Exploring unheralded rock songs from many genres including classic rock, hard rock, psych, garage, metal, proto-punk, punk, post-punk, and the occasional blues tune...
After getting tossed out of the Sex Pistols for reported admitting that he liked the Beatles, bass guitarist Glen Matlock formed the Rich Kids. The Rich Kids was a more pop sounding punk bank with many neat little tunes. Here is one of them.
I was never a big Ratt fan. I think that the part of their music/image that made them popular for a few years in the mid 80's is what turned me off. But, I've learned over the years that some bands that I never cared for made some good music at the beginning of their careers before molding their sound into something more palatable for the masses. So, when I dug into Ratt's early career, I found a few tracks that I found significantly more interesting than their later work. Here is one such example of their debut EP.
I don't feature many, if any, hip hop performances here on Deep Rock Mining. The biggest reason for this is my lack of deep knowledge on the genre. That said, I did stumble on this early hip hop track from New York's Jungle Brothers online and found myself listening to the rest of the album. This music definitely paints a picture.
Pere Ubu, an avant-garde punkish band, is definitely an acquired taste. Once you get accustomed to the angular nature of the music and vocals, it becomes quite enjoyable. I prefer their earlier stuff. Here is one such example.
The Lemon Pipers were mostly known for their big #1 hit, Green Tambourine. While most of this Ohio pop psych band's music was a bit on the lighter side, they could wind it up and play a little harder when they wanted. Here is one such example.
Okay, so if you're going to start a neo-psych band, I guess there is a temptation to pick a really "psychedelic sounding" band name. It is a temptation that Canadian bandleader Greg Watson couldn't resist. Silly name notwithstanding, the Orange Alabaster Mushroom pulled together some really cool "psych" tunes in the late 90's/early 00's. Here they are off of their first EP.
Eyes of Blue was one of those psychedelic bands that skewed more toward pop-oriented music. I'm usually less interested in those bands. Eyes of Blue did have some decent tunes, though. Here is one of them off of their second album, In Fields of Ardath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nny-oTNIAb8
Today, I am featuring some Michigan-born borderline speed metal that is ultimately disappointing to me. Why do I feel this way? Because this tune is the first song of the band's debut album, Call Off the Dogs, and the rest of the album just pales in comparison. So, I don't summarily recommend that you go and buy the album. However, this first song still rules.
Today let's enjoy some fine proto punk. Berlin Brats biggest claim to fame during their original existence was appearing in Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke in a battle of the bands scene. Luckily, though, there music was preserved and finally got a proper release in 2010.
I could have picked just about any song off of Sublime's debut album to feature in this space, as there are so many good songs. The album, 40 Oz to Freedom, is probably my second favorite album of the 90's. And my favorite wasn't by Nirvana. But back to Sublime. If you haven't heard this album, I encourage you to do so in its entirety. The way they blend reggae, punk, and rock is a joy to the ears.
Dipping back into Scandanavia today to feature some modern day garage rock. In the year 2000, The Hellacopters released their fourth album, but the first to feature guitarist, Robert Dahlqvist. Unfortunately, Dahlqvist just passed away at the young age of forty. Here is is with the rest of the band from one of his first efforts with the band.
Onetime child star on Broadway, Brett Smiley, grew up and developed a singing career. He would ultimately be managed by Andrew Loog Oldham. He recorded an album, but only a single from those sessions was released at the time. The rest of the album did not get released for thirty years. Here he is with his pop glam rock track, Va Va Va Voom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21U5nOfHIU0
And now for Valentine's Day, some Swedish pop psych. Pugh Rogefeldt has been making music since 1969 and has produced a ton of material. I have only heard a small portion, but I'm definitely interested in checking out more. Here is Pugh from the first song off of his first album, a song that would go on to be sampled by DJ Shadow.
If you go to the Discogs page for the group Doctors of Madness, it describes their music as a combination of punk and prog rock. That's quite a combination. I don't know if it's entirely accurate. I would rather say that they sounded more like Celtic proto punk. You decide.
In the mid-70's, English producer Mike Hurst pulled together a bunch of session musicians to record some music in their spare time. When it came time to record vocals, they enlisted novice singer and former Penthouse Pet, Helen Caunt. And to everyone's surprise, their version of the Trogg's classic became a hit rising to #14 on the British charts.
Manufacture was a two man industrial band that came together in Boston in the mid-80's. The got a small following there and then gained some popularity in Canada. Even one song off of their debut album, Terrorvision, featured Sarah McLachlan on vocals for one song. Not today's featured song, though. This is Passion for the Future
Several years ago, I became briefly interested in the tv show, Entourage. During one episode, as background music, a hip hop song with some powerful riff was playing. I eventually hunted down the song online. It was Obie Trice's Since They Wanna Know. That song remains one of about twenty post 1990 hip hop songs in my iTunes.
Only recently, however, I became aware of the source of that great riff sampled by Obie Trice. It was Power of Zeus' It Couldn't Be Me. In fact, the whole Power of Zeus album rocks. See if you agree.
X-Beliebig was a short-lived teenage post-punk band from Austria. The band actually broke up while the oldest members will still nineteen! They definitely had that Joy Division vibe going.
Today, one half of the discography of the Hollywood Squares is being featured on Deep Rock Mining. While this L.A. punk band didn't produce a lot of music, this track is a clear winner.
Chicago-born Ramsey Lewis has released over 80 albums in the course of his career. Most of it was focused in jazz. But today I'm shining a light on his funky 1974 release, Sun Goddess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHJtVGN7DzE
I only recently came to be aware of this supergroup that performed approximately 20 shows total in 1979. The group consisted of Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Ian McLagan(Faces), Stanley Clarke, Bobby Keys, and Ziggy Modeliste from the Meters. Here is a groovy(pun intended) little number from one of those performances.
Time for some serious space rock from Germany. Here are the Cosmic Jokers off of their classic 1974 quadraphonic sound release, Galactic Supermarket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTkf-IPyN8
Long before they couldn't stand Mondays, the Boomtown Rats were a straight up punk band. Here they are with a choice 70's performance video(even if it is not perfectly synched).
GoodThunder was a short-lived psych/prog rock band from Los Angeles. They managed to release only one self-titled album in 1972 and broke up immediately thereafter. That's unfortunate, as it would have been interesting to see this band develop.
