An indeterminate number of albums you probably have never heard, but maybe should
 

You guys have all very eclectic musical tastes, and some of the bands you listen to are totally beyond my scope or interest, but although my own taste could be described as, most times, mainstream, I still have a lot of stuff that you may never have heard of. You may not want to have heard of it, true, but it's maybe a chance for you to hear music that is interesting, sometimes surprising, despite being what most would class as mainstream.

Some of these albums have been featured in my journal, but as I'm not narcissistic enough to believe that everyone hear reads that journal (Why not? What's wrong with it? Don't you like me? You HATE me, don't you? I can tell...) :) this may be the first you've heard of these albums.

Anyway, enough preamble. We're going to kick off with a solo effort from one of the members of ABBA (Hey! Don't walk away! She's HOT! Really. Look...)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...tand_Alone.jpg

Agnetha Faltskog, usually just known as Agnetha or sometimes Anna within the band, had released seven albums in her native Swedish and two in English before this, and yet, after it she would not release another album for seventeen years, and that would be her last one.

It's produced by Chicago's Peter Cetera so has a very polished, professional sound to it, and while I would never go so far as to say it's a "must-have" album --- there are some very weak tracks on it --- it's a pretty decent effort for someone stepping out of the huge shadow of the hit machine that was her life for over ten years.

This is the opener, great little rocker called "The last time".


One of two lovely ballads on the album, this is "Maybe it was magic".


"Let it shine" is good too


and then it ends on another gorgeous ballad, written by two of the greats, Diane Warren and Albert Hammond.

Cool thread Trollheart, I like me some Abba so I'm definitely gonna have to check this out at some point. Looking forward to this thread! :beer:

Ah, Agnetha. She was my first crush when I was a wee lad. :love: :love:

The first video... when imagination was used instead of cg!

I'd like to branch out a little here and feature a few albums from one of my favourite singer/songwriters, the late Dan Fogelberg. Most will know him, if at all, for his hits "Leader of the band", "Run for the roses", "Same old lang syne" and "Longer", but he had a tremendous output for over thirty years, releasing some of the most underappreciated albums I've ever heard, and come to love.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Home_Free.jpg

This was his debut, released in 1972, and while it's not perfect by any means, it does show him trying to find his way, walking a line between country, folk and emergent rock/pop. I just love the opener, always makes me feel relaxed and reborn, like the dawning of a new day.


"More than ever" is pure country (dig that steel guitar!) --- Dan would more or less drop this style on the next album and would not return to it until 1985's "High country snows".


But what he excelled at, throughout his tragically cut-short life, was ballads, love songs and gentle musical poems, like "Hickory Grove".


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Souvenirs.jpg
His next album, released two years later, would see Dan move more towards folk and the softer side of rock, while still retaining something of his country roots, with tracks like "Illinois"

the beautiful, wistful title track

and the frankly amazing "There's a place in the world for a gambler".


The next opus from Dan would hit the shelves in 1977, when I was just turning fourteen, and a long way from discovering this incredible songwriter. I must feature the cinematic opening and indeed title track


and just to prove he doesn't only write ballads, check out "Love gone by"


But if "Sketches" doesn't bring a tear to your eye, I suggest you take off the mask and give up the pretence, cos you won't pass for a human anymore. :)


There's a whole lot more I could post --- and may --- but trying to exercise some self-control (never an easy thing for me), and I've a lot more in my collection to introduce to those of you who want to hear them, so I may return to Dan at a later point. The above should however give you some sort of idea as to the loss we suffered on December 16 2007.

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...OawNHJ4falnFck

Perhaps one of the albums that affected me most profoundly, along with Jeff Wayne's "War of the worlds" and "Script for a jester's tear" was this one, a one-off collaboration between Irish musicians Ken Kiernan and Ger McDonald, and noted Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, setting his wonderful celtic mythology paintings to music. Like the book of art he published, they called it "Erinsaga".

It charts the coming of the Celts to Ireland, their struggles against the local gods and demons, and their eventual triumph as they make the land theirs. It's a powerful history of ancient Ireland steeped in the beautiful and often savage mythology of my native land, and like most if not all legend, it's full of tragedy, sacrifice, redemption and triumph.

You can't get these samples on YT; I had to make them myself from scratch. The album is similarly hard to come by, so if anyone wants it, I've recorded the whole thing and split it into four videos.

And here they are.

(If anyone wants the actual album let me know and I'll hook you up).

Sweden really does seem to be the place to find power metal, doesn't it? Well, this is almost more symphonic, but who cares for labels, hey? This is the only album from Nightscape (so far anyway) and it's a huge find for me, a real gem that goes under the name of "Symphony of the night".
http://www.metal-archives.com/images/8/9/3/1/89318.jpg

Right from the off you know what to expect with "Haunted hill"


the wonderful, triumphant "Home"


and the powerful title, and closing, track.

http://www.metal-archives.com/images/2/8/1/3/28136.jpg

Seems hard to believe this was released in 2003, almost ten years ago now. Still sounds fresh and vibrant and seriously kicks the ass of so many other prog metal bands! This is Silent Edge from Holland, with their (so far) one and only album, the unutterably brilliant and totally underappreciated "The eyes of the shadow".

Just listen to this! This is the explosive "Savage symphony"

or this, the epic "For ancient times".

But they can tone it right down too, for a tender ballad, like "The curse I hold within".

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Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band --- The Distance

Bob Seger is one of those American institutions, like Springsteen, Dylan or Fogerty. Most people will have heard at least one of his hits --- the chances being very high that those will be either "Night moves" or "We've got tonight" --- but not that many people admit to owning his albums. I remember my boss (probably about 50 at a time when I was, I think, 18) being amazed that I had not just one, but most of Seger's albums. Didn't seem the sort of thing that a young guy would be interested in listening to.

But I love his music. It's traditional American rock, like the best of Springsteen, Earle and Petty all mixed up and performed with pride and panache. Sadly Seger has never played Ireland, nor probably ever will, as he seems not to stray from the homeland. So we have to content with songs like this one, "Even now", which opens the album

The excellent, freedom anthem "Roll me away"

Wonderful, thoughtful ballads like "Love's the last to know"

and the bittersweet "Comin' home".

http://www.humantemple.com/murderofcrows.jpg

Human Temple --- Murder of crows

Another one that appeared in my journal, this is a fantastic second album from the AOR rockers from Finland, Human Temple. It's pretty amazing, considering that virtually every track is gold, and yet the previous album --- which didn't contain the track that got me into them: it's on this one --- was pretty disappointing. They have a new one out this year, which I only just found out today. I'm going searching for it, so expect it to crop up in my journal before long! Till then, try these...

Undeterred by your lack of interest, on I go! Nelson are two brothers, the sons indeed of the legendary Ricky Nelson, and with this album they're keeping the family tradition alive and flourishing!
https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...z0RFVqhx1ob3Cw

Nelson --- Lightning strikes twice

It's an AOR treat, just crammed with hooks, smooth guitar solos, raunchy punching choruses and more great songs than you can shake a stick at, though why you'd want to do such a thing is beyond me....

This is "How can I miss you"


and the great ballad "To get back to you"


And then there's "You're all I need tonight".


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...er_confine.jpg
Antimatter --- Planetary confinement

I have to admit, this is not the sort of music I usually listen to, and it was with some trepidation that I approached Antimatter's third album. A collaboration between Anathema's Duncan Patterson and singer/songwriter Mick Moss, this album frankly amazed me with its bleak, tragic beauty. It's sort of like having a butterfly in your palm that slowly decomposes. Horrible image, yes, but the dark and melancholy nature of this music is almost at odds with the hauntingly beautiful melodies these two guys create.

Though technically a duo, throughout the album Patterson and Moss switch songs, one written and sung by the former followed by one written by and sung by the latter, and so on. This is one of Moss's, "Portrait of the young man as an artist"

while this is Patterson's, with Amelie Festa on vocals, it's "Line of fire".

Another of Mick Moss's compositions, this is "Legions"

and finally, another one from Patterson's songbook, this is called "Relapse".

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...M5i19TivN6Fx3O

Jadis --- Fanatic

I don't know what it is about Jadis, but I just love everything they do. There's just something about them that defies explanation, to me anyway, and the only real way you can appreciate them is by hovering your mouse over the YouTubes and opening your ears. I imagine their music should appeal to prog rock and AOR fans equally, or just anyone who likes good, intelligent, well-structed and well-played songs.





I for one am delighted to hear that Jadis are working on a new album, which will hopefully be out later in the year. Expect a review of that in my journal soon as I have my hands on it.

I just got some great suggestions out of this. Keep it coming.

Hey, cool! :thumb: I didn't think anyone was bothering with this. Nice to know someone's reading... :)

https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/im...ELsSA0996yvaqN

Mama's Boys --- Plug it in

One of THE most underrated and overlooked heavy rock albums of the 1980s, the official debut from three brothers from Country Fermanagh in Northern Ireland hit the shelves in 1982, after their "Offical Bootleg" demo had been doing the rounds for a year or so, and on the back of a support slot for Hawkwind. Mama's Boys never made it big, but are still revered by rockers in Ireland as almost the poor man's Thin Lizzy. Sadly, the youngest brother, Tommy, died of leukemia in 1994, a blow the other two siblings never got over. They officially disbanded after that but they both continued on in the music biz separately.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ject_-_Eve.jpg

The Alan Parsons Project --- Eve

Fourth album by the progressive rock outfit led by the guy who engineered Pink Floyd's seminal "Dark side of the moon", "Eve" was a loose concept based on the way women are viewed and treated in a male-oriented world. Many of the songs would seem to ring as chauvinistic ("You lie down with dogs", "I'd rather be a man", and so on) but in fact are empowering songs which show that no matter what men think of women, it is the latter who are the greatest power in the universe, being the only ones able to bring life into the world.

As usual on APP albums, the vocals are shared out, but this was the first --- indeed only --- one to feature female lead vocals on some of the tracks. It's a great album, from the opening instrumental "Lucifer" to the closing ballad "If I could change your mind", with some great rockers in between: one of, in my opinion, the finest and most cohesive albums from the Alan Parsons Project.

Great thread. I'm also a reader as ell.

To add on a small bit of trivia, since the System is one of my favorite Detroit area bands of the legendary Grande era, Noah was the album that almost stopped the band, with Seger planning to go to college to study Criminology by that time. Released around September/October, 1969, it featured a number of fine Seger songs including the Beatles-styled title track (a Top 20 in Detroit), "Innervenus Eyes" which was the follow up single that hardly made it anywhere, and the closing "Death Row" - although the mess that wound up Side One called "Cat" certainly remains one of those songs hardly anyone talks about unless one's a fan of the Early Seger (yes, I am). Although his writing was still great, there seemed to be a slow down in his contributions, with some of the spaces taken over by a Guitarist named Tom Neme who's work was seriously weaker than that of the band's leader. The fact that the standout "Death Row" was an B-Side to an earlier single (The classic 2+2=?) was also worrying to those who followed his career since the days of "East Side Story," but thankfully Seger returned in '70 with Mongrel and "Lucifer" to continue his long ride to the top, which finally was rewarded with Top 40 Albums in The Late 70's starting with Live Bullet.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ea_Of_Love.jpg

The Adventures --- The sea of love

One of the very best, and again overlooked, albums to come out of Ireland in the late eighties, "The sea of love" is just a gem, packed with hooky, memorable songs, lush production and some stunning lyrics. Their follow up to this was almost as good but slighly less epic and more on the pop/rock side of things, whereas this I feel has something more of a progressive feel, (Progressive Celtic Rock?) particularly these two tracks.



and the title track ain't bad either!

Ha ha! Thought I'd gone away, didn't you? No chance! You'll NEVER be free of me and my interminable album selections! BWA HA HA HAAAAA!

Ahem.

Rather good this, if you haven't heard it before (and if not, why not?): debut from one of the most talented and still underrated female singer/songwriter/poets ever.

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...OeF4e9q1yaAjgB

Suzanne Vega --- s/t

:) Nice choices. She's one of my favorite lyricists of all time! Definitely underrated.

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...jnqLs32_-XcKPw

BWA HA HAAAAA!
Thought this thread was dead, didn't you? Surely you know that you cannot kill that which does not live? Yeah, sorry, it's baaaaacckk! :)
https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/im...DCP2GrslULQ2fQ

I'm in a metal mood today, so let me try to introduce you to a band I've been pushing in my journal. They come from Spain (well done to them in last night's Euro final, by the way!) and go under the misspelled name of
Cain's Dinasty
This is their second album, and it's a scorcher!
http://www.metal-archives.com/images...93516.jpg?1834

I mean, these guys are WEIRD!

But they're MY kind of weird...

and any band who can write a song called "f**k you forever" gets my vote! Can't find that on YouTube, wonder why? ;) so here's "Breaking the bloodlines" instead.