Obscure bands


Does anyone know a band called City Boy? (70's/80's)Very obscure and very original. It's beyond Me how such great talent goes so unnoticed! Also please chime in on other obscure talented musicians.

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Marti Jones, and her producer/husband Don Dixon, as SO good! Don may even be a better producer than T-Bone Burnette (and definitely a better songwriter and singer, not a T-Bone strength, imo). It's a shame he never progressed beyond that amateur DIY recorded sound quality as an engineer. I do believe there is an anti-audiophile sensibility in a lot of independent R & R producers, for some reason. Like to sound too "good" is to become mainstream.

But look at Nick Lowe; his first album (and the ones he produced for Elvis Costello) sounds pretty bad (though being musically great), but his second sounds completely different, pretty good (that may be due to Dave Edmunds' involvement).

Yeah Marty, I used some more familiar names to make the point that those names shouldn't be obscure, but appear to be to (perhaps) younger participants here.

You want obscure? I'll give ya obscure. For fans of Instro/Surf, the bass player of Los Straitjackets (themselves no doubt obscure to most, though they are on the same label as Nick Lowe, and appeared regularly on Conan O'Brien) was leader of his own Surf Band prior to joining them, The Halibuts. Drenched in reverb and fast songs.

A few of my favorite obscure artists & albums:

Dixie Dregs ~ What If
Pylon ~ Gyrate
Rank and File ~ Sundown
Trip Shakespeare ~ Lulu
Seldom Scene ~ Old Train
Brand X ~ Moroccan Roll
Romeo Void ~ It's A Condition
Texas ~ Mother's Heaven
Drivin' N' Cryin' ~ Fly Me Courageous
Keno Duke ~ Sense of Values
Hatfield and the North ~ The Rotter's Club
Pearls Before Swine ~ One Nation Underground
The Rain Parade ~ Emergency Third Rail Power Trip

 
dweller and arcam, have you heard the Steven Wilson remasters of Gentle Giant’s "Octopus" and "The Power and The Glory" on Blu-Ray? They are excellent.
Just the ones that come to mind because I recently ripped them to JRiver:
1. Sanguine Hum
2. Out of Focus
3. Amenophis
4. Andy Jackson
5. Haken
6. William Orbit
7. Opeth
8. Timothy Pure
9. Embryo
10. Ashra / Ash Ra Temple
11. Bo Hansson
12. Marillion
13. Ozric Tentacles
14. Eloy
15.Anekdoten
16. Agitation Free
17. Lucifer Was
18. Osta Love
19. Camel
20. Caravan
21. Barclay James Harvest
22. Mythos
23. Riverside
24. Unknown Hinson
25. Hedvig Mollestad Trio
26. Porcupine Tree / Steven Wilson
27. Tangerine Dream (not so obscure but not really mainstream)
28. 801 / Phil Manzanera
29. Steve Hackett
30. Jade Warrior
31. Pure Reason Revolution
32. Blues Pills
33. Horslips
City Boy was a great band that shoulda. They were one of Mutt Langes 1st.
You may know him better from Def Lepperd and Shania (his ex).

The Shirts were the best live band from CBs.

Take a listen to Bloodwyn Pig, a branch of Tull.
Brinsley Schwarz, Nick Lowes 1st band.
The late Keef Hartleys many incarnations.
The Zutons, a more recent obscurity, at least here in the states.
The Detroit Cobras.

There were thousands of San Jose, California Bands/Groups never heard from outside the Valley. Here are the ones who made records receiving national distribution:

- The Syndicate of Sound ("Hey Little Girl")

- The Count V ("Psychotic Reaction", a rip-off of The Yardbirds "I’m A Man")

- The Chocolate Watchband (three albums on Tower Records, their label-mates being early Pink Floyd. Seen in the Roger Corman movie Riot On Sunset Strip. They were basically The Yardbirds with Mick Jagger as lead singer)

- Stained Glass (two albums on RCA Records)

- People (two albums on Capitol Records, the first containing their national hit, a remake of a Zombies song "I Love You")

That was the 60’s. Stained Glass bassist/singer/songwriter Jim McPherson (R.I.P.) went on to join John Cipollina in his post-Quicksilver Messenger Service band Copperhead (and John’s younger brother bassist in The News, Huey Lewis’ Band). Larry Norman, one of the two lead singers of People, became a leader in the Christian Rock field in the 70’s.

The two Bands to come out of San Jose after the 60’s were The Doobie Brothers, and Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of local Band Fritz (full original name Fritz Reiner Memorial Band!).