Hidden Treasures - Filling in the Gaps

You know, for all the cool music that gets posted around here there are some really surprising albums that haven’t made an appearance on here yet. So that’s my focus this week, filling in some gaps as I see it. And you know, it was kind of cool to go through and pick through some of these. Some are surprising to me as they are classic, others were not. I found enough to make a few posts, but lets see how this goes and then we'll see about another round or two of these or not.

I did my best to double check this but maybe, just maybe, I made a mistake because there is sooooo much to go through on here, but I'm sure "someone" will call me out if thats true. Two rules though, 1) a track from the album must have been posted at some point in this web sites life, so it's not a question of wether we've discussed these albums or not. And 2) I omitted the videos posted in the Groups category since thats not really the point of this...

What other Classic Rock albums are missing? Listen and let’s fill in some gaps!

PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a13sv0eq

	Montrose Paper Money 1974 1 - Underground Already disenchanted with what he perceived to be the one dimensionality and commercially-waning popularity of his band's hard rock/proto-metal sound, Ronnie Montrose insisted on changing the formula for the group's sophomore release by broadening the stylistic, compositional, rhythmic, and sonic range of the band, and generally toning down the high-energy intensity and metallic crunch that defined the group's 1973 debut. Musical diversity is the driving force behind Paper Money, which opens with the pop-flavored and radio-friendly "Underground", an unlikely cover of a song released the previous year by eccentric Warner Bros. labelmates Chunky, Novi & Ernie. Featuring an organ-like guitar sound created by using a Leslie speaker cabinet instead of a conventional guitar amplifier and given a major musical makeover that obscures the song's dark, death-obsessed lyrics ("Take me now or let me die... change me into a maggot pie"), "Underground" sets the tone for an album that is unpredictable at every turn and covers a broad musical spectrum which includes an acoustic ballad cover - the piano-laced "Connection" by the Rolling Stones) - and an upbeat 1960s-influenced instrumental, "Starliner". Ronnie Montrose heightens and expands his own presence by contributing lead vocals on the sparse and pensive ballad "We're Going Home", which features mellotron provided by guest keyboardist Nick DeCaro who would later join Ronnie Montrose's post-Montrose 'Open Fire' band.
	The Police Synchronicity 1983 2 - O My God Simultaneously more pop-oriented and experimental than either Ghost in the Machine or Zenyatta Mondatta, Synchronicity made the Police superstars, generating no less than five hit singles. With the exception of "Synchronicity II," which sounds disarmingly like a crappy Billy Idol song, every one of those singles is a classic. "Every Breath You Take" has a seductive, rolling beat masking its maliciousness, "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are devilishly infectious new wave singles, and "Tea in the Sahara" is hypnotic in its measured, melancholy choruses.
	Cheap Trick All Shook Up 1980 3 - Stop This Game Cheap Trick's first genuinely disappointing album (1979's Dream Police wasn't bad, it just wasn't up to the level of the first four), 1980's All Shook Up is pretty much a complete botch. Much of the blame belongs to producer George Martin, who, for all his brilliance, was simply a wrongheaded choice for these brash power poppers; his production style simply doesn't translate. Unfortunately, primary songwriter Rick Nielsen has to shoulder his portion of the blame as well: the band's sixth album in under four years shows that the guitarist is starting to run out of both hooks and interesting lyrics. Too many songs are based around half-baked braggadocio like "High Priest of Rhythmic Noise" and "World's Greatest Lover," without the snarky wit that elevated their earlier albums, and the tunes themselves are substandard boogie deficient in both head-bobbing riffs and singalong choruses. "Baby Loves to Rock" is a glad-handing rocker with a certain resemblance to T. Rex's classic string of hits, but it's not enough to save the album.
	Santana Abraxas 1970 4 - Hope You're Feeling Better The San Francisco Bay Area rock scene of the late '60s was one that encouraged radical experimentation and discouraged the type of mindless conformity that's often plagued corporate rock. When one considers just how different Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and the Grateful Dead sounded, it becomes obvious just how much it was encouraged. In the mid-'90s, an album as eclectic as Abraxas would be considered a marketing exec's worst nightmare. But at the dawn of the 1970s, this unorthodox mix of rock, jazz, salsa, and blues proved quite successful. Whether adding rock elements to salsa king Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va," embracing instrumental jazz-rock on "Incident at Neshabur" and "Samba Pa Ti," or tackling moody blues-rock on Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman," the band keeps things unpredictable yet cohesive. Many of the Santana albums that came out in the '70s are worth acquiring, but for novices, Abraxas is an excellent place to start.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on November 18, 2015 at 11:26am

I now you've touted City Boy a lot in the past, and I know they were heavily produce by Mutt. Would make for a great VOTW?

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Permalink Reply by Niels (Mod) on November 19, 2015 at 5:21am

Believe me, I've tried, but it's difficult to make a VOTW City Boy-special. They've only made 2 or 3 video's, and I think, I've posted them all before, a few years back. And the songs in those video's are not among their best.

But what about this album:

This is my favorite SAGA-album (or the only one, I like), and yesterday, I heard the full album again after around 20 years or more.

This is my favorite track from the album, which at the time reminded me, or the production, of RUSH's "Hold Your Fire".

If you haven't heard it before, do yourself a favour. Awesome riff, and great guitar-work.

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Permalink Reply by RJhog (Admin) on November 18, 2015 at 8:28pm

Montrose - I have this album, but I'm not particularly familiar with it. I may have listened to it once. Sammy sounds good. For some strange reason, I get a Kiss vibe from this song. Maybe it's just a lyrical thing, specifically the chorus. This is a pretty good song, but how in the world can a band become disenchanted with their sound after one album?

The Police - I had this on vinyl. I listened to side two most of the time. I never could get into side one as a whole. I do love Synchronicity II from this album, but this song, not so much. It took forever for the song to start.

Cheap Trick - Awesome song. The album itself is unremarkable to me. I do have it, but I just can't remember much about it. I think maybe I need to listen to it soon.

Santana - So this song is sung by future Journey vocalist and keyboardist Gregg Rolie. I wonder what it would have been like if Steve Perry would have joined Santana instead of Journey? Anyway, I like this. The guitar is mesmerizing. I have got to get me some Santana. Actually, I did pick up a used copy of Abraxas a few months back at the cd store, so maybe I should start there.

Nice topic and playlist. There's tons of albums that haven't been touched on here. Might be a good idea to work up a playlist based on bands that haven't been touched on here...just a thought. Great job.