Obscure bands

Bdp,

I couldn't help chuckling a bit as I read your most recent post.  It almost reads like a scene from "Spinal Tap".  That must have been a fun time and it sounds like a few of those guys have had a decent run in the music making business, which is always good to hear.

And also need to add the following as groups who had major hits but have body of work that can be considered obscure to many (quotes from AllMusic):

- The Church (considered a one-hit wonder in the US ("Under the Milky Way") that nevertheless recorded 19 albums and still going strong; per AllMusic "jangling guitar pop with opaque wordplay to create a lush, melancholy brand of neo-psych rich in texture and melody"). 
- Jesus Jones (were on top of the world but fell hard with no one buying later albums that still contained catchy songs).
- Inspiral Carpets ("released some of the best singles of the '90s").
- The Outfield ("The world quit listening, but The Outfield continued to make tight, glistening pop records...sharp harmonies, crackling guitar, and the always remarkable vocals...The Outfield recedes into history as yet another shining power pop band unjustly ignored and lost forever").
- The Ocean Blue ("melodic guitar and synth-driven pop that ranks among the best ... indisputably well-crafted albums").

’Few more:
Kasenatz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus (Quick Joey Small) 
Slaughter & The Dogs (Quick Joey Small)
Fever Tree (60s Acid band)
Simply Red (English torch
Stories (Brother Louie)
The Shoes (used name before Beatles could co-opt!)
The Left Banke (Pretty Ballerina -very trippy)

Another spin-off:. Health & Happiness Show

James Mastro (guitarist and songwriting partner to Richard Barone in The Bongos) started this alt-country/guitar pop band. They did three extremely good records without much in the way of recognition.

Gonna have to give a +2 to Jade Warrior.  I'm impressed that someone brought that one up!  A fantastic band from the 70's in the prog rock arena out of Britain. Supremely creative.  Steve Winwood got involved with them trying to get them on the main stage, but to no avail.  A cross between rock, jazz, classical and oriental.   3 older albums that were sensational are Floating World, Waves, and Kites.  They came out with a new release a couple of years ago called Now which is unbelievably good.

Another excellent album self produced by a guy out of San Diego by the name of Chuck Perrin is Beatitude by the Holy Barbarians.  Cover to cover killer tunes in a Pop Jazz genre with vocals.