they reached "mythical" status. Heep carried on and still do today but are a mere shadow of the greatness they showed in the early 70's.

I agree....and Mick Box was an INCREDIBLE guitarist. Just listen to his solo mid way thru
Salisbury...

 

[StuStu]

I agree that there are too many mention really. BUT, here a few off the top of my head:
Big Star
Flying Burrito Brothers
Atlanta Rhythm Section
Joy Division
Bad Finger
Jaco (Yes, we all know who he was, but does the average person?)
Many, many local/regional bands. Thanks to those who are adding to the thread. Some good ones that I agree with; others that I'll check out. I'm always looking to discover good artists that are new to me.

 

[Felken]

Porcupine Tree.

 

[Papalampraina]

I'm like @bassdude51 ..... I gotta go way back to Uriah Heep. And that would be the 1970's version of Heep. Such incredible musicianship and stage presence. Filled stadium upon stadium but was lost too soon before they reached "mythical" status. Heep carried on and still do today but are a mere shadow of the greatness they showed in the early 70's.

Again, underrated on this side of the pond.

I can name a few artists that are way underrated or considered one hit wonders on the east side of the Atlantic: Billy Joel, KISS, Eddie Money, Heart, Pat Benatar, Grateful Dead and more.

 

[Papalampraina]

One of my favorites: Alamaailman Vasarat

A Finnish band. These guys must be underrated even in their own neighborhood.

 

[Lee Moses]

One band that I was surprised never hit it big was Scottish band Del Amitri. They had a minor hit (not quite top 40) with "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" and a few years later with "Roll to Me."



But their albums, particularly Waking Hours and Change Everything, were filled with simple and catchy but thoughtful and unique tunes:

 

[BaltBass5]

The Cult
Middle Class Rut
Walking Papers
Raconteurs
Local H
Kasabian

 

[Pyrat]

The best part about this is NOW we have the means to find bands from all over the world...so many amazing sounds! I'm loving the stuff that falls into the "stoner/desert" label and always find great stuff via a few different youtube channels. It's fantastic to expand your realm as a player and dig styles from the world over...because we don't have good radio or record shops much anymore! And of course...LIVE MUSIC. Go see/play as much as ya can!

 

[shawshank72]

OK, being an "old turd" I'm going way, way back.

My son and I were talking about this subject yesterday and we came up with Canned Heat. Very underrated and one of America's best bands ever!

I have heard this from many of people, I'm not bashing but I just don't understand why.
I guess it's the era you lived through that makes this decision most.

 

[Worldeeeter]

Mr. Bungle

 

[ultra60]

Simple Minds haven't put out a good album since Street Fighting Years. Once Upon a Time may have been the most overrated album ever by them or any band. Now, any of there first albums Life in a Day, Reel to Real, Empires and Dance, Sons and Fascination, Sister Feelings Call, A Sparkle in the Rain, and New Gold Dream are very underrated classics.

I agree that the early Simple Minds stuff is where it's at. But I don't think Once Upon a Time is that overrated. It's their stab at the heightened 80's new-wavey commercial phenomenon. lol. That said, I still find that album tolerable today.