Underrated Albums from great bands?

[CFH]

Nirvana: Bleach - Their first album, almost a metal album. About a Girl provides a glimpse of what is to come. The freeze-dried vocals (not my term) are outstanding. I was going to say In Utero, my favorite Nirvana album, but considering it's much more popular than Bleach, I figured I'd put this one down instead.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=JpMt_YqVbhwhttp://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wnYaHjE8XdMPantera: Reinventing the Steel - Their final album, following the dark and furious Great Southern Trendkill and the blistering Live 101 Proof album, this record is often overlooked. However, I think it is arguably Pantera's best album, despite the fact that the band was in dire straits. I'll Cast a Shadow is one of their best songs, and one of the best metal songs I have ever heard (the youtube version does not do it justice). To quote a line from the album, "Southern are the sons, Lords unmatched".

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=uEvSjLiCNQAhttp://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=MsYDuPp9FMgThe Beatles: Let it Be - Their final album, released to mixed reviews. You can quibble with the production techniques applied by Spector, and many do, but you can't argue with the masterful song writing.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=3vJn9RLhMmkhttp://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wPZytRr6x5Y
Radiohead: The Bends - The predecessor to OK Computer, this album often seems overlooked these days. Great songwriting, great band, great album.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik15YEyeaqw
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GhgP907x_Do

[OumaFan]

The Bends was one of those albums where every song was good. That and OK Computer were their two best albums IMO, they haven't been quite the same since then, although I liked their last one.

Bleach was a good album too.

[CFH]

A couple more, feel free to add your own.

Sepultura: Chaos AD - Often overshadowed by the more popular and experimental Roots, Chaos AD is an album of comprable quality. Sepultura's traditional thrash style has mostly been replaced by a slower, more groove-laden approach. Chaos AD also provided listeners with their first tastes of the experemental approach the band would take with Roots. This album demonstates why this band, along with Pantera and Slayer, almost singlehandedly kept real metal (ie not Metallica) alive in the 90's. Refuse/Resist and Territory are the more well known songs on this album, but Amen and Nomad as also standouts.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=QP7ezd_SA4o

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=52nhSRD38hU

Babyshambles: Down in Albion - Ok, so they may not be a "great band" in terms of ground breaking originality or popularity, but Down in Albion is an outstanding album. I'm going to say something a bit controversial, but it's better than either of the more popular Libertines albums. An EP and another album have come out since Down in Albion, and the band is pretty much unknown in North America. Fuck Forever is probably the best known track on the album, but nearly ever song stands out as a remarkable piece of songwriting.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=9WmoCxXXcwg

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GFnlCjg1OsI

[Trainer Monkey]

Pink Floyd-The Final Cut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ZSSFYeNck

[Trainer Monkey]

The Exploited
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiM755xBz80

[Gandalf]

The Clash: Give 'em enough rope
Pulp: We Love Life
Dexy's Midnight Runners: Dont stand me down

[Gandalf]

The Bends was one of those albums where every song was good. That and OK Computer were their two best albums IMO, they haven't been quite the same since then, although I liked their last one.

Bleach was a good album too.

For me The Bends is their best album. Its brash and is everything a rock album should be. Ok Computer is brilliant too, but a couple of tracks leave me a bit cold. The Tourist meanders for me and Electioneering doesnt quite hit the spot.

They havent quite been the same since, Radiohead are a very self aware band, perhaps too much so. In rainbows was decent but not on the same level as the second and third albums.

[Gandalf]

A couple more, feel free to add your own.

Sepultura: Chaos AD - Often overshadowed by the more popular and experimental Roots, Chaos AD is an album of comprable quality. Sepultura's traditional thrash style has mostly been replaced by a slower, more groove-laden approach. Chaos AD also provided listeners with their first tastes of the experemental approach the band would take with Roots. This album demonstates why this band, along with Pantera and Slayer, almost singlehandedly kept real metal (ie not Metallica) alive in the 90's. Refuse/Resist and Territory are the more well known songs on this album, but Amen and Nomad as also standouts.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=QP7ezd_SA4o

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=52nhSRD38hU

Babyshambles: Down in Albion - Ok, so they may not be a "great band" in terms of ground breaking originality or popularity, but Down in Albion is an outstanding album. I'm going to say something a bit controversial, but it's better than either of the more popular Libertines albums. An EP and another album have come out since Down in Albion, and the band is pretty much unknown in North America. Fuck Forever is probably the best known track on the album, but nearly ever song stands out as a remarkable piece of songwriting.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=9WmoCxXXcwg

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=GFnlCjg1OsI

Babyshambles are pretty good. There are some cracking tracks on that debut album, but its a few tracks too long for me. Pete Doherty has a way with a tune, but his quality control check can sometimes be wayward.

[Trainer Monkey]

The Clash: Give 'em enough rope
Pulp: We Love Life
Dexy's Midnight Runners: Dont stand me down

Oddly Give Em Enough Rope is my fave Clash album,it catches the transition between the much cleaner stuff theyd do later,and the earlier go for broke style

[Gandalf]

The Clash: Give 'em enough rope
Pulp: We Love Life
Dexy's Midnight Runners: Dont stand me down

Oddly Give Em Enough Rope is my fave Clash album,it catches the transition between the much cleaner stuff theyd do later,and the earlier go for broke style

You break it down well there. Its definitely an album that slots stylistically right between the first album and "London Calling". The songwriting becomes richer and more complex than on the debut and hints at the confectionary that was to come next. Its an important Clash album IMO and stands up well. "London Calling" is my favourite, such a variety to the songwriting.

[Trainer Monkey]

The Clash: Give 'em enough rope
Pulp: We Love Life
Dexy's Midnight Runners: Dont stand me down

Oddly Give Em Enough Rope is my fave Clash album,it catches the transition between the much cleaner stuff theyd do later,and the earlier go for broke style

You break it down well there. Its definitely an album that slots stylistically right between the first album and "London Calling". The songwriting becomes richer and more complex than on the debut and hints at the confectionary that was to come next. Its an important Clash album IMO and stands up well. "London Calling" is my favourite, such a variety to the songwriting.

Dont get me wrong,London Calling is an allmost a perfect album,but it does lose the raunch factor that the first record had. Give Em Enough Rope hits the middle ground between the two,just look at the contrast between English Civil War and Stay Free.
I can never diss on London Calling,its practically a Beatles Album,in that,if you cant find a song you like on it,you obviously dont like music. But Rope caught them right in transition.
The Clash really might have been one of the most amazing groups to ever breathe air. In 1982 I cut my first mohawk,because Joe Strummer had one.

[Fenster]

Miles, you sound like Patrick Bateman

[Fenster]

Can The Bends be classed as underrated? It always ranks highly is those silly "most influential albums" and "greatest of all time" lists.

Anyway.. i love it. Reminds me of a certain period that seems great now. I was a Radiohead fan from Pablo Honey days.. saw them live loads back then. Amnesiac is one of my favs too.

[Gandalf]

Oddly Give Em Enough Rope is my fave Clash album,it catches the transition between the much cleaner stuff theyd do later,and the earlier go for broke style

You break it down well there. Its definitely an album that slots stylistically right between the first album and "London Calling". The songwriting becomes richer and more complex than on the debut and hints at the confectionary that was to come next. Its an important Clash album IMO and stands up well. "London Calling" is my favourite, such a variety to the songwriting.

Dont get me wrong,London Calling is an allmost a perfect album,but it does lose the raunch factor that the first record had. Give Em Enough Rope hits the middle ground between the two,just look at the contrast between English Civil War and Stay Free.
I can never diss on London Calling,its practically a Beatles Album,in that,if you cant find a song you like on it,you obviously dont like music. But Rope caught them right in transition.
The Clash really might have been one of the most amazing groups to ever breathe air. In 1982 I cut my first mohawk,because Joe Strummer had one.

One of the reasons "Give 'em enough rope" is good because its just 10 songs and there really isnt much fluff on there. With "London Calling" I can skip "Lovers Rock" easily and can think of a couple of other tracks that I dont think stand up. "Give 'em enough rope" is short, perhaps 37 minutes long, you dont need the skip button at any point. And in "Tommy Gun" and "Safe European Home" you have two of the best 3 minute "pop" songs ever written. I never ever get tired of hearing those at full blast.

[Gandalf]

Miles, you sound like Patrick Bateman

Hahahaha!

Thats quite scary actually.