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Established Artists: Hidden Gems/Classic Rock

Every major artist has an LP that for whatever reason didnt connect with their audience, had diminished sales, or was at the time a critical failure...however...over time this release has taken on a new light...here are 3:

Ac/dc-Flick of the Switch...largely ignored upon release, this Angus and Malcom production...especially on side 1..rivals any of their post BIB work...recorded at the same studio as BIB...it lacks the immediate clarity of that album...but still is a highly listenable experience.

REO Speedwagon-NINE lives...the last truly hard rock lp the band ever released before turning into an FM power ballad juggernaunt...9 boasts muscular riffs, Chuck Berry licks, and tough, yet clean production...it also reminds us of how criminally underrated Gary R. is as a lead guitarist...puzzling how this album is unknown to many...it is that good

VH:Fair Warning...side 2 is as dark and heavy as VH got...besides WACFirst...IS this love one of the best VH tracks ever committed to vinyl....side 1 has a fair amount of filler...but who cares...this rocks....
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mapman
15,679 posts
 
I've been liking a lot of old Nazareth tunes of late that never caught my attention back in their day.

Same true of Elvis, though lots to dig through there.

I have much greater appreciation for AC/DC these days than I did in my youth. I was born in 1959, started litening to music seriously at age 8 or so. I have found music from many popular artists of the 60's and earlier that I now have new appreciation for. AT the top of the list would be Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Elvis, Buck Owens, Chet Atkins, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Buddy Holly, and many other lesser known names.
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marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Every minor artist has pretty much all of them like that.
77jovian
271 posts
 
I've been listening again to rock bands with brass and have really enjoyed re-discovering them. Chicago "3" for starters.

Blood Sweat and Tears "3" and "4" both underappreciated, I think.

Along those lines, Chase "Pure Music", Lighthouse "One Fine Morning" and Uriah Heep "Salisbury"
dayglow
708 posts
 
Phasecorrect-Adding to your hard rock/metal list...
Aerosmith-Night in the Ruts
Joe Perry Project-Let the Music do the Talking
Judas Priest-Ram it Down
Kingdom Come-In Your Face
Cinderella-Heartbreak Station
Black Sabbath-Dehumanizer
Tesla-Bust a Nut
Dio-Strange Highways
Dokken-Dysfunctional
Corrosion of Conformity-Wiseblood
eslaudio
118 posts
 
Neil Young-On the Beach...everyone was expecting another Harvest. But what they got was a grungy, lo-fi, cynical album with songs inspired by Charles Manson and the evil oil industry. Nobody bought it and it actually went out of print for many years. Fast forward forty years later and many feel it's not only one of Neil's best, but one of the best albums to be released during the 1970s period. It's one of my personal favorites.
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