The Hidden Gems Thread

BoilerRhapsody

BoilerRhapsody

Active Member
I never once started a thread in the place that shall not be named, so here goes!

I'm sure we all have a few albums we love but never get to talk about because no one knows them. I propose this as the place to share them.
Here is some folk to get us going:

Leah Senior - Summer's On The Ground

Very classic reduction of contemporary life with nature metaphors over nice guitars here. Most people know Leah as a friend of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, as she's done some narration for them.

Sandy Bell - When I Leave Ohio

This is probably the most obscure album I've ever heard, all the tracks have <1000 plays on Spotify, it has no RYM page, had no Last.FM page before I scrobbled it, and I generally can't find much of any information about it except it seems to have been made in the last 5 years and then self published. I found it during a deep dive into Jeff Buckley's background, apparently they were friends back before he moved to New York, before he was even known as Jeff Buckley.

I look forward to hearing some hidden gems! :)

Hidden Gems Archive:
This thread is the same concept as a thread posted in the old place by @Skalap; so before it vanished I got all the suggestions and made an archive of them. There are some very interesting things in there so please check it out.
 
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Not sure how known they are, but Thin White Rope was an obscure 90’s “desert rock” band from Davis, CA that put on blistering live shows (from what I’ve seen on YouTube). The singer Guy Kyser had a voice like he’d chewed up glass, but it was very effective. Their penultimate album Sack Full of Silver is full of grief and despair, and includes a phenomenal cover of Can’s Yoo Doo Right.

EDIT: i have lots of what I consider obscure band that I love, so I love this thread.
 
Randy Holden (arguably one of the pioneers of 'heavy metal') put out a solo record called Hobbit II just before joining Blue Cheer and reworking a few of the songs for their next album. Definitely recommend Hobbit II if you're into heavy late 60s rock n roll.

Gary Wilson - You Think You Really Know Me ... weird, outsider, no-wave craziness from the late 70s. Really have to hear it to believe it.. everyone from Beck (who shouts out Gary Wilson on Where It's At) to Matt Groening are huge fans of this record.

Stephen David Heitkotter - Black Orckid ... amazing psych-rock, once described as a person going paranoid schizophrenic caught on tape.. one of the best albums I've purchased in my entire life.. just phenomenal music.

Jackie Shane - Live! Pioneer cross-dressing soul singer from the States who found a home in Toronto and recorded this great Live album with some of Canada's best funk/soul/r&b musicians. Numero group recently reissued this with bonus tracks including all of her singles (she transitioned later in life).

Buck 65 - Man Overboard ... might be the first emo hip hop album ever? Just a phenomenal record from start to finish but very dark.
 
Sonicpharmacist said:
Not sure how known they are, but Thin White Rope was an obscure 90’s “desert rock” band from Davis, CA that put on blistering live shows (from what I’ve seen on YouTube). The singer Guy Kyser had a voice like he’d chewed up glass, but it was very effective. Their penultimate album Sack Full of Silver is full of grief and despair, and includes a phenomenal cover of Can’s Yoo Doo Right.

EDIT: i have lots of what I consider obscure band that I love, so I love this thread.
Click to expand...

I've not heard much Desert Rock, the name of the genre makes a lot of sense now. You're certainly right about the voice, interestingly he doesn't always sound like that which suggests he's somewhat putting it on, which must be rough. Apparently this is considered 'Paisley Underground' which is a term I've never heard of, sounds right up my alley though so thanks.
 
No idea how hidden this is, but it's one of my favourite discoveries of this year.

70's prog/psych rock in the veins of Deep Purple. The first track is not the greatest, but for me it's a pure gem from there on afterwards. St Louis and Solitude are phenomenal.

Warhorse S/T


love the thread btw
 
BoilerRhapsody said:
I've not heard much Desert Rock, the name of the genre makes a lot of sense now. You're certainly right about the voice, interestingly he doesn't always sound like that which suggests he's somewhat putting it on, which must be rough. Apparently this is considered 'Paisley Underground' which is a term I've never heard of, sounds right up my alley though so thanks.
Click to expand...
I’d never heard of Paisley Underground either. The term “Paisley” makes me think of bands like The Three O’Clock, which sounds nothing like Thin White Rope. Glad you enjoyed though.
 
Ghost Atlas - Sleep Therapy: An Acoustic Performance



Great acoustic emo rock music. I actually put this in the suggested exclusives thread back on VMP cause I wanted it on vinyl really bad.
 
Clint Howard said:
Jackie Shane - Live! Pioneer cross-dressing soul singer from the States who found a home in Toronto and recorded this great Live album with some of Canada's best funk/soul/r&b musicians. Numero group recently reissued this with bonus tracks including all of her singles (she transitioned later in life).
Click to expand...

This is fantastic. Thanks for the heads up. I'll likely be scooping up the Numero pressing.
 
Clint Howard said:
Jackie Shane - Live! Pioneer cross-dressing soul singer from the States who found a home in Toronto and recorded this great Live album with some of Canada's best funk/soul/r&b musicians. Numero group recently reissued this with bonus tracks including all of her singles (she transitioned later in life).
Click to expand...
hroibits said:
This is fantastic. Thanks for the heads up. I'll likely be scooping up the Numero pressing.
Click to expand...

You definitely should.
If Jackie Shane came out today, she would be right up there with Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones. It sucks that it took DECADES for her to reach the respect and prominence she deserved.
BUT... listen to those monologues on the live recordings and remind yourself that they were made over 50 years ago! She was a rare kind of fearless.
 
MadLucas said:
You definitely should.
If Jackie Shane came out today, she would be right up there with Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones. It sucks that it took DECADES for her to reach the respect and prominence she deserved.
BUT... listen to those monologues on the live recordings and remind yourself that they were made over 50 years ago! She was a rare kind of fearless.
Click to expand...

Not to make this about me but I will cause fuckit... About 7 years ago, I got in touch with someone who knew Jackie personally about reissuing the Live! record for a new audience. She had absolutely no interest at the time and wanted to shy away from the public eye. (She was living in Tennessee at the time iirc) ... Needless to say, a few years later, Numero Group came along and convinced her .. so while I'm glad to see it happen, I wish I could have been involved. (Also, Numero probably did her way more justice than I ever could).
 
Clint Howard said:
Stephen David Heitkotter - Black Orckid ... amazing psych-rock, once described as a person going paranoid schizophrenic caught on tape.. one of the best albums I've purchased in my entire life.. just phenomenal music.
Click to expand...

Holy shit, you were not wrong about this. Perfect album art too, complements it in a very eerie way.

Its hard not to be immediately curious as to the story behind it, some sources suggest that it was actually recorded inside a mental care institution, but this seems to be the most reasonable explanation I've found:

FEATURED ARTIST: Stephen David Heitkotter – Traffic Entertainment Group

trafficent.com trafficent.com
 
BoilerRhapsody said:
Holy shit, you were not wrong about this. Perfect album art too, complements it in a very eerie way.

Its hard not to be immediately curious as to the story behind it, some sources suggest that it was actually recorded inside a mental care institution, but this seems to be the most reasonable explanation I've found:

FEATURED ARTIST: Stephen David Heitkotter – Traffic Entertainment Group

trafficent.com trafficent.com
Click to expand...

I own it and in the booklet that comes with it, Egon interviews Stephen's brother. It was recorded in his (stephen's) family home. i really can't recommend the now again reissue enough.
 
Here's one I'm surprised isn't more popular:

www.discogs.com

Stiffed - Burned Again

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Burned Again by Stiffed. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.
www.discogs.com www.discogs.com

Most people would know the name Santigold, in the early 2000s she fronted this Ska-Punk/Post-Punk band. They released an EP and this album before she went solo to much more success, its a good album though.
 
Dennis The Fox - Mother Trucker



The highlight probably being 'Piledriver' that's been comped a bunch of times.



And another great one from the producer for Deep Purple and company..

The Derek Lawrence Statement - I Am The Preacher (Hallelujah)

 
Paige Chaplin - Still These Bones (Acoustic).

Boston native folk/singer songwriter. Absolutely stunning voice, great song writing, and really simple but highly effective guitar work. I think the only outlet is bandcamp. While there is plenty of feminist angst there is some really deep emotional grappling with things like a lost father that can both send the listener reeling and connect them to the singer in ways most performers simply cannot evoke. This album never fails to move me and I can’t help but listen from start to finish every time.
 
MadLucas said:
You definitely should.
If Jackie Shane came out today, she would be right up there with Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones. It sucks that it took DECADES for her to reach the respect and prominence she deserved.
BUT... listen to those monologues on the live recordings and remind yourself that they were made over 50 years ago! She was a rare kind of fearless.
Click to expand...

The monologue during Money was what got the album in my cart.
 
Clint Howard said:
Randy Holden (arguably one of the pioneers of 'heavy metal') put out a solo record called Hobbit II just before joining Blue Cheer and reworking a few of the songs for their next album. Definitely recommend Hobbit II if you're into heavy late 60s rock n roll.

Gary Wilson - You Think You Really Know Me ... weird, outsider, no-wave craziness from the late 70s. Really have to hear it to believe it.. everyone from Beck (who shouts out Gary Wilson on Where It's At) to Matt Groening are huge fans of this record.

Stephen David Heitkotter - Black Orckid ... amazing psych-rock, once described as a person going paranoid schizophrenic caught on tape.. one of the best albums I've purchased in my entire life.. just phenomenal music.

Jackie Shane - Live! Pioneer cross-dressing soul singer from the States who found a home in Toronto and recorded this great Live album with some of Canada's best funk/soul/r&b musicians. Numero group recently reissued this with bonus tracks including all of her singles (she transitioned later in life).

Buck 65 - Man Overboard ... might be the first emo hip hop album ever? Just a phenomenal record from start to finish but very dark.
Click to expand...
Just added these to my queue to listen to today. Those descriptions alone had me hooked!

LOVE this thread btw.
 
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